Jessica Henry
Student Writer
Sophomore public relations major Miriam Thurber.
Getting a book published while in college is an achievement few people can claim. However, sophomore public relations Miriam Thurber has just finished writing a devotional book for college students entitled Mine?: A Life Fully Surrendered. This book will be in stores this month, but the easiest way to get the book is from Thurber herself, who will have copies in her dorm room.
Thurber did not set out to write a devotional, but God prompted her to begin writing while she was serving abroad in Tajikistan during the gap year she took after high school. She was hesitant at first, so she asked God for a sign that this was really what He wanted her to do—He gave her two.
The first sign was through a conversation with a friend who was going through a difficult time. Thurber gave him advice and Bible verses, and he told her that she should write a devotional. The second sign came the day after that conversation in the form of a message from her aunt saying she was using Thurber’s most recent blog post as a devotional with her daughters that morning.
The cover of Thurber’s devotional which will release in stores this month.
According to Thurber, “[God] brought in the people to initially tell me what they would want in a devotional. Then, He brought in people along the way as I was researching—different theologians and readings. When I would get to a topic in my writing schedule, I would realize that God had been teaching me that topic for weeks already.”
Once the book was written, it went through several rounds of editing before being submitted to publishers. Thurber’s mother, an English professor, was the first to edit the manuscript for grammar. Next, Thurber sent it to students in her age demographic to get feedback on the effectiveness of the content. Finally, she sent it to three theologians and pastors to make sure the theology was correct.
Thurber says the target audience for her book is people that already have an established faith and are “looking to go deeper and really surrender their life to God.”
Her intent is that the book will be fun to read, but also help readers experience God in new ways. The devotional consists of three parts: God, others and self. Each section includes different topics of study explaining why that specific part of the reader’s life should be given to God. The devotional also includes Thurber’s experiences and perspectives on the various topics, related Bible verses, questions that encourage readers to think about the topics in terms of their own lives and a challenge for readers to do that day or week to apply the topics to their lives.
“I think a unique point about it is that it was written by someone in the demographic, so I know what’s going on in their minds, and I know what it’s like to be a college student,” said Thurber.
Mine? is available for pre-order and will come out in stores before Christmas. For more information and pre-order options, please visit Thurber’s website at www.miriamthurber.com.