A short book for longtime believers
First I Pray
Walking Humbly with God in Ordinary Moments.
About the book
A book about firstness.
“I believe God can be trusted with my life. I have a harder time trusting Him with the next ten minutes.”
What would change if you brought the actual moment to the Father first, before fear, comparison, ego, the past, or a divided mind took the first seat? First I Pray is a short book for longtime believers about firstness.
It isn’t a morning routine or a how-to. It’s the real-time, spontaneous habit of walking humbly with God in ordinary moments: the conversation, the worry, the reach for your phone. It ends with a section on praying first together, with families, boards, and teams.
“The machine can answer a question. Only God can answer a prayer.”
About 22,500 words A short read Introduction, eight chapters, Afterword, appendices
Published by Lingo Press, Austin, Texas, 2026.
Get the book
Read it, listen free, or watch.
EPUB ebook
Free
For Apple Books, Kobo, Nook, Google Play Books, or any e-reader that isn't a Kindle.
Enjoying it free? Consider a gift to Teacher Totes.
Free audiobook
Free
The complete audiobook (1 hour 50 minutes) plus individual chapters, free to stream or download.
Enjoying it free? Consider a gift to Teacher Totes.
Spotify
$2.99
Audiobook. Coming soon
A gentle note
If you're enjoying First I Pray for free, please consider a gift to the Kids and Planet Teacher Totes project, which puts storybooks in Title I classrooms. Appreciated, never required.
Listen to a sample
Five excerpts, three to four minutes each.
The audiobook is narrated by an AI digital voice made from Mark’s own voice.
About the author
Mark Williams
Mark Williams was a tech CFO and business owner before co-founding the Oceanbags Foundation with his wife Toni and Zane Haas.
Their team has carried bags of supplies to the Thailand-Myanmar border, the jungles of India, Mexico border towns, and Central America. Their Teacher Totes program puts storybooks in Title I classrooms.
Mark lives in Austin, Texas.
Where the royalties go