Invite Resources – A New Christian Publishing House

On November 9, 2020, Invite Press, the official imprint of Invite Resources, published its first book, Everything Is Gonna Be All Right by Robert Hasley, a collection of the author’s life experiences and short devotional messages of comfort and encouragement. Invite Resources is a ministry of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Plano, Texas, where publisher Len Wilson is the Director of Innovation & Strategy. When introducing Invite Resources on his blog, Wilson had this to say:

The mission of Invite is to share the promise of the New Creation. Think of us as a Publisher Plus: not just a traditional publishing house, but a platform for life-changing ideas. We want to be about people who are doing great things, which means we are working with idea makers to create platforms and maximize influence. 

The Our Values page of the Invite Resources website goes into more detail about its mission and lists its values: innovation, each person’s unique gifts, individual contexts, community, and changing lives.

I recently received two books published by Invite Resources to review. Solid Souls by Arthur Jones calls on readers to reevaluate their conception of the soul and see that the idea of heaven and hell as existing in a distant future is dangerous. Jones states that “You are a soul. You do not have a soul, but you are a soul.” When we accept this, we will strive to have solid souls filled with meaning and purpose. Jones’ book provides specific ways to live your life that will make your soul less shriveled and more solid. He calls upon us to look closely at every aspect of our lives, the small decisions as well as the big ones.  

Present Comfort: Meditations on Modern Loss and Grief is written by Julie Yarbrough, author of the Beyond the Broken Heart grief resources for individuals and group use, as well as other books on grief. A persistent theme throughout the book is that God is with us in our grief, whether it’s from a personal loss or societal tragedies such as acts of senseless violence, natural disasters, or the global pandemic. Yarbrough uses scripture, personal experience, and the awareness of God’s presence to comfort as she discusses various aspects of grief, such as the shame felt by those related to perpetrators of violence (outcast grief), guilt after a loved one’s death (survivor torment), fatigue, and unresolved emotions.

Invite Resources’ goal, beginning summer 2021, is to release a new book approximately once a month. You can check out the titles they’ve published as well as books soon to be published on their website.