EVENT PREVIEW
Sarah Jakes, author of “Lost & Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life”
Wednesday:
7 p.m.
Greater Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church House of Hope Atlanta, 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway. Jakes will greet the congregation, then sign afterward.
Thursday
3 p.m. The Dream Project — Digital All Stars Panel
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
265 Peachtree Center Ave. N.E.
She is moderating the panel for this registered conference.
Friday
noon
Sister Accord Tea
Hilton Atlanta
255 Courtland St. N.E.
Jakes will speak to high school girls.
The most powerful testimonies can sometimes begin with tiny steps of faith.
Sarah Jakes, the 25-year-old daughter of Bishop T.D. Jakes, has a message that she thinks will connect with young people going through life’s challenges.
Pregnant at 13, married at 19 and later divorced, Jakes said she discovered the power of faith and inner healing.
Jakes will discuss and sign copies of her new memoir, “Lost & Found: Finding Hope in the Detours of Life,” this week during a series of appearances in metro Atlanta.
Jakes — a blogger, motivational speaker and ministry leader in her father’s megachurch in Dallas, The Potter’s House — bears her soul about the expectations of being a “PK” (preacher’s kid) and the turmoil of discovering she was pregnant as a young teen.
“I was very aware that the stereotype existed, despite all my efforts to avoid it,” she said. “The reality is that when a dentist’s child has a cavity, it’s just part of life. When a doctor’s kid has a cold, it’s just part of life. But when a preacher’s kid goes through something, it’s no longer just part of life.”
But mistakes can be the seeds for a strong spiritual foundation.
Not many people go through a pregnancy in front of 36,000 people. “It was very difficult,” she said. “I thought I was going to bring shame to the ministry” that now spans the globe.
She said her father read the book in one sitting. He later called her and said “it was flawless.”
“I still have the voice mail,” Jakes said. “I saved it.”
Her mother cried and cried.
“I’m very glad that I could make them proud,” Jakes said, “and I was relieved that I didn’t mess up the family name too bad.”
Jakes said she started blogging several years ago as a way to get through a divorce. She shared her disappointment with the failure of a marriage that she thought “would fix everything.”
Jakes always had an awareness about God. But she didn’t really know God or have a personal relationship with him.
“We all have to find him on our own,” she said.
She was living on her own — her parents had a strict work or go-to-school policy. She had a young child. When things seemed hopeless, she turned to God for help and guidance.
Her parents had always been her safety net. They were still there to provide support, love and encouragement. But she also turned to God as a spiritual safety net.
She said the book is for everyone.
There was the father, who said he now had a better understanding of his children. There are the women who may be settling in a relationship. “If your heart is open, you’ll find a little something for everyone,” Jakes said.
She still has spiritual struggles. “Certainly, as life changes and evolves, I have to find God in new areas,” she said. “Who I need God to be at 13 may not be the God I need him to be at 25, and it may be different at 30. There is a conscious decision to bring him into all that I do.”
About the Author
