How to Write Life-Changing Devotionals

Good devotionals are easy to read but hard to write. As editorial director at Wesleyan Publishing House, some of the best writing I see—and some of the worst—is submitted for our daily devotional, Light from the Word.

I keep a close eye on this periodical because I know that while it lacks the jazzy appeal of a hot new book, it is read by tens of thousands of people each day. I’m rabid about making this little piece a great value for Christians seeking a deeper spiritual life.

Here are some tips for writing great devotionals, either for our publication or for your own church newsletter.

Devotional Do’s

1. Stick to the Assignment. Nearly all devotionals are written by assignment, and the format cannot be varied. Always, always, always submit the right number of words in the format requested by the publisher. Editors are dogmatic about this because (a) the published format is set and cannot be varied, and (b) readers expect consistency.

2. Start with a Strong Lead. This is especially important in a short format like a devotional (ours are 220–230 words). Grab the reader early and never let go.

3. Use a Three-Part Structure. It’s real simple: Life/Scripture/Challenge. Start with a brief sketch of a common spiritual problem. This is where first person writing can be highly effective if done well. What's the question, problem, foible, or experience that we all face. Then state the biblical truth that bears on the point. You've got three or four sentences to make your case, so be concise and avoid repetition. Finally, challenge the reader to apply that truth to life. How will my life change if I take this learning to heart?

4. Use First Person Carefully. It’s okay to use a first-person illustration, especially if it is unique or truly funny. But beware of making yourself the star of the devotional. People don’t read to find out about you—they’re looking for God.

5. Challenge People. People don't read a devotional because they want to be shallow Christians with their spiritual life stuck at zero. Devotional readers want to reflect on their relationship with God and be caused to grow. Show your readers something important about God, themselves, or the world.

6. Close with a Bang. The last sentence of your devotional should be your best writing. Seal home the truth with a memorable sentence so that readers always want to read through to the end.

7. Tighten Your Writing. Revise, revise, revise. You have only 225 words to work with. Make every single letter pull its weight. Flowery words, cutesy images, and vague expressions will have to go. Let your voice be strong and clear.

Devotional Don’ts

1. Don't Use Trite Personal Stories. For example, don’t talk about cute things that your children have said (everybody’s kids are precious), mundane answers to prayer (does God do anything besides help people find parking spots?), or common personal traits (nearly everyone is afraid of heights). Say something original—that’s what the reader is paying for.

2. Don't Criticize Others. Do not use the devotional to complain about “some people,” “so-called Christians,” or “many in our world today.” Nobody reads devotionals to discover that sin is a problem—they’re looking for the solution. Aim to inspire your reader to holy living rather than criticizing the shortcomings of others.

3. Don't Use Urban Legends or Trite Sayings. If you begin with “The story is often told” or “It has often been said,” choose a different illustration or quotation. These are marks of lazy writing.

4. Don't Rely on Jargon. If you’re tempted to add the words blessing, by faith, in Christ, from above, or other Christian code words, ask yourself why. Find a way to express these valuable ideas in other words.

5. Don't Rehash the Scripture Verses. Assume that your readers have read the verse you placed before them. Don’t retell it in your devotional; simply comment upon it.

The worst devotionals I see are trite, sloppy, unoriginal sentimentality lathered up with religious jargon or else shallow, vindictive rants about the writer’s pet peeve.

The best devotionals to cross my desk are tightly written, poignant, appropriately self-revealing essays on spirituality that cause me to see truth in a fresh way. They always inspire me, and often they convict me. I’ve been brought to my knees more than once while editing a daily devotional.

Never take a contract assignment for granted. Your words will be taken to heart by thousands of people. Choose them well.

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Florida Christian Writers Conference Makes Gains

The best way to get nowhere is to keep doing what you've always done. Unless, I suppose, your name is Jerry B. Jenkins or Max Lucado.

