The call came in on Saturday evening.....from my best friend, the senior pastor's wife - and I thought 'what's wrong now?' - it's just been that kind of week!

She opened with 'Are you game?" Dangerous words to hear when up to my elbows in flour and dough! "Sure" I said rashly....what am I getting myself into now? It seems that one of our interpretive dancers will not be there in the morning.....and we're to do our dance, can you fill in? My mind wildly ran around, trying to find a way out....can't we do it without her? Can we just cancel? Nope, no way out....I'd already agreed. So there it was - I was to become dancer #8.

My best friend and I are the 'corral-ers' of the interpretive dance team at church. There are 8 in the group (there is also one guy in the youth group, but he won't dance), and they range in age from 9 to 16. They are always interesting, sometimes wild, occasionally heart-wrenching, fun group of girls - and I do admit that I thoroughly enjoy working with them. I also do dance sometimes - I enjoy it, and the girls think it is 'cool' - but this one I had not practiced with them. I knew most of the moves, but not the 'semi-solos' through the bridge of the song, and worst of all, the missing gal was the tallest one in the group - and I am....er....height-challenged. No matter - it had to be done!

Fast forward to morning - everyone bickering about their hair, where is my slip, why is so-and-so not here, that one is late....the dry ice isn't working, where is the CD? Typical getting ready time. Ok....all set, we'll run through it so I can get up to speed on the moves I don't know, coached by a 10-year-old. First run-thru...disaster! We collided, and I wasn't sure where I started out, much less where I was to end up. More coaching - everyone joins forces to get it straight - then run-through it again. Whew! Yes! I got it down on the second run-thru. Almost time!

All quiet - the lights go off, and I come out from on stage - forgot I was also to introduce the song! But I had thought about it, and the song "East To West" by Casting Crowns was such a lovely song, with a beautiful message about getting the "head knowledge" of Jesus' love and forgiveness to become "heart knowledge". Introduction over, I'm back on stage with the others....the curtains open, the music starts....everything flows just as it should - no visible mistakes....and suddenly the words become us, and we are all speaking to the congregation with our dance, communicating the message with every move.

After the music fades, and we are off stage - everyone comes around to tell me that I 'did good!' - and I thought then that sometimes the lessons learned are not the ones you started out to teach....instead, you end up being taught.

Maybe not so "accidental" after all...