Journal Jots – Blog

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 22^nd 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!

“Let freedom ring.”

— My Country ‘Tis of Thee by Samuel Francis Smith 

Oh, the sounds of freedom! The thundering BOOM of fireworks, the Pop-Pop-Pop of neighborhood firecrackers, the joyous laughter of family and friends. And the whispered prayer of thanksgiving on the lips of the grateful … for the blessings of God and a country in which we are free to worship Him.

My gratitude for our country and heritage knows no bounds, but it’s the freedom of soul for which I am most grateful. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed, and it is this freedom through Christ that causes my heart to pound louder than any deafening burst of color in the sky. For it is this freedom that rings loud and true in my spirit and in my life — a freedom of peace and joy and hope that explodes within higher and brighter than any fiery pinwheels in the sky or any rocket’s red glare.

So, yes, thank you, God, for our country and the freedoms we enjoy. But thank you more for your Son, without Whom no freedom would exist, be it for country or our souls.

A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW WINS TWO AWARDS!!

I don’t enter a lot of contests anymore, but my hubby twisted my arm to enter A Light in the Window in a few, so I am thrilled to announce that ALITW not only won 1^st place in the Inspirational Novel category of the International Digital Awards contest … BUT also the Inspirational Category of the 2013 Readers’ Crown Award at the RomCon convention on June 23rd!! I have to admit, it feels good to see Marcy and Patrick and Sam get their day in the sun because it really is a story close to my heart … and, I hope … yours!. 🙂

COVER REVEAL!!

Trust me — nothing says “fireworks” like my upcoming book, Dare to Love Again, book 2 in the “Heart of San Francisco” series, so I hope you don’t mind if I ooh and ahh over my new cover! And if I have to say so myself, it typifies plucky Alli McClare to a T, especially her large hatpin, which I guarantee pokes holes in more than her hat! Alli and Nick Barone’s relationship is full of LOTS of sparks and fireworks, to say the least, with flailing sticks, hatpins, and jiu-jitsu stirring up both the relationship and the story!

So, I thought it would be fun to not only show you the cover model Revell chose for Alli, but some pix that come close to how I see Nick Baronē, the tall, dark, crotchety Italian police detective with whom Alli “hits” it off — literally!! But unfortunately, I’ve not really found the perfect look for my Nick yet, so anybody with any ideas, DO send your suggestions my way, okay? Oh, and FYI … all of Alli and Nick’s head-butting commences January 2014, which is only six months away, so preorders are available now!

Hugs and Happy 4th!

Julie

In every thing give thanks:

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

—1 Thessalonians 5:18

God’s will.

You know, growing up in a devout family, I have to admit that I never liked that phrase—God’s will. I mean, as a young girl I would think, what the heck does that mean? It wasn’t until I became a born-again Christian at the age of 23 that I finally understood that God made His will pretty darn clear in His Word, so I’ve come to appreciate that phrase a lot more. So much so that I even contrasted my two mindsets (before and after Christ in my life) in A Hope Undaunted, when Katie O’Connor (an agnostic like I used to be) bristles at the mention of “God’s will” in the following conversation with her sister Faith (whose opinion I now share :)). 

Katie’s eyes spanned wide. “Trust? In a human being who wants to control my life?”

“No, Katie . . .” Faith said quietly. “In a God who wants to bless it.”

Katie folded her arms with a grunt, her body suddenly stiff. “So let me get this straight—I’m supposed to kowtow to whatever Father wants me to do, even something as awful as slaving for someone I despise? And then God wants me to forgive them both in the process?” Her acute annoyance escaped in a noisy blast of air. “Impossible.”

A hint of a smile curved at the edges of Faith’s lips. “Difficult, yes, but not impossible, trust me. Not with God’s help.”

“Oh, and I suppose if Collin forced you to do something that completely went against every shred of common sense and emotion in your body—and I’m not talking something as insignificant as grousing about your job—that you would just lie down and surrender without a fight.”

Faith sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. “No, not without a fight, certainly . . . but the fight wouldn’t be between Collin and me, God willing.” She looked up, capturing Katie’s gaze with a silent plea. “It would be between my will and God’s. And if I’ve learned anything from painful experience, Katie, it’s that God’s will is the path to my ultimate happiness . . . and yours.”

Katie bristled at the awkwardness she always felt when her sister wandered into the realm of “God’s will.” She quickly covered with a forced smile. “Well, I have to hand it to you, Faith, you’re a better woman than me.”

“Not better . . .” Faith said with a quirk of a smile, “Let’s just say a little more desperate for peace.”

Ah, yes … “desperate for peace.” But you know what? I actually discovered through my recent month-long fast of Amazon/emails that like Katie in the clip above, I apparently wasn’t desperate enough for peace either. You see, I still found myself secretly wrinkling my nose whenever I heard or read the term “God’s will.” I suppose because during my childhood it seemed too pat of an answer from too many adults, bandied about when things would go wrong in people’s lives: it’s God’s will.

Really? It’s God’s will for my brother-in-law to have stage 4 cancer? It’s God’s will for my mother-in-law to still be in pain almost two months after she fractured her hip?

I’m sorry, but I don’t think so. My Bible says that “the thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy,” but that Jesus “came to give life with joy and abundance” — John 10:10. 

And, yes, I know all about God’s “perfect will” versus His “permissive will.” To me that simply means from the moment sin entered the world when Adam and Eve chose their will over God’s, man took things out of God’s hands into his own, something we are all still adept at doing today. So, yes, because of sin and satan’s subsequent dominion over the world (sorry, I refuse to capitalize the devil’s name), God does allow tragedy and sickness to inflict His children, but it was never what He wanted for us. And you know what? It still isn’t.

Which is why God Himself pulled a “State Farm” by giving His children the following insurance policy when bad things happen:

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,

to them who are the called according to His purpose.

—Romans 8:28

To them that love God. And how exactly do we “love” God? Well, John 14:15 says, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” Pretty simple stuff if you ask me. Love = obey.

Mmm … an insurance policy where the premium is obedience. And the payoff? Peace, hope, and joy in the midst of life’s storms and after when He brings good from them as promised. 

God’s will. Yep, until recently I kinda fought it. I wanted what I wanted more than what He wanted. I didn’t realize that His wants for me are far greater and far more satisfying than my own. Didn’t realize that by accepting His will I was not only “insuring” my own peace and contentment, but paving the way for God’s “perfect” will when He gives me the desires of my heart … and His. 

So … according to today’s Scripture quote, the will of God is to give thanks “in everything.” Not “FOR everything,” mind you, because it’s difficult to thank God for cancer and pain and trouble in our lives, especially when those things do not come from the hand of God. But “IN everything give thanks.” That means in the face of trials and troubles we all encounter on a daily basis, we need to give thanks to a God we can trust to see us through whatever we face. A God we can trust to bring good for us no matter what the situation. And a God we can trust to hold us, our loved ones, and our dreams in the palm of His most capable hand. 

So, you know what? My nose no longer wrinkles when I hear the phrase, “God’s will,” because like Faith says in the excerpt above, I’ve learned all too well—it’s the path to my ultimate happiness . . . and yours.

Hugs and Happy Weekend!

Julie