October is a wonderful time to enjoy the changing tempatures as well as the changing colors of leaves.  Change can be good, but it can also be challenging.  I’ve invited my friend Jane Jarrell to share about a major change in her life.  Be sure to mark your calendar for our next PWC.  Oct 26 at Prestonwood Country Club or Oct 27 at Cottonwood Creek Baptist church.  Our lesson will be, “The Joy of Knowing Who you are in Christ.”  Looking forward to seeing you soon.   Now here’s my friend Jane…

Five years ago our life changed.

Shivering in a bland and blah curtained off out-patient cubicle came the shock of my adult life.  Awaiting a “procedure” sure to close the option of any other biological children. The doctor entered as they were about to roll me into the operating room and said; “I’ve got good news and bad, the bad news, we need to cancel your procedure, the good news; you are pregnant.” Yes, me, at 44 3/4 years old; a baby.

We had given up hope of another child but God was on His throne; grinning. Tipping the miracle scale in our favor; this procedure was canceled twice because of my mother’s health troubles. If my Mom had not broken her hip forcing the change in plans Luke my never have been part of our family. Hard to really say, as God is in the miracle business, in fact, he specializes in it.

We still look at Luke amazed. Amazed at God’s sense of humor, amazed we are the parents, amazed at a new creation. Grateful for a new direction, often curious if we have what it takes to be the parents he needs. Tired.  Never looking at the math equations showing us in our seventies at college graduation. Grinning at what God will do with our little man. Enjoying days infused with blowing bubbles in the wind, swinging high into the sky, dancing in the water hose.

Our little super hero flew in like a breath of fresh air in the middle of life.

Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a miracle? Do you feel as though you are waiting on a miracle that has yet to arrive? God asks us to accept each day as it comes to us, remembering He is sovereign over our life. Rejoice in the day He has made, by looking for His fingerprints in your circumstances. Instead of regrets or resentments, be grateful.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

“Pray continually and give thanks for whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.”

Jane Jarrell is a popular speaker and author.  You can learn more about her at www.JaneJarrell.com

Super Hero Luke Jarrell

Booksigning at Lifeway in Austin

This weekend I participated in a book signing with three other wonderful authors, Carol Floch, Gail Showalter and Janet Davis.  It was a great opportunity to connect not only with a few customers, but with other authors and even with the Lifeway bookstores employees.  In fact, one of the girls I met there shared a little of her life story with me, and it actullay fits perfectly into a book which I am currently writing.  Great connections are a God thing. He puts us together in His own way and time and for His purpose.  Always be open to the surprising ways He connects people.

I’m thankful for my friendship with Carol Floch.  God connected us years ago as I used to teach school with Carol’s sister and served on a board with her dad. She is a dear sister in Christ and a gifted writer.  This weekend she signed her new book, The Single Mom’s Devotional: A Book of 52 Practical and Encouraging Devotions.  If you have any friends who are single moms, this is a perfect devotional book for them, but honestly it is great for every mom.  Carol even let me write the forward of the book.  I know it will be a great blessing to your friends.  Here’s a description of her book:

When Carol Floch realized that her marriage was about to end and that she was about to join the ranks of moms left to raise their children on their own, she could not stop crying. She mourned her shattered hopes and grieved the loss of the family she had always dreamed of. But mostly, she cried for her children. Into Carol’s grief, regret and fear, God’s Spirit came with a message from Psalm 84: “Build your nest near my altar, and I will be your children’s source of security, protection, provision and blessing. In The Single Mom’s Devotional, Carol tells her story and shares with the “sisterhood of single moms” how they can build their family’s “nest” in the protective shadow of God’s presence. Single mothers, whether on their own after a divorce or a husband’s death, will discover how to find true life in Christ and allow the strength of that inner life to be the compass by which they navigate an unpredictable future. Near God’s altar—the cross of Christ—is where single moms will discover life through relinquishment, power through dependence and hope through surrender. Anchored at the foot of the cross, readers will find daily security and hope as they nourish their souls and nurture their children at a place near God’s altar.