Like to write? We’re working on our next printed devotional, and we’d love to hear from you!
What is it: A 31-day devotional along the same lines as our “Redeemed” and “Flourish” books published in the past year. Previous devotional books have included articles from Jen Hatmaker, Shaunti Feldhahn, and Susie Larson, along with other regional and international writers.
Theme: Our theme is on the power of words, the way in which they can be life-giving or life-draining, used to harm or to heal. We’re looking for articles that speak to the way in which words imprint on our souls in one of three ways:
- Words within us – The words we dwell on (self-talk), including what we believe about ourselves.
- Word spoken to us – The words spoken over us or to us by others, including their impact on us and our reaction to them.
- Words spoken through us – The words we speak to others (family members, friends, children, etc.).
Underlying all three categories is the idea that the Word of God is the foundation that gives us all we need to be stronger than the words that might try to steal who we are. Its truth empowers us with words of life to bring hope, healing, and encouragement to our hearts as well as the hearts of others.
Format: 1,200 characters (including spaces), or about 200-250 words. Please include an anecdote/story, Bible verse, and a thought to ponder or question to close. (See sample essay below for details.)
Deadline: July 31, 2014.
If interested, please submit your entry one of two ways: Either (1) copy and paste the following form into the body of an email, attach your essay (preferably as a Word document), and send it to mnbtgsubmissions@gmail.com, or (2) copy and paste the following form and your essay into a Google document and share it with mnbtgsubmissions@gmail.com. Please direct any other queries regarding the devotional to mnbtgsubmissions@gmail.com.
Please note: Because of the unique and changing challenges associated with publishing a book, Bridging the Gap reserves the right to make all publishing decisions with respect to any submission, including the right to publish in print, online only, or not to publish.
Please copy and paste the following:
Name:
Website/blog (if applicable):
How did you hear about BTG?:
Consent: By submitting this form, I authorize Bridging the Gap to use, publish, and reproduce my name and devotional submission in print and/or electronic publishing and media, including but not limited to books, articles and any marketing materials.
Sample Essay: A Daddy’s Words Remembered
One of the most precious items we had after my sister Katrina died from breast cancer was the journal she wrote in the few years leading up to her death.
After the funeral and condolences died down, we’d find comfort together as a family in the evenings. Gathering together after dinner, we would listen as my brother-in-law Jim read a few entries from her journal to end the night.
Her words, a reminder of who she was, were comforting even after she was gone.
One evening, Jim read a passage she wrote about struggling with her appearance after having a double mastectomy. She wrote, “After hearing my friends talk about the imperfections of their bodies, the things they dislike or would want changed, I stand in front of my mirror looking over my scars. And as I examine the ways my body is forever changed, I can hear my dad’s voice coming back to me as a child: You are beautiful, Katie.”
As tears streamed down our cheeks, Jim laid the journal down, turned to my father and said, “Well done, Howard. Well. Done.”
What words can you speak to your children today that they may draw courage from tomorrow?
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
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