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Dreaming On In Life & Faith: Interview With Jenna Lucado Bishop On The Revolve Tour & Serving Where You Are
With realness and encouragement Jenna Lucado Bishop shares her heart with young women around the country, relating to their everyday questions and delving into the truth of God’s word with them. Whether speaking on stage at The Revolve Tour, a faith and fun-filled weekend for teen girls, or co-authoring books with her father, best-selling author and speaker Max Lucado, Jenna’s passion for God is apparent and inspiring, and her energy and the warmth of her personality are inviting. In this interview Jenna shares how she was led to get involved with The Revolve Tour and gives advice for dreaming on in God and serving Him right where we are, even in uncertain times:
Interview by SOAR’s Editor Julene Fleurmond (A special thank you to the Revolve Tour staff for the interview!)
SOAR: I wanted to start off by asking what led you to be involved with The Revolve Tour and having a heart especially for teen girls?
Jenna Lucado Bishop: My heart for teen girls can be traced back to college. I joined a little singing group that would travel to various girl’s events to lead worship. It was at these all-girl weekends that I realized I loved talking to, encouraging, and offering advice to teenage girls. I wasn’t much older than them, but I had just enough wisdom to offer since high school was finally in hindsight:) I knew that one day, I wanted to work with teen girls full-time. I just didn’t know what that would look like. And it DEFINITELY would not look like me speaking from a stage! Seriously. I never wanted to be a speaker.
Well fast-forward four years, and I hear about this new conference called Revolve. Revolve comes from a “mama” tour called Women of Faith. I knew Women of Faith through my dad, and they told me all about this new conference for girls that they were starting. I casually mentioned that I would love to serve at something like that. I was envisioning helping behind stage or on the concourse, selling product or joining the marketing team. I never knew Mary Graham (president of Women of Faith) would sit down with me a year later and ask me if I wanted to try teaching on stage.
SOAR: When and how did you realize that God was calling you to be a speaker and writer, (did your father’s work have a big influence)?
Love Series Part 2: SOAR Readers Talk About Love
What does love mean to you? Here are some more responses from SOAR readers on love and waiting for the true love story that God writes (click here for part 1 if you missed it):
Genevieve, A 20-Something Shares the Love
What does real love mean to you?
Real love is 1 Corinthians love to me. It is not love that one receives because of works, it is what motivates us to treat people with the love Jesus showed at Calvary, the “inspite of” love. The love that does not “turn off” because of actions but responds to need to feel it.
Why have you decided to wait?
I have decided to wait because I know my worth and feel like my husband will be worth it. To youth I say the God in you created you for greatness and He can and will strengthen you to wait. The wait is worth it everytime, and the blessings associated with the self-control fruit of the spirit cannot be topped so value yourself and you will be able to embrace real love.
Stephanie, Recently engaged and glad she waited
What does real love mean to you?
To me, real love is love that is centered around Jesus Christ. That’s the only solid foundation in this world that human beings can build a lasting relationship on.
Why have you decided to wait?
I decided to wait because when I was 18 years old, God told me through a minister this message: “He talks about you all the time, and He said you’re like His little flower. You’re to be put on display, but not to be touched.” I knew then that if Jesus took the time to send me a message through someone, then it was incredibly important to listen to it. So praise Jesus, I’m on my way to getting married in June as a 25 year old virgin, all glory to God!
Advice I would give to youth on waiting: DO NOT DATE A SIGNIFICANT OTHER IF THEY ARE NOT JUST AS COMMITTED TO WAITING AS YOU ARE! I started college with seven other close friends who were just as committed to waiting as I was, and by the end of our four years, I was one of only two virgins left. It was just a moment of weakness that overtook all of them, and I know that if my fiance’ and I weren’t equally committed to waiting, then the same fate would probably have overtaken us. If your partner isn’t serious about waiting, don’t date him/her until he/she is.
Kathy Breaks it Down
What does love mean to you?
Oh boy! You’re going to make me preach! The Bible clearly defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. So, I’ll start with this: Love is an action verb. Love is NOT a feeling. It is a series of actions and characteristics that one exhibits to the benefit of another based on a decision that was made intentionally. Kind of like exercise, one decides to work out and will carry out a variety of cross training activities that are all the execution of that decision. (I wrote this really great definition once on Facebook, but I couldn’t find it lol.)
Why have you decided to wait?
I decided to wait because it was instilled in at a young age that virginity and purity are important. Eventually, it became a value that I adopted for myself especially as I began to understand the biblical significance of sex.
Somehow, very early on, when I was like 11 years old, waiting became less about fearing my parents, or pregnancy and more about wanting to surrender that part of my life to God for myself (everything else came later). I attended Bible studies with my sisters’ young adult group. From these lessons, I began to understand that sex was more the the physical act between the man and woman but it went much deeper than that. I had learned that marriage is an earthly reflection of our relationship with God so we cannot do as please with our bodies. The purity that God requires of us for our own protection and the protection of our souls. The physical connection in intercourse is like signing a contract, you’re telling this other person,”I’m all yours.” Therefore, you cannot make this binding agreement with multiple people or just anybody. When I understood what sex is really designed to be, I knew that I wanted it God’s way.
