Journal Jots – Blog

Ah … the BEGINNING and the END!

And here we are once again … at the “end” of a year that I hope blessed you richly.

We now stand poised on the threshold of a new “beginning” in which I hope and pray the quote above becomes a key component for each and every one of us. Because no matter how much good or bad we have experienced this year, the truth is that we look ahead with HOPE!

And there is no greater hope found than in a God Who IS is the beat of our pulse … and the Keeper of each breath that we take. He is the strength in our bones … and the One Who carries us through when we cannot. He is our beginning and our end … our only Hope as we come to the end of the year and begin another. Because the final truth is that there is no hope in anything—anything—but Him.

So as we say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, I pray that today’s header quote becomes a sweet reality in each of our new years, and may God bless you and yours richly in 2016!

Hugs,

Julie

WE HAVE WINNERS!!

Well, my Isle of Hope Contest has ended, and I want to thank each and every one of you who entered because there was a ton. I wish I could give a prize to anyone who took the time to enter, but my husband would shoot me if I did, and then where would the O’Connors, McClares, and O’Bryen’s be??? 🙂

So … what I am going to do is award TWO winners instead of just ONE like I originally planned.

The first winner was randomly picked by Randomizer out of all those who entered, regardless if you had one point or more. That winner will have a character named after them in my next book, a signed copy, and their choice of any of my other books or novellas. And that winner is …

Savannah Moore

The second winner is the person who accrued the most points, and I just couldn’t let this contest go by without offering a special heartfelt thanks for all of the hard work that she — and many others — did. This winner will also have a character named after them in my next book, a signed copy, and her choice of any of my books. And that person is:

Annie C

SUPER CONGRATS to both Savannah and Annie C … AND to each of you who entered!! I cannot thank you enough for your support, so instead, I am praying for every single one of you on my Rafflecopter list, asking God to bring a special blessing into your new year that will especially reveal His love for you.

 

NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH WITH TONS OF PRIZES AND LOTS OF FUN!!!

How would you like to close the new year with prizes given away every hour on the hour on THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31ST, including FREE BOOKS, GIFT CARDS, A KINDLE AND A $200 GIFT CARD TO AMAZON????

Well, here’s your chance by attending Seekerville’s NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH and leaving a comment anytime from 6:00 AM Dec. 31st all the way until midnight, January 1st. One comment automatically enters you for the $200 gift prize, but you must leave a comment during a particular time slot to win prizes from that hour.

JULIE’S BONUS PRIZES DURING HER HOUR!!  I will be manning the giveaways from 2:00-3:00 PM Central Standard Time, so come by and see me to win your choice of one of ten ecopies of Isle of Hope OR my grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card AND a character named after you in my next book.

HERE’S THE LINK AND GOOD LUCK!

SEEKERVILLE NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH

 

VOTE FOR FAMILY FICTION’S BOOK OF THE YEAR!!

If you’re reading this blog right now, YOU are a reader, so here is a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY to say THANK YOU to the author who wrote your favorite book of 2015. Whether you vote for my book, Isle of Hope, or somebody else’s, PLEASE take the time to vote because Christian Fiction needs all the encouragement it can get!

THANK YOU AND GO, CHRISTIAN FICTION!!

HUGS,

Julie

 

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you’ve delivered
Will soon deliver you.

— Mary, Did You Know?

Yes, Mary knew it — “My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,” Luke 1:46 — and I rejoice in my soul that ALL of us know it too!

Though I have never met most of you, I want you to know how much I love and appreciate each and every one. Some of you have written me in the past, many of you have prayed for me, but ALL of you have blessed me more than I can say.

So I wanted to take this opportunity to thank God for the gift of you in my life, and I ask Him to bless you and yours abundantly, exceedingly more than you hope, think, or pray … in this year and the next.

Hugs and more hugs, and from my family to yours …

 

 

“I desire to talk to all of My children,

but many are too busy to listen. The “work ethic” has them

tied up in knots. They submit wholeheartedly to this taskmaster,

wondering why they feel so distant from Me.

Living close to Me requires making Me your first love—

your highest priority

—Jesus Calling, by Sarah Young

Ouch.

