By Joshua Dubois
GUEST EDITORIAL
Dear friends,
I’m really excited about this book.
As many of you know, years ago, when I was working for Barack Obama’s first presidential campaign, I began a practice that continues today: I started sending the young U.S. Senator a morning devotional via email to start his day.
These meditations were sent through thick and thin, good times and bad, and President Obama has said they “meant the world” to him. Each devotional weaves together scripture and stories and prayer in a way that seeks to respond to the challenges of the day, while speaking about eternal principles also.
Last year, when I decided to leave the White House and my role as head of the faith-based initiative, I discussed with the President the idea of putting these devotionals together in a book, in hopes that they could inspire other people around the country. He thought it was a good idea, so I got to work.
Now, the journey is almost complete. On October 22nd, 2013, The President’s Devotional: The Daily Readings that Inspired President Obama will be released by HarperCollins. This book includes 365 daily devotionals, along with 12 longer stories of how President Obama’s faith – and my own – grew in the White House, from meeting Billy Graham to responding to the Sandy Hook tragedy, and more.
October 22nd is a big day for me, Michelle, and the team, and we would be deeply honored and grateful if you – our friends, family, and colleagues from near and far – joined in this moment.
Here are Two Ways You Can Get Involved:
1. Pre-order the The President’s Devotional on Amazon.com
Just visit this link, and you’ll be first in line to receive the book when it is released on October 22nd. Pre-orders are important; they’re a sign of momentum that determines bestseller lists. So we’d love for as many folks to pre-order as possible.
Also, a number of people have discussed giving The President’s Devotional as gifts or using them for churches and organizations. As a special for friends and family only (meaning those on this email only), when you order 10 or more books and ship them to our office, I’ll make sure to sign your copies and send them back.
And for organizations seeking to purchase more than 100 copies of The President’s Devotional, please email me and suzanne.wickham@harpercollins.com, and we can work with you to lock in a group rate.
2. Second, reply to this email and say, “I’m in.”
That’s right – we just need 100 people to reply and say, “I’m in.”
Once you do that, between now and October 22nd we’ll send you via email brief ideas of ways you can help – like posting an excerpt from The President’s Devotional on Facebook, sending an email to your friends, or spreading the word in other easy ways. For people who are “in,” you’ll also receive exclusive content from the book, giveaways, and more.
That’s it – Easy Enough, Right?
Friends, I am so hopeful that The President’s Devotional will help people around the country and the world grow in their faith and navigate their lives with confidence and joy. Thank you for all of your support over the years, and thank you in advance for your support of this book. I’ll keep you posted in the days ahead.
Warmly,
Joshua
P.S. You can read an excerpt from the book, get updates on the book tour schedule, and see endorsements from folks like Pastor Rick Warren, Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, Pastor Andy Stanley, and more at joshuadubois.com.