Writers' Guidelines

The Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide

Before submitting a meditation, please read these writers guidelines to learn what we look for in the stories we publish.

The Upper Room is meant for people from different countries and church denominations. We want to help Christians in their personal prayer and living as disciples of Christ. We want to value what unites us and we want to connect Christians around the world in prayer.

The daily meditations are written by people like you, people who listen to God and try to put into practice what they hear. The Upper Room is a community of Christians sharing the faith with one another.

Millions of people use it every day. The Upper Room is translated into over 30 languages ​​and reaches over 100 countries.

Where do I start?

Start with your personal relationship with God. Christians believe that God speaks to and guides us whenever we read the Bible and pray. Good meditations are based on what the Bible says and shows how God's word can help in a situation. It brings to life the message from the Bible.

First of all, good meditations are real. They show the connection of what is really happening in daily life and the action of God.

Second, good meditations have details seen, heard, smelled, or felt. It may seem ordinary, but such details can help readers connect more with the story.

Ultimately, good meditations do not sound preachy. They research, ask questions, and seek answers. They examines faith and do not preclude possible answers to it.

How do I start my meditation writing?

You will get a good idea from reading the Bible and finding its connection to daily life. When you find a good connection, follow these steps to write down your thoughts:

Write in your own words the teaching of the Bible or the summary of the verses.

Describe the situation you relate to the selected verses. Provide concrete details that you can write about your experience.

Tell how you will apply these teachings next time. How can others use it in their lives? What do you want the reader to do after he or she reads your written meditation?

In a few days, read what you wrote again. Select the details that most contain the message you want to convey, then delete the others. You must submit no more than 300 words. You are now ready to submit your meditation to be considered for publication in The Upper Room.

Some tips to consider

• A strong meditation will include a personal story, a connection to scripture, and a way for the reader to apply the message to his or her own life.

Just focus on one point. Think of it as a picture, not a movie.

Try to encourage readers to study the Bible more and get to know God better.

Always provide the material you are going to cite or the part of the history you are going to tell. Your story will not be selected if it contains terms from sources that are not necessarily correct. We also do not choose meditation that contains poetry, song lyrics, or words, which require permission from another publisher before use.

Previously published material cannot be used.

Submissions can be up to 300 words.

Include your name and contact information on each page you submit.

When is the deadline?

We continually need content, and you can submit a devotional at any time. However, to allow time for simultaneous publication around the world, we work far in advance. We are usually short on meditations that focus on church holidays (Easter, Lent, Christmas, etc.).

Our Response to Your Work

The Upper Room/Nashville purchases the rights to translate the reflections used in worldwide editions, including electronic and software-driven formats, and it may also be included in the collection that Upper Room will print someday. We pay $ 30.00 for each meditation to be published in each issue. We will also give you four copies of the issue in which you wrote (but you must complete and return the forms that we will send you).

We are unable to provide status or comment on the meditation you submitted. All printed meditations are edited.

Please be sure to include your contact information (email and postal address) with each meditation, since we must send forms to be signed if your work is chosen for publication.

We can't return the meditations you submitted, so it's best to keep your own copy. Only up to three meditations will be forwarded each time you send.

We look forward to the meditations you will submit for possible use in future issues of the Upper Room.

Where do I send my written meditation?

Email Customer Support

[email protected]