Journal Jots – Blog

“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

“Crisis brings us face to face with our inadequacy,

and our inadequacy in turn leads us to the inexhaustible sufficiency of God.”

—Beyond Our Selves by Catherine Marshall

 ***

“Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you.”

—Psalm 55:22 

I won’t lie—this week has been a bit of a struggle.

First of all, it’s been hard to see my mother-in-law trying to recover from a fractured hip and broken pelvis incurred recently. It seems the pain is getting worse rather than better, so her family has been taking turns staying with her overnight after she left rehab. I was there two days and one night this week, and it’s incredibly hard to see her in pain.

Of course I also miss my husband who’s been gone all week on a fishing trip that I practically had to force him to go on because the man never takes off from work. But a good friend had a fishing buddy cancel on him at the last minute, so he asked Keith to fill in, and I was thrilled. He soooo needed a break, but I sure missed him. 

Then I find out just this morning that my son, daughter-in-law and precious grandbaby will be moving to Spokane, Washington in about two weeks rather than much later in the year as originally expected. 🙁 On top of that, it looks like my daughter and son-in-law will be moving out of state come January. 🙁 

Of course the sour cherry on top of this is a brick wall I’ve encountered on book 3 in the “Heart of San Francisco” series where I can’t seem to go forward—always a scary thing with a deadline looming. 

Needless to say, I experienced a lot of melancholy this week along with feelings of being overwhelmed. But the week did do one thing—it brought me face to face with my “inadequacy,” even though there was no real “crisis” involved like our quote indicates today. And that inadequacy—melancholy/sense of overwhelm—led me right back to the God who is WAY better able to handle my problems than I am.

And THANK GOD!! Because not only is His “inexhaustible sufficiency” better able, but it’s exactly what He wants us to do! 

“Cast your cares on the Lord,

and He will sustain you.” 

And, oh trust me—I did—and He has!! Just KNOWING that no matter what crises or melancholy or wall we hit, He is not only able to see us through, He is MORE than willing, has given me all the hope I need to take the next step. And then the one after that. Because the truth is, when push comes to shove (and before!!), He is all we need and more than enough! 

More than enough. A statement so brimming with truth and hope that I used it several times in my novels, so I thought it would be fun to end my blog with both clips. The first is from A Passion Denied when Patrick leaves Marcy and the second from A Passion Most Pure when Faith leaves her family.

        The door slammed behind him, effectively severing her hope. A frightening loneliness shivered through her, and she listed against the door, stunned at how easily love could be shattered. With a low moan, she turned and mounted the stairs as slowly as a woman twice her age, barely able to breathe. Like a sleepwalker, dully and without purpose, finally collapsing in a heap on her bed. She shut her eyes to block out the pain, but it only droned on in her brain—a mind-numbing lament, suffocating until she thought she would die.

       Oh, God, help me! Please! Restore our peace and heal my marriage.

       She forced her lips to pray, soundless utterings that seemed to silence the torment inside. She took a deep breath and allowed His peace to quiet her mind, as it had done so many times in her past.

       Her husband had left. But God would not. The only balm to her tortured soul.

       But more than enough.

*** 

       Bridget set a half-peeled potato down and wiped her hands on her apron, then moved to sit by Marcy’s side. “Marcy, Faith has been wounded deeply. Of course she’s angry with God. What human being wouldn’t be? But she knows His goodness, too, and in the end, it will woo her back. We have no choice but to trust Him. She’s His child too.”

       Marcy nodded, and Bridget reached for her hand, her eyes full of hope. “She will come through this, Marcy; I know she will. And do you know how I know?”

       Marcy shook her head.

       “Because God is faithful,” Bridget said, as if stating a fact no one could possibly dispute. “Faith has served Him with her whole heart, and He will not let her go. But I’m afraid you must. Let her go, Marcy, and trust Him to keep her.”

       Marcy’s head jerked up. “Mother, I can’t!”

       “Yes, you can. He won’t fail you, and He won’t fail her.”

       Marcy shivered, finally nodding. “Mitch has a right to know, Mother. For all his stupidity and failing … he has a right to see her before she goes.”

       Bridget sighed. “Perhaps not. What he did … well, I’m not sure I would forgive him myself, nor ever trust him.”

       Marcy’s eyes strained with fatigue as she looked up. “He deserves to be heard. I’ll call in the morning. Perhaps … perhaps even yet, he can change her mind.” Marcy extended her hand. “Mother, can we pray together, please?”

       Bridget smiled and placed her hands in her daughter’s. “It’s the only thing we can do, Marcy,” she whispered. “But, it’s more than enough.”

***

Yes, it is …

All prayers appreciated for my mother-in-law’s recovery, and I wish you all a MOST blessed weekend!

Hugs,

Julie