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Train Up a
Child
Devotions for Parents and Grandparents
Compiled and
edited by Marlene Bagnull
As our nation slides down the slippery slope of no moral absolutes, it is
vitally important that Christian parents teach their children, by word and
example, to follow God’s absolutes given to us in the Ten Commandments.
Train Up a Child, a devotional book written by parents, for parents of
children of all ages, will be divided into ten sections for each of the Ten
Commandments. Its purpose is to encourage parents to train up their child
in God’s way.
In preparing a devotional for consideration (poems of less than 24 lines
are also welcome) please keep the following guidelines in mind:
• Begin your devotional with a Scripture verse (please note translation
or paraphrase used) and close with a short prayer.
• Share a story from your life experience that other parents will be able
to relate to. Use show-don’t-tell techniques, including dialogue whenever
possible. Humor is welcome!
• Provide a nugget of truth that the readers will be able to apply to
their own lives. Remember your goal in devotional writing is to inspire—not
to teach or preach.
• Create reader identification by being open, honest, real, vulnerable.
Allow the readers to see the struggles you have faced as a parent—the times
you have failed and have had to ask the Lord and your child (or children) to
forgive you. Point readers to the power of Jesus Christ that is at work in
your life and in your family.
• Make certain your title, opening Scripture, the body of your devotion,
and your closing prayer all tie together.
• Limit your total word length (including opening Scripture and closing
prayer) to 400 - 500 words.
• Focus your devotional or poem around one of the Ten Commandments.
• Paste your manuscript into an email, single spaced, with each paragraph
indented. Please do NOT send your manuscript in an attached file. In your
subject line include your name, title of manuscript, and the number of the
commandment you are writing about. All submissions must be received via
email. Be sure to include your full name, address, day and night phone
numbers, fax number, email address, and a bio of approximately 75-100 words.
You are welcome to submit multiple manuscripts but please submit only one
devotional in each email.
• Previously published manuscripts are welcome as long as you own the
rights.
Because of the volume of submissions I expect to receive, I will be
unable to acknowledge receipt of your submission and will respond only if
your manuscript is selected for publication. You are free to submit your
manuscript elsewhere (both before and after acceptance/publication) as long
as you do not offer anyone all or first rights. Although I do not yet have a
publisher, several have shown strong interest in the idea. As soon as I have
a publisher, I will post this information on my Web site. Please pray with
me that God will open the right door at the right time. October 26, 2007
Update - I'm working to get a proposal to interested publishers in the
next couple of weeks. Your prayers and submissions are needed and
appreciated.
PAYMENT - Since I am hoping to again have over 100 contributors as in
My Turn to Care - Encouragement for Caregivers of Aging Parents (Thomas
Nelson, 1994 and Ampelos Press, 1999) and For Better, For Worse -
Devotional Thoughts for Married Couples (Christian Publications, 2004)
I am not able to offer payment for accepted manuscripts but expect to
negotiate one free book and the opportunity to purchase additional copies at
a reduced price for gifts or resale (other than to a bookstore) in exchange
for non-exclusive book rights. Your byline, of course, will be included as
well as a short bio.
Sample devotion for Train Up a Child
Truth and Prayer
by
Jamie Cummings
People who cover over their sins will not
prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)
Being a teacher at the school your children attend is a blessing but is
not without awkward moments. One such moment came when my son was in
kindergarten. For five days he greeted me after school, pockets stuffed with
hot wheels cars.
“Where did you get these, son?”
“My friend Tommy.”
“Hmmm. That’s okay with his mom?”
“Uh huh.”
“Are you giving Tommy some of your toys?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He doesn’t want any.”
Growing suspicious as the collection grew, I replied, “That’s great
you’re making a new friend. Tell him I’d like to meet him tomorrow after
school.”
Three o’clock brought us together for the showdown. “Where’s Tommy?”
Suddenly my son spewed out the truth, holding nothing back,
including the tears spilling down his pudgy little cheeks.
“There is no Tommy. I took them from the toy box in the classroom.”
