AFTER THE LOCUSTS - Also available in digital format & audio CD, read by Jan.
“I have read this book several times and bought it for friends. It was to be read yet again this summer! I just discovered that I gave my last copy away!!!!! I want my own new copy so that I can highlight and mark pages! This book changed my life when I thought I did not want to live another day.” Dee
"This book has transformed me. I want to thank you for writing a book that is so honest about suffering. The promises of God can bring hope and strength. You are walking with me through your book because you understand the journey I'm on." Natalie
“This book speaks to your heart, mind and soul! This is the first book in years that I've read from cover to cover. Jan speaks to you as if you were a long-time friend sitting at her kitchen table, bringing tears to your eyes as well as a knowing smile to your lips.” Susie
Years ago, Jan faced the death of her dreams and felt like a swarm of locusts had swooped down and ruined her future. She lost hope. There were the creeping locusts whispering, "This isn't really happening;" the gnawing locusts whittling away her confidence; the stripping locusts exposing her deep anger. She found a promise of hope tucked in an obscure book in the Old Testament, a promise that shaped her life, the promise that God will "restore the years the locusts have eaten."
Locust plagues of the heart come in many forms; loss of a marriage, death of a loved one, painful abuse, illness or personal failure. Jan builds chapter themes around scripture verses from the Book of Joel and highlights women (including herself) whose lives are a testimony of God's restoration plan. It reminds us that God uses disaster and disappointment to stir people to a new sense of Himself.
Chapter one is titled, "The Big Bug Blitz" and foreshadows tone of the book which reads like a page-turning novel. "The locusts were at it again. I knew it the moment I saw the clouded look in her eye, by the trance-like way she kept pouring cream in her cofffee. 'I can't believe this is happening,' the stranger murmured to our prayer breakfast group. 'I don't think I can go on. I feel so alone.'"
Readers are drawn into Ginger's heart and the pain of a ruined dream. As Jan offers to mentor Ginger through her healing process, the reader is an eyewitness to her struggles to trust God again. With biting honesty and wit, Jan reveals her own story of the loss of her marriage, her foolish choices and the ache of prodigal daughters. Ginger moves toward hope as Jan shares stories of other women who reveal their heartbreaks--Phyllis who lost her only child to a tragic car accident, Eileen who was nine months pregnant when her husband drown while diving, Susan whose secret affair with a pastor almost destroyed her, Lisa whose past of abuse brought a distrust for men and God, and author Liz Curtis Higgs whose "bad girl" days, her "locust years" are the heartbreak of her ministry today.
Written with a unique style of warmth and gentle humor, After the Locusts is an uplifting message for every woman, FOR those who has known loss and those who want to offer comfort to others.
FROM JAN: Please note, I am in the process of re-publishing this book as it's gone out of print from B&H Publishing. It's available in CD format (5 CDs read by me) and you can download it for your Kindle/e-reader.
I am getting so many requests for print copies that I am finally making that happen. It's amazing to me that the book is 11 years old, and a month doesn't go by without an email from a woman who found it somewhere and it inspired her to hope again.
The Woman Behind the Mask; Trading Your Facade For Authentic Life
“In this soul-searching book, Jan Coleman shares how to remove the confusion, emotional burnout, and walls of protection to become the woman God created you to be—transparent, vulnerable, and full of life.” Marita Littauer
From Jan: Woman Behind the Mask is the follow-up to After the Locusts. It's the rest of the story, how God began to peel away the facade of who I pretended to be to gain acceptance and approval. I got so comfortable in my masks, I had no idea who the real Jan was. In time, I gained the courage to find her, to risk being real at last, and to step into the role the Lord created for me. If you liked "Locusts," you'll love this one.
April 12, 2013 --- Received this from a reader
I am a missionary in Ethiopia, and I bought your book, the Woman Behind the Mask in a bookstore in Addis Ababa, the capitol city. You have no idea what a divine appointment this purchase was. After being in Ethiopia for 18 months with my husband and kids we hit some tough times.....Your book saved me. You slapped me in the face with your brutal honesty and stories of women who have dealt with the same issues I have."
“Such a compelling, wonderful read! Jan reveals her own story and models transparent sharing. Not easy to do. Her book flows with incredible liberating insights. She stresses authentic living as a must in order to find wholeness. Her use of true anecdotes about herself and other women kept me turning pages. Throughout the book she offers Scriptural truths, key quotes and guidance that make a strong impact. She gives practical ways for a woman to let God help her remove her mask. This is an excellent book for women's study groups. It includes motivating questions at the end of each chapter.” Bonnie
“If you're really interested in "getting real," this book shares in a very creative, insightful and helpful way just how you can trade the fake life for an authentic one. Jan uses thought-provoking personal stories. In her transparency, she encourages readers to exchange the fake life for a life fulfilling and complete in the power of God. Study questions at the end of each chapter make this the perfect book for a glorious spiritual makeover. I loved it!” Rhonda Rhea
It’s Act I in the drama of life. Enter the leading lady, cast in the role of every woman: wife, mother, and career professional. She wears the cool and confident mask that says, “I have it under control.” The next scene finds our leading lady dreaming. She sees herself as an old woman at the end of her life, looking back over her days and wondering, “Why did I swallow the myth that I could be everything to everybody? I played too many roles not intended for me. I fooled myself by my own masquerade.” She recalls herself in her most worn mask, the one with the sweet smile and devout look reserved for Sundays.
She realizes, “Maybe I missed out on who God intended me to be.” She wakes with a strong desire to be real. “Lord, help me find the woman behind the mask.”
