{ BLOG TOUR }
Finding Spiritual Whitespace
Let’s launch this book into the world, kindreds.
I’m grateful I don’t have to do this alone.
Let’s do it!
Thank you for joining me on the “Finding Spiritual Whitespace” blog tour!
On this page, you will find all the details you need to participate in the tour: writing prompts, sample tweets, soulful banners and everything you need to invite others into the journey to find spiritual whitespace and rest. Let’s become God’s soulful movement of rest — to feed our souls and make room for you and rest. Let’s spread the message of rest by living it out in the open. As is.
Book Launch Info – at a Glance
- Book Details
- How the Blog Tour Works
- Writing Prompts
- How to Submit a Post
- Blog Tour Pins: 10 Book Art Pins / 4 Banners / 3 Printables
- Checklist
- Share #SpiritualWhitespace ~ Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest
- Questions
How the Blog Tour Works: 5 Essential Ways
I’m launching a special June Blog Tour Series called 21 Days of Rest: Finding Spiritual Whitespace to inspire rest. Enjoy the series while you help promote the book!
When: The blog tour will take place June 1 – June 30, 2014. (will continue past the 21 days of rest)
What: Here are 5 Essential Ways to help promote this book and introduce it to readers:
1) Tweet/Facebook post about the book using the hashtag #spiritualwhitespace on Launch Day 6/3/14 Tuesday.
Click here to use pre-brewed tweets or customize in your own voice.
2) Review my book & blog about it in June to tell your readers about the book.
Upload your blog posts to this link on the Spiritual Whitespace Book Page by clicking here once your post is live.
Use the blog tour banner/pins/bookart in your post.
Tweet/Facebook your post using #spiritualwhitespace. Click here for writing prompts to spark ideas.
3) Write a review for the book on Amazon in June (and GoodReads too if you’re up for it!).
What readers say carry much more weight than anything I could do or say. 😉
Post a review here on Amazon. Then, post it here on Goodreads.
4) Participate in Whitespace Thursdays Link Up in June on FaithBarista.com
Blog about your #spiritualwhitespace moments or use Whitespace Prompts in the 21 Days of Rest.
Publish your post on ANY day. Link up on Thursday’s post.
5) Share Banner, Pins, Book Art — and photos of your #spiritualwhitespace moments — on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
Click here for all the banner/pins/bookart.
Click here for social media info.
Writing Prompts (for your book review blog post)
Review my book & blog about your experience to invite readers to get a copy the book in June.
This is a book to be savored & enjoyed. Don’t feel pressured to finish the book in order to write a review.
Here are writing prompts to spark soulful thoughts:
- Write about your spiritual whitespace (what feeds your soul)?
- Share a personal story about your journey to find rest (is rest difficult or easy for you, how you’re longing for rest, …)?
- Pick a quote form the book that touches your heart and write a reflection.
- Pick your own writing prompt. Write any way you feel inspired in your reading. Be free. Be you.
Please post during the weekday. Upload your post to the blog tour linkup.
How to Submit a Post
Upload your blog post to this link on the Spiritual Whitespace Book Page once your post is live.
Your readers trust you. Your review shows up on the book page, adding credibility to this book’s experience. Thank you for the gift of your company and words, which help make my heart brave.
Tweet/Facbook your post using #spiritualwhitespace. I’ll promote your blog posts via social media. If I excerpt your review in my blog posts, I will reference you.
10 Pinnable Book Art & 4 Banners & 3 Printables
Here are banners, pins and book art to use in your blog post, Twitter/Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest.
Pick the ones that speak to you and enjoy sharing. (If you use an image in your blog post, link it to: https://www.thebonniegray.com/finding-spiritual-whitespace)
Share your pic of the book. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Life is meant to be savored. Pin some goodness
Help Spread the Word
Rest is a journey we don’t have to take alone. Invite kindreds onto the journey.
Blog Tour Badge {21 Days of Rest: Finding Spiritual Whitespace}
Move Beyond Surviving
Whitespace is Soul Grace
3 Printables {2 “Whitespace Reservation Cards” & a Bookmark}
Click here to download all three Spiritual Whitespace printables.
Take photos of your #spiritualwhitespace — where you find rest, beauty — where you can dream dreams and just be you.
Book Details
About the Book: Finding Spiritual Whitespace is memoir-driven guidebook for anyone longing to create space in life to draw closer to God, to rest and discover who they can become when rest becomes their heart’s everyday home.
This book chronicles Bonnie’s heartbreaking journey through painful memories, how a childhood dream unexpectedly launched her into a debilitating journey through panic attacks, insomnia and anxiety — and how creating space to feed her soul led her to create a better story for her life, one filled with beauty and meaning.