Loving advice from Gabrielle, a mom
With so many young girls trying to grow up so fast with all this technology, we need to tell our young girls and older ones that haven’t reach maturity to wait. Many times the mother might not have someone there to guide them, also they don’t explain the process. Love is something so precious; when you move too fast you can get hurt, and a hurt from “love” is painful. There are signs you have to watch so that you won’t get them confused with love: Verbal, physical or mental abuse whether from a parent or a mate. Now that I am older have decided to be sold out for Jesus to send a companion [to me], even if He never does, being an example for my daughter to follow or some other young person…
Take your time, God will find you the right person and He has great plan for you all.
Video Pick & Inspiration: Headphones from Britt Nicole & Update From the Revolve Tour in TX
The Revolve Tour Update
Above: Photos from the “Dream On” event in Dallas, TX (from The Revolve Tour’s Facebook Page).
Britt Nicole is currently on The Revolve Tour: Dream On, a fun, faith-filled weekend event for teen girls coming to a city near you. I got to meet her when the tour kicked off in Dallas and could tell that Britt has a beautiful heart for God and people from the way she took the time to speak to each of the girls during the autograph signings, and even gave me some words of encouragement before she left.
It was amazing to see her and her dancers do the song Headphones and others live – each one was awesome and so full of energy. I was especially moved to tears during the song “Have Your Way,” also from the album The Lost Get Found which talks about giving all of our heart, dreams and life to God.
Visit www.revolvetour.com for dates and more information about the Revolve Tour, it is an amazing event! Check back later on SOAR for more on my experience.
Video Pick & Inspiration: Headphones from Britt Nicole
Britt Nicole sings about the ups and downs of life, and reminds us that God’s love is always in reach in this colorful, inspiring and playful video for her song “Headphones” from the album The Lost Get Found. You can also find a guitar-accompanied version on her Acoustic EP.
Britt Nicole on the Story Behind Headphones:
“I actually wrote it to my cousin, who is around ten years old; I think she’s twelve now. I wrote this song for her…
“The first verse talks about how we want to fit in, and how sometimes we want to be like everybody else. But God has something so special for you, you are fearfully and wonderfully made, and He made you unique. He made you to be who you are. If you’re ten years old, you’re kind of figuring out who you are. You’re learning different things at school. You’re seeing that some people live one way, and some people live a different way. I would encourage her to be who she is, and to not be afraid to stand up for God.”
- From an Interview with Tracy Darlington on TitleTrakk.com
The Latest Apparel and Designs from the Dream in Soul Store
Check out the latest from the Dream in Soul Store which offers a line of uplifting apparel and gifts created for you to express your faith. The goal of the line is to bring glory to God through creativity and to present unique pieces that speak truth and inspire others. Click here to visit the Store.
Dream in Soul: Embracing Your Purpose & Doing What He Said – Interview With Dianna Hobbs
When you have a divine urging inside of your heart it can be hard to ignore it, but can sometimes become difficult to press forward to what God has called you to do. Purpose often doesn’t come without its detours especially when obstacles and disappointments blur the vision God placed in our heart.
Dianna Hobbs can attest to facing obstacles when pursuing music, her buried passion. As the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of EEW Magazine, the premiere Christian publication for African American women, she has paved a path of influence in media throughout the years, along with pouring out daily encouragement on her blog.
Behind the scenes though she felt God drawing her to begin her music ministry. It was only recently that she got the courage to do what He said, and thankfully she did. Now Dianna is inspiring many hearts through her music, which blends CCM, pop, R&B, and sometimes, soft rock along with encouraging messages. In this interview Dianna talks about her journey and gives advice to others who may need direction in bringing their God-given dreams into fruition…
Young Artist Snapshots: Interview With Lauren & Lucas
On SOAR we feature young people (from those beginning their ministries to those more established) who are using their talents to bring glory to God. Check out our interview with brother/sister music duo Lauren & Lucas Gandy who began by posting creative videos on Youtube showcasing both their musical and production skills and their love for Jesus. By creating acoustic covers of songs by Christian artists, from Lecrae to Kirk Franklin and Skillet, Lauren and Lucas’ videos show you can have fun while bringing glory to God.
SOAR: Can you give us some background on yourselves; how old are you guys, what year in school? Where are you from, and how would you describe yourself for us to get to know you better?
Lauren: Age: 15, Education: 11th Grade, Would describe myself as: Sarcastic, Energetic
Lucas: Age: 22, Education: College, Would describe myself as: Relaxed, Easygoing
Lauren & Lucas: We are from a small town called Mize, The Watermelon Capitol of the World.
Lauren: HAHA- no. seriously, we have a festival every year.
SOAR: When did you start getting into music and what inspired you to start making videos?
