The Dare Dreamer Movement by Julene Fleurmond

One of my favorites from Adam Young, aka Owl City…

‎”If you are going through a dry time, stop, take a deep breath, and smile. God is using ALL things, even “darker” days, for His good. He is molding and shaping your heart. You are a constant work in progress.” – Jenna Lucado Bishop.

Recently on Dream in Soul I interviewed Jenna Lucado Bishop who took the time to answer some of my questions on dreams and purpose. I was so blessed by her encouragement and what she shared:

In the latest SOAR interview Jenna Lucado Bishop talks about her role on the Revolve Tour for teen girls and gives advice on God-given dreams and serving Him right 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)?

I’ve got the song “Hold Me” from Jamie Grace stuck in my head – it’s so upbeat, unique and catchy. For the past couple of weeks I’ve played it on repeat for the 1st and second grade girls who I teach at church, to get them focused on their art projects (and to stop talking about Justin Bieber:) and they love listening to it too as they sing along and color. Glad they appreciate great music:)…

TobyMac recently signed Jamie Grace to his label Gotee Records and her EP that was released in February is funky, soulful and creative – something I think anyone will enjoy. (You can preview the EP on her Facebook page here.) I got to see her in action at Women of Faith’s event for teens The Revolve Tour Dream On event in January (check out some pictures I took at the event) and her testimony and how focused she is at only 19-years-old is so inspiring. She shared her testimony of how God helped her to deal with a diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome when she was 11-years-old and how she started acting and playing music despite hardships and dealing with discovering who she was. She also shared her song “Hold Me,” and an original song dedicated to Revolve. Despite being her first time being on the Revolve stage she seemed like a seasoned pro and was really inspiring and relatable. She’s an awesome inspiration to me on how God can launch you into your dreams if you trust, practice your craft and give all you do to Him.

I’ve been following Jamie Grace on Youtube since a few years back after I stumbled across one of her videos when I was randomly looking for a review of High School Musical 2 (don’t judge me, I was a bored college student;). I loved her videos talking about dealing with Tourettes and song covers she did with her guitar. Now she’s sharing her story and songs around the country; she’s really come a long way and I know this is only the beginning for the amazing places she’s going!

For more info on Jamie Grace and to order her EP you can visit jamie-grace.com or connect with her on Youtube, Facebook or Twitter: @jamiegraceh

Also check out this cool fan supporter site for Jamie Grace to help spread the word: http://jamiegracefans.blogspot.com

Below check out a clip of a video of Jamie Grace in action at Revolve in TX:

Most everyone has dreams, and I’ve been thinking lately about how there are different kinds of aspirations people may have – those that may depend on outside circumstances and people to ultimately bring about (like winning an award, becoming a renown singer, etc.). You present your best work into the world hoping for more and to reach many, but it’s not always in our power to orchestrate what happens next or who responds and how.

Then there are those dreams you are responsible for bringing to fruition in a sense; things you want to create, experience and learn how to do. “I want to (insert activity here)… someday.” Why not now, why not today? Time goes by and we never make time to do the things we really have a passion for, or we do have the time and we spend it on other routine activities (and sometimes time-wasting ones – Facebook anyone?;), all while being inspired by others living out their own dreams. It’s one thing to wait on God to move forward, but what happens when He’s given the go ahead and we are still sitting on our hands waiting for another sign to appear in the clouds? Nothing.

It’s almost as if we don’t really know if we have the permission to do what we like – it might not seem “practical,” or we have so many other important things to do or people relying on us to support and help them that we push our inner yearnings aside. It may be that the thought that we are actions away from being able to delve into a dream we’ve considered for so long seems too good to be true that we’re internally paralyzed from moving forward…

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On my site Dream in Soul I had the honor to interview Dianna Hobbs, who is a writer, journalist, speaker, entrepreneur and now recording artist. She shared her heart and journey of pursuing her buried passion and gives advice to others who may need direction in bringing their God-given dreams into fruition. I am so very inspired by her wisdom and the many facets of her ministry, especially her publication for women, EEW Magazine and her new music. I had her first single “Do What He Said” on repeat recently while working on a project I had been struggling with. You will definitely be inspired by her words of encouragement:

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…