COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. —Dec. 1, 2025 — This Advent season, millions of listeners will discover bestselling author John Mark Comer and his acclaimed book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry through Hallow, the leading Catholic prayer and meditation app. As part of Hallow’s annual Advent Prayer Challenge, “Pray25: Be Still,” actor Chris Pratt will read selections from Comer on Sabbath, silence, solitude and slowing down. The three narrated reflections will post on December 5, 12, and 19, inviting users to experience Comer’s message of rest and renewal during one of the busiest times of the year.
Originally released in 2019, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World (WaterBrook) has sold 900,000 copies, appeared monthly since its publication on the ECPA Bestseller List, and continues to inspire readers worldwide to slow down and reclaim peace in a culture of busyness.
Through this partnership, listeners across the globe will experience Comer’s message—one that has profoundly shaped conversations about spiritual formation in the modern world. The book’s message is especially timely in today’s overstimulated and frenzied holiday season, offering a countercultural call to stillness that prepares the heart to be with God during the Christmas season, into the new year, and beyond.
Comer is the author of multiple bestsellers from WaterBrook, including The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, Live No Lies, and Practicing the Way, which have collectively sold 1.7 million units across all formats. His Practicing the Way (2024) won ECPA’s 2025 Christian Book of the Year Award and has made 26 appearances on The New York Times Best Sellers List.
Comer is the Founder and Teacher of Practicing the Way, an organization that equips individuals and churches to apprentice under Jesus through intentional rhythms of practice, presence, and transformation. Prior to founding Practicing the Way, Comer spent nearly 20 years pastoring Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, where he explored what it means to follow Jesus in a post-Christian culture.
Hallow’s Pray25 series invites millions each year to prepare spiritually for Christmas through daily guided prayer, meditation, and reflection. This year’s theme, “Be Still,” encourages participants to rediscover stillness amidst the noise and hurry of modern life.
Now in its seventh year, Pray25 has drawn hundreds of thousands of participants, making it the largest Advent prayer challenge Hallow has ever hosted. The app continues to experience remarkable global growth: as of June 2025, Hallow has nearly 24 million installs, with over 1 billion prayers prayed and millions of active users across 150 countries.
For more information on the Pray25 Challenge, visit hallow.com/pray25.
WaterBrook is an imprint of Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.
