Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,
that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
— Hebrews 13:15
Yum … I just bolted a bunch of green grapes not five minutes ago, and boy were they good! Peaches and cherries are my favorite fruits, but sometimes, when the grapes are large, firm and sweet, I can plow through the vine faster than a mechanical grape picking machine.
Since I am a romance writer, you might think that the “fruit of the lips” I’m talking about today are kisses, which, coincidentally, I also like “firm and sweet.” But nope, the fruit of the lips that I’m talking about today is the praise and thanksgiving that comes from our lips, and I gotta tell you, it tastes better than the juiciest, sweetest peaches plucked right from the tree.
You should try it. Not only is the fruit of our lips good for us (healthwise, both spiritually and physically), but it leaves a sweet taste in our mouths and in God’s, and happens to be just what God wants from us—continually praising Him and giving thanks to His name.
So I decided I’d share some of my “fruit” with you (no, not the grapes—they’re all gone!) with thanksgiving to God for some of the wonderful things He’s blessed me with over the last few months. I hope you enjoy these pix as much as I enjoyed having them taken, and may the fruit of your lips always be “sweet.”
Hugs,
Julie
I’m grateful for the wonderful biking weekend God gave me at a delightful B&B with my precious prayer partners and hubbies at the Catnap Inn in Hermann, Missouri, a 120-year-old 3-bedroom Victorian House with deck, pation and lush backyard.
I’m grateful for my family.
I’m grateful for your prayers for my mother-in-law (the pretty, little thing in blue)—keep them coming, please!
I’m grateful for the ten days I had with my granddaughter before she moved to Spokane.
I’m grateful for attending ICRS and being able to have breakfast with my dear friend, Laura Frantz, and seeing other friends like Julie Klassen, Susie May Warren, and Kristen Heitzmann. And meeting the wonderful Lynn Austin for the first time!
I’m grateful for the AMAZING team at Revell, especially my editor who makes my stories sing!
I’m grateful for my new friend Becky Wade with whom I are kicking off a fun promo on July 22nd called “Fall in Love … Texas Style.” This was Becky’s genius idea to promote both of our new books—Love at Any Cost and Becky’s Undeniably Yours because the heroine in each of our books is a Texas oil heiress. So we thought it would be fun to team up and give away a Kindle Fire, a Texas gift basket, and signed copies of both of our books. Just WAIT till you see what promo pic my artist hubby comes up with using these two pics …
I’m grateful for Revell allowing me to use excerpts from my books for a new how-to workbook I am publishing myself called ROMANCE-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Inspirational and Sweet Markets. It will be released in both paperback and ebook this September!
And finally, I’m grateful for a God who loves us so much, He gave His only Son to set us free and give us life abundantly. Your praise, Oh God, will forever be on my lips!
