If my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
and I will forgive their sin and heal their land.
— 2 Chronicles 7:14
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEK, EVERYONE!
I absolutely LOVE our Indepedence Day, but I have to admit that the incivility raging in our country today scares me more than a little, because more and more, it doesn’t reflect the America we all know and love.
Which only serves to remind us that as Christians, we have a responsibility to pray for our country and our leaders for wisdom, grace, direction, and strength. I can think of no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than stopping for a moment and praying for our country, our president, our Congress, our judicial branch, and all of our people.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned to you all that I have a bit of a temper to you, and my “hot button” is discourtesy and rudeness — I go crazy whenever I see it. Which doesn’t always bode well for this CDQ during this current climate of incivility. I am ashamed to admit that, yes, I have been known to scream at the TV upon provocation, much to my sweet husband’s angst, but I am working on it. And the Scripture that popped up in my devotional this morning pretty much nailed me to the wall:
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart,
and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. — Luke 6:45
Oh, sweet mother of mercy, the very last thing I want to have clogging up my heart is the very incivility that I disdain, so I am working really hard to curtail it. I am a HUGE believer in praying for those who persecute you, so that’s already covered in my life because I pray for every single person who trips my ire. Uh … after I spout off, that is, so that has to change too. And it will because as a child of God, I have access to His grace.
America is full of God’s grace, so His people have to be full of His grace, too, with a purity of heart that contains no malice, no anger, no bitterness. So not only am I praying for America this Fourth of July, but for myself and for all of us, that we can bring a smile to God’s face by choosing His way instead of the world’s. And to pray for those who don’t always agree with us as well as those who don’t fully realize just how great this country is and how blessed we are to live here.
So celebrate this important holiday with me by joining in on prayers for God to heal our country — a country that our Pledge of Allegiance so aptly proclaims to be “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Whether you say a quick prayer on your own, or whether you choose to pray the “Prayer for America” at Crosswalk.com, which also includes “20 Verses of Hope” for our country, don’t let this moment — or this holiday — pass without thanking God for the blessing of our country — the greatest country on earth!
Hugs and Happy 4th of July!
Julie
🇺🇸 4th of July Free Download!
IN HONOR OF INDEPENDENCE DAY … I decided it would be fitting (and fun) to do a freebie on For Love of Liberty, whose them is, ironically, “True liberty is doing the right thing.” So if you haven’t read it yet, now is your chance because the e-book will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD starting tomorrow, 4th of July through Sunday, July 8th. Happy Reading and Happy 4th!
📕 Blog Giveways!
AND … NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A FREE E-COPY OF LOVE’S EVERLASTING TOO!
All you have to do is leave a comment on every blog in my blog tour, and you have 8 CHANCES TO WIN! So, here’s the link, and GOOD LUCK!
BLOG TOUR FOR LOVE’S SILVER LINING
📕 Three Books for 99 Cents!
HAPPY SUMMER, EVERYONE … and to prove it, I will be offering my Isle of Hope Beach Bundle Collection for only $ .99, so you will never get a better deal than this for the perfect 5-star beach read! That’s THREE 5-STAR BOOKS FOR ONLY 99 CENTS, so mark your calendars for July 20-31 and HAPPY READING!
📕 Video Interview!
Hey, guys, I did a fun interview with Candy Harris of Literary Candy, so I hope you check it out below!
🎧 Marcy & Patrick on Audio!
OH MY GOODNESS!
I cannot WAIT to hear A Light in the Window on audio! I have to admit, I always have a bit of a problem with the narrators since I have my own ideas of how Marcy and Patrick sound (or Steven or Annie in the audio version of A Love Surrendered), but I have to say that after a few chapters, I am SO into the story!! PLUS it’s a great way to pass the time while driving in a car … OR while cleaning, taking a walk, working in the yard, wherever! 🙂
So … if you are into audio books, I hope you will consider giving A Light in the Window a chance too. I know I am—soon!
A Light in the Window
🗓 And Finally …
Are you ready for Part 2 of my new video series called NOVEL INSPIRATIONS, a series of life lessons I learned the hard way and put into each of my books? I hope so because it should be a lot of fun.
I hope you will join me on Julie’s Facebook Author Page on THURSDAY, JULY 26 for LOTS OF PERSONAL STORIES, INSPIRATION, AND PRIZES. Hope to see you there and don’t forget to …
Mark Your Calendar!
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