---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was working in a church in Florida as a…"
description: "\"I was working in a church in Florida as a youth intern, which means I really didn't do much other than staple stuff. I'm from Dallas, Texas, and every ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/bart-millard-10713_answering-the-phone_i-was-working-in-a-church-in-florida-as_3226876.jpg"
---

#  I was working in a church in Florida as a youth intern…

![“I was working in a church in Florida as a youth intern, which means I really didn't do much other than staple stuff. I'm from Dallas, Texas, and every time my grandmother would call-she would call me any time of the day-I'd be home answering the phone. She was like, &quot;What do you do all day?&quot; and…” quote by Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/bart-millard-10713_answering-the-phone_i-was-working-in-a-church-in-florida-as_3226876.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/bart-millard-10713_answering-the-phone_i-was-working-in-a-church-in-florida-as_3226876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf7/bart-millard-10713_answering-the-phone_i-was-working-in-a-church-in-florida-as_3226876.jpg)

> “I was working in a church in Florida as a youth intern, which means I really didn't do much other than staple stuff. I'm from Dallas, Texas, and every time my grandmother would call-she would call me any time of the day-I'd be home answering the phone. She was like, "What do you do all day?" and sarcastically I would say, "Well, I'm trying to chalk off the next year to spend time finding a band name." And she said, "Well mercy me, why don't you get a real job?" I thought, "Wait a minute. That's the perfect name." That kind of freed up my year but that's where the name came from.”

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A dismissive comment inspired a band name, turning criticism into creative fuel.

**In simple terms:** Criticism can spark creativity.

Key Takeaway

Turn jokes into motivation.

Themes

creativity resilience identity

Mood

playful determined

Type

inspirational motivational

When to use this quote

- songwriting
- marketing
- personal branding
- career planning

Key Concepts

branding self‑determination

Questions to Reflect On

- How can humor shape identity?
- What risks exist in embracing a sarcastic name?

A Different Perspective

Name may limit perception.

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[Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/church/) [Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dallas/) [End times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-times/) [Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/florida/) [Grandmother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandmother/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) [Phones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phones/) [Texas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/texas/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[Answering the phone\] Hello, this is a recording, you've dialed the right number, now hang up and don't do it again. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/answering-the-phone-hello-this-is-a-recording-you-ve-dialed-the-right/)

[Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/)

> [If you're not popular, then everyone is not wanting anything to do with you, or not answering the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/if-you-re-not-popular-then-everyone-is-not-wanting-anything-to-do/)

[Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/)

> [But certainly in my grandmother's time - and when I was growing up, yeah, Demetrie's bathroom was on the side of the house, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/but-certainly-in-my-grandmother-s-time-and-when-i-was-growing-up-yeah/)

[Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/)

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> [“My grandmother had no time for old, no matter how her face crinkled or her days folded like an apron around her middle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-michelle-bratten/my-grandmother-had-no-time-for-old-no-matter-how-her-face-crinkled-or/)

April Michelle Bratten

> [I watched a ