Saving Society with God, Nature, & Music

By Sarah K. Schott

Every day, we're one page closer to the end of our story. If yours ended tonight, what would be written?

Everyone has a story. Author Sarah Schott's Saving Society with God, Nature, & Music is the author's story of finding hope, strength, and knowledge in three things that are losing importance in today's society.

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: Dec 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781637309582

Book preview

Saving Society with God, Nature, & Music

Sarah K. Schott

new degree press

copyright © 2021 Sarah K. Schott

All rights reserved.

Saving Society with God, Nature, & Music

ISBN

978-1-63730-830-1 Paperback

978-1-63730-892-9 Kindle Ebook

978-1-63730-958-2 Digital Ebook

Unless otherwise indicated, Bible verses are taken from the following translations:

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® (http://www.biblica.com/) Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

To Mom and Dad:

For loving, supporting, and believing in me every step of the way.

You’ve always been, and still are, what I want to be when I grow up.

Contents

---

A Letter from Mom

Dear Reader

How to Read This Book

PART 1

God

Chapter 1

Ask and You Shall Receive

Chapter 2

Everything Is Fine

Chapter 3

Do Not Fear Death

Chapter 4

Walking as Jesus Walked

Discussion

PART 2

Nature

Chapter 5

A World of Imagination

Chapter 6

Captured by Nature’s Beauty

Chapter 7

Simply Incredible

Chapter 8

It’s Not about the Kill

Discussion

PART 3

Music

Chapter 9

Nourishing the Spark

Chapter 10

Thank You for Teaching Me

Chapter 11

An Emotional Connection

Chapter 12

Breaking the Bubble

Discussion

CONCLUSION

Grow the Seed

Acknowledgments

Appendix

I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.

—Mother Teresa

A Letter from Mom

---

The world can be a scary place. How many times have you heard an elderly person say, Life is just too hard, or, Things are going to Hell in a handbag? The latter is a saying I often heard my mom use. At some point, it seems every generation begins to blame the younger generations for everything wrong with society. Negativity brings us down, so it’s refreshing when someone of the blamed, younger generation is inspired to make a difference. When that person is your daughter, it is truly awe-inspiring.

I have always wanted to be a parent, but when the time came, I realized I didn’t know the first thing about raising a child. Because society is constantly evolving, every parent faces a unique set of challenges. As a result, it was obvious my husband and I could not raise a child the exact way we were raised. Our children would be exposed to different pressures and influences.

So, what was I going to do? I decided to ask a few of the best mothers I knew for some advice.

First, I sought out my own mom’s opinion.

It takes a team to raise a healthy child, she said. That team is you and Jim.

Next up: my mother-in-law. How am I going to know how to do this? I asked. What did you do?

I prayed about it, she answered, plain and simple.

Lastly, I got advice from my childhood neighbor. Send them outside and don’t let them come back unless someone is bleeding or crying, she said with a laugh. They’ll figure things out.

When my husband and I were blessed with children, these suggestions began to take on meaning and unknowingly became integrated into our style of parenting.

Sarah is a beneficiary of this philosophy. Her older brother, Jacob, was first up and arguably the easiest as a toddler. Unlike him, Sarah’s independence showed at a very young age. She was mighty, outspoken, and often referred to as the Wild Child. There is a picture, the snake picture, in our house by the front door that speaks volumes about Sarah. Sarah will share more about this, but I remember taking this picture like it was yesterday. This was just one of the many times she showed no fear. On occasion, we felt like we had to break her like they do a wild horse. We didn’t want to dampen her spirit, but we needed to lasso her in just a little.

Unbeknownst to us, some of the best ways to reel her in were sitting still for an hour during Mass or being confined on a boat for a fishing trip. Experiences like these tested her character at times but also channeled her spirit.

On the way home from a camping trip in Kentucky, she started beating her head against the back of her car seat to tell us she needed out. Being confined was just not her thing, but not letting her win was a challenge.

As time went on, the routine of going to church or being quiet in a hunting blind grounded Sarah. It taught her patience and the importance of understanding there is more to the world than her immediate wants and needs. You will hear how these elements in her life truly shaped her into the modest and self-driven young adult she has become.

