Discovering the Divine in the Everyday

My other new book is nearing its release date, and I realized this morning that I've been kind of quiet about it. I've been so caught up in so many other projects, this one has been slowly and silently creeping up on me, but that doesn't mean it isn't near and dear to my heart. It most definitely is, and here's why.

Everyday Divine: A Catholic Guide to Active Spirituality, which will be released on Nov. 6, grew out of my own need and desire to figure out how to fit prayer into my extraordinarily busy life. I simply can't get to daily Mass or Adoration on a frequent (confession: even occasional) basis. It just never seems to happen. I am Rosary-challenged, and I can't seem to string together nine straight days of a novena. Bottom line: Regular, traditional prayer is a constant struggle for me. So I had to come up with more creative ways to include prayer in my everyday life. And that is how "Everyday Divine" was born.

This book -- using stories from my own life, stories from friends and colleagues, advice from the saints, and, yes, traditional prayers and devotions -- covers everything from how to weave prayer into your exercise routine or morning commute to how to find pilgrim moments in the most unlikely places. It was a labor of love, and so many wonderful people -- some you may even know -- shared their own tips and techniques with me. There are practical suggestions, meditations, and more. And if you buy now, and only now, I'll throw in the Ginsu knife. Okay, not really. But, still, buy now. It's available for pre-order at all the usual spots. (Link above takes you to Amazon.)

Here's what Jesuit Father James Martin had to say about my book when he "blurbed" it for the cover:

"I love this book because it's practical.  Too often spirituality is seen as something reserved either for mystics or, well, 'someone else.'  Mary DeTurris Poust shows us that the spiritual life is not removed from your daily life, it is your daily life. Her new book will invite you to try some simple, down-to-earth and accessible ways of encountering God in what you might consider your 'ordinary' life.  But after you've discovered God while you pray, but also while you work, clean, hike, exercise, do yoga and look at a sunset, your life will begin to seem pretty extraordinary indeed.  Because it is." 

-- James Martin, SJ, author of The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything.

 
Let me give you a brief look at the Table of Contents (with a tiny explanation):

1. Creating Calm amid the Chaos (mindfulness)
2. Building a Spiritual Foundation (prayer essentials)
3. Turning Chores into Spiritual Practice ('Little Way')
4. Bringing the Body into Prayer (exercise)
5. Work of Our Hands (home and office)
6. Sounds and Signs of the Spirit (nature, song, and more)
7. Silence, Simplicity, and Solitude (sacred rhythm of life)
8. Dark Nights and Dry Spells (self-explanatory)
9. Pilgrimage of the Heart (walking the way of faith)
10. All of Life as Prayer (finding God in every moment)

So there you go. More to come in the days ahead as we close in on the release date. Still no decision (on my part) as to whether to do a release signing and party, mainly because I hate to burden my friends with yet another book signing. Especially when another book (Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God) is coming out six weeks after this one. If I do decide to go ahead with a signing party, you'll be the first to know. Okay, maybe the second or third. Well, definitely in the top 100.