The Message Behind the Words

I’m a word person. Strangely enough, this can sometimes be a hazard in communication. I’ve noticed that I sometimes get hung up on the words someone says rather than what they’re actually saying. It’s a “can’t see the forest for the trees” kind of problem.

For example, last week in a meeting someone asked if I could highlight the most relevant entries on a chart. My brain immediately went to my difficulties with Excel and the fact that I’d just a bit earlier tried to highlight something on that very chart but I couldn’t get the color of that cell to change and so I wasn’t actually sure if I could highlight anything and I didn’t want to promise something I couldn’t deliver…and…and…and only later did I realize that what they were really asking was ‘can you somehow mark the parts you think we need to see’ which, of course, I could. (And did.)

I also figured out the highlighting problem, but that’s neither here nor there. The issue was, I was listening to the words and not the message they meant to convey.

So with this realization fresh in my mind, I went off to The Revolve Tour. Friday night I sat directly in front of a group of about a dozen girls; I’d guess they were in the thirteen- to fifteen-year-old range. As the event got started, I eavesdropped on the conversation behind me. (Not that I really had a choice at that range, but I have to confess didn’t even try not to listen.)

As Jenna began to lead the girls through an exercise in imagination, the girl directly behind me started talking. She spouted off random words and phrases, clearly not interested in playing along. If I had listened only to her words, I would have thought she was a disagreeable brat.

But this time I decided to listen to the message instead. And what I heard was a girl who was scared. She was afraid to close her eyes and open her heart. She was afraid if she stopped talking, she might have to let down her guard and let someone in.

I don’t know her story. I don’t know exactly what she was holding down or holding back. But I do know what it’s like to put up walls because you’re terrified of what will happen if you don’t. So instead of sitting there getting irritated with the blather, I sat there and prayed for this precious child who needed to hear how very much God loves her.

I don’t have a neat little ending to this story. I don’t know what happened. She did quiet down as the evening went on; I hope she was listening. More than that, I hope she managed to hear the message behind the words.

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“Don’t be a Poo-Throwing Monkey”

Why yes, that IS a direct quote. Not from me.

I spent the last couple days at The Revolve Tour Dream On—a one-of-a-kind inspirational weekend for 6th– to 12th–grade girls that combines award-winning bands and speakers with real, relevant messages in a high-energy event.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should reveal that I actually work for The Revolve Tour (as well as Women of Faith), so my opinions are not completely impartial. However, if I didn’t work there the odds of my spending a weekend in an enclosed space with thousands of squealing girls would be microscopic. But enough about me…let’s talk Revolve!

This was my sneak peek at the stage the night before the show. Pretty gorgeous, huh?

Revolve Stage

Meanwhile, backstage…

It's a word scramble! Can you name this Canadian rock band?

And further backstage…

Yes, it's a casket. A prop casket, that is.

How amazing is our crew that they built that thing from scratch in just a few days? Chelsea was called over as we walked by to check the height. (“Hey, short girl!”)

The party started Friday night with Group 1 Crew.

Group 1 Crew

Don’t tell, but we had a “secret” flash mob dance planned for their opening number. It was choreographed by Kathryn McCormick (of So You Think You Can Dance fame; she’s also on the Tour) and we’ve been sort of practicing it in the WoFfice. In fact, we had a dance-off at our pre-tour dinner. I, er, opted out of dancing in favor of photography.

Look at 'em go!

When the time came it was more fizzle than flash, but it was fun anyway.

Music is a BIG part of Revolve events. This year G1C shares the stage with Britt Nicole (a huge fave of the girls sitting behind me):

Jamie Grace…I didn’t get a good pic of her, but she’s adorable, has a fabulous voice, and just got signed by TobyMac. You’ll hear her on radios everywhere soon. And then, of course, there are these guys:

Hawk Nelson

It’s not every day I go to a rock concert, but these guys are great. It occurred to me today that if I’d gone into rock, pop, or hip-hop instead of classical, I’d burn off a LOT more calories per performance.

