InstaPrayer: Prayers to Share by Kelly O’Dell Stanley

I recently heard about this really cool new book and prayer resource called InstaPrayer: Prayers to Share by Kelly O’Dell Stanley. And being that tomorrow is The National Day of Prayer, I thought this was the perfect time to share this new book with you. 

Let’s start with the description: 

Want to pray but have no words? InstaPrayer’s colorful prompts are perfect to post on Instagram and other socials: Read. Pray. Snap. Share.

Aren’t these images so cheerful and bright and fun? They are exactly the kind of thing we need to be filling our minds with during these uncertain and dark days. 

I reached out to the author Kelly O’Dell Stanley with a few questions. You’ll be encouraged by our quick q & a! 

Annie: Tell us a little about yourself. How did you get into graphic design? 

Kelly: I grew up with a father who was a professional watercolorist, so art and creativity were in my blood. I started college as an architecture major but changed to graphic design at the end of my first year. I’m one of those rare people who is still practicing the same career she started in—for 26 years, in fact! Two years into it, my oldest child was born, and three months later I started my own design company so that I could have some flexibility and be home with my kids. All these years later, my youngest is now in college and I’m still doing graphic design.

 

So the design came first, but about 15 years ago I also got serious about writing, and God has led me on a journey of prayer. I love to write, and I love to design, and my faith is so important, so somewhere along the way I discovered that where those three things overlapped, that was my sweet spot.

In 2015, my first book, Praying Upside Down, released, and it was about seeing God from new perspectives (based on the idea of drawing upside down and how that frees your mind to see what’s really there). In 2016 Designed to Pray came out, and it was a prayer activity workbook. The books were very different but both focused on creative approaches to prayer. 

Annie: What inspired you to create this book? 

 

Kelly: This evolution of prayer has been about using creativity to help others (and myself!) overcome whatever obstacles keep us from God—grief, disappointment, heartbreak, doubt—even boredom. Through my whole faith journey, the only constant is that my prayer life has been all across the board. Sometimes amazing, sometimes powerful, sometimes monotonous and uninspired.

 

About five years ago, I started creating prayer prompt calendars, free monthly downloads for my readers to help jump-start their prayers. It was something I could offer to my subscribers every month, and they were quirky and fun and the perfect combination of my abilities. I was thrilled when I was offered the opportunity to create a book of prayer prompts that was designed to be shared on social media. 

 

The idea is that you can read a prompt, pray, and then post a photo of the page online (or text it to someone). Tag your friends, or write out your prayer… Let people know they’re remembered and loved. Use the book to inspire yourself when you’re sitting in your car waiting for a grocery pickup. InstaPrayeris fun, colorful, and inexpensive—and small enough to easily mail or tuck into a gift basket.

 

The prayer starters help you reach out and encourage others while also teaching people a little about prayer. Prompts talk about singing God’s praises, giving thanks, sitting in silence, praying for others, and praying for yourself. Some are whimsical (like pray for someone who’s full of hot air) and others are straightforward and simple (pray for someone who is overwhelmed). 

 

What I love the most about prayer prompts is that even though we all start in the same place, because of our different personalities and experiences and thought processes, the Holy Spirit might lead us in totally different directions—because God is just that personal and beautiful.

What I love the most about prayer prompts is that even though we all start in the same place, because of our different personalities and experiences and thought processes, the Holy Spirit might lead us in totally different directions—because God is just that personal and beautiful.

But one way that God has always shown Himself to be faithful is this: He continually, again and again, draws me back to Him. When I don’t have words of my own, He leads me to other people’s words, or allows me to sit in silence because He knows my heart. When I am bored, He helps me discover fun new approaches.

“As I try to work through the uncertainty of this time, the chaos that is consuming the world right now, I find it’s easy to become overwhelmed. SO many needs—where do I even start my prayers? That’s where I hope this book will come in.”

Wouldn’t this be a great Mother’s Day gift? 

And I’ve got great news! Kelly has partnered with The Gingham Apron to give this fun, quirky, bright book! She’ll mail it directly to you, and she’s even going to throw in a couple of surprise treats. Doesn’t that sound fun?

To enter, simply leave a comment below. Tell me something about prayer… where do you like to pray? Who taught you to pray? What are you learning about prayer? Or you can just say, “I’d love to win this book.” 

Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”