Sarah Koontz : Truth Storyteller of Christ’s Beauty in Our Lives

Sarah Koontz invites us to explore the beauty of God’s design in our lives. Reading her blog each week brings me such hope and joy.  On her About page, she is described this way:

Sarah is committed to fearlessly pursuing the dreams that God has placed within her heart, and she invites you to lock arms with her on this crazy journey called life.    

I love locking arms with her at least twice a week. She writes with purpose and love. Her ideas and simple thoughts inspire me to walk closer with Jesus. I hope you get to know her with this profile. Her blog is definitely on my weekly most read.

 

Sarah Koontz :Biography Information

I live on 13-acres in South Dakota with my husband, two daughters and a rowdy flock of 30 chickens. We live a simple, uncluttered life –and I revel in the peace and quiet country living provides.  I love spending my days crafting words and digging into my soul to find the perfect message to bring hope to my readers.  I am in the process of drafting my first book proposal and enjoy the whole process of building a platform, honing my craft, and networking within the writing and publishing community.

Sarah Koontz: How She Came to Know Christ as Her Savior.

I was greatly blessed to be raised by two parents who love the Lord and taught my brothers and me about Jesus at a young age.  I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior at the age of 6 and was baptized shortly after.   Although it was years down the road before I realized the significance of my decision, this was the beginning of my journey of faith. My younger years were characterized by the faith of a child who believed what she was told about God, but it wasn’t until I reached my early teens that I began to develop my own personal relationship with the Lord.

Her Favorite Verse and How It Became Important to Her

My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. – Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

I do consider this to be my life verse, as I have experienced the death of many dreams throughout my life, yet God always brings me through to something better.

Her Blogging Story

My blogging career began in November 2013 when I launched Grounded & Surrounded with my best friend Sammi Ricke, where I wrote more than 100 articles about Health and Wellness.

About a year into my blogging journey, I developed a longing to write about more personal matters of faith and family, so I launched my current blog at SarahKoontz.com. My reasons for blogging have changed over the years, but my mission remains the same.  I write to encourage and inspire women to embrace the beautiful design God has for their lives.

Her Blogging Mission

My mission is to inspire women to discover the beauty of God’s design as they journey to the Living Waters.

Her Top Three Posts Based on Readership Statistics

• To the Grown Daughter who has Failed to Love Her Mother Well
• Biblical Advice for the Disappointed Wife of an Imperfect Man
• True Confessions of a Distracted Worshiper

Her Three Favorite Posts

• It’s time to Stop Apologizing for Being You
• Emancipation from the Affirmation Trap
• How to Search for God in the Everyday

What Inspires Her to Write for Christ?

I don’t want anyone to remain stuck simply because they have no one in their life urging them to dig into God’s word and find a way forward.  I have always had loving Christian mentors –people who had gone before me and were willing to retrace their steps and walk alongside me.  Understanding God’s beautiful design for my life has brought so much freedom and joy to my life, and I simply must share it with others. I want to be that friend urging you forward, pointing to God’s word and walking the curvy paths alongside you.

Authors Who Inspire Her or Motivate Her to Write

I just finished reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.  There’s never a dull moment with Anne, I love how she just says it how it is and I can imagine I will refer back to her unconventional writing manual often throughout my writing career.  I’m just starting to read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg so I can’t speak to that yet. It looks like a fantastically encouraging book, even though it is definitely not penned from a Christian perspective.  I also love to read good writers; the books currently on my nightstand include works from Emily P. Freeman, Suzanne Eller, Lysa Terkerst, and Emily Wierenga.

A Personal Blogging Story

I nearly cried when I received this encouraging note from one of my readers back in May:

“I wanted to thank you for listening to what you feel God has asked you to do!  I cry through almost every post because it feels if you wrote it just for me. Like you know my life! I love that this is God’s amazing hand at work in my life. So thank from the bottom of my heart for following Jesus because you are make a HUGE difference in my life! Know that I pray for you & your family as you go on this journey!”

It truly does mean the world when readers take the time to share how their lives have been impacted by my writing.  Sometimes it can get a bit lonely typing words on a screen all day, and their words keep me going through the hard times.

Her Blogging Tips

My #1 tip for bloggers – Discover Your WHY. “If we have a big enough “why,” we will always discover the “how.” Tara Semisch Click To Tweet

The day you started your blog, you took the first step towards achieving your dreams. Now it’s time for the hard work! It’s time to discover your WHY! Your WHY is the one thing that will motivate you towards your dreams no MATTER WHAT!

To read the full article I have written on this subject, go to “5 Steps to Success for Bloggers.”

Last Minute Thoughts On Inspiration and Uplifting

I’ve confessed time and again that I’ve never been very consistent with my Bible Study routine. It’s sort of like exercise, isn’t it? We feel great when we do it, but oh, the mountains we must climb in our minds to get ourselves motivated to dig out those dusty running shoes.

I’ve never understood people who love running, but I do know that they truly do love it and they haven’t always. They say, “Just start, Sarah! You’ll love it if you just start.” I smile and nod, then sneak some chocolate from the cupboard and tell myself, “I’m just not a runner.”

I used to feel the same way about morning devotionals. It’s great for all those people, but not me.

“Just start, Sarah! You’ll love it if you just start.”

So, every morning, I wake up my computer monitor and type this very important URL into the address bar of my chrome browser: www.myutmost.org.

I’ve been obsessed with Oswald Chambers ever since I wrote this blog post on his life and ministry.

His short devotionals always challenge me to dig deeper, love more, and well….get over myself!

Less than 5 minutes. A simple commitment. Every day.

Sometimes I do more, sometimes I forget to even do this, but I cannot tell you how much this simple routine has changed my life.

Social Media Links

You can connect with Sarah Koontz on her Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Your turn: What inspires you most about Sarah Koontz, her testimony, and her blog.  Please share in the comments.

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Be sure to check out my introduction post to see more features of inspirational Christian women bloggers.