Journal Jots – Blog

“Fiction is about intimacy

with characters, events, places.”

— Robert Morgan

I write Christian fiction, and I agree with Robert Morgan’s quote above—to a point. However, he’s missing one very important component, and in fact, THE most important component for a Christian author such as myself.

God.

To me, writing Christian romance is about intimacy, certainly, but intimacy with God. Creating a world where the reader becomes intimately involved with the characters I create—with their struggles, their hopes, their dreams—and through a series of events and places, their burgeoning relationship with God. 

As many of you know, I have spent the last month on a spiritual sabbatical of sorts, seeking God as to what direction I should take with my writing, and I am happy to report that God has brought me back to square one: intimacy with Him!

Ironically one of the ways He has done that is through my rereading of A Passion Most Pure. You see, I’m doing that right now for research purposes regarding a short e-book I plan to publish about writing romantic tension for the Christian and sweet markets. I say “ironically” because A Passion Most Pure was basically my love letter to God way back when I started writing, and just reading it again has reopened my eyes to that precious intimacy I had with God when writing that book.

As some of you may already know, Faith O’Connor’s intimate relationship with God was based on my own relationship with Him at that time, and I can still remember the joy I experienced in writing that novel. My biggest desire in writing APMP was to convince readers that not only is it possible to have a living, breathing relationship with the God of the Universe, but that it is exactly what He wants for each of us! He is looking for men and women with a heart after Him, like David. Not perfect people, but sinners who are emotionally involved with Him, just like He is a member of their family. You know—daughters and sons who will talk to Him almost every minute of every day, get mad at Him at times, yes, but misty-eyed, too, over His goodness to them. In short, men and women who as Matthew 18:3 so emphatically points out, “become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven.” His “little children,” to be exact, who like toddlers with a father they adore, hang on to His every Word, refusing to make a move without Him. 

I can honestly say that’s how it was for my main character Faith in A Passion Most Pure and for me in writing that book as well. God’s close and intimate presence in my life was as natural as breathing back then, just like the lyrics from the Michael W. Smith song, Breathe. “This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me.” Having this type of relationship with God is the heart and soul of each of my novels and something I never tire of telling. And with God’s help, I hope to continue to do so in all the books I am privileged to write. 

My deepest thanks to each of you who both pray for me and read my books, and my heartfelt promise that all future books (after the Heart of San Francisco series, that is) will focus heavily on how natural it should be to have an intimate relationship with God.

NEWSLETTER CONTEST TO HAVE A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IS OVER!!

May 31st was the final day to enter, and I’m happy to say there were a lot of readers who took advantage, so THANK YOU for all your hard work and effort. I will announce the winners in my next newsletter sometime this summer, so keep your eyes peeled!

Originally there were only supposed to be three winners, but so many people knocked themselves out for me that I am upping that number to five. The top winner will receive a $50 gift card, a very noticable subordinate character named after them in my next book, Dare to Love Again, and will be listed in the acknowledgments of the book as well as receive a signed copy. Runners-up 2 through 4 will have a bit character named after them and win a signed copy of the book. Then finally, to give everybody a chance — even those who only posted one reivew — the 5th winner will be selected in a random drawing of all entries (and, yes, extra entries will be given for every review posted). The random winner will then have a bit character named after them, too, and receive a signed copy of the book. SO THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED!!

Hugs and Happy Weekend!!

Julie

Wait passionately for God,
don’t leave the path.
He’ll give you your place in the sun …

Psalm 37:34, Message Bible

Oh, what a perfect weekend for a “place in the sun”! For me, Memorial weekend harkens back to wonderfully warm memories of sunning in the open bow of our boat at Lake of the Ozarks (like the pic to the right, showing my daughter and me praying about something on a boat), or catching rays on the dock of the lakehouse we once owned when the kids were small.

Of course, as a young girl, I had a skin condition called psoriasis, so for me, the sun was very healing. I had a picture of me once at the age of 23, laying out on a blanket in my swimsuit next to a patch of snow in 47-degree weather, the rockin’ sound of oldies blasting from my transistor radio. You see, tanning was very important to me back then, because it all but eradicated the psoriasis on my legs. I would toss a tattered blanket on the lawn next to my apartment building to block the wind, then slather up with lots of cocoa butter, soaking up the warmth of the glorious sun through every pore in my body. 

That was right about the time I met another “glorious Son,” who brought the warmth of His love into every pore of my spirit. Sweet Savior of my soul—talk about a “place in the sun”! God took me from a world of darkness as a rejected daughter, taunted sibling, and misguided young woman, into His glorious light, where His love soaked into my every crevice, transforming me into a woman aglow. Suddenly I had answers to all the deep and dark questions haunting my soul, showing me the truth for the very first time. 

