Interview with Sarah Francis Martin

About Sarah:
Sarah Francis Martin has a passion to encourage and relate to women in their twenties, and is honored to do so through She Seeks, the 20-something ministry of Proverbs 31. Her relevant and conversational style will lead young adult readers to live out the Kingship of Christ in everyday life in order to find godly success, purpose, and well-being. Obsessed with pink lip gloss and all things artsy-crafty, Sarah lives with her husband and son in North Carolina. Her ministry, LIVE IT OUT!, is a space for 20-somethings to connect with one another and grow closer to Jesus (www.liveitoutblog.com).
1.What gave you the idea or inspired you to write your book?
I've loved writing for the ministry She Seeks which is a part of Proverbs 31 Ministries just for 20-something women. Our readers would ask us for resources that speak directly to their life as a young adult and we would come up short for books to recommend, etc. One day I was driving to work all stressed out about my career and some friend drama. As I worked through this stress, God spoke to me saying, "I am King over your career drama and your friend drama. Don't forget that!"
I decided that I would set out to write what I called a survival guide for 20-somethings. But, rather than just surviving this decade, I want my girlfriends to THRIVE. God continually shows me that the only way to thrive through life's stress, we must put Him in the center of everything.
2. What do you hope readers will take away from "Stress Point" ?
I hope my readers will walk away from the book with a renewed (or new) sense of passion for Jesus and declare that He is King of Kings over their money, their love life, their career paths, etc. We can't separate our faith from any area of our life and the Bible has answers to all of our stress.
3. What is the best advice you've ever been given?
Though I don't watch the shows any more, I did catch Dr. Phil and Oprah say something to the effect of: You wouldn't worry about what other people think of you if you knew how little they really didn't think of you.
This speaks to me when I'm all freaked out about how my friends or co-workers perceive me. Everyone is concerned about their own life, their own insecurities so much so that they probably aren't nit picking who we are.
4. Your bio says you are artsy-craftsy what is your go-to craft?
Oh I love playing with bright colored paint and paper to make collages. It is fun to get my hands messy. I'm also loving watercolor and sketching these days. Though it is easy to look at artists and wish I could paint as well as they do, I'm learning to relax and just have fun with it. It is totally a distraction from stress for me!
5. On She Seeks, it's is known that you have over 50 tubes of lip gloss, all various shades of pink. If you were stranded on an island and could only have one lip gloss, which one would it be?
This questions rocks! Love it. I'm totally into the Revlon Colorstay lipgloss and lipsticks these days. The color literally lasts ALL day. So, if I were stranded on an island with only ONE tube, this would be the one because I get more bang for my buck and don't have to constantly re-apply.
6. What's playing on your iPod right now?
Oh, man. I really need to update my iPod. But, my go-to tunes are Jesus Culture, The Passion Conference worship CD, Toby Mac and a friend of mine, Giles Blankenship.
7. What's next for you?
I would love to write more books that relate directly to young adult women. I've been on a kick with my blog doing the RISE UP! series which encourages women to rise up and make Jesus famous in their life. It would be really awesome, I think, to turn this into a Bible study book.