(CHRISTIAN HEADLINES) – New York Times best selling author Janette Oke is a woman who loves God and loves to write about what he is doing in her life so that others can experience what God is doing in her. In a rare interview with CrosswalkHeadlines, Oke, who is 90 years old, still feels like she has a lot to write about and seems to find joy in doing it, as she just recently signed another book contract with a release slated for next year.
Oke, who is the wife of a pastor and lives at a retirement center in Canada, seems to be thankful for what she has seen God do in her life. When Oke started writing in her forties, Christian publishing companies weren’t yet printing fiction books. But Oke knew the mission and purpose God called her to, which may also explain why she doesn’t see herself slowing down in her later years.
“I was always interested in writing. My husband was a minister and then was president of our small denominational college. We had a family of four, so my writing was put on hold until our children were in their teens. Looking back, I am amazed at all that God has done and the way he led in every step forward. I was already in my early forties; we were still extremely busy and Christian publishing houses were not publishing fiction. Yet God had given me the desire to write fiction for young women and teens. It shouldn’t have worked, but it did, and God gave me a ministry that went far beyond anything I could have dreamed. The readership also includes all ages, even men. And the books have been published in many languages. My writing has been much more to me than an occupation – it has been a ministry, and I have been able to share my faith with many people that I will never meet in this life. I refer to the books as ‘paper missionaries’ because they have gone to places I will never be privileged to go.”