For most of us who write--or in this case, who coach writers--being successful depends on finding ways to do what we do better. That's why I was delighted to hear that the Florida Christian Writers Conference has made some changes that will make it an even more valuable event for writers.

For starters, the venue has been moved from an aging facility with limited space to to the Lake Conference Center near Leesburg. The larger (and nicer) space will draw more editors, which will draw more writers, which will draw more editors. You get the idea.

Second, scholarships for this year's conference are now available because of the generosity of one author – “the man behind the words” – Cec Murphey. Way to go, Cec.

As a writer conference director myself, I'm impressed with Billie Wilson's vision and leadership. Kudos to you, Billie. And y'all come down to Florida Feb. 26-Mar. 1, 2009

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Why We Teach the Bible

I got a call from Catherine today. She's a Sunday school teacher from Michigan who wanted to share an idea for improving the Wesley Bible Studies, which I produce. She also shared a bit of her life and the challenge she faces in living the way Jesus lived.

"As I was studying the lesson for this week," she said, "I broke down and wept. This message is so important for our group, and so challenging. For those of us who are older ... I just don't know if we can do this."

The lesson is based on 1 Corinthians 8, which urges Christians to be tolerant and loving in spite of having different convictions on certain issues. For the gang at Corinth, the issue was eating meat sacrificed to idols. Some would, some wouldn't and the tension threatened to divide the church.

Recently my own denomination faced similar questions over the use of alcoholic beverages. Other Christians are wrestling with the ordination of women, changes in worship styles, and the rise of postmodernity.

These are challenging times not only for Catherine but for all of us who are dealing with the screaming pace of change in the church. Boomers and busters. Moderns and postmoderns. Traditionalists and progressives. Can we learn to focus attention away from ourselves, onto Jesus, and be tolerant of each other when we disagree?

I hope so. And I'm thankful that we have Paul's advice to guide and convict on this very point.

Scripture enlightens us. It comforts us. And just occasionally it kicks us in the pants—as it will this week, when some 38,000 people study this lesson and are reminded that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up."

"I want to thank all of you," Catherine said, "for producing these lessons for us. It helps us so much to study God's Word."

And I want to thank you, Catherine, for doing what you do. Studying God's Word—and teaching it to others—is best tool we have for being transformed to become like Jesus.

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Giants in the Land

Last week we passed a huge milestone as two great men in my denomination retired on the same day.

The day was more significant to me because both are family. My father, Norman G. Wilson (left), retired after 33 years as speaker on "The Wesleyan Hour" radio broadcast. By God's grace, he has preached the gospel to millions upon millions of people on six continents of the globe.

My uncle Earle L. Wilson also retired after 24 years as a general superintendent in our church and over 50 years of ordained ministry as a pastor, college president and spiritual leader.

When you're around great men every day, it is easy to take for granted the wisdom, stature, and spiritual power that they have been given. Moments like these clarify the scope of their achievement and value of their gift to the kingdom. I'm blessed to be part of this family and this church.

I was ordained to preach the gospel 21 years ago, and in 21 more years I will be close to the age these men are at retirement. As I enter the last half of my ministry, I'm reflecting on the lessons from these two faithful lives.

Do One Thing

Dad is a preacher, and he has done that consistently and well for some 50 years. He was, in fact, the only person ever hired by the denomination (as opposed to a local congregation) only to preach the gospel. Over the years, various management tasks were added to his responsiblity as General Director of Communications for the church. But he saw himself as a preacher first. He still does.

Earle has been a leader, as anyone who has seen him chair a meeting or speak to a large group can tell you. He moves people. Don't confuse that with being an administrator or manager. (I'd hate to show you some of his garbled emails!)

Each man knew his calling and stayed strictly within it. This is the key to effectiveness in any realm, especially the kingdom.

What is the gift you have been given? What can you do best to advance the cause of Chrsit?

Do that, and don't quit.

Seek Kingdom over Self

My father has been an author and international radio speaker for over three decades. If he had chosen to use that platform to enrich himself, he could easily have done so. Some of the wealthiest people in the church are media preachers.

