It's available in print and Kindle editions. Should also start showing up on Amazon anytime. See the book's page on this site for more.
Live Prayerfully's Kindle Edition is Up
I'm thrilled that one of the versions of Live Prayerfully is now publicly available, as the Kindle Edition posted on Amazon this morning.
One big advantage of the electronic editions: Part Two of the book consists of guides for prayer for each day of the week, and I really hope that some folks will find using an electronic version very handy for making use of those guides on a regular basis. Since Kindle books can be read on so many different devices, it helps turn the book's guides for prayer into pocket guides that you can always have with you. (Other e-book versions are also in the works in case anyone has a strong preference for another reader, such as the Nook. The printed edition should be available within a week.)
Trying to Cross the Finish Line
As writing has become something at which I want to try to make a more serious effort, I've spent more time reading writers who write about writing. One of the things that has stuck with me from the things I've read that is proving to be true in trying to finish this project is that it's tough to cross the finish line and have the project be completely done. It's easier to move on to what I want the next project to be, or to find something (anything) else to occupy my attention than it is to put the finishing touches on this and have it available for anyone in the galaxy to see.
I'm glad I made the decision a few months ago to say on this blog that I'm writing the book and to give myself a public deadline for getting it finished. I probably won't quite meet that deadline, but I'll be within a few days of it, so it served its purpose of keeping things moving.
So I think I can... I think I can... get this finished. It's not that it's all that difficult to do- the most challenging part of writing it has already been behind me for a long time. The hard part, as those other authors attested, seems to be crossing that line from "I'd like to write a book," or "I'm trying to write a book," to "Here's a copy of it."
My First Real Endorsement
After posting the fake endorsements last week, I'm pumped to have my first actual endorsement of Live Prayerfully. Wil Hernandez is several things for me: a spiritual director, friend, teacher, and all-around encourager. One of the reasons I enjoy every conversation with Wil so much is that he really knows his stuff, and he's tied together a passion for learning, for teaching, and for helping others grow. Among the things he does are to direct Spring Arbor University's Master of Arts in Spiritual Formation and Leadership and helping others continue to benefit from the wisdom of Henri Nouwen through the Nouwen Legacy. Wil was the first person I asked for an endorsement, and the first one to send one to me. It's an honor. (Plus, I really like what he says- any connection made between a cookie jar and prayer is a winner in my book.)
"Prayerful living entails both intentionality and spontaneity. Daniel Harris's work shows what such a combination looks like in concrete fashion! Here's a no-frills piece that brings the cookie jar of prayer into the lower shelf---accessible, relatable, and doable. Harris's memorable three-point outline captures succinctly the essence of how to live prayerfully while his corresponding guides demonstrate well its practical outworking. Definitely a helpful tool for beginners and practitioners alike!" Wil Hernandez, PhD, spiritual director, retreat leader, and author of a trilogy on Henri Nouwen
[Fake] Endorsements for My Book
I'm putting in a lot of time on the manuscript of Live Prayerfully in an effort to try to meet my deadline. While doing so today and working on some formatting issues, I thought it would be helpful to designate a front/back of a page where I hope people's endorsements of it will be printed. The only problem is that so far I have no such endorsements, as I'm not quite ready to start asking for them. But, since I needed some filler for those pages, I entertained myself by making up my own endorsements for the book and attributing them to whomever I wanted. Just incase any search engine ever comes across the names on this page, let me be clear that none of the people here ever said anything like this.
And the fake endorsements for my book:
“This is, unquestionably, the best book I have ever read.” St. Paul, author, half of the New Testament of The Holy Bible
“Daniel Harris is cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.” Dallas Willard, author, The Divine Conspiracy
“Wow, and I thought I was smart. After reading this, I really don’t know what to do with myself.” M. Robert Mulholland Jr., professor emeritus, Asbury Theological Seminary
“ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYandZ.” Robert Pelfrey, dean, School of Everything Cool
“You know, I am continually amazed at how smart I am. I mean, I really dazzle myself.” Daniel Harris, author, this book
“Wow, and I thought Bob Mulholland and I were smart. After reading this, I really don’t know what we're going to do with ourselves.” N.T. Wright, the leading Bible scholar in the entire world
“I really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really like this guy.” Kara Harris, wife of the author
“Dang. I wish I’d written this.” John Wesley, founder of Methodism
“How many more of these should I come up with? I mean, it’s fun to do this, but I’m starting to feel a bit convicted. Dear God, may no lawyer ever come across this page.” Daniel Harris, author, this book
“Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah Blah blah blah.” Jorge H. Lopez, pastor, MegaFrater
“Every year, millions of books are published. Honestly, for 2012, this is one of them.” General Spokesperson for The General Public
And The Cover Is...
I enjoyed working with a bunch of talented folks at CrowdSpring over the past couple of weeks to get a cover design done. After 145 submissions from 23 different creatives, I chose the design pictured above by Roy Migabon (CrowdSpring Creative ID: LioArtimis).
There hasn't been much happening here on the blog, but that's because I'm working toward my self-imposed deadline for this book! (I still don't like deadlines- but's it's kept things moving.)
Help Me Pick a Book Cover
I'm hosting a contest on CrowdSpring to try and find a cover for Live Prayerfully. The contest still has a few days left, but some good stuff has already come in, so I thought I'd go ahead and start getting some feedback from some of you.
I've selected 8 of the best entries. If you can take a few minutes, rate each of them with 1-5 stars and leave any comments if you want, I'd greatly appreciate it.
To get started, just click here.
Thanks!