Lauren & Lucas: We both remember hearing our mom sing in church. We would hear her practice all the time around the house. She’s pretty much where we got our rhythm. She would also have K-Love playing in the car when we would go somewhere. Then in 2005, a friend introduced us to new artists like Grits, KJ-52, and Toby Mac.
In early 2008 we noticed that some YouTube users were getting a decent amount of subscribers by covering and making acoustic versions of secular music. We noticed that there were hardly anybody covering Christian artists, especially Christian rap. Then in December of 2008 we decided to throw ourselves onto the World Wide Web, and here we are now. We’ve been doing our own video-ing and it has been less hassle with just being two of us.
Check Out Lauren & Lucas’s Video Introducing Their Youtube Channel
SOAR: How has the response been? Have you gotten any comments on your videos that have really touched you?
Lauren & Lucas: We’ve been getting tons of support. We even had a few people start their own music ministry on YouTube. The comments we get are so meaningful to us. It’s so wonderful to see what an impact we have on people.
SOAR: I heard Lecrae responded to the “Praying for You” cover you did; how did you react to that? Did it help spread the word about your other videos?
Lauren & Lucas Acoustic Cover of Lecrae’s “Praying For You”
Lauren: We were aware that all the Christian Rap ‘Acoustic’ covers were originally secular music (called ‘Apologetics’) but nobody had ever tried to cover a song that was Christian Rap to begin with. So we took a shot at it, but we had a feeling that Lecrae would never see it. With the billions of YouTube videos out there; we felt that it was pretty much impossible. Then sure enough, he found it. Lucas was up late one night and found out from our followers that Lecrae posted our cover on his Twitter and Facebook Page. I was asleep at the time till he came and woke me up. He was very loud and I was very annoyed. Ha ha but It finally hit me the next morning. It definitely helped us get some exposure, although, that’s not what we are doing this for. =)
SOAR: Who are some of your favorite music artists and influences?
Message Pick: Nick Vujicic – “God Will Pull You Through”
“If God can use a man without arms and legs to be His hands and feet, then He will certainly use any willing heart!” – Nick Vujicic
Born without arms or legs, Nick Vujicic faced an overwhelming battle as a youth to come to terms with the way he was made and to realize that God had a purpose for him. Through his ministry Life Without Limbs Nick has become a worldwide speaker, author and preacher of the Gospel. Now in his late twenties, Nick continues to reach out to people of all ages and backgrounds to let them know that they too can overcome the barriers and hardships in life through the grace of God. Nick is truly an amazing man of faith and a reflection of a life of victory, even without limbs.
In the message below Nick talks to a group of youth about the power of Christ that transformed his life:
He Touched Me & Made Me Whole – Editor’s Testimony
Recently I was asked to share part of my testimony of overcoming obstacles and hardships as a teen with a website for teen girls called Girls 4 God. The editor of the site, Annika, has featured the stories of various women to encourage girls to grow in Christ and I was glad to be able to contribute my experience.
Visit the website at www.girls4god.de/ENGinhalt.html for awesome inspiration for girls, and click here to read my and other girls’ testimonies, or read my story below.
My Testimony – He Touched Me & Made Me Whole
Despite of the pain God has renewed me and I want to share my journey with others so that they know there is hope beyond the hurt…
It is amazing how God has taken me from being moss under a rock to being planted as a blooming flower in His fertile ground. Our teen years can be really difficult at times when we’re going through changes, pressures and frustrations, and mine were no different. Despite of the pain God has renewed me and I want to share my journey with others so that they know there is hope beyond the hurt…
Interview with Kirk Franklin On His Book The Blueprint
Pursuing A Life Mapped By the Maker
His music and ministry spans generations. From producer, to musician, speaker and host, Kirk Franklin’s ability to be both light-hearted with humor and raw with realness and honesty draws in people of all ages and backgrounds. Adding a new level of transparency and spiritual insight, Kirk Franklin launches his first book The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms on May 18. In the book he charts a guide of personable wisdom speaking on everything from faith and marriage to race and life in the black community. “The Blueprint” aims to inspire anyone to view and plan his or her life from an unearthly perspective.
Kirk Franklin spoke to Dream in Soul about the vision of the book, his ministry expanding into the Twitterverse, his definition of success, and creating a bridge between contemporary Christian and gospel music. Tune into the conversation below:
Dream in Soul: Hi, thank you so much for talking to me today, it’s such an honor. I wanted to start out by asking you what inspired you to write this book at this point in your life and what was your vision in writing it?
Kirk Franklin: The book came about because I’ve been doing a lot of public speaking, and speaking at colleges, churches, and conferences, and so people thought that it would be good that I did a book. So a couple of publishers became interested in the idea, and now here we are with “The Blueprint.”
DS: What was your vision, did you have a specific age group in mind when writing the book or is it for everyone?
Dream in Soul is a new media site for the young-at-heart and purpose-full, inspiring you to live and use your talents passionately for God. To learn more, 
Click Here for our Interview with Music Artist & Producer TJ Pompeo on Dreams, Faith & Trust
