The Most Talented People I Know, Part 2

Sara Beth


James Thiele

A while back, I decided to write about some of the most talented people I know. My first post was about Jamie Bates, a very talented photojournalist. I haven't forgotten my plan...I just couldn't decide who I wanted to introduce next. Well, I never could decide, so I'm doing both at the same time! James Thiele and Sara Beth (Geohegan) are two of the most talented musicians I know. I've just been looking at their sites, and the new opportunities that they are experiencing make me excited for them all over again.

I met James Thiele my first week in New Orleans. I became one of his youth interns about two weeks later and thus had the opportunity to work with Sara Beth and a TON of other neat students at FBC New Orleans. One of my earliest memories concerning the talents of both James and Sara was when Sara sang a song written by James in church one Sunday. First of all, the song was beautiful and Sara did an amazing job performing it. But after church, I was hanging out with a few of them in the youth room and heard Sara saying that she'd forgotten some of the lines in the second verse, so she just made something up while she was singing--WHAT?! People do that? I was amazed--I don't believe I've stopped being amazed since. I have absolutely no musical/songwriting experience, so what these people do so naturally just amazes me. In a time where so many "artists" use slick marketing tactics and creative publicity to cover for a lack of talent, both James and Sara Beth have true talent and an authentic heart for God.

If you'd like to know more about them, here are a few links:
James Website: http://jamesthiele.com
Sara Beth's Website: http://sarabeth.net
Universal Music Publishing Group--Their Label: http://www.umpgnashville.com/dsp_christianmusic_home.asp