Prayers for When You (Or Your Books) Are Lost at Sea

An update on shipping containers and livin' on a prayer, figuratively and literally.

We made it to 2022! But instead of feeling victorious or reinvigorated with New Year resolutions, many of us are feeling, well, overwhelmed. (Keep reading for a prayer for that.)

I see you. I read your messages. And I’m living it in real-time, too.

Caring for the youngest among us over the past few years hasn’t been easy.

Maybe you’re like me and you vacillate between decently treading water and feeling like you just might sink. But no matter how choppy the waters have been during this pandemic and political turmoil and parental exhaustion, you’re still here.

Still here clinging to hope that better days are ahead, and in the meantime — God does not (and will not) abandon you or me or any of us to the waves.

Speaking of waves:

Thousands (!!!) of copies To Light Their Way are likely…lost at sea.

I know. I know. I’ll let that sink in. (Sorry, had to.)

Last week, I received an email from my wonderful publisher. Turns out there was an incident involving a ship that suffered a container collapse while at sea. Thankfully, no one was hurt or killed, but some of the containers were lost overboard and others damaged.

Guess what was on that ship?

Half of the second print-run for To Light Their Way.

Thousands of books. I can’t stop imagining stacks just slowly sinking, finding their homes amongst shipwrecks and whatever is left of the Titanic at the bottom of the deep blue sea.

What?!

If you’ve clicked over to Amazon (the #1 book retailer these days) you may have seen that To Light Their Way is currently unavailable. I’m so sorry! It’s a bummer.

Thanks to so many of you (truly, thank you) the book sold out pretty much…everywhere before the second printing arrived. The copies of To Light Their Way on that big ol’ ship were supposed to replenish online warehouses, local bookstores, and everyone in between.

The good news

The good news (thank you, Jesus!) is that half of the printing is still on track to arrive at my publisher as early as next week!

They’re actively taking online orders, so you can order now and they’ll ship as soon as they get them. They’re also running a sale (from $19.99 to $13.99) as a bit of a thank-you for the wait. I’m waiting right alongside all of you to purchase more copies, too.

(Tyndale also offers discounts for bulk orders (think churches, book clubs, nonprofits, etc), so now is a good chance to load up while they have fresh-from-the-printer copies available.)

ChristianBook.com is also offering a similar sale right now, though they’ll ship a week or so later than the publisher.

Eventually, online retailers and bookstores will be back in stock, and I’ll keep you updated here. (In the meantime…if you’ve ordered from Amazon, would you hop over and leave a brief review of To Light Their Way? You’re the best.)

Prayers of the people

Launching a book during a pandemic has been particularly strange. (I should have known I was in for a wild ride when Instagram and Facebook went down the day before my book launched, and I already couldn’t do in-person events!)

Though this has been an adventure that has been at times discouraging, the beautiful communal response to the prayers in To Light Their Way has been beyond beautiful.

Hearing from you and how the prayers and liturgies have spoken to your lived experiences has affirmed in a million ways what I already knew — this book is yours.

You are why To Light Their Way exists. Your stories are on the pages and in the prayers. (Thank you for sharing on Instagram — it’s a gift to be welcomed into your life like that!)

Thank you for allowing me to put words to our shared experiences of showing up in the world and witnessing both the broken and the beautiful.

A prayer for the overwhelmed

Below is a modern liturgy I wrote for To Light Their Way (in the Prayers for the Parenting Journey section — there’s also a Spotify playlist for it!).

As you take a minute to read, I hope you’re reminded, deep in your bones, that you aren’t alone. And you never have been.

O God, help us resist the lie that we are
     alone
In the swirl of parenting, in the world
     at large.
For You hold our children, and indeed
     all of us,
In the palm of Your hand.

O God, as we stay awake at night,
Wondering how we will make it through
     another week,
Wondering what our children’s lives will
     look like come fall,
Give us peace and breathe empathy
     into us,
For the need is all around us.

O God, help us to focus on right now,
Even in our exhaustion,
In our frustration,
And in our loneliness.
Help us be awake to You in the world—
In the form of a crying baby in our arms
Or a child in need of help with schoolwork
Or a hungry neighbor on the corner.

O God, we don’t have to tell You
That we live in a reality with so much need,
Both in our homes
And in our broader communities,
And it’s easy to feel like whatever we do
Is just a pebble in the ocean.

O God, remind us that You are present
To each individual heart
And every communal cry.
Give us strength for the day
And bright hope for tomorrow.

Hope for tomorrow

Writing is a lot like prayer — both are rooted in honesty and listening. I’m working on some projects (including a potential podcast!) that I hope will serve you well as you walk in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of life together.

I’m also praying about what a second book may look like, which is terrifying and wonderful all at once! (Terrifying and wonderful are also two words I’d use to describe parenting.)

For now, I can share that I had the joy of contributing to Alabaster Co.’s Towards Rest book. I helped write the chapter about Rest & Play and I hope it speaks to your soul.

I also had the gift of endorsing Dr. Holly Oxhandler’s forthcoming book, The Soul of the Helper. With a background in spiritually-integrated mental health, Dr. Oxhandler teaches us all a new way to slow down and reconnect with the stillness within ourselves. If you are a “helper” in any way (including being a parent) I think her faithful work will give you permission to breathe and see yourself the way our heavenly father sees you. Here’s my endorsement:

“The Soul of the Helper is a deep exhale and a warm embrace for all who care for others but too easily forget to care for themselves.

Dr. Oxhandler’s expansive, approachable work will shine a guiding light into your heart, mind, body, and soul—helping you release what is not yours to hold so that you might be more awake to the belovedness that radiates within you and around you.”

I’m a regular contributor to PBS Kids for Parents, too. I recently shared 15 ways to connect with your family in 2022. From the article:

While New Year’s resolutions and goal-setting lists can feel overwhelming, I’m all for building thoughtful, easy-to-maintain activities into our family life. Instead of resolutions, consider adding simple rhythms or routines into the days ahead.

And remember, give your family — and yourself — grace when trying new things! Some activities will be instant hits and others just won’t work for your family. Ages, stages, personalities, and family dynamics all differ, and that’s OK! Incorporating new traditions and habits into your days together isn’t about achieving perfection — it’s about intentionally making time to spend with each other.

I also had the honor of crafting some prayers for Bethany. They’re doing important, often unseen work and it’s humbling to be able to offer liturgies for their team to turn to as they work on the behalf of vulnerable kids and families, believing everyone deserves to be safe, loved, and connected.

I heard from healthcare workers across the United States that this prayer I shared on Instagram made you feel seen and a little less alone. (Some of you even printed it out and shared in your break rooms.) I’m so sorry for all you have endured. May you feel held by the God of comfort.

For years, I’ve also co-hosted a podcast about life in God’s upside-down kingdom. Dr. Jemar Tisby joined us recently to share how grownups can honestly and faithfully teach kids about race and racism. (He recently released How to Fight Racism Young Reader’s Edition: A Guide to Standing Up for Racial Justice with Zondervan.) You might want to listen to the episode — it was helpful to me to explore the importance of digging in with our families when it comes to racial justice — and not letting headlines disciple our youth.

Take care of yourself

I don’t know what that means for you exactly, but I hope you have a couple of moments of quiet to figure out what you need for the day. If To Light Their Way (or the prayers over at @liturgiesforparents) can play a part in that, then I’d be honored.

Until next time, let’s hope no more books get lost at sea.

I’m sending you hugs and high-fives from the frozen fields of Iowa,

Kayla