Fort Smith, AR – Awake In the Dawn: Living the Lord’s Prayer, a fresh, new devotional concept, shares a year-long journey applying the Lord’s Prayer to our daily lives. Written by Craig Smith and published by Forefront Books, Awake In the Dawn will be available in both print and audiobook formats on September 16.
Awake In the Dawn is a simple daily offering of encouragement, designed to help readers start their day, reflecting on one of the most beautiful gifts offered in scripture – The Lord’s Prayer.
“The project began simply from sharing with friends about how waking early to spend time with the Lord was impacting my life,” Craig shares. “I knew this was important as more and more friends, who have notorious schedules that require them to work late into the night, were joining together to begin their day early! Awake In the Dawn was birthed as I built outlines for these guys to follow each morning.”
Craig Smith is a beloved pastor, musician, and teacher based in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. While he has pastored his home church for nearly three decades, Craig considers mentoring of artists around the world as a key part of his ministry. “Working in music and living on the road is hard. When artists want to refocus and become serious about their walk with Christ, I always point people to begin with the Lord’s Prayer. Not just in the Gospels, but as it relates in all of Scripture.”
Awake In the Dawn follows the seven main themes of the Lord’s Prayer, and is broken into three sections: Word, a Scripture included for meditation; Thought, a reflection on the Scripture or the day’s theme; and Prayer, a guide offered to enter into conversation with the Lord. Daily, the project leads readers into the strength, wisdom, and spiritual adventure of actively living the Lord’s Prayer.
A companion musical album by the same name, with 10 songs that compliment and enhances the daily readings was previously released, and went to #1 on the Parable charts. A longer, 3 CD set for the entire devotional is currently being prepped and will release in 2023.
“I hope that these simple devotionals can inspire people to have the first few minutes of their day set the tone for not just their day, but their lives,” Craig continues. “When we give God our full attention, even for just a few minutes, it is transformative. I hope Awake In the Dawn truly awakens a new love in readers. A love for prayer. A love for scripture. And a strong connection with our Father that will transform lives, families, and communities.”
Author Craig Smith spent his early career using music as his main platform for ministry. He wrote and recorded fourteen music projects with a myriad of songs charting the top ten national Christian charts, received a Dove nomination for “Best Worship Album,” and a nomination for SESAC Inspirational Songwriter of the Year. Now, after years of touring his music around the world, Craig is firmly rooted, leading his local church in Arkansas. Craig is also the founder of Village2Village, a faith-based non-profit that builds a culture of hope in under-served regions around the world. V2V believes that true transformation can only come from a personal relationship with Christ, and they seek to transform communities and families with the living hope of Jesus. The organization partners with local programs to create “Hope Villages” in Uganda, NW Arkansas, and Thailand, to help families to break cycles of addiction, poverty, and abuse.
All profits from the sale of AWAKE IN THE DAWN will go to support the work of Village2Village.
AWAKE IN THE DAWN by Craig Smith is published by Forefront Books. Available September 16, 2022 at all major book retailers and online.