The book explores how our lives are like God’s artwork, exploring ways to create space for beauty, rest and soul care. Just as beautiful art needs whitespace, we need whitespace. We need rest. Whitespace is not blank space. It breathes beauty.
Who This Book Is For:
Take the journey to find rest. Uncover your stories. Make room for you. For God. For Rest.
Using soulful journaling prompts for individual reflection or intimate group discussion at the end of each chapter, anyone longing for rest in today’s fast paced and stress-frayed schedules can take the journey to find rest, feed their souls, rejuvenate and make room for beauty, for God and rest.
Visit TheBonnieGray.com to learn more.
“Whitespace is soul grace. Bonnie Gray ushers weary women into the real possibility.” –Ann Voskamp, author of the New York TimesbestsellerOne Thousand Gifts
“We live in a culture that brags and boasts about being busy. Into that reality steps Bonnie with a new idea.
Whitespace is an important concept and Bonnie has captured it perfectly. If you’re exhausted with being exhausted, read this book. If you feel too busy to read this book, then that’s probably the best sign of all that you need it.” –Jon Acuff,New York Timesbestselling author ofStart!
“If you want to hear Jesus speak more tenderly to your soul than ever before, this is the book for you. I love Bonnie’s honest and unassuming voice. I will be recommending this message to many friends.” –Lysa TerKeurst, New York Timesbestselling author and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries.
About Bonnie: Bonnie Gray is the soulful writer behind FaithBarista.com serving up shots of faith for the daily grind. Her work is nationally syndicated by Crosswalk.com, spotlighted by Christianity today and she is a featured contributor on DaySpring (in)courage. After graduating from UCLA, Bonnie served as a missionary, ministry entrepreneur, and Silicon Valley high-tech professional. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Eric, and their two sons.
Checklist – BEFORE you hit Publish, Do this!
1. INTRO – let readers know that you are part of the “Finding Spiritual Whitespace” Blog Tour. Use this blurb or feel free to edit in your own voice:
This post is part of the “Finding Spiritual Whitespace Blog Tour” which I am a part of, along with a group of soulful, journeying kindreds. To learn more and join us, CLICK HERE!
2. OUTRO – Use this blurb or feel free to edit in your own voice:
Bonnie Gray is the writer behind Faith Barista.com who wrote a book about her inspiring, heart-breaking journey to find rest, which garnered Publisher’s Weekly starred review. I’m taking the journey to find rest through this guidebook and invite you to read it too. You can get a copy HERE.
*If you edit these, be sure to keep the links to the Blog Tour and the Book in your Intro and Outro.
3. PINNABLE BOOK ART, BANNER OR BADGE – choose from the soulful pins and banners available on this page and include your pick of one in your post. You can also add the blog button to your sidebar.
4. SCHEDULE A TWEET/FB/Pinterest Update – share your post with your followers and use #spiritualwhitespace so I can see and help promote your post.
5. CONSIDER EMBEDDING THIS VIDEO – feel free to include the video in your post for a soulful visual journey of beauty and rest. A visual storytelling is powerful. We can find ourselves in a story and invites others into the journey.
Still have questions?
Write to me faithbarista[at]gmail.com. I may be slow at replying, but know I’m brewing the coffee and will reply as soon as I can!
Endorsements
“Whitespace is soul grace. Bonnie Gray ushers weary women into the real possibility.”
“Women need this message. If you want to hear Jesus speak more tenderly to your soul than ever before, this is the book for you. I love Bonnie’s honest and unassuming voice. I will be recommending this message to many friends.”
“We live in a culture that brags and boasts about being busy. Whitespace is an important concept and Bonnie has captured it perfectly. If you’re exhausted with being exhausted, read this book. If you feel too busy to read this book, then that’s probably the best sign of all that you need it.”
“If you’ve ever been hurt and needed healing, if you’ve ever been afraid and needed courage, if you’ve ever been weary and needed room to breathe, then Bonnie Gray is the guide you’ve been looking for as you journey with Jesus to a new place of peace and freedom in your life.”
“Bonnie’s story captured me from the first chapter–she is an immensely powerful writer with a gift for taking her reader on a journey of experience. I felt like she was giving me permission to seek real, honest answers about my own walk through depression. Her story about loss, life, and love is worth its telling and I’m glad she told it.”
“Bonnie’s journey toward surrender led her heart from brokenness to beauty. Her words are bold, passionate, and life-giving on every page. May we all embrace the kind of rest that heals and restores.”
“Bonnie’s courage, heart, and determination to share her struggle are inspiring to me. To look back, gather pieces of what seemed unredeemable, and truly surrender them to the Lord is one of the hardest and most God-honoring things we can do in this life, and Bonnie does it beautifully.”
“Bonnie’s story is a moving example of what God can do with our toughest struggles if we give him access to our hearts and minds. It also provides insightful exercises that will help you with whatever you are struggling with.”