C.J. had plenty of his own cars. The ones he stole had obviously had a
few previous adventures. As we drove home, my usual non stop
conversationalist sat in solitary silence. I was upset that he stole, but
furious he had lied to me. His great imagination was venturing into
dangerous territory.
I prayed for the words to speak to my son and the punishment that would
end his desire to lie and steal. The discipline would have to be swift and
effective. Gently, I was reminded of my past indiscretions. I prayed for
patience, wisdom, and control over the anger that was welling up inside me.
What came to me was the one thing my son loves more than cars and
leggos: dessert! Lies were a bitter thing coming out of his mouth so he
would be putting nothing sweet inside for each day he lied. Gulp. Five days
with no ice cream! Eyes wide in disbelief told me he understood the severity
of his crime. As for stealing, he would return what did not belong to him.
Clutching my hand tightly and thrusting the brown paper bag of
contraband forward, he whispered to the teacher what he had done. She
graciously forgave him and his whole body collapsed in relief outside the
door. Locked in a hug I couldn’t pry him loose from, I kissed his velvety
cheek as he dried the tears sliding down mine.
Lord, you tell us that if we love you, we will keep your commandments.
Please help my child not to give into fear and pride that could lead to
dishonesty and theft. Keep the bitter taste of lies off his tongue and let
the words of his mouth be pleasing to you. If he does stumble, help him to
confess his mistakes quickly so that Satan cannot have a stronghold on his
soul. Help me to discipline him quickly and fairly. Thank you Father, for
sending your Spirit of truth, and for your amazing gift of mercy for all who
are willing to abide in you. In your precious son’s name, I thank you for
the privilege of raising this little boy. Amen.
Jamie Cummings is a graduate of the CLASS seminar
taught by Marita and Florence Littauer. She serves on the writing/drama team
on the Interactor’s Drama Troupe at The Church at Rancho Bernardo and has a
contribution in Doug and BJ Jensen’s recent publication: Famous Lovers of
the Bible. She is currently a member and associate of the Christian
Writer’s Guild. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s
Degree in Education. Jamie teaches 3rd grade and lives in San Diego with her
husband and two children.
Copyright Jamie Cummings
* ~ * ~ * ~ * |
True Stories Needed
New compilation, Where
Grace Abounds: True Stories from Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers, seeks
true stories that reveal the work God is doing through pro-life
pregnancy centers -- from abortion-minded women choosing to carry their
children to birth, to salvation stories, stories by/about guys,
adoptions, healing from abortion, unusual stories of centers helping
people, etc.
Each story must be connected to a pro-life pregnancy center
(PC). Stories should reveal character traits of God, such as gentleness,
kindness, and compassion, nothing judgmental, etc.
Do not violate the privacy of
any person(s). All main and/or identifiable persons in the story
must give permission in writing for the story to be published. Tell your
own story or someone else’s with their
permission. “As-told-to's” acceptable. Don't have or know of a
story? Become a "reporter" by contacting PCs and asking if they have a
story they'd like to share to feature their center in the book.
500 – 1500 words. Non-exclusive book rights. (Reprints
acceptable.) No fiction.
Pays $20
per story published plus one copy of book per contributor. Bio
included. I plan to donate a portion of the proceeds to support the
work of pro-life pregnancy centers.
Submit by e-mail to
dbwrites@juno.com. Paste submission into e-mail,
single-spaced. Include name, address, e-mail address, phone.
Full guidelines and permissions form at
www.DianneEButts.com.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Greetings:
The members of The Writing Academy,
a small group of dedicated Christian writers from all over the
country who meet once a year in Minnesota, have taken on a special
project to keep them alive and kicking. Their history is
interesting. In 1978 the Rev. Harley Swiggum of Madison, Wisconsin,
writer of The Bethel Bible Series, envisioned a cadre of Christian
writers who could elevate the standards of Christian writing. He
organized 60 aspiring writers nationwide who survived a series of
tests conducted over a five-day period at the Yahara Center in
Madison. Pastor Harley's dream was to have The Writing
Academy grow in scope and projects, but his vision
regarding funding was fatally flawed. Potential donors did not want
to subsidize a group of Christian writers who could end up enriching
themselves. So in 1982, Pastor Harley cut The Writing
Academy loose.
