Blogger: Rachel Kent
I clicked a link on Facebook to the Bethany House blog yesterday and saw that they host a prayer day the first Sunday of every month for the authors with releases that month. How cool is that?! I know many CBA publishing houses spend time in prayer about books they are producing or they are thinking of producing and the authors they work with. That got me to thinking that we could spend more time in prayer for our publishing houses, too.
Prayer makes a difference, and if we were to add our publishing houses to our personal prayer lists, I think the impact on CBA could be huge. It can be our inclination to complain about how slow publishing is or how the marketing isn’t going as well as it could be for our title. A publishing house can perform poorly in one or more areas, but publishers are filled with individuals working in many different departments, trying hard to work together to get these books out to readers. And our CBA publishers are unique because they have the goal of reaching readers with the life-changing message of God through the books they are producing.
I also think that spending time in prayer for our publishing houses will help our relationships with them. If we are praying for the houses we are working with, the mindset toward these places will be more focused on Christ’s love and the shared faith instead of being quick to jump to negative conclusions and accusations. There are times for disagreements–nobody is perfect and no publishing house is either–but through spending time praying for our publishing houses we should be able to better remember to approach any interaction with the house in a way that is pleasing to God.
I am going to commit to praying more for our CBA publishers and the individuals who work at them. Even if you don’t yet have a publishing house, would you join me in praying for Christian publishers? I believe these houses are reaching the world with the message of Christ, and we can help with our prayers. If you already pray for Christian publishing, thank you! I am sure your prayers have made an impact.
Dear God, Please bless those who are working for you at Christian publishing houses. Allow their efforts to spread the message of Christ to be fruitful. Please help the departments to work well together so that there is unity among your workers. We love you and praise your name. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
What a great idea, Rachel.
The phrase “publishing house” brings to mind Proverbs 24:3-4: By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures (NIV).
Dear Lord, grant these publishing houses the wisdom and knowledge to produce treasures that will build up the body of Christ. Amen.
What a great verse to pray over these publishing houses!
Great verse! Thanks for sharing.
Amen!
Excellent idea!
It makes me think that writers might consider posting a prayer list on their refrigerator, for use every morning. In addition to publishing houses…
* Prayer for agents – that they are given serenity through their often frustrating work, and wisdom on path of “whom to represent” to “publication”.
* Prayer for fellow authors – we all want personal success, but the important thing is that books are published, and read, that spread Christ’s message of love and redemption. Our prayers here should be for the success of our colleagues, and for the removal of any envy from our hearts.
* Prayer for readers – that their hearts will be opened to God’s love and mercy by the books they choose to read, and that they’ll share the message.
* Prayer for our families – how many days do the families of authors have to deal with a member who’s there, but absent, lost in a far-off mental world? How many hours are spent in intense concentration at the keyboard, followed by “I want time to MYSELF” for a little while? We socialize with our characters; family requests often get short shrift afterwards.
* A general prayer of gratitude – no writer works alone. We take inspiration and ideas from the world around us – books we read, blogs we follow, music we hear, movies we watch, people to whom we speak (or merely observe). We should be grateful for the opportunities that the Almighty has sent our way.
One good idea generates more good ideas. Thank you, Andrew, for extending my prayer horizon.
Wonderful list!
As an agent, I know I can use prayer, too.
Thanks, Andrew.
Great thought, Rachel! As Christians, our writing is more than just a hobby or a passion. It’s also a calling. It’s so important to include God in every facet of the process.
Precious message, Rachel. Your love for your work, but more importantly for God, shine through.
Wonderful post, Rachel. A Christian writer’s greatest resource is prayer. Not just for what we can receive, but more importantly, for what we can give. Just as the Church is one body, the writing community in some ways, is one body. When one hurts, we all hurt. When one does well, we all do well. God bless you for reminding us of this fact!
Very true.
Thanks!
🙂
Great idea, Rachel!
When I worked in a Christian publishing house a long time ago, I used to pray for my coworkers, one per day, using the staff phone directory as a guide. If I didn’t know the person, I’d pray for a chance to meet him or her. It tickled me to meet someone and think, “I prayed for you last Thursday,” but I didn’t usually say it out loud at the risk of sounding stalker-ish. (Prayer Stalking…now there’s a concept! lol)
This post is a good reminder to get back to praying for people who work so hard on our behalf (and, ultimately, the readers’), all along the chain: publishing execs, editors, designers, salespeople, warehouse workers, agents, retailers, admins who keep the system humming, etc.
Haha! Probably best not to tell people you are prayer stalking them. 🙂
Rachel, I love your heart in this post! Thanks so much for the reminder to pray for our Christian publishers.
I believe we’re at the threshold of something very exciting. We’re suddenly seeing a whole new shift where Christian books are concerned. The Christian publishing industry is gaining new readers by the droves, and it’s thrilling to consider the impact of prayer upon this ministry.
Just goes to show–when God’s put in charge, anything can happen. The tide can turn in a heartbeat!
Thanks, Cynthia!
Beautiful post, Rachel. I pray all who read it take it to heart. It’s a good reminder to me to continue praying for my publishing house and the team of people there who work on my books. It’s been such a blessing and privilege to work with them.
Thanks, Lori!
And it is a blessing for me to be able to work with so many people who are focused on God.
A great idea Rachel. I know that praying for someone so often softens my heart for the way that God wants me to see that person and act toward that person.
Same here!
I would love to join you in praying for CBA publishing houses and the faithful teams that work there.
Beautiful post, Rachel.
You have touched many hearts today to unite in the most important part of our work.
Thank you.
Thanks, Kathy.
So good. Thank you. It’s one of those “duh” moments for me.
I have those all the time.
“Prayer pulls the rope that rings in the ears of God.”
. . . go ahead. Pull the rope for anyone in need.
🙂
What a lovely idea, Rachel. Our church is really focusing on prayer this year, too. We’re committing to prayer partners and sharing prayers requests via email each week.
My Bible study lesson this week was on the power of prayer. We’re studying Daniel–such a strong man of prayer.
I think God is trying to teach me to depend on Him and talk to Him more.
Beautiful post, Rachel – prayer does so much! I’m so thankful for my publisher and all they do to publish edifying books. I do pray for them and for readers and you’ve reminded me to step that up. Thanks for having a heart for the things that truly matter for eternity.
Thanks, Laura! I appreciate your heart for God, too! 🙂
This is a fabulous idea!!
🙂
Love this idea!!!
Thanks!
Rachel, thank you for the reminder to pray for our publishing houses—another reason I write for the CBA. 🙂
Sherry
Thanks, Sherry! I am so glad to be a part of the CBA world as well.
Hopefully this doesn’t sound holier than thou, but since I began this rollercoaster ride, I’ve been praying for the hands and eyes of those who encounter my words.
Whether it’s the company CEO or the mailroom clerk, I have prayed for them.
I would think that a publishing house sees a HUGE array of words, but I want mine to stand out and stick.
I also know that when people work in a Christian environment, the enemy has a special arsenal just for them.
It’s not just our love of story that needs to stand out, our love for those who do the leg work needs to be obvious too.
Jennifer, that sounds wonderful … not holier than thou. I love that we can say our honest feelings about our writing here, our questions, concerns … it’s hard to do that anywhere else.
I love this idea! I am going to spread it to my National Poetry Month Blog Celebration! Thanks for inspiring us!
Sounds great! The more people praying the better!
What a wonderful idea! I like visual prayer reminders, so when I pick up new books, I’ll check out the publishing house and pray for them, too! 🙂
Wonderful!
Lovely idea, Rachel.
Great idea. We all need prayer.