From a very young age, Sarah connected with God and her faith. I have told many people I couldn’t believe a young child could be so devoted to God. Somehow, He just connected with her. Maybe this was harder for me to understand because I didn’t come from a very religious family. We went to church, but for the most part, it stopped there. Holidays were more about seeing family and gifts than the real meaning surrounding them. However, I always craved more understanding. When I met my husband and his tremendously large Catholic family, I was hooked.

How does music play a part in this? That was completely God’s doing. We didn’t know anything about music!

Before Sarah could talk, she was able to keep rhythm. Some of her first sentences consisted of her trying to sing When the Sun Goes Down by Kenny Chesney. As a young, oblivious mom, I didn’t think this was anything special, let alone that it hinted she might have musical talent.

When she announced she wanted to play the violin, I responded with, Oh no. That instrument is too difficult for a beginner.

I completely underestimated her.

However, her fighting spirit shined through, and we finally agreed. There were tears and struggles, but she never gave up. I think music served as the perfect outlet for her to showcase her independence. It was a gift no one else in our family shared. She could truly embrace it as she continued to excel.

I do not doubt that without God, nature, or music in her life, Sarah would not be who she is today. This trio worked magic for our little girl. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class of over two hundred fifty students, paid for her college education through scholarships and work, and is now a published author at the age of twenty-one. You might be thinking, can a twenty-one-year-old really have enough to say to save society? Give her a chance to share with you how these three things have impacted her life. You will see how they deserve to be protected to have a place in everyone’s life.

—Kelly Schott (Sarah’s mom)

Dear Reader

---

When my mom suggested I write a book about the three things most important to me, I laughed at her.

God, nature, and music are very important to me, but they don’t have anything in common. Besides, no one wants to hear about my life, Mom.

A few weeks later, I felt God tell me to share my story. Lesson number one: listen to your parents’ ideas.

He called me back to a time when God, nature, and music intersected in my life. After a challenging freshman year of college due to mental and emotional struggles, I wanted to find a summer job that would get me back on track. I didn’t want to go back to my hometown and work at a fruit stand. I wanted to get out, all on my own, and discover something big about myself.

After weighing different options, I asked God for an opportunity to combine faith, nature, and music. Four months later, I was in Shenandoah National Park giving sermons and playing violin for strangers amidst the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was when I started writing my book.

We are living in a time like no other. The world is changing and growing at a faster rate than ever. Think about it. Almost one hundred years ago, the Wright brothers took flight for mere seconds, making worldwide news. Barely more than fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong planted the first human footprint on the moon. Now, regular civilians have the opportunity to travel to space, and airplanes take off without anyone batting an eye. Technology has changed everything. We can get what we want, when we want it, at the snap of our fingers. For better or worse, we are headed toward a much different world. I don’t know about you, but I want to make sure the future is better.

In this world, society has created one simple rule: be perfect. If you’re perfect, you’ll be happy, right? But there’s a trick. You’ll never be perfect. No one will ever be. It is a race you’re sure to lose, no matter how hard you try.

In our constant battle to achieve perfection, we take things for granted and fail to recognize the impact simple things have on our life. In a rush to work, you might miss a breath-taking sunrise. What should be a calming moment gives way to a stressful and hectic day. The busyness of the world swallows us, and we lose our inner stability. New technology steers us away from the wonders of the outdoors. Sports are placed on a pedestal, drawing students (and their parents) away from the wonder of band, orchestra, and choir. As we become more self-centered, we disregard the importance of God in our life. The existence of a higher power is no longer relevant as we determine what is best for ourselves and others around us. In an attempt to satisfy society, we have lost the essence of these three essential values.

When I finally decided to write this book, I wanted to do it for myself. I’ve dreamed of being a published author since second grade and, fourteen years later, the timing finally seemed right. Now, I realize the reason I wrote this book was not for me, but you. Have no doubt, the second grader inside of me is squealing with joy, but I am writing this book for you. Through my thoughts and words, I hope you discover a new treasure and step into life with new fulfillment. I hope you find hope for yourself and future generations.

If you feel lost, if you are in the midst of a pivotal point in your life, if you’re searching for something but you don’t know quite what, these words are for you. Throughout these stories, you’ll laugh, cry, and even get a little grossed out. Under it all is a message of hope waiting to be discovered by you.

I am not a professional. I am not famous. I do not have a profound story to share with you. Instead, I am a completely average person. Yet, it is for this very reason I need to share my story.