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Point of Grace

Four friends talk straight about their high school highs and lows

By Chris Lutes

"Salsa," says Shelley Phillips, who's wearing her Banana Republic sweatshirt inside out. "I hope they got that salsa I like."

The members of Point of Grace are checking out the spread of food before them. A large silver tray of cold cuts, cheese, lettuce, all the standard sandwich stuff. Oh, yeah, tortilla chips and salsa, too.

"Shelley's being bossy again!" says Heather Floyd, playfully.

Denise Jones and Terry Jones giggle, nodding their heads in agreement.

Like the smooth harmonies of their award-winning pop, these four women blend well together as friends. They encourage each other and joke around. And every now and then, they talk about the not-so-distant past: high school. For each of them, high school was a time full of lasting memories, and sometimes, difficult experiences.

Campus Life grabbed a sandwich (and some chips and salsa) with Denise, Heather, Shelley and Terry, and spent a few hours talking about their high-school years.

DENISE JONES:

"I learned a hard lesson from basketball."

"My favorite high-school subject? Boys!" Denise says with a laugh, then becomes a bit more serious. "Choir. Is that a subject? Yeah, choir. Definitely."

Denise had one other high-school favorite: basketball. And she was good on the court, making the varsity with ease. Unfortunately, Denise's coach took the joy out of the game.

"Our coach got down on us for every mistake we made. I'd miss a basket and she'd yell, 'I can't believe you missed that shot!'

"She'd play mind games with us, too. I'd go into a game and score 10 points, not miss a shot. Then suddenly, with no explanation, the coach would take me out for the rest of the game. I'd sit on the bench thinking, I was doing well. Why am I sitting here?

"When stuff like that happens, you begin to question yourself. You wonder if there isn't something wrong with you.

"I started to hate basketball. But I wasn't a quitter, so I stayed in there and endured to the end of my senior basketball season.

"The experience battered my self-esteem, but I also learned to open up more about my feelings. I especially began to talk more openly to my mom about my struggles. Through it all, God showed me I can't hide behind a 'happy face,' especially if I'm not feeling particularly happy.

"I also learned that my coach was wrong. It is OK not to be the best. It's OK to make mistakes. I'm not the best singer in Point of Grace. Again, that's OK. I am a very good 'team player.'"

HEATHER FLOYD:

"I wrecked the driver's ed car!"

For Heather, who attended Norman (OK) High with Denise and Terry, there are many great memories of choir and school musicals. There is also that not-so-great memory of almost dissecting a baby pig in biology class.

"It had these cute, tiny eyelashes!" says Heather. " I couldn't do it. I ran out of the classroom crying!"

And then there was that "little problem" with the driver's ed car . …

"I was driving along a country road at a pretty good speed when I saw a pothole up ahead. I asked my teacher if I should go around it. He said yes, so I jerked the steering wheel a little too hard and landed in a ditch. The driver's ed teacher still uses me as an example of how not to drive!"

But one of Heather's best memories is of a guy from her church who gave her a glimpse of selfless love and caring friendship.

"One day before lunch, my friend Mike invited me to go off campus and have lunch with him. Not thinking much about it, I said, 'Sure.' We had a really nice time together at one of my favorite places.

"About a year later I learned why he did it. He had overheard these friends of mine talking. They were planning to push me out of their little group, so they'd decided to go out to lunch—and leave me behind. After Mike heard this, he found me and talked me into going to lunch with him so I wouldn't find out what my friends had planned.

"I know it was a little thing, but what he did was so kind and unselfish. He really cared about my feelings. It just showed me what it means to be a real friend."

SHELLEY PHILLIPS:

"Dad's words hit me hard."

"You know what everyone called my high school?" asks Shelley with a wide grin. "Redneck Tech! The real name was Joe T. Robinson High. While my hometown was Little Rock (AR), my school was way out in the country. … "

Whether she's talking about salsa or her old high school, Shelley is not afraid to speak her mind. And, she readily admits, her mouth has occasionally caused some problems.

"When I was in high school, my little sister was still in elementary school. Like a 'typical' little sister, she could get on my nerves. And I could really tell her off. I was always making her cry.