Hawk fans

But there’s more than music. We also have drama…recognize anything? It was a piece about teen suicide. It was gut-wrenching. During it, the only sound from an entire arena full of people was the heater kicking in. I’m not sure anyone breathed. I saw the burly security guard at our section blinking back tears. It was that good. Long-time Women of Faith dramatist Nicole Johnson wrote the script for this and the other dramas.

As if all that weren’t enough, Jenna Lucado Bishop and Chad Eastham talk to the girls.

Chad doesn't normally wear a tutu, this was a dream ballet sequence.

At the end of Jenna’s message she explains how the girls can put their faith in Christ…and I hear that at the Garland event this weekend, more than 500 of them indicated they did just that.

Oh, you’re still wondering about that quote in the title, aren’t you? That was Chad. He was encouraging the girls to be smart; to restrain themselves from following every urge that comes along. Unlike monkeys, who do follow their urges. Which, apparently, includes the urge to throw poo.

This was the first Dream On event of the 2011 Revolve Tour. There are 11 more events across the country. If one is anywhere near you and you know a teen girl, you should definitely take her there. It could be life-changing. For both of you. See the schedule here: http://revolvetour.com/events/

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New & Improved

It was shortly after I began my career at Women of Faith that I first heard the rumor the office was moving. Just shy of 7 years later, we actually did it. I took a picture of my old space, but it seems to have disappeared. Suffice it to say that it had no view, little space, and not a lot of light. But here’s my new spot:

My new home away from home

I can glance up from my computer and see trees. Several of them. Big lovely things. I like trees. This makes me very happy. So does my amazingly comfy new chair. So does this:

Impromptu meetings, parties, whatever...we've got the room

And this is pretty awesome, too:

This shot of a Women of Faith arena takes up a whole wall!

Of course, we would never forget The Revolve Tour:

Revolve gets its own wall

There’s this fun little coffee bar right by the back door:

Which, btw, we actually need access cards to open. Just like a real, grown-up office!

The front of the house, as it were, is also quite spiffy. Check out this hall with pics of our peeps!

We love our new space. It’s clean and shiny and colorful. There are no roaming gangs of teenagers in the parking lot, just happy views of trees. Was it worth waiting for? I do believe it was.

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Minute by Minute

At Women of Faith and The Revolve Tour events, we live and die by an Excel spreadsheet called the “minute-by-minute.” This incredibly detailed chart shows exactly when everything is supposed to happen during the course of the weekend.

For example, on a recent Saturday at Women of Faith’s A Grand New Day event, the Worship Team was supposed to take the stage at 2:50, sing 3 songs in 12 minutes, then leave the stage so Mary could spend the next 12 minutes making announcements, giving away prizes, and introducing Luci Swindoll. (I wasn’t there, so I don’t know if it actually went according to plan—but it usually does.) At any given time, a staffer with a minute-by-minute in hand can tell if the program is on time, early, or running late.

Wouldn’t it be great if everyday life was like that? If you could know exactly when your next blessing or trial was scheduled to begin and exactly how long it would last?

Well, no, actually. It wouldn’t. We just can’t handle that kind of knowledge. If you knew for a fact that you had a scary test result from the doctor on tap for next week, would you be able to enjoy that hug from your four-year-old today? Wouldn’t your mind race ahead to the bad news to come and blow past the good stuff staring you in the face?

I’ll bet it would. That’s just the way we operate. I got an email today with an excerpt from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Part of it went like this:

“Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur.”

I’m going to have to read that several times, probably over several days, before it really sinks in. I do know that most of the things we worry about either don’t happen or are out of our control anyway. That doesn’t always stop me from “rehearsing my troubles” though.

Here’s one thing that does help me handle the whole “not knowing” thing: I do not have a minute-by-minute for my life—but God does. He knows exactly when everything that’s going to happen to me (and you) will happen. Not only that, He’s in control of it all. Psalm 139:16 says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” When my father and brother (my only sibling) both died unexpectedly in unrelated events the same weekend, that verse was the only thing that kept me going. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” I told myself. “Even this one. Even this one.”

So. Relax. God has your days all mapped out and nothing is going to mess with His schedule.

P.S. If you’d like to pick up a copy of Jesus Calling, you can find it here:  http://store.womenoffaith.com/wofstore/product_detail.asp?sku=1591451884

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