It survived though, establishing itself as a volunteer-powered
organization that met in Madison through 1990, then in New Harmony,
Indiana; Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tennessee; Minneapolis,
Minnesota; Snow Mountain Ranch Colorado; back in Madison, and St.
Louis, Missouri. About seven years ago they settled at the current
seminar site, Mount Olivet Retreat Center, south of Minneapolis, and
have been there ever since, meeting once a year for their annual
conference.
Now, with members living in 22 states and Canada, they have
decided to write and self-publish a book as a group with all
the proceeds going to help keep The Writing Academy
alive. I am donating my services as collector
and editor of all the devotions for this book as well.
Daily Devotions for Writers will be a
365-day devotional book written by writers for writers about
writing. Each devotion must be about writing: the
stresses, problems, joys, frustrations, blessings of the writing
life.
If you would be willing to write one or more
250-word devotions with a short prayer at the end and a quote or
Bible verse after that, and donate it to this wonderful cause, I
would be forever grateful. I am in the process of gathering and
editing all these devotions right now and hope to have this book
nearly complete by December 1st, 2007.
Each devotion must be a true, first-person story, with a
takeaway message, like the ones you see in the Daily
Guideposts hardback annual devotion book. No
preaching or sermons, please. You will get a byline and a brief bio
in the back where you can list your contact info. No payment,
however. This book will be sold by all the members of the Writing
Academy who live in 22 states and Canada so hopefully your words
will inspire thousands. All contributors will
receive a byline and a short bio in the back of the book, plus they
will be able to purchase the books at a 40-50% discount. We
do ask that if you sell the books at profit that you donate a large
portion of your proceeds to The Writing Academy.
SPECIFIC
GUIDELINES
1. Don't bother
with a title.
2. Single space
and do not double space between paragraphs.
3. Indent five
spaces for paragraphs.
4. Put the prayer
in italics not quotes.
5. Don't put
quotation marks around the Bible verse or the quote. Just type it
normally under the prayer and be sure to include the source, either
the chapter and verse of the Bible and the version in letters i.e.
KJV, NIV, TLB etc. OR, put the person's name who originated the
quote.
6. Feel free to
use famous quotes from many different authors, (in addition to those
verses you use from the Bible) but be sure to credit the author.
Also, only one quote or Bible verse per devotion.
7. Do not send
them to me in color and please use Times New Roman font size 12.
8. Put your name
as you want it to appear in the book at the bottom of the page right
after the quote and on the right side.
9. Do not
go over 250 words including prayer and quote. We want all
of these to fit on one page and to be uniform in size. Try to get
the whole thing as close to 250 words as you can without going
over.
10. Write
in the first person only. Don't say "you do this" or
"they did this." Just say "I did this or my day started like
this..." First person.
11. Tell a
story. Please do not preach or deliver a sermon. Use
dialog, create a scene, show us your vulnerability. What did you
have to learn? As a writer how did you screw up? How did
frustration, struggle, pain, fear get you down? Then how did you
pull yourself back up? Readers identify with people who have
struggles and pain. They simply want to learn what we did to ease
the pain or survive the struggle or make our writing lives better,
happier, more fulfilling.
12. Please include
a 30-50 word bio for the back of the book.
13.
Make sure every
devotion is about writing or being a writer.
Here are a few idea
starters for devotions about writing:
HOW I BECAME A
WRITER
LIVING MY DREAM
DEFINING MOMENTS
FINDING MY VOICE
WRITING MENTORS
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
IN THE WORLD
OVERCOMING
OBSTACLES
A WRITER'S LIFE
THE POWER OF
PERSEVERANCE
INSIGHTS AND
LESSONS
HOW I OVERCAME
WRITER'S BLOCK
FIGHTING REJECTION
SLIPS
HOW TO KEEP GOING
WHEN EDITORS KEEP SAYING NO
THE JOYS I'VE
RECEIVED AS A WRITER
SETTING UP MY
OFFICE
BEGINNING THE TASK
OF WRITING
THE MANY DIFFERENT
FORMS OF WRITING
LEARNING TO SHARE
MY WRITTEN WORDS
HOW I FIND TIME TO
WRITE
WHY IT'S NOT ABOUT
THE MONEY
WAYS TO TOUCH
OTHERS
WHAT TO DO WHEN OUR
FAMILIES DON'T APPRECIATE OUR WORK
THE BLESSINGS I'VE
RECEIVED AS A WRITER
THE AGONY AND THE
ECSTASY OF BEING A WRITER
Feel free to pass this on to your writer
friends.