"During my senior year, my dad said to me, 'Shelley, you're leaving for college soon, and what your sister will remember most about you is how you've treated her.'

"Dad's words hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt so bad. After that, I worked harder at being nice to my sister, and at giving her a little more attention.

"One thing I'd like to say to people who have younger siblings is this: Start being nice right now. I'm glad I changed, but it would have made things easier on my sister, and on the whole family, if I'd tried a little harder to get along."

TERRY JONES:

"Those were very hard years."

When Terry begins talking about her junior year, her eyes tear up. She looks to the side and brushes away a tear with the back of her hand. Then she talks about the pain.

"When I was a junior, my dad began serving a five-year prison sentence for something I believe he didn't do. His boss at the time was being investigated for some illegal business dealings. Dad got accused of being involved and ended up in prison."

Terry was determined not to let the experience have a negative effect on her.

"What good would getting angry do? What good would it have done to rebel? It wouldn't have helped anybody. The last thing I wanted to do was cause more problems for my mom and dad.

"In fact, when Dad was suddenly gone, I was forced to grow up a little bit.

"I couldn't spend my time worrying so much about popularity—and who's my friend today and who's not my friend tomorrow. I couldn't worry about what clothes were cool and what clothes weren't. I just discovered I had to put my energy into helping my family."

Terry also chose to put her energy into knowing God better.

"I dug into God's Word. I studied the Bible every chance I got. I remember reading the book of James and getting a lot of comfort from it . …

"Maybe I would have liked for things to have been different, but God turned a very sad situation into something good. I think my whole family is stronger because of what happened. Now, my parents are both involved in prison ministry. My own faith was strengthened through it all. "It's incredible how God can turn things around."

ALL TOGETHER NOW . …

After graduating from high school in the late 1980s, Denise, Heather, Shelley and Terry went to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkansas, where they formed Point of Grace. And while three of them knew each other in high school, it was during college that the foursome formed close and lasting friendships.

"When I face a crisis," Heather says, "these three girls are the ones I go to. We cry together. We pray together. We're close, like sisters."

"We have our conflicts, like sisters do," adds Shelley. "But instead of fussing over what bothers us about each other, we have learned to benefit from each other's strengths. For instance, Terry is very organized. I'm not. That strength helps the group a lot."

"In the five years we've been Point of Grace," says Terry, "we've grown to respect each other's differences. And I hope people will understand this about us: Yes, we're Point of Grace. But we're also four very good friends.

"We hope people see more than that, though. We want them to see us as just four normal people who are trying our best to live what we believe. In high school, we faced problems and hassles like everyone else. But no matter what, we've tried to remain true to our commitment to Christ."

"In spite of our weaknesses and mistakes," adds Denise, "we want our lives to show that the God we're singing about is real. I just hope we will always be an encouragement to others."

TO THE POINT

LIFE, LOVE & OTHER MYSTERIES — Yep, that's the name of POG's new album—hitting the stores this month. Along with those powerful four-part harmonies, expect some toned-down acoustic tunes, too.

AND NEW BOOK, TOO! — Simon & Schuster just released a book on POG, bearing the same title as the new album.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES — No, Denise Masters Jones and Terry Lang Jones aren't related. (And neither are their hubbies!)

HEATHER'S COOL RINGS — "I wear a gold True Love Waits promise ring, to show I'm saving myself for marriage," says Heather. "Then I bought this silver ring with a cross on it. I wear it right above my promise ring, to symbolize that God is the one who will give me the strength to wait for sex."

DENISE'S COOL COUSINS— Pro basketball's Mark and Brent Price, bros who played for the Washington Bullets last season, are indeed related to this POG. (Mark and Brent, both Christians, are pretty good singers too!)

SHELLEY'S MAJOR SPORTS ACCOMPLISHMENT — "I managed the girls' volleyball team one year," she says. "Does that count?"

TERRY'S MAJOR HIGH-SCHOOL AWARD — "I was voted Most Polite," she says. "And that's hard to believe when you realize I can rip-roar some real big burps!"

Copyright 1996, Christianity Today International/CAMPUS LIFE Magazine September/October 1996
Vol 55, No.2, Page 20

Last updated: September 6, 1996

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