Can you believe February is already behind us? It feels like the month flew by in a whirlwind of doctor visits, family moments, answered prayers, and… football! So, grab your favorite warm drink, get cozy, and let me catch you up on what's been happening in my world.
Dad's Update: God Is Good
First, I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of prayers and concern for my Dad after his fall. Your messages and prayers overwhelmed me in the best possible way. I'm so happy to share that his scans of his head and back all came back good. He is still sore, but he is recovering well, and we are so grateful. Being only a little over a month out from his back surgery when the fall happened, we were holding our breath… but God held him. Thank you, thank you, thank you for lifting him up.
Super Bowl Sunday!
Okay, be honest with me… who watched the Super Bowl? Did your team win? And more importantly, what kind of snacks and goodies were you munching on? I need to know!
Now, I'll be completely transparent with you. I am not really a sports fan. In fact, I didn't even know who was playing until a few days before kickoff! But I know it is one of the BIGGEST football events of the year, and I love the excitement it brings. Hubbie went to South Carolina to spend Super Bowl Sunday with his brothers, and he told me they had a BLAST! I love that for him! Sometimes the men need their time together, and the stories he came home with had me laughing for days.
An Update on Mom
Some of you may remember that Mom fell and broke her wrist. I'm grateful to share that she had her cast removed about two weeks ago and is now wearing a brace. She is still having some pain, and her orthopedic doctor wants her to continue doing her best to limit the use of that hand. Recovery is a journey, and Mom is taking it one day at a time. I ask for your continued prayers for her healing as well. She's a strong woman, but your prayers wrap around her like an extra layer of comfort, and we feel every one of them.
A Month of Milestones
February was also the month that Soaring in Faith officially came into the world! Watching Book 2 of the Wings of Faith Series release and seeing your responses has been one of the most humbling experiences of this entire journey. And behind the scenes, I've been working away on edits for Running with Grace (Book 3), coming this May. Aaron and Meghan's story is out, and now Grace and Brandon are getting ready for their moment. I can't wait for you to meet them.
What This Season Is Teaching Me
If I'm honest, February reminded me of something I keep learning over and over again — that life doesn't pause for the neat and tidy moments. It hands you a book release and an ER visit in the same month. It gives you a reason to celebrate and a reason to pray all in the same breath. And somehow, in the middle of all of it, God is there. Not waiting for things to calm down, but walking right through the chaos with us.
I think that's why I write what I write. The faith in my novels isn't the Sunday morning kind that only shows up when everything is going well. It's the Thursday night in the emergency room kind. The kind that holds your hand in a waiting room. The kind that whispers, "I've got you," when your legs are shaking and your heart is racing. That's real faith. That's the kind worth writing about, and the kind worth living.
A Heart Full of Gratitude
I want to take a moment and say something from the deepest part of my heart. Thank you. Thank you for being the best fan-family an author could ever ask for. Thank you for your messages, your prayers, your encouragement, and your willingness to share part of yourselves with me. I don't take that lightly. Every email, every reply, every kind word… I am humbled by each and every one. You are not just readers to me. You are family.
Speaking of family, I want to do something special today. Two of our readers have shared prayer needs with me, and I believe in the power of a community that prays for one another.
Tobijulo is going through a 'wilderness season of deep water and more'. We pray assuredness and clarity over Tobijulo, knowing that God will order the steps of His children, in Jesus' Name.
Brenda is in a season of grief over the loss of her husband and her parents. We pray grace and comfort over her, and may she continue to lean on the Lord's enduring strength in her time of mourning.
If any of you would like this community and family of readers to lift you up in prayer, please feel free to email me or share your request in the comments below. We're all REAL people with REAL lives and REAL circumstances. As we pray for ourselves, we are also called by the Lord to lift each other up in prayer. That's what family does.
We were never meant to walk this life alone. Whether it's a fall that sends us to the ER, a broken wrist that's still healing, a wilderness season, or a grief that feels too heavy to carry, we are called to bear one another's burdens. And that's exactly what this community does. I see it in your messages. I feel it in your prayers. And I am so honored to be part of it.
What About You?
How was your February? Any celebrations, challenges, or unexpected blessings? How has God shown up for you in the ordinary moments lately? Share your thoughts in the comments. Your stories matter and inspire me more than you know.
Until next time, keep reading, keep believing, and remember… God's timing is always perfect, even when life gets messy.
With love and gratitude,
Barbara Jane Oliver
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