I Twinkle

When you’re paying attention, you’ll notice it. You’ll glimpse it by sight, or hear it with your ears, and instantly feel it…then know it in your heart.

There’s absolutely no mistaking that we each have divinely orchestrated moments in our lives…MASTERpiece moments that have been perfectly synchronized just for us, by God Himself. The more we’re attuned to spotting them, the more we’ll catch… like falling stars gathered in a divine bucket.

One of my extra special MASTERpiece moments began at a movie theater with my girlfriends nearly 20 years ago… and ended in a 2017 'Jesus Calling' podcast episode featuring Reba as the guest interviewee. And when I say “ended”, I use that word loosely, with a smile. I wouldn’t be surprised if this “Twinkle Bucket” is not yet filled to the top!

Standing at the ticket counter window in the year 1999, I handed my cash to a grandfatherly man as he handed me my movie ticket. He looked me in the eye with a warm smile, then declared as he glanced at my girlfriends and nodded toward me, “Hey! She twinkles!”

My friends and I looked at each other and burst out in giggles. What on earth was the old man talking about? We had no idea, but he was so jolly and endearing, I took his declaration about me having some sort of “twinkle” quality as a compliment. Off we went toward the popcorn stand, and from that moment on, my nickname with those girlfriends became “Twinkles”.

A few years later, my nickname came in handy to solve a little problem. While submitting the paperwork for my newly formed music publishing company, I thought about a suitable name for my company. After submitting several names that came back in the mail with a stamp “name already in use”, I decided to pick a name not so common or generic -- one that had personal meaning to me, and was less likely to be already in use by another company.

And that’s how Twinkle Town Music Publishing was born. It not only houses the publishing of my songs and albums, but still to this day, I’m referred to as “Twinkles” by those long ago movie-going comrades. Little did I know, nearly 18 years later God would show me a “twinkle” connection to a big star named Reba.

In early 2017, just after the release of Reba McEntire’s album with my “God and My Girlfriends” song recorded on it, another girlfriend unknowingly dropped a “Twinkle” in my path. One morning as I was getting ready for my day, I received a text saying: “Hey! Reba is talking about your song on a ‘Jesus Calling’ podcast!”

I clicked on the link my friend had sent, and as I brushed my teeth listened to the endearing Miss Reba share her life and faith story. I share with you, now, my top 3 favorite moments of this ‘Jesus Calling’ podcast interview – in time reverse order, because I’m saving the best for last! ☺

#3 fave: Scroll to Minute 7:29– Reba shares a devotion that touched her deeply on a particular day.

#2 fave: Scroll to Minute 4:50-- Reba tells about her decision to record a gospel album, and that “God and My Girlfriends” is one of the album songs she loves to sing live.

#1 fave: Scroll to Minute 3:33– Reba utters these words: “…The Twinkle…I’m not a star, I twinkle…”

Hearing Reba utter those words as I listened to the podcast in my bathroom, I nearly dropped my toothbrush. Did she just say what I think she said? I'm a Twinkle? I scrolled backwards in the podcast to listen again. Yes! That’s what she said! I'm a Twinkle!

Instantly, in my mind I was transported back in time to a movie theater long ago with a smiling, grandfatherly stranger speaking those very words, ‘random’ as they were, about me. Words that I still carry to this day, in a nickname and a publishing company brand.

I laughed out loud through my toothbrush, looking at the bathroom ceiling as I shouted with a younger-me movie theater giggle, “I hear you, God! This is so awesome!”

God knew 18 years ago that one day, Reba McEntire would record “God and My Girlfriends” on an album. He also knew she would utter the words, “I'm a Twinkle!” in a 'Jesus Calling' podcast just after recording that song, and he used a sweet old man at a movie theater ticket counter to set a series of “Twinkles” in motion. Twinkles that would, nearly two decades later, connect into a divinely orchestrated MASTERpiece moment for me, in front of my bathroom mirror, with a toothbrush in my hand.

And guess what? The Twinkles haven’t stopped there. While typing this blog, when I went in search of the podcast episode to share the link with readers I found the video shared above. As I isolated the exact minute-marks of each of my favorite moments in the podcast, I was hit by another remarkable Twinkle:

At the very instant Reba utters “The Twinkle…”, it is minute 3:33. Why is this significant?

One of my favorite scriptures, which I wrote on a bathroom mirror nearly 20 years ago to memorize, is Jeremiah 33:3:

Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

From a bathroom mirror 20 years ago, to a present day bathroom mirror. Twinkles connecting Twinkles. In moments both stamped with the number 333…

AND with #GodandMyGirlfriends.

This one’s going in my “Twinkle Bucket”, too, folks! ;-)