Sarah Taylor

Centered - Videos About Jesus

Sarah Taylor

Radio DJ

"There comes a shift when it's no longer about me with a microphone, and what do I have to say. It's about who's listening, and what's God speaking to their heart?"

Sarah Taylor is a Radio DJ and Music Director at Spirit 105.3, a faith-based radio station serving the Greater Seattle area. Through her careful song selection, listening ear, and compassionate heart, Sarah seeks to bring joy and hope into the lives of everyday people.

How do you stay centered on Jesus in your everyday life?

I’m often just thinking about Him. Like, if I’m frustrated in traffic or in a creative brainstorm meeting at work, or needing to apologize to someone, or even at the grocery store, I feel like I have an on-going conversation in my mind with Him. I guess it's sort of like talking to yourself, only I’m talking to Him. I ask Him for help me be attentive to His Holy Spirit – which changes my conversations with others and changes my agenda for the day.

Describe what a typical work day looks like for a Radio DJ.

Half my day is spent in the studio, broadcasting on-air and editing audio. The other half is in my office, listening to new music and talking with various record labels about artists and songs, answering email, and working on show prep for the next day.

How would you define a ministry of presence?

Just showing up. Sitting with someone. Not having an answer, but having a listening ear. Silently praying while a friend is talking, asking the Holy Spirit to guide my response. Is this a time to speak up or to hold back? Is my friend seeking my advice, or just a sympathetic ear? Also, it doesn’t have even be face to face. Sometimes a friend will text me, and we just share what's going on in our day. We laugh at the good stuff, celebrate the victories, and carry the hard stuff together. Sometimes we'll even write “thank you for helping me hold this so I don’t hold it alone.”

What have you learned about the power of music that you think might help others?

I could write for hours to answer this question. Music does something to us that transcends regular speech and thought. Its scientifically proven to heal. The frequency, the harmonies, everything. I hear every day from someone who heard “just the right song at just the right time.” There's a documentary called “Alive Inside” which I recently watched on Netflix, in which patients with Alzheimer’s disease “came alive” with memories and speech when they were listening to their favorite music.

There are so many simple was to incorporate music into our everyday lives. Turning the TV off and turning some uplifting music on is a good start. You can feel the atmosphere change in your home. Also, taking in live music in concert is an incredibly bonding experience with friends and family. I was noticing the other day our whole family was plugged into devices (phones, iPads, TV) so I shut it all off, pulled out a puzzle, and sat down with my husband, daughter and son at the dining room table. I searched for cello music on YouTube, and played it in the background. My husband started talking about growing up playing in the Seattle Youth Symphony, sharing childhood memories with our kids. The simple act of listening to music together started a great conversation! We sat together for about 30 minutes, without looking at screens or multitasking, and it was so recharging!

Tony Hall & John Nakamura

"There's such great excitement in just praying quietly and seeing the results." Tony Hall is the Former Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture (2002-2006) and the Former U.S. Congressman from Ohio (1979-2002). John Nakamura is Tony Hall's Prayer Partner. These two brothers have committed to walk together in life, friendship, and service. Tony Hall is the Former Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture (2002-2006) and the Former U.S. Congressman from Ohio (1979-2002). John Nakamura is Tony Hall's Prayer Partner. These two brothers have committed to walk together in life, friendship, and service. [gap h="15"] John, what does it mean to be a prayer partner? For us, praying together begins with being together. We're together every Tuesday and every Thursday morning. Occasionally, we'll have a breakfast or dinner with just the two of us together. When we travel, we're always together. Tony and I are equals. Tony has never treated me as his assistant or inferior. We are both doing the work of God as He has called us. Jesus is our leader, and we both report to Him. Tony, what advice would you have for someone considering a career in politics? Do it. A lot of people think politics is rough and dirty. We need good people. There's a great quote I always say. Martin Luther said (paraphrasing), "we need to send our good people into the ministry our best into politics." Sometimes when a constituent would come in angry to my office. I would pray for them in a subtle way. I would notice this would quiet them down. You can be praying for a situation while someone is mad or angry or crying, and God will honor that. He'll enter into that. Tony, how did your relationship with Jesus influence your career as a congressman and ambassador? It gave me focus. It changed almost every aspect of my life. It changed some of my voting habits. It gave me great focus on the core. Because of Him and the institutions I was involved with, He gave me a focus on the poor which is unusual because I've never been poor. John and Tony, if you could do it all over again, what would you tell a 20 year old version of yourself? Tony - I didn't become a believer until I was a 36. Become a believer very early in life. I would tell myself to have a very sincere relationship in Jesus. This starts with the word. John - I think curiosity is a wonderful trait centered in Jesus. Every moment you will learn something from every person you encounter. It's a beautiful thing of to love one another. You could have a person with an IQ of 10 or 200 and you learn something from them. Love forces you to look at things from their perspective. When you're smarter than others, arrogance really clouds the issue of the love of Jesus. Young people who are really gifted begin to think they're somebody. One of the things God really looks at is Isaiah 66:1-2 - what kind of house are you building for me? Humility, contrite spirit, and fear of the Lord must be your foundation. Tony, what can an everyday citizen do about the problem of hunger? I think people need to look around them. It's what Mother Teresa said to me once, "do the thing that's in front of you." Not everyone can go to Calcutta, but everyone can look around their neighborhood. If everybody took care of the problem that was around them, whether it was the hunger or economic needs or emotional hurting, then half the stuff we do in the government we wouldn't need to do. John, how do you pray? There are quite a few ways that I like to pray. I pray with a sense of constant cleansing of what's going on. I've also been influenced by E. Stanley Jones who's taught me that when submitted to the Spirit internally, all things will be in harmony, and the outside will begin to manifest the inside. When you're praying without ceasing, people will come into your life, and divine coincidences will come into your life. When you see things in a different light like that, it's like everything is being harmonized by the Holy Spirit. I pray in the morning for family and thank the Lord. I also pray the Lord's prayer. I'm also involved in a number of Bible studies with various people. Knowing scripture is very important. All truth comes from God which is directly expressed in the word. The Holy Spirit will give you revelation in the moment. A supernatural life is simply an ordinary life where Jesus has laid hold of you. John, how do you approach listening to God? I spend a lot of quiet time. Jesus was never in a hurry. There are so many people who say that they're busy. When you say you're busy, you focus in on yourself and how important you are. In our society, being busy means you're important, and you're getting things done. If we're to follow Jesu and be like Him, we cannot be in a hurry. When I read The Economist and other publications, I'm always thinking about how does this relate to the Kingdom of God. I will pray through it as I read. How have you seen God work in your failures and shortcomings? I see it everyday, He's this incredibly loving father who is throwing a lavish feast for me and inviting me back to it on Monday when I screw up and then again on Wednesday and then on http://saturday...you get the point. It's actually in my failures and shortcomings (of which there are many) where his Strength is made known. It gets back to this idea that my brokenness is heavenly currency. It's a beautiful concept that is liberating.

The Seattle Story

“Do we all know the Seattle story? Have we each found our place in the rush of its current? Where is the author of this tale taking us once generation after another?” “The Seattle Story” tells the story of the founding of Seattle. From humble beginnings along the shore of West Seattle to the lofty ambitions exemplified by the rise of the Smith Tower and the present age of global leadership in the marketplace, Seattle is clearly a city with a unique identity and a remarkable destiny.

Centered Introduction Video

What does Jesus say about our life, our work, and our story?