Warm regards,
Patricia Lorenz
patricialorenz@juno.com
www.PatriciaLorenz.com
Sample
devotions:
January 1
I sat in the back of my seventh grade
English class. This was the last place in the world I wanted to
be. Summer vacation had come to an abrupt halt and the hot, stuffy
classroom in our old brick school felt more like a juvenile
detention center than a place to nourish my brain. The only thing
worse, was mom taking us to Sears for new school clothes and
buying those stiff, formaldehyde-smelling blue jeans and shirts.
It was tough for this twelve year old
boy to concentrate on the newly imposed writing assignment. The
paper lay blank on my old wooden desk. My number 2 pencil made a
handy drumstick that attracted unwanted attention from Mrs. Barett,
my teacher. She had the ability of an Indian scout and could sneak
up behind me without making a sound. She would whisper in my ear,
“Starting is half done.” All throughout the school year she would
remind me, “Starting is half done.”
Those words have been powerful. So many
times in my life, those words have made the difference between
success and failure. I learned that I could do just about anything
if I just get started.
Now, almost forty years later, I rarely
struggle with writer’s block, or other tasks, as I quietly hear
her say, Starting is half done.
Lord, thank you for teachers who know just
the right words to say and take the time to teach us.
A wise man will hear and increase in
learning. Proverbs 1:5 NAS
Lonni L Docter
**************************************************************************
January 3
When my daughter Julia was five years
old she put a note under her pillow. Dear Tooth Fary. Heres
my toooth. It dint bleed. I love you. Julia
The tooth fairy
responded with fifty-cents and a longer note thanking Julia for
the tooth, about the importance of brushing her teeth every day,
and about smiling often because that would make people feel
happy.
Julia loved the note so much she took
it to school to show her teacher and friends. Thus began a long
habit of writing notes to my children often.
Jeanne, good luck on that spelling test
today! I think you're a spelling whiz. Love, Mom
Michael, don't forget to take out the
garbage. By the way, you did a great job cleaning your room. I
love you, Mom
Andrew, I am so proud of you! I
heard you helped Mrs. Cook rake her leaves. Way to go, son.
Love, Mom
By the time my four children were in
high school, college, then out on their own, I began to write
longer pieces about how their antics inspired or confounded me.
Before long, some of my stories were getting published and in a
few years I was writing whole books. And to think it all began
with a simple note from the tooth fairy.
Lord, thank you
for the gift of writing you gave me and for so many amazing things
in your world that keep inspiring me to write.
A little child will lead them. Isaiah
11:6 TLB
Patricia Lorenz
****************************************************************************
January 4
Over twenty years ago, I wrote a short
tribute to my parents for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.
Outlining each tribute with an oval shape, I mounted them in one
frame, separating them with calico printed material.
Upon completion, I almost threw them
out. Having no confidence in my writing ability, I thought they
were terrible. But, instead, I swallowed my pride and thought,
I went through all this work, I may as well give it to them.
My parents loved my tributes. Tears
swelled up in my mother’s eyes and my father beamed when they read
my words of love. Mother proudly displayed the frame on their
bedroom dresser.
We often express words of love and
encouragement to others. But writing these words down is a
valuable tool, giving the recipient a way to enjoy the words for
many years. I realize now, it would have been a shame if I had
thrown the tributes out. My father is deceased, and my mother
still enjoys reading them. Surprisingly, I enjoy the tributes
more now than when I wrote them. I never know when my written
words will brighten someone’s day or their entire life. That’s
why I need to keep writing.
Thank you Lord for giving me ability to show
my love in this special way.
Write things worth reading or do things
worth writing. Benjamin Franklin
Sally
Devine
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