From the desk of Ran Birkins

The story behind my song "Somewhere Sarah"

I have prayed many times asking for God to use me; in fact, I wrote a Christian song several years ago where I pleaded, "Use me, Lord, any way you choose."  God uses ALL believers many times that we know of, and many more times when we don't even realize it's happening.  Knowing that you have helped God even in some small way, furthered His cause even just a tiny bit, allowed Him to use you as His tool for even some minor task, is truly an awesome feeling.

And then there are those people who God uses in a very, very big way.  This is a story about one of those people, Jeannine Greenlee Floores.

A few years ago, while I was a member of West Valley Christian Church in West Hills, CA, I sang in the choir.  After a Wednesday evening choir practice that ended at about 9pm, I met with our church's minister, Glenn Kirby, to talk about the upcoming Sanctity of Human Life services at our church.  The services, which are held by many churches around the country, sadly commemorate the anniversary of the January 1973 'Roe vs. Wade' Supreme Court decision which basically legalized abortion.  I am very much pro-life and anti-abortion, and I had sung my songs "The Least of These" and "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" at previous Sanctity of Human Life services.

Glenn and I chatted for at least 45 minutes, maybe even an hour.  He asked me if I was familiar with Sarah's House, a Christian maternity home for women in crisis pregnancies in nearby Simi Valley, CA.  I had never heard of Sarah's House, so Glenn told me all about it, including how it came to be founded.  I was emotionally blown away by the story and felt incredibly inspired and motivated.  

Glenn told me that the founder of Sarah's House was also an excellent speaker and a wonderful singer, and he had invited her to speak in our Sanctity of Human Life Services.  I remember Glenn telling me, in words similar to these, "If you were impressed when I told you the story behind Sarah's House, wait until you hear Jeannine tell it in her own words!" 

Our meeting now over, Glenn and I walked out to the church parking lot together, said our 'good nights,' and then he drove away.  But I could not leave just yet; I sat there in my car in the church parking lot for 10 or 15 minutes, hurriedly scribbling phrases and line ideas.  When I finally started the car, I rushed home to my piano and within an hour, I had completed "Somewhere Sarah."

A few Saturdays later in West Valley Christian Church's sanctuary, I recorded a demo version of "Somewhere Sarah," helped by three members of our church.  Amber Santiago, a fellow choir member who has a terrific voice and often sang solos at church, sang the lead vocals.  Chrissie Alford, the young daughter of one of our church's board members, sang Sarah's lines, and Thom Kite ran the church's sound equipment.

The following is an excerpt from the liner notes of "SHORT STORIES," my debut CD: 

That's right, "Somewhere Sarah" is a true story, and the emotional vocal performance you hear on my CD is the voice of Sarah's birth mother, Jeannine Greenlee Floores.  Jeannine and I met at my church's Sanctity of Human Life service that January and I gave her a tape of the song, and the rest is history.  We became friends, and Jeannine now uses "Somewhere Sarah" as the signature song in her concert ministry.

I have had the pleasure of attending one of Jeannine's "Breath of Life Maternity Ministries" concerts, and I watched first-hand as she established a close rapport with her audience, better than anyone I have ever seen.  Between songs, Jeannine blended humor and her love for God as she gave her personal testimony, and the audience was totally captivated by this charming, talented and energetic woman.  When she closed her program with "Somewhere Sarah," there wasn't a dry eye in the house, including me...and I already knew how the song ended!

"Use me, Lord, anyway you choose"...those certainly were the prayers of Jeannine Greenlee Floores, and God has indeed used her mightily!