So on May 1^st, when I embarked upon my month-long fast of Amazon and most e-mails for the sole purpose (or maybe I should say “soul purpose”) of seeking God’s will about what direction I should take with my writing, I knew He would answer.

I have to admit, it’s been a wonderful month of exploration and growth, drinking in the wisdom of Catherine Marshall in her life-changing book, Beyond our Selves (a gift from a dear friend—thank you, Carrie!) as well as Anita Higman’s truly anointed devotional, Where God Finds You (also from a dear friend—bless you, Carole!). Between these insightful books and Joyce Meyer’s Hearing From God Each Morning and, of course, the glorious Bible, I have been “hearing from God” in ways that have truly refreshed my soul. So let me thank each and every one of you who has taken the time to pray for me and my writing ministry during the month of May and beyond. 

Today’s Scripture was from one of my Bible readings this week and I have to admit, it felt like a bulls-eye. Of course, anything with the word “passion” in it is a bulls-eye for me, so God really got my attention, especially when one more readily associates the word “patience” with waiting on God rather than “passion.” I’ve been told to “patiently wait for God,” yes, but “passionately wait for God?? A new concept to me, for sure, and one I didn’t think was possible, but God’s Word says it is. 

To be honest, all three phrases in this Scripture spoke to me deeply—to wait on God with the same passion with which I long to write books that glorify Him; to not leave the path He has set me on, which is to write stories of passion, both romantically and spiritually; and finally, the promise of my place in the sun. To lay down in His “green pastures” (His will) with eyes closed, soaking up the warmth of the sun (and Son) while I listen to oldies but goodies (the Holy Spirt). Mmm … sounds like a perfect weekend (and direction for my writing) to me! 🙂

SCAVENGER HUNT WINNERS!!! A big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in last weekend’s Christian Fiction scavenger hunt, and you can check out the winners here: http://lisatawnbergren.com/2013/05/the-winners/ 

UNSCHEDULED REVIEW/GIVEAWAY UNTIL 5/29: If you’re looking for a chance to win Love at Any Cost, look no further because Dr. Jeannie Campbell has our pretty-boy hero Jamie MacKenna on the couch for therapy, so do check it out, especially since Jeannie is giving away a copy of the book!

MAY 31^ST — NEWSLETTER CONTEST TO HAVE A CHARACTER NAMED AFTER YOU IN MY NEXT BOOK ENDS!!  And guess what? It only takes ONE good review posted on Amazon for Love at Any Cost to enter a random drawing where a character will be named after you in book 2, Dare to Love Again. In addition, the winner will receive a signed copy of the book, so please contact me through my website if you have done so and wish to be entered, okay? The winner will be announced in my next newsletter due out this summer. GOOD LUCK!!

I wish you and yours a happy Memorial weekend, and may you soak up lots and lots of Son.

Hugs,

Julie

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine –

 and shadows will fall behind you.”

— Walt Whitman

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU … each and every one of you who prayed about the weather for my daughter’s wedding — God heard your prayers and as always, is SO faithful!! The wedding was WONDERFUL and after five days of much needed rest, so are we!

True, it looked iffy on the day of — cloudy skies, temps straining to rise, and a thundering downpour 45 minutes before the wedding. But … then the rain left, and the temps rose, and the day was everything my daughter hoped it would be … and the photographer, too, who assured us cloud cover was far preferable for an outdoor photo shoot than sun — no shadows! And now, in the truest sense of our quote today, Amy and Nate are “facing the sunshine” in Jamaica, where the shadows will fall behind them … I hope, forever.

For them … and for us!! You see, Keith and I are officially empty-nesters, a blissful state we have experienced before when the kids would leave for college, but this time it’s for good. And just like Nate and Amy, we are starting a new life where our own love affair can grow and bloom all over again. Sigh … ain’t love grand? 

And now, here are some pics from the wedding. Wish you could have been there! 🙂

Hugs,

Julie

This is my precious granddaughter, the flower girl who cried. 🙂

Yes, it rained, but it was warm & dry on the veranda!

The video from “the proposal” made everyone tear up!

Chandler Hill Winery … a beautifully rustic venue!

Me, teary-eyed and proud over my hubby’s speech about his “little girl.”

Okay, the romance writer in me LOVES this pic!!

Two people who take God and prayer VERY seriously!

Me, my hubby, and my son before the wedding.

Can you see a bit of the dickens in the toddler for whom I called Poison Control 19 times??

Yep, she got her man! Never doubted it for a moment!

Doesn’t this shot remind you of the movie “Grease”??

THE END … AND THE BEGINNING!!