Yet my dad has been content with his (extremely modest) denominational pay, and the copyrights of most of his books are held by the church. Ignoring the advice that we editors so often give to writers, he has been concerned only with getting the message out, never with building his reputation, protecting his rights, or garnering royalties.

This is one reason he has enjoyed such a long and influential ministry--he has been willing to seek first Christ and his kingdom.

Persevere

You won't complete 50 years of anything without a few battle scars. That is true also of serving Christ, as Paul or John or Peter could also testify. Some of Dad's war stories seem humorous now, after 30 or 40 years, but they they were painful then.

We would like to believe that our moment of greatest effectiveness for the kingdom will coincide with our moments of greatest personal comfort, acclaim, or reward. That's not necessarily true. In fact, it is more likely that our greatest moments of triumph and pain will occur together--as they did for Jesus.

To finish well, you have to finish. To finish, you have to persevere.

Know Your Moment

Both my father and my uncle said "yes" at the right moments. Dad was offered "The Wesleyan Hour" as a part-time job while pastoring a large congregation. It would have been easy to say, "I'm too busy here in the local church to take on any other chores." (Many large church pastors do that today, which is one reason we often have difficulty filling denominational leadership roles.)

But Dad knew when to say when, and he moved from what was one of our most prestigous pulpits at the time to an even greater place of service.

It's also important to know when to stay. Frankly, many people urged my uncle to retire four years ago. He refused, believing that the next four years would be a critical time to exercise leadership. He was right. His replacement by another person of great spiritual stature would have been unlikely four years ago. This was the time.

Discerning which opportunities to take and which to leave alone is no easy chore. It requires vision, focus, and intimacy with Christ. Pursue these, and the yes/no questions become easier.

Remain Faithful

I am proudest of the fact that there is not one ethical or moral blemish on the record of either of these two men. They have had their detractors--even opponents--but no one can lay a charge of improper conduct against them. Here is the definition of holiness: purity leads to spiritual power.

Thankfully, there is grace for those who fail. I revel in it. Let's all aspire to the spiritual authority that comes from a holy life. This is the fuel for effectivness in ministry.

I have perhaps 20 years of ministry remaining, and I don't know for sure what they will bring. I do know what will characterize my effort, however. I will do one thing, do it well, and keep doing it as long as God allows me.

That is my heritage, and I trust it will be my legacy as well--a lifteime of serving Christ.

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How to Double Your Reading Time

“I don’t have time to read.”

That mantra is taken as gospel by anyone who works for a living or is raising a family. Even pastors and teachers, legendary book consumers, complain that they seldom read as much as they’d like to. The average person spends only 108 hours a year reading books compared to 1,698 watching television.

Here are five strategies increasing your diet of words without re-ordering your life.

Read Audio Books

Nobody drives in silence, and it seems every jogger owns an MP3 player. We fill the space in our commuting, exercise, and down time with music, proving that we have time to consume words—if not to read them.

And with the growing availability of books and Bibles in audio form—871 million units sold last year alone—we have more options than ever for "reading" good books.

Start using audio books, and your reading intake will probably triple.

Read at Lunch

Reading for 30 minutes a day on your lunch break would more than double the amount of time the average person spends reading each year. Adopt this strategy, and you'll read about 10 more books each year.

Read on the Clock

If you're in management, staying informed is part of your job. While you might not get away with reading a suspense novel at your desk, a business book is fair game. Add reading to your annual goals and put it on your to-do list.

Join a Discussion Group

Give yourself a reason to read by joining a book club or discussion group. The accountability factor will boost your reading time. Deadlines really work.

Turn off the Tube

The average person spends 15.7 more hours watching television than reading. Give up just one show per week in order to read, and you'll more than double your reading intake.

Of course, all of this assumes that you want to read more than you do. If that's not the case, then no strategy will be effective. Reading is both a leisure activity and a discipline that must be practiced. You must choose to read.

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