Don Atkinson
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Author of Day by Day in Ephesians
Founder of Day by Day Ministry
Regarding
content and structure, there are two basic types of Christian daily
devotionals—thematic and expository. The majority of Christian devotionals fit the
thematic category in which the author moves from one Christian theme to the
other with each daily devotional. In the
expository category, the author explains one or more verses of Scripture in
each daily devotional. In Day by Day in Ephesians, I ranged from part
of a verse, to one verse, to two or more verses in each daily devotional.
The author first
decides what Scripture will be covered.
The thematic devotional usually revolves around a biblical topic such as faith.
Then, Scriptures are normally utilized from various books of the Bible. Or the author may wish to base the devotional
(expository) on an entire book of the Bible.
This was my approach in Day by Day
in Ephesians. In most cases, the Scripture verses are dealt with
chronologically. This methodology
maintains the organization and thought patterns of the biblical text.
For the thematic
devotional, the author can enlist the aid of variety of biblical resource
materials on the selected theme. Bible
commentaries are particularly helpful for the author of the expository
devotional. If a fairly technical
commentary is being used, one must remember not to include detailed or complex theological
information in a daily devotional. The
daily devotional is oriented toward the typical “person in the pew”—not toward
Bible college or seminary students and graduates.
Because of the
brevity of a daily devotional (approximately 300 words), the author must be
careful to select only a few verses for each devotional. The subject matter of the specific verses
helps the author make this decision. The
theological depth of the verses also impacts the author’s decision. In Ephesians, Paul wrote from a deep theological perspective. Consequently, I usually dealt with just one
or two verses of Scripture in Day by
Day in Ephesians. This enabled me to
adequately interpret the Scripture covered in the devotional.
I always include
the entire verse or verses covered that day just below the title. I like to put the Scripture quotation in a
different font than the remainder of the devotional text. I believe this draws attention to the
Scripture, which is the basis for the expository devotional. To further set off the Scripture, I indent the
quotation a few spaces from both the left and right margins.
To help draw the
reader’s attention, I suggested the author develop catchy, attention-getting
titles for each daily devotional. In
some cases, the title may seem strange to the reader until the Scripture and
its accompanying narrative are read and reflected upon. Then the reader can see the theme or concept
being emphasized by the title. Often I
used a portion of the Scripture for my title.
For instance, one title I used in Day
by Day in Ephesians was: BE CAREFUL
HOW YOU WALK. This was taken directly
from a part of Eph. 5:15. In Ephesians, Paul
frequently used “walk” as a metaphor for the Christian’s day-to-day lifestyle
or conduct.
Subheadings are
useful in alerting the reader that the author is shifting from one idea to
another. This feature is especially
important when dealing with Scripture that is fairly deep theologically. I frequently use a portion of the Scripture
verse as a subheading.
In addition, I
often italicize what I perceive to be key theological concepts or terms in each
daily devotional. I believe it is
helpful to the average reader to highlight these concepts so they will not be
overlooked.
Most daily
devotional readers have not attended a bible college or seminary. Therefore, the typical reader is not familiar
with jargon such as “pneumatology.” In
the Greek language pneuma means
“spirit.” Consequently, pneumatology is
the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. When
writing devotionals, I continually avoid using terms such as pneumatology so I
do not lose the reader.
In some
devotionals I include a short summary paragraph. I believe it is beneficial for many readers
to reflect on just one or two sentences that summarize all that was said
above. Always I conclude with a literary
device that I entitled: Thought for the
Day. As here, I bold Thought for the
Day (located at the bottom of the page) to bring it to the reader’s
attention. Frequently, I ask one or two questions
of the reader which flow out of the truth presented in the daily
devotional. In other cases, I ask the
reader to reflect on a thought found in that day’s devotional.
May you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”
(2 Peter 3:18) as you read, reflect on, and apply the truths God presents in His epistle to the Ephesians.
—Don E. Atkinson
Today we're talking about a different kind of writing. Outside the usual fiction. Let's talk about ideas YOU have to wander in your writing life. Have you ever written a devotional? A different genre in fiction? Any non-fiction? How about a poem or a song? Blog posts are their own style of writing, too, any bloggers who want to speak up? Leave a comment to get your name in a drawing for a copy of Day by Day in Ephesians.
Blog written by
Don E. Atkinson, author of Day by Day in
Ephesians. For more information
about Don and his daily devotional, visit his website: www.daybydayintheword.org
Don E.
Atkinson was born and raised in Lincoln, NE. He attended Southern
Nazarene University (formerly Bethany
Nazarene College) and Colorado State University securing a Bachelor of
Science degree. Later he obtained his Master of Science degree from
Texas A&M University. He completed a significant amount
of coursework towards a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) and Midwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary (MBTS).
Don is the founder of Day by Day in the Word ministry. He has been active in his local church teaching adult Bible
studies and preaching, as needed. Married in December of 1982, Don and his wife have three grown children.
