The Scrappy Little Book

It came into being with little fanfare.

A first book.

An author with no massive following.
No enviable platform.
No big-name publisher.
No ad campaign created by a marketing team.
No ghostwriters.
No endorsements by Christian celebrities.
No pre-sale opportunity.
No widespread avenues of distribution.

Just a self-published book of a couple hundred pages.

A quiet beginning. A grassroots gift. An endeavor beholding to no one but Jesus.

Unapologetically theological.
Unflinchingly honest.
Deeply personal.

Born out of hardship, difficulty, and struggle.
Arising from lived-in and lived-out biblical principles.
Crafted largely while sitting at a coffee shop, late-evening typing at the dining room table, and jotting notes while knee-deep in a trout stream.
A book that seemed like the sort of thing that people needed now and tomorrow as well.
The book I wished I had during my dark seasons.

So, we sent it out.

The scrappy little book met the big hurting world.

And you read it.

Since Friday, October 25, many of you have called, messaged, and met with me to share how God has used Before Dawn to encourage your heart. You’ve highlighted quotes, journaled your thoughts, and posted shots of the book out in the wild.

You’ve grabbed copies for friends, gifted them to family members, and shared with those who need hope.

Thanks to God’s grace and your support, Before Dawn occupied some surprisingly high spots in a few categories, and it is still trotting along, often keeping pace with some literary works traveling in much larger packs. I am reminded that an underdog without a challenge is just a dog.

Thank you for reading, for sharing, for giving gracious reviews, and for the honor of walking together with this scrappy little book in hand.

Thank you for proving that if you can’t get through the gate, you make a hole in the wall.

And thank you for letting me know how the prayer I prayed for months now (and continue to pray) is being answered: “God, please get this book into the hands of every person who needs it and reveal Christ clearly through the message in these pages.”

 Dustin

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

– Ephesians 3:20,21

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