Any Workflows or Tips for Writing a Devotional?

Kiyah

A group of people in my church are writing short (350-word) devotionals for Advent. We will each be writing on a different passage of scripture.

Does any one in the forums happen to write devotionals based on scripture regularly (or at least more than never) and care to share their steps/method?

Does anyone have a Workflow that they have created and would like to share?

Right now I'm just meditating on the text and trying to resist the urge to do a full seminary style exegesis on the text, so I'm feeling a little stuck since I've never written a devotional before.

Kiyah

Anybody? Don't leave me hanging folks. [:)]

Jim Erwin

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1009891#Comment_1009891

I just create a note and write the various devotionals in each individual note. 

I guess in Logos 8 that means you would create a notebook, make it sharable, and have each person write their own note in that notebook.

Rosie Perera

I've done it only once. Read the passage over and over. Pray and reflect. Start writing in Word. Pretty straightforward.

Yes, no exegesis. Just write down whatever disconnected thoughts come up for you and try to connect them into a cohesive short devotional afterwards.

Maybe read a few different entries from different devotionals ahead of time to get an idea of what style you'd like to aim for. Meditative, suggestive, not didactic or too directive. Get people opening up to what God might be saying to *them* in particular through the text.

Pieter J.

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/1009891#Comment_1009891

Kiyah said:

Anybody? Don't leave me hanging folks.

I've been writing devotionals 5 days a week since January 2017. Currently I'm writing on Psalms and are at Psalm 74. I hope the next pointers could help. I write in several different ways to reach different personalities. I discovered that some people need technical explanations and insights, other emotional loaded life stories and other just a prayer in their devotional time. We sometimes tend to write in our preferred way, but I try to deliberately think what I do.

Each devotional is different, but there are some general things that could guide you. Pray for the Lord's guidance to discern the truth. Read the passage several times. Highlight what the passage say about God, what it say about men, and what it say about the relationship. Are there sins to repent, does it give commands or some good examples to follow. Very important is that you commit yourself to apply scriptural truth to your life before you witness in a devotional.

Normally I choose one or two verses from the passage that summarizes what I've learned. When writing the devotional I give that verse first. Next a small example or true story or own experience to lead into the text. Depending on what I've highlighted, I then talk about sins to repent, examples to follow, reasons to praise the Lord. Sometimes a text just ask of you to praise the Lord and other times to sit and think about life and your relationship with the Lord.

I then challenge the reader to make a commitment to apply what they have learned. It is always good if you can give a very specific example how to apply truth, some people struggle to "get it" on their own.

Then I close with a prayer, normally only one sentence of maximum ten words. Example: "Lord, you alone are worthy!"

Before you know you have written a devotional of one A4 page. I try to have four to max 5 paragraphs that distinguish very clearly between them. 1) Story to trigger the mind 2) Biblical truth 3) Challenge Application 4) Closing statement (repeat the central proposition of the devotional) 5) Prayer

I hope this could help you somehow.

Kiyah

Thanks folks!

David Thomas

Kiyah said:

Does anyone have a Workflow that they have created and would like to share?

Are you aware you can select "Public" and "Workflow Templates" in the Doc tab to find what others have made public?

Pieter J.

Kiyah said:

Does anyone have a Workflow that they have created and would like to share?

I'm curious, with workflows, how do one acknowledge authorship or intellectual property? Do I need to attach a Bibliography Document or a Bibliography at the end of a Workflow, or just links? Can I design a Workflow based on a book and publish it or do I need to slightly modify it? How do the IT professionals draw the line?

I would share Workflows, but don't know where to draw the line as many Workflow ideas are based on copyrighted books.