My friend Yancey has written an accesible book for men of John Owen’s treatise of sin. Men either want to deal with sin by tapping into white-knuckle disciplines (because it’s manly) or by excusing sin altogether because all men deal with certain sins. Neither attempt to defeat our formidable sins has any success. Yancey (and Owen) will help guide men to stop trying to defeat our sins on our own and start tapping into the gospel’s power over sin.

My apologies for not inviting Scott to endorse it early on in the process, but better late than never. Thanks for the gift, Scott.

You can see his post about TAP at the Acts 29 Network blog here.
For more information about the Acts 29 Network click here.

The day of TAP‘s release my wife turned to me with a big smile on her face and said, “Hey, you’re officially an author!” followed by a big hug. It was a moment for both of us. She knew for quite some time I had wanted to write but was waiting for the right season in my life. That season started early last year and, at least for my first book, ended Wednesday with www.tapsinout.com.

I still don’t really know how to feel. For example, I was asked to bring books I originally ordered for friends who had helped with the book to a regional meeting of church planters where the host purchased them all to give away to the attendants.  (Sorry “friends,” I’ll send you your books when the next shipment comes in) When he recognized me at the beginning of the meeting and highlighted that it was the day of TAP‘s release, some kind applause broke out. While grateful, I felt sheepish…almost embarrassed about it all.

So, as I said, I don’t really know what I’m feeling. It’s a crazy mix of gratitude, joy, wonder, excitement and a bunch of stuff I can’t put my finger on. But here’s what I do know: I don’t deserve any of it. I’m especially reminded of that truth being that my book is about the greatness of the One who has come to help me, someone who isn’t so very great. Whatever happens to me because of TAP is all gravy from here. Indeed, that’s how it’s always been anyway.

I pray God will use this book to help others (individuals, small groups, etc.) find in Christ what they already have in Christ – victory! If God will allow TAP to bear that kind of fruit, then this really is going to be a great ride.

PS – THANK YOU to everyone who pitched in and help get TAP off the ground this week!  Special shout-outs go to my CCCC Family and my Acts 29 Family. You guys went the extra mile! I will never forget this week…ever.

]]> http://blog.yanceyarrington.com/2010/07/23/post-release-day-thoughts/feed/ 2 http://blog.yanceyarrington.com/2010/07/21/its-official-tap-releases-today/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-official-tap-releases-today http://blog.yanceyarrington.com/2010/07/21/its-official-tap-releases-today/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:41:03 +0000 Yancey Arrington http://blog.yanceyarrington.com/?p=1315 Yes, it’s an all-caps kind of day. More than a year in the making, TAP: Defeating The Sins That Defeats You officially released today nationwide. I’m grateful to God for his gracious provision in it all and pray he would work mightily through the book.

You can see the book’s website at www.tapsinout.com

I can’t vouch for how well it translated digitally. That’s Amazon’s area. Nevertheless, it’s there for those who want it.

For all you “hard copy” folks there’s more to come…

So, I thought I’d take some time to give everyone the latest…

Honestly, it’s been somewhat of a roller-coaster with its “ups” and “downs.” Tap has been before publishers, pastors, agents, editors and friends – and almost to a person has received high praise. In fact, maybe one of the most surprising things to me about Tap is the reception it’s gotten. This has been true across the board and has deeply pleased me. In fact, the reason Tap got before several publishers is because a well-respected theology professor and author, read my manuscript and liked enough that he personally recommended it to some senior editors he knew. Indeed, there were several times I felt moments away from signing a contract with a publisher.

Nevertheless, that hasn’t happened up to this point. Granted it sill might, as a few more publishers have recently asked for my manuscript. But if it doesn’t, I won’t be surprised. Why? The response from the industry has been fairly united. I’ve been told that while Tap‘s content is  sound, accessible, readable, etc., the analogy of MMA is one which mainstream publishers will shy away from. No matter that it’s the fastest growing sport in America for men ages 18-35 (the New York Times even did an article on MMA’s influence in evangelical circles), it’s simply too controversial for them. Add that to a competitive book market in which men aren’t the largest group of readers and you can see why Tap has its own battle “in the cage.”  And while it caused some disappointment, I can’t tell you how thankful I was for the gracious, honest assessment of both my book and the publishing industry (Thanks A.W.!).

I was thankful because I felt free to proceed with different publishing avenues. Even though in the last week two more publishers have asked for Tap, I am moving toward releasing the book fairly soon unless something develops quickly with those publishers.  For me, the book is done, I believe it will be incredibly helpful in the Christian’s fight against sin and am ready to work on new projects in the future.

So, here’s what has happened lately with Tap:

1. Finalizing artwork and cover
2. Outside editorial process should be completed within the next week
3. Sent Tap to fellow pastors for theological, doctrinal reflection
4. Distribute advance PDF copies of Tap for potential endorsements
5. Mock up website for Tap
6. Formatting master manuscript for publishing

There you go. Maybe over the next few days I’ll post the cover and other tidbits of Tap. For the scores each week who keep asking about the book, thanks for thinking about me. I hope this post helps shed a little light on the latest.