In His Steps
Guidelines to writing the devotional


Qualities of a Writer

1. Has a deep word arsenal
2. Masters the various nuances and uses of words
3. Is creative and looks beyond the ordinary
4. Enhances his/her observation skills
5. Develops interviewing skills
6. Sharpens his/her power of discernment by having a dynamic relationship with God thru prayer and scripture reading


Habits of a Good Writer

1. Learn one new word a day.
2. Don’t stop writing.
3. Read, read, and read.
4. Be genuinely interested on people.
5. Exercise your imagination.


Writing Tips

1. Organize your thoughts.
2. Gather materials necessary for the reflection.
3. Prepare an outline.
4. Write all your thoughts.
5. Edit it yourself.
6. Sleep on your reflection and review it again.
7. Submit.


Discerning the Central Message

1. What is God telling you?
2. What is He telling the readers through you?
3. Is your sharing glorifying God?


Writing the Message

1. Pray to God for His leading.
2. Listen with your spiritual heart.
3. Write about the verse that He leads you to reflect on.


Parts of a Reflection

1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion – the reflection should have a resolution


Writing Tips

1. Write whole sentences.
2. Punctuate your sentence properly.
3. Use the active voice.
4. Sentences should flow smoothly from one to the other.
5. Avoid unnecessary words because you are limited to 150-180 words.
6. Don’t beat around the bush. Avoid long, winding sentences.
7. Avoid heavy introductions.
8. Watch out for conclusions that do not conclude.
9. Avoid being preachy.
10. Personalize your reflections.


Important Note!

Readership will no longer be limited to members of the CFC Family Ministries. In His Steps will be distributed to non-members as well. Hence, the following guidelines:

Writing Guidelines

1. Reflect on the Gospel
2. Key verse should focus only on the phrases relevant to the reflection. Avoid more than 1 verse as reference verse.

e.g.

"Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." -- this is rather long when "Let the children come to me,..." will suffice to back up the reflection

3. Identify what Bible version did you use. Good News Bible (GNB), etc.
4. Write a Title for your reflection.
5. There should be a personal sharing/testimony about yourself, your family, your friends, etc. It should not be fictional.
6. The sharing/testimony should apply to broad readers, regardless of their age, culture, etc.

e.g.

"I broke up with my boyfriend" limits the readers to single persons while "I lost my mother" may apply to anyone.

7. Avoid CFC/SFC/YFC jargons such as GG, fellowship, praise fest, etc.
8. The reflection should have a minimum of 150 words and maximum of 180 words.
9. Place your initials at the end of each reflection.
10. Write a "Thought for the Day" that sums up your reflection in one line.
11. A "Guide for Reflection" will replace "Prayer Meeting Guide" so that it can also apply to non-members of the community. Limit it to one to two sentences.
12. Include a "Concrete Step". It should be concretely doable, i.e., action sentence. Limit it to one to two sentences.

e.g.

"Love the Lord Thy God" is vague as compared to "Love the Lord Thy God by sharing your talents in your community."

Format of the Reflection

Date
Key verse
Title
Reflection
Thought for the Day
Guide for Reflection
Concrete Step

Evaluating the Reflection

1. What is my central message? Was I able to communicate it?
2. What facts are crucial to the understanding of my message?
3. What feeling (if any) did I want to pass on to the reader about my message?
4. What action did I want the readers to take about my message? Was I able to project this feeling in my reflection?

"In His Steps" workshop notes by Jean Dizon, SFC-Malate, Manila.

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