AURORA, Ill. – September 25, 2026 – A generation of young adults is quietly asking the same question: Is there more to life than this? They have grown up under relentless pressure to succeed, stay competitive, and secure a future — yet many feel anxious, exhausted, and unsure that any of it will lead to meaning. Some have concluded God is distant, even irrelevant. The cost is a shrinking imagination: a life measured by survival and self-protection instead of purpose and joy. Unleashing Holy Imagination: Becoming a Catalyst for Flourishing in God’s Creative World, the new book by Duane H. Smith released today by Kharis Publishing, was written to meet that exact ache — not with easy formulas, but with a mentor’s steady, hopeful invitation.
The problem the book confronts is more than career confusion. It is a crisis of vision. When God is reduced to a comforting idea or a distant observer, young adults are left to manufacture meaning alone, and the weight is crushing. Smith names this honestly and then offers a way through: holy imagination — not escapism or wishful thinking, but a God-given capacity, shaped by Scripture and empowered by the Spirit, to see what God is already doing and to join Him in it.
Unleashing Holy Imagination solves the problem by walking readers through a formative journey in four movements. It begins with identity and belonging — learning to see yourself as God sees you, adopted as His son or daughter. It deepens into rooted and resilient faith, so that identity and hope can last through uncertainty. It opens outward into awakened imagination, where love leads and calling comes into focus. And it culminates in commissioned calling — being sent into God’s redemptive work, from justice to human flourishing. Anchored in passages such as John 10:10 and Ephesians 3:20–21, the book helps readers trust that God desires to do immeasurably more through their lives than they could ask or imagine.
The reader’s journey is intentionally interior-to-exterior: from Who am I? to Whose am I? to What am I being invited into? Every chapter includes Scripture anchors, honest personal reflection, reflection questions, a declaration of truth, and a prayer — making the book ideal for personal growth, mentoring relationships, campus ministries, and small groups. Readers finish not with a rigid plan but with the courage to take the next faithful step, and the freedom that comes from trading striving for trust.
The book’s message rings true precisely because it meets its readers where they live. “As a young adult navigating career aspirations and relationships across diverse faith backgrounds, I have found myself wrestling with deeper questions about faith and purpose. Unleashing Holy Imagination met me exactly where I was,” writes Ashley Holland, a young adult living out her faith as a veterinary assistant. “What moved me most was the way this book reawakened my awareness that God is actively at work in my life… It challenged me to release fear and self-doubt and begin seeing the possibilities God is already unfolding within my story… an essential read for any young adult longing for clarity, purpose, and renewed confidence in their faith journey.”
Duane H. Smith has spent more than four decades walking alongside youth and young adults as they discover who they are, what they are called to, and how their lives can be lived for God’s greater purposes. A youth pastor at heart and an entrepreneur by design, he has served in youth ministry, leadership development, nonprofit work, and entrepreneurial ventures. His own path has held seasons of growth and fruitfulness as well as seasons of loss, failure, and rebuilding — experiences that deepened his trust in God and shaped this message. He writes not to lecture but to mentor, driven by the conviction that ordinary people, rooted in love and open to God’s leading, can live extraordinary, Kingdom-centered lives.
Unleashing Holy Imagination is part of The Unstoppable Series and is published by Kharis Publishing, an imprint of Kharis Media LLC, an independent publisher committed to books that inform, inspire, and transform. The book is available in eBook, paperback, and hardcover through major retailers worldwide, with quantity discounts available for campus ministries, churches, and small groups.
To mark the launch, the Kindle/eBook edition is available for just $0.99 from September 25 through October 2, 2026 — a perfect, low-barrier way to put this journey into the hands of a young adult, a mentee, or an entire small group before the offer ends.
If you sense there is more to your life than chasing achievement, security, or approval, this book is your invitation. Read it, share it with a young adult you love, and take the next faithful step.
About Kharis Publishing:
Kharis Publishing, an imprint of Kharis Media LLC, is an independent publisher of nonfiction and fiction dedicated to giving voice to authors whose stories and ideas inform, inspire, and transform readers. Kharis products are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fundraising, and educational needs.
Media ContactCompany Name: Kharis Media LLCContact Person: Rufus PhilipEmail: Send EmailPhone: 4795998657Address:1595 Fidler Ct. City: AuroraState: ILLINOISCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.kharispublishing.com