Okay, I’ll admit it — this daily reading from yesterday’s Jesus Calling pretty much nailed me to the wall, because frankly, the last month has been a real Houdini act for me, tying me up “in knots” during the busiest time of year. Add to that being out of town for two of the last three weeks (check out the pix below of some of the places and things I’ve been doing) while I have a brand-new book out, Christmas shopping and holiday parties, and well, let’s just say God got my attention with the quote above.

So … I did what I always do when that Still Small Voice whispers in my ear … I hung my head and repented, telling God that from THIS moment on, I was going to take a deep breath, s-l-o-w down, and focus on the reason for the season:

Him.

But it’s not easy, is it? There are presents to buy, gifts to wrap, packages to send. Not to mention decorations to put up and cookies to bake, all while we’re juggling the everyday business of life, from jobs and bills to pay, to family and friends to bless.

But psssst … I just found discovered the secret to getting it all done with peace and joy. And the answer lies in one of my very favorite things in the whole, wide world.

Romance.

Romance, you say? YES … romancing our “first love” and giving Him the first part of our day. Listen to the rest of the passage from our quote above:

“As you seek My presence above all else,

you experience Peace and Joy in full measure.

I am also blessed when you make Me first in your life.”

First.

Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

Put Him first. Goodness, what a “novel” idea, no pun intended.

And THAT means in the morning … before I tackle emails and blogs or even open up my computer.

You see, my prayer, Bible, and devotional time is very important to me, but I often don’t get to it till later in the morning because I get side-tracked. That’s because I usually drink my coffee and eat my breakfast first thing while I read and comment on Seekerville and peruse email.

But inevitably, something snags me that needs immediate attention and BOOM! Before I know it, I’m halfway through the day and “tied up in knots,” frazzled by all the things I still need to do. Which does a disserve to me and certainly to God.

So this week I vowed to put HIM first in the morning, reading His Word and talking to Him while I drink my coffee BEFORE I ever touch the computer, and you know what? It’s been working!! Not only am I more at peace, but I’m getting more things done too, so I highly recommend it, whether it’s five minutes or fifty. And the things I don’t get done? Well, that’s okay, too, because putting God first ties the old “taskmaster” up in knots rather than this old CDQ.

And I don’t know about you, but that sure says Merry Christmas to me!

 

GIVEAWAYS & SALES!!!

MONDAY, DECEMBER 21ST: This is it … my last giveaway of the year, so join me on Seekerville for “A NIGHT LIKE NO OTHER,” a blog about one of the most important Christmas novellas I’ve ever read, where you will not only have the chance to win one of three copies of A Night Like No Other, but I’ll match all THREE giveaways with winner’s choice of either my A Light in the Window e-book OR an e-book copy of my latest novel, Isle of Hope. Here’s the link — hope to see you there!

 http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2015/12/a-night-like-no-other.html

 

 TICK … TICK … TICK … Only SEVEN more days left to enter my ISLE OF HOPE CONTEST, where you can win a character named after you in my next book and a signed copy. Enter contest HERE! 


 And don’t forget Isle of Hope is available in both e-book and paperback for Christmas, so you can order it HERE!

$1.99 CHRISTMAS SALE ON BOOK ONE IN THE WINDS OF CHANGE SERIES! This is a great price on A Hope Undaunted (Katie and Luke’s story — hubba, hubba!!), which was on Booklist’s Top 10 Inspirational Fiction for 2010!
 And psssst … it’s my FAVORITE of all the books I’ve written, so if you haven’t read it, this is the time to do it!  Order it HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

And Now for Some Pix!

We had a GREAT visit with my daughter and son-in-law in Birmingham, where we hiked and ate … and hiked and ate …

 

I miss getting together with my prayer partners, Pat and Karen, but we still pray via Skype and Facetime, thank God. And we had our annual Christmas dinner in person, of course!

 

And although our annual sister’s prayer luncheon was small this year, I still had fun connecting with my sisters Rosie and Mary, sister-in-law Ginny, and spouses.

 

HUGS AND HAPPY WEEKEND … AND UNTIE THOSE STUPID KNOTS

BY GIVING JESUS THE FIRST PART OF YOUR DAY!!

Julie