Bryan D. Gill

Here is the latest 31 Verses devotional book I wrote for Student Life. It is 31 different stories about Old Testament characters that reveal one aspect of God's character. Each story includes a devotional and a set of reflective questions. Once it is released, it will be a great way for teenagers to learn more about God through Old Testament heroes. Expect it to be released this summer. I'll provide a link when it is available. When I got home Sunday from a trip to East Tennessee I had a lot of mail. It was like Christmas. I had a check from Chicken Soup for the Soul for my story, my new issue of The Writer magazine, and 10 complementary copies of this little baby--31 Verses Every Teenager Should Know: Character. It was so fun to get all that writing stuff at one time. Even though those trips to the mailbox are rare, it still made me feel like a real writer for a brief moment. Then I had to open the not-so-fun stuff, like bills and junk-mail.

This is Student Life's newest Bible study. I was a contributor to this study writing 12 devotionals and 12 lessons. There are 8 sections in all and the two sections I wrote were entitled "Bridging the Gap" and "Next". I wrote 6 lessons and 6 devotionals for both sections. These are really great for students. They are packed full of excellent graphics and content to help teenagers grow closer to God. I highly recommend them. The study is scheduled to be available in June 2010.

Well here is the big surprise! A little less than a year ago I was browsing a friend's blog. Susan at Stony River , always posts open markets at the end of her blog. This Chicken Soup for the Soul was the one posted for that day. I checked it out and it sounded like something I could do. So, I blindly submitted my story to them in hopes of hearing something back. Well, months passed and I forgot about submitting it, until I received an e-mail saying that I had made the first cut. The editor said there were around 4,000 submissions and they cut it down to about 200. Then about a month later they cut it to 120 and there was one more cut to make it to 101. I found out at the first of the year that I was selected to be in the book. Since the book wouldn't come out until April, I had to keep it a secret from my dad. I wanted to give it to him for his birthday, which is also in April. I only told a handful of people about it and they were sworn to secrecy. Wednesday, I...