RISE TO THE SUN

7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers 
for Getting Out of Hell

Richard J. Marks

Published by New Degree Press, 2020

You will love this book if you are ready to stop suffering.


A guide to unlocking all that prevents us from being worthy of love. 

NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR, AUDIOBOOK AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON AMAZON, AUDIBLE & ITUNES

Audiobook preview: excerpt from the third footstep ‘The Big Goodbye’ narrated by Richard J. Marks
"Amazing book, a must read in both good and challenging times. I learned so much about myself, love and forgiveness. It’s beautifully written and it speaks to the heart. I absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for self-improvement, healing, learning and understanding the power of prayer.”
"Well-written gem!
In this book "Rise to the Sun", Richard J. Marks' personal journey is about expanding my way of seeing,
especially now when people are pressed to change. Slowing into healing and growth, it's an important book about finding freedom. It's a global journey that is surprisingly well-written and provides visuals. It's a great read that actually leads me to feel unexpectedly optimistic and hopeful!"
"A transformative, insightful and eloquent book. 
Beautifully written from the heart. 
I couldn’t put it down. 
So many inspired ideas that 
help inform and shape our own lives."
"This inspiring book couldn't be more timely. Insightful and uplifting, the messages in "Rise to the Sun"
will resonate with anyone who has struggled with a personal crisis --  
and who among us hasn't? 
Now more than ever -- as we face a global crisis "alone together" -- 7 footsteps and 7 prayers offers hope.”
"The phrase "Getting out of hell” deserves attention. And this book surprised me. 
It redefines “prayers”, by giving them a new purpose, not exclusively religious. 
The author’s selections of art and prayers are unusually good. It’s not an ordinary kind of book. This book has an important place in the world — as much for older people as for youth. I highly recommend it to everyone who is ready for a change of heart, who won’t let life tear us apart."
Image from the third footstep 'The Big Goodbye' in Rise to the Sun; 7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers for Getting out of Hell. Bo Bartlett. The Parabolist, 1999. Oil on canvas. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2001.689. © Bo Bartlett. Photography Courtesy Denver Art Museum.
“A book with many layers. This is a book that defies definition or categorization. Depending upon your viewpoint, it could be considered a memoir, a self-help book, a religious text, a commentary on politics, or a view of philosophy. In truth, it is all of these at once. “Rise to the Sun” can be quickly read, but shouldn’t be. The writing is full of meaning and thought, which should be read with the deliberateness of scripture, but is light enough to border upon being airy. It would be a mistake to read it too quickly.”

Among the most important contemporary painters in China, Zhang Xiaogang was born in 1958 into a middle-class household. When the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, his parents were forced to give up their government posts and to leave Zhang and his three brothers behind. Zhang’s Bloodline series combines the poignancy of old photographs––lost moments in time—that he discusses in this excerpt of an interview about his work (original language Mandarin): “It was 1994 when this work became the starting point of a series of paintings. It was simply triggered by the discovery of an old family photo which made me wonder why the photo touched me so much. So many things are embodied in history that we have neglected in the past. When I looked at the family photo, I saw my parents in their youth which contrasted with ours, and I was deeply moved.”  

 
 
Image from the third footstep 'The Big Goodbye' in Rise to the Sun: 7 Footsteps and 7 Prayers for Getting out of Hell. Bo Bartlett. The Parabolist, 1999. Oil on canvas. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2001.689. © Bo Bartlett. Photography Courtesy Denver Art Museum.