Meet the Shaneyfelts

Friday Night Secret Church 16

I’m just popping in today for a quick weekend update!

This past weekend was my first weekend of freedom, and it definitely was exhausting!
My favorite part of the weekend was Friday night.  My church hosted a Secret Church simulcast.  SC is a 6 hour long sermon, and this year the theme was A Global Gospel in a World of Religions.

He spent the first hour and a half unpacking the Gospel before we had our first break.  I told Dustin that I was so glad we just got to listen to that–I need constantly daily reminders of the Gospel in my life.
I made it as long as I could (it started at 6), but I left a little after 11 PM.  
Can you see how exhausted I am? haha!  I could barely muster up enough strength to smile!
I’ve been reflecting on what I learned from Friday night and I am praying for boldness in my faith.  I pray that I am obedient to God when He calls me to share my faith.

Please email me at saraheshaneyfelt@gmail.com with any questions you may have.  I would love to tell you how my life has been changed for the better after I became a Christian at the age of 13.

Friday Favorites: DONE WITH GRAD SCHOOL FOREVER Edition!!!

As you can tell from today’s title, I’m a little a million times excited about finishing grad school!!  Last night, I took my last final ever!  The term technically isn’t over until May 5th, but I’m done with everything I have to do!  Oh yeah!  It feels so good!  

It’s so crazy to think that I started graduate school for my master’s in Library Media Specialist on March 17, 2015.  And now I’m finished on April 29, 2016.  Y’all, I finished a two year degree in THIRTEEN months!  That was no easy feat–lots of tears, major stress, and having to sacrifice exercise and spending time with friends in order to do homework or study.  I’m SO glad to have my life back!  Graduation is May 7th, and I’ll receive my degree in the mail shortly after!!!
This is my #1 FAVORITE today!

This is right after I took my final last night!  We have to use a computer with a camera on it because they film us the whole time to make sure we aren’t looking at notes or no one is helping us.  I took my final with zero make up and wet hair because…#dontcare    ๐Ÿ˜‰



Tuesday, I shared a recipe for Birthday Cake Bars.  I’m making them again today to take to a Secret Church simulcast at my church tonight.  They are so good and a FAVORITE dessert right now that I can’t allow myself to eat haha!  I had them at school Wednesday for the club I sponsor and then my friend, Hailey, texted me a picture that night after she had baked a batch.  They. Are. So. Good.


Since I have a life now and so much extra free time, I’m getting back into shape.  Before I started grad school, my usual workout after school would be an easy 3 mile run.  Notice I said easy because right now, 2 miles is all I can handle–especially since I’m not used to running in the heat.  I knew I needed to swap out a day of running with a day of cross-training.  This workout designed by Jenna Wolfe from The Today Show is one I used to do before grad school started (notice a pattern?).  It’s a FAVORITE because it’s tough and requires zero equipment.  And it doesn’t feel like you’re working out very long.  I had to modify two of the exercises on Wednesday night because I couldn’t do that many reps of them.  But I know I’ll build up to it in no time.



I am so in love with this chambray dress I picked up last week that it’s my FAVORITE dress for school right now.  I wore it to school Monday and was so comfortable the whole day.  This is going to be such a great dress to slip on this summer when I’m running errands and it’s too hot for anything else because the fabric on this is so thin!



My church is broadcasting a Secret Church simulcast tonight and I AM SO EXCITED!!  Why the name Secret Church?  Christians in other countries who are openly persecuted because of their faith are sometimes required to hold “secret” churches.  Since the government cannot know about this, sometimes their church “services” they last for hours at a time because meeting time is so irregular.  Tonight’s broadcast is 6 hours and David Platt will be preaching on world religions and how we, as Christians, can know exactly how to share the Gospel with someone of a different religion because we will know exactly what they believe.  I know 6 hours seems like a long time, but last year it went by so fast that I couldn’t believe it was over!  He’s an amazing pastor who gives out so much information that there’s barely any time to digest it before moving on to the next point.


Linking up with Andrea

April Reads!

I can’t believe we’re at the end of April!  It almost flew right by me and I would have forgotten to review the books I read this month.


I was able to read THREE books this month!  After I mailed off my portfolio on April 16, I felt like I gained back so much of my life–that even though I still am in one last class required for my degree, I had so much free time that I could devote to reading since I only had one assignment due each week.

Last month I read Joshilyn Jackson’s latest book The Opposite of Everyone and enjoyed it–although Someone Else’s Love Story is my favorite of hers.  (Side note: My book club Skyped with her at our meeting this month and she shed so much light on characters to where I was a little upset with the ending after she revealed how she intended it to be.)  Since this month felt like it was about her, I read two more of her books.



“Nonny Frett understands the meaning of the phrase “in

between a rock and a hard place” better than any woman

alive. She’s got two mothers, “one deaf-blind and the

other four baby steps from flat crazy.” She’s got two

men: a husband who’s easing out the back door; and a

best friend, who’s laying siege to her heart in her front

yard. And she has two families: the Fretts, who stole her

and raised her right; and the Crabtrees, who won’t forget

how they were done wrong. Now, in Between,

Georgia, a feud that began the night Nonny was born

is escalating and threatening to expose family secrets.

Ironically, it might be just what the town needs…if only

Nonny weren’t stuck in between.”

This book took me a while to get into it, but I enjoyed it enough to read another Jackson book!



For some reason, I didn’t read this when my book club did.  Since lots of the ladies loved this book the most, I got it from the local public library and began reading.

“For 10 years Arlene has kept her promises, and God has kept His end of the bargain. Until now. When an old schoolmate from Possett turns up at Arlene’s door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, former quarterback and god of Possett High, Arlene’s break with her former hometown is forced to an end. At the same time, Burr, her long-time boyfriend, has raised an ultimatum: introduce him to her family or consider him gone. Arlene loves him dearly but knows her lily white (not to mention deeply racist)Southern Baptist family will not understand her relationship with an African American boyfriend. Reluctantly, Arlene bows to the pressure, and she and Burr embark on the long-avoided road trip back home. As Arlene digs through guilt and deception, her patched-together alibi begins to unravel, and she discovers how far she will go for love and a chance at redemption.”

This was not my favorite Jackson book although I did enjoy it.  If you are looking to read a book of hers, I will always recommend for people to start with Someone Else’s Love Story!





I’m late to this bandwagon, but after I saw the beginning of the movie preview for this (I quickly turned it off so it didn’t spoil the book for me), I had to get this book to read it.

If you enjoyed reading Gone Girl, you will LOVE reading The Girl on the Train!  I read it in three days, and I would have read it probably in two days, but I had to stop to do homework for grad school.

EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. Sheโ€™s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their lifeโ€”as she sees itโ€”is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. Itโ€™s only a minute until the train moves on, but itโ€™s enough. Now everythingโ€™s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

I could not get enough of this book!  In fact, one night I stayed up way past my bedtime to read until my eyes couldn’t read any longer!  It was so good, and the ending totally threw me off–just like in Gone Girl.  If I had to recommend one book for you to read from my picks this month, I would definitely start with The Girl on the Train!