“I just adore Bonnie’s heart and her vulnerability as she allows us into her pain-filled, hope-filled story. Her willingness to open wide in order to help and encourage her sisters to find rest and spiritual ‘whitespace’ is brave and beautiful. If you’ve been looking for rest and you could use some practical ideas for finding spiritual whitespace, this book is for you.”
About The Book
Starred review praise from Publisher’s Weekly —
““[Gray] offers intriguing insights into scripture and on how God views his flawed but beloved creations…
More than just a memoir, this is an invitation to walk the difficult road to self-discovery
and healing with a fellow traveler who understands.” (read full review)
Move beyond Surviving to a Rejuvenating Place of Soul Rest
How many of us find ourselves running on empty with no time for rest, no time for ourselves, no time for God?
Bonnie Gray knows what that’s like. On the brink of fulfilling a lifelong dream, Bonnie’s plans shattered into a journey through painful memories and anxiety. In her search for answers, she made an important discovery: we all need spiritual whitespace.
Whitespace. It’s the space on a page left unmarked. Whitespace makes art beautiful. It gives the eye a place to rest. Without it, clutter takes over. Just as beautiful art needs whitespace, our souls need spiritual whitespace — a place to rest in order to find balance and beauty.
With heartbreaking honesty, Bonnie guides you to discover a better story for yourself, one that feeds your soul and makes room for rest. Infused with biblical encouragement and thought-provoking prompts, this book shows us how to create space in the everyday for God, refreshment, and faith—right in the midst of our stress-frayed lives.
Explore Whitespace
What Readers Are Saying Free Goodies Take the Journey Meet the AuthorHear What Readers Are Saying
A book lies in stillness — until you open the page
and meet with me between the words.
Then, like cherry blossoms released from stem to air,
you bring this book to birth.
After reading Finding Spiritual Whitespace,
write a post and share your experience. Grateful for your words.
Link up. Click the link-up button below.
Take the Journey
Every Thursday on my blog Faith Barista, I host a gathering of kindreds who enjoy taking time to slow down, feed their soul and write. Some of us write on our blogs, others journal on paper.
We link up on Thursday to share our discoveries, swap stories and encourage each other. Add your voice. As is.
We capture our whitespace moments and share them on Instgram and Twitter. To visually inspire each other with ideas to enjoy soulful, restful moments.
Take the journey together. Breathe. Let’s be kindreds.
Link up your #spiritualwhitespace blog post on Thursdays
{ Click here to learn how. Take the journey of whitespace. }
Share your #spiritualwhitespace on Instagram
[hashimage hashtag=spiritualwhitespace limit=27]Meet Bonnie
I’ve tried to write for everyone else. Except for me.
I’m not talking about the book. I’m talking about my life.
I couldn’t find my voice. Even though it seemed to always come alive between the pages of my journal.
I stopped journaling for a very long season. I forgot about words, the way a poppy growing wild in gravel on the side of the road without sunshine closes and hides.
But, faith is as mysterious as it is real. Faith is a living journey. It finds a way.
I’m only beginning to understand. A word — your story — even if small as a mustard seed may lay hidden, but never forgotten.
There is Someone who is intimately familiar with our unspoken voices.
He is the confidante and companion who will journey with us into the whitespaces of our stories — where our hearts are tender, virgin, and untouched. His hand will fold into ours as we gather our courage to live them out. As is.
This Someone is Jesus. And one day, we’ll hear all the stories He’s traveling alongside each of us face to face.
Until then, He’s given you and me a pen and a blank page called life, in which to write those stories. By living them in the everyday through joys, sorrows, dreams, and even loss.
Let’s tell our stories as kindreds on this journey of faith.
It’s not always easy. But, sometimes the harder stories are the ones worth telling.
“You are a letter of Christ…written not with ink,
but with the Spirit of the living God,
not on tablets of stone, but on tablet of human hearts.”
{2 Cor.3:3}
Share #SpiritualWhitespace ~ Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest
Please share your blog posts, pins and photos using hashtag: #SpiritualWhitespace on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/Pinterest.
Twitter
My Twitter handle is @TheBonnieGray.
Definitely feel free to tweet however you like! But, some have asked for sample tweets for ease. Customize in your own voice:
Instagram
My Instagram account is @TheBonnieGray.
It will be fun to see your #spiritualwhitespace moments.
Facebook
My Facebook Page is: TheBonnieGray
Tag me on Facebook when you share your post. Use #spiritualwhitespace when sharing your posts, pins or photos.
Pinterest
My Pinterest username is: TheBonnieGray
I created a Group Board on Pinterest for us. Share your #spiritualwhitespace moments. Pin your blog posts, photos, links on Pinterest inspired by the Finding Spiritual Whitespace. Click here to go to the Pinterest group board and join.