Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse
Welcome to the Greenhouse! Join Denise each week as she has conversations with women who have experienced God’s power in their lives. We'll cover everything from relationships and parenting to running a business and building up our communities. We hope these stories inspire and enable you to make an impact in your world.
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Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse
About Hidden Creativity and Small Beginnings
Have you ever dismissed your creative potential because you believed the lie that artists are born, not made? That's exactly where Sara Thurman found herself until age 56 when an unexpected divine encounter changed everything.
Sara joins us to share her remarkable journey from someone who "couldn't even draw stick figures" to becoming a successful artist whose paintings now sell worldwide and fund missions across the globe. The transformation began during a simple painting session with friends where God whispered to her heart: "You're an artist for me." Despite her initial disbelief, Sara chose to believe first and step into this new identity before seeing the evidence.
This conversation cuts straight to the heart of creativity as our birthright. Drawing from Genesis 1:27, Sara passionately explains that if we're made in the image of the Great Creator, creativity inherently lives within each of us. Yet many of us have believed the devastating lie that we lack creative ability. Through her book "Small Beginnings: A Journey to the Impossible," Sara guides readers to dream impossible dreams, discover their purpose, and find their people.
What makes this story particularly powerful is how it challenges our assumptions about timing and seasons. Sara began painting at 56, started learning golf at 66, and even found new love after unexpectedly losing her husband. Her testimony reminds us that God's timing is perfect—we never "miss it" when walking in step with Him. Whether you're 26 or 86, this conversation will inspire you to ask, "What creative potential lies dormant within me?" and take your first small step toward discovering it.
Well, welcome to Ease Greenhouse. I'm so glad you decided to join us. For this episode. I'm with Sarah Thurman, my coach. She has been an awesome coach in my life and really taught me to be a lot freer in my creativity. Sarah's Small Beginnings. She's written a book about this, so I encourage you to go to Amazon and look it up and she'll tell you exactly the title. But, sarah, today I would just like you to tell me about how you started painting.
Sara Thurman:So I was 56 years old and I never, ever, considered myself an artist there was no way I would say I couldn't even draw stick figures.
Sara Thurman:There was no way I really thought you were born an artist and it was already inside of you, but I didn't have it. It wasn't inside of me is I believed until I was 56, and then I was painting with a group of women in Wimberley um, there were eight or nine of us and it was just. It was a thing called cultivate and we were just exploring and God opened my heart and I was just weeping and I was Tuesday mornings and I was like what, what's happening? I don't know. But on the second week, god whispered to me in my thoughts you're an artist for me. And I said there's no way. I don't know what I'm doing. He said hang out with me and I will teach you. And so I believed him and I said, okay, I'm going to hang out with you, god, and you'll teach me how to be an artist for you. And so that was 10 years ago. It was 10 years in October of 2014. So it's 10 years and a few months.
Denise Jackson:So I just have to say that in 10 years God could see stuff that you couldn't see, right, and he was preparing you and giving provision to you way back then. Yes, preparing you and giving provision to you way back then. Yes, how awesome is that?
Denise Jackson:y'all that that God sees what we cannot see and that he cares for his daughters, for his children, but yeah, you know, we're daughters of the king and he cares for us so much that he makes sure we're gonna be okay. He orders our steps, he does what he promises he's going to do, and with you especially, thinking back 10 years, my goodness. When I couldn't paint, I mean I didn't know or believed that you couldn't even do anything like that. No, there's no way.
Sara Thurman:No, I would never. I mean, I was a crocheter, a knitter, I was certainly a baker, a cook, but but I used a recipe and I used the pattern from someone else, but to start something new, and so that really is. My passion now is to help people all over the world discover that creativity is inside of every single person, and it goes back to scripture from Genesis 1, 27, where God says he created man in his image. He created man. So if we're made in God's image and God is the great creator what does it make us?
Sara Thurman:We are created and, but we believe the lie and I believe it's the biggest lie that the enemy, satan, has told us is that we can't create and it's stolen from us because we're wasting time, we're wasting materials, we're wasting money. You're not any good, everybody else is better than you. Why are you doing this? But, truly, what I know is God awakened a part of me that had been dormant, that had been sleeping for 56 years, and he opened it and I started pushing into it and believing. I believed first, I believed.
Denise Jackson:That's good.
Sara Thurman:I believed. I believed what he told me in the whispers, in my thoughts. I'm like, okay, I'm going to believe you and I stepped into it. That's awesome, and I wasn't any good. I didn't think my paintings would ever, ever sell. But two years later I prayed an impossible prayer.
Denise Jackson:What was your prayer?
Sara Thurman:It was God. I want to paint and sell. I was painting, but I wanted to sell a four-letter word small, medium and large paintings to give money back out to people in need all over the world and to provide for you guys to go for me, yes, yes, because your son and daughter-in-law were out there, and then your grandchildren.
Sara Thurman:Yes, yes, yes so that's like a way of starting that story Right. He has used this, my studio, the woodworking shop of my late husband, this home, to bless us, and then it goes out to the world and it's still doing it. I'm turning this house into an Airbnb.
Denise Jackson:Yes, it's like, oh, my goodness, god, what are you doing? And a gallery is going to be in the Airbnb with your paintings. Yes, and a gal, what are you doing? And a gal, what is going to be in the Airbnb with your paintings? Yes, it's like being on anything I could ever have dreamed. And you know, I was thinking. You said you were 56. And sometimes we say, well, we're getting old, we can't do anything. Oh, yes, but God has perfect timing. You weren't late in what was happening.
Denise Jackson:I didn't miss it, you didn't miss it, you weren't late in what was happening, it was perfect. I didn't miss it. No, you didn't miss it. You had a joyous life before then. You raised your children, you had a wonderful marriage, you had a community. You had all of that before and God said I've got more.
Sara Thurman:Yeah, I've got more, and most recently in the last few months, I've started to learn to play golf at age 66. So another whole new thing, which it's really hard but it's really good and I'm learning so much, even about myself and control of my emotions when I have a really bad shot and then hope and believe that I'll get better. You know, in practice Using our muscles, we cannot expect to be perfect the first time we do something, or the second, or the 50th, like it's a process.
Denise Jackson:And that's a big deal. So stop right there and tell us the name of the book.
Sara Thurman:Yes, small Beginnings, a Journey to the Impossible.
Denise Jackson:And it comes from a verse.
Sara Thurman:Yes, Zachariah 410. And it says Zerubbabel had been given the job to rebuild the temple and God told him do not despise your small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
Sara Thurman:I love that song and so I just want to encourage you, like, if you have a thought, keep a notebook of your thoughts, of things. I want to dream about this. I want to encourage you, like, if you have a thought, keep a notebook of your thoughts, of things. I want to dream about this. I want to do this. Keep a notebook because you don't know, it may not be this year, it may be in two years, or it may be in two weeks, I don't know. God will let you know when you are to put your hands to this task and to do the next thing for him. But see, he rejoices to see the work begin. And a lot of times we sabotage ourselves and say I'm not any good, I'm quitting, I'm never doing this again.
Denise Jackson:I was just going to say, too, is people tend to put up their hand and say they hear something from somebody or from the Lord. Yes, and they'll say, no, I am not a painter Right Because I said that to. I am not a painter Right Because I said that to you. I know I am a painter.
Sara Thurman:Yes, you are, I am not a painter.
Denise Jackson:That is, at this point, that is as wonderful as Sarah. But Sarah is growing as a painter, yes, Like her. New paintings of her landscapes are so much different from her paintings of the angels, which are phenomenal. So God's continuing to grow her, and he's taught me through Sarah, teaching me to be brave to paint.
Sara Thurman:Just do it.
Denise Jackson:It's the process I did not start hiking until I was 60. And now I get to go all over the world and hike with girlfriends. There's so much out there for y'all and don't hold up your hand and say stop. Just as Sarah said. Take the step. Write it down, if you don't know where to go next write it down so that you can say I heard this.
Sara Thurman:Yeah.
Denise Jackson:And then say Lord, if this is from you, yes, I want what you want. Show me the steps.
Sara Thurman:This book, the Small Beginnings Journey to the Impossible, has, I think, eight or nine chapters. The first chapter is Dream the Impossible, and so write your dream list down, and the second is find your purpose. So, y'all, when we can find our purpose and it's connected to God, it will give us strength and energy to keep going to the next step. And because if we have the purpose, it's in alignment with God's will in our life, we can do it. We are strong, we are brave, we are courageous. Look behind you, look at all you've already done, and there's more, and we've had multiple purposes already, because we've touched thousands and thousands of lives.
Denise Jackson:If you're our age, for sure.
Sara Thurman:Yes.
Denise Jackson:And really, like we always are looking for what's our purpose? And what I say in my heart is, when we're loving God and we're loving one another, these purposes are coming out. And what jobs does he have for us? What, uh, what victories, what blessings, what provision does he? Have for us. All of that will always be wrapped up in loving the lord, your god, with your whole heart and loving others the one right in front of you. That's right. Stop the ones's needed.
Sara Thurman:Don't be afraid to say that wasn't my plan. In fact, I'll give you a very quick example. Last week my new husband and I were on a cruise a marriage cruise, Love Like you Mean it. It was amazing. We were in St Thomas but my girlfriend that lives at the island over from St Thomas and Tortola and the British Virgin Islands came and we're going to go to the beach and spend the day, but then she really needed help doing social security and Medicare and all that, and I said we don't need to go to the beach, we want to help you today. And and we did. And it was so amazing and it wasn't always easy, Like we were sitting in offices, government offices, most of the day, but it was like God blessed.
Denise Jackson:God blessed us, like because we knew we were doing what he had called us to do, and what a blessing for marita, because she didn't have to do it by herself no, and she was in a hard place, yes, her husband died yes yes, yes, so, and you know what that's like.
Denise Jackson:Yes, in this last 10 years. We're going to talk again on another conversation, but in the last 10 years you lost your husband, your precious husband that you loved and thought you would have a lot more years with, and it was sudden. It wasn't something you expected and you went through a lot of grief. But on the other side of that, you prayed to get married again and you met Earl.
Sara Thurman:Praise God for Earl the god of the impossible god really changed he.
Denise Jackson:He knew this about Sarah's life that Sarah couldn't see, and that's another reason why I never want to know what's ahead. I just want to walk with him. Walk with him because he does know and even when you have to go through really hard places, he's never going to leave you or forsake you, and I got to walk with you through that so that I know well, so that I know god carried you.
Denise Jackson:Now it's part of my book of remembrance because you were willing to share that with a lot of us, A lot of us, and that was so brave of you. But what it did is it gave us a book of remembrance so that when we face things we can say well, God helped Sarah. God's not a respecter of persons. He loves me like he loves you and he will take me through it too. And so then you know, he says he didn't give us a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. And this is the truth. When we are with each other, we learn not to fear. We're still going to hurt, going through hard things, but we don't fear.
Sara Thurman:Right, we'll increase our faith, and sometimes that's the thing is, we walk. We lend each other faith if we need to.
Denise Jackson:Like you did for Maritha the other day, and we need to do that more. We do Because then?
Sara Thurman:because in the end did it matter that we didn't go to another beach?
Denise Jackson:it didn't, no, and there are more beaches that you will go.
Sara Thurman:Yes, we'll go to, and actually earl doesn't like seeing so so it worked out so great he was thankful so good.
Denise Jackson:You know, I guess I as we're laughing and every time we're together you know I always say this, but it's like I get so inspired and encouraged being with Sarah, being with other friends too, that we've talked together in these conversations. One of the reasons we do this is because we want you to know you are not by yourself in this walk. God said it wasn't good for us to be alone, and he brings sisters together to encourage one another, to help you get through things. So don't stay out there all by yourself.
Sara Thurman:Find your people. That's one of my chapters in that book Find your people.
Denise Jackson:And we are your people, even when we're far away from you. We'll pray for you.
Sara Thurman:We will love you.
Denise Jackson:Eastgreenhousecom is a great place to find a lot of resources. Sarah has a ministry which is I don't want to mess up the words.
Sara Thurman:Well, Acts 1-8 Blessings, and I have an inner circle as my mentor Acts 1-8. Blessings is the name of my business, but I have a mentoring group, an online mentoring group, an online ministry.
Denise Jackson:I have a podcast and it's very wonderful and I've been a part of it and so, blessed with it, really, I couldn't stop painting.
Denise Jackson:I joined because I'm a writer and she encouraged me to join because it was a group focused on creativity and the creativity that comes from God, and every time I would be on one of her group coaching sessions I couldn't stop myself from painting, y'all. It was just God had that paintbrush, and so I'm just telling you that was such an encouragement to me because then I found out yes, I am a painter, yes, we all are we all are so, um, we're gonna.
Denise Jackson:We're gonna end this out with sarah giving one piece of advice to women who, well, what kind of advice would you want to give them?
Sara Thurman:I would just say take today, take the next hour, take the next minute and take a deep breath. The overwhelmingness of the world will take you down and don't worry about tomorrow. So tomorrow will take care of itself. Jesus said this. So today has enough worries for itself.
Sara Thurman:So in the mornings ask God, or, if you don't remember, until noon, god, what do you want to help me do today? Ask him for help. You will be so surprised at all that you can get done. But you cannot let worry creep in. So push worry out, because he says there's enough worry for tomorrow. Only take care of today and you will get so much done with joy Watching him be your helper in times of need.
Sara Thurman:He is, he is, wants to help us with every step. And the enemy wants to take us down and make us very overwhelmed and say you can't do it, you can't do it too much, too much. Now you're really mean, now you're really ugly. Now you're fussing at everybody around you. Stop all of that. Take a breath and say God, what do you want me to do today? How do you want to help me? I know you, you're going to help me because I need your help and let's do it. And and you're going to be amazed at how that changes your perspective every day, because then you get to wake up the next day and say, god, what do you want us to do today?
Denise Jackson:it becomes the adventure.
Sara Thurman:Yes, and you watch all that you get done. He is going to do so much, okay, well, we love you and we're glad you joined us today.
Denise Jackson:Join us again. We'll have future conversations with this girl absolutely, thank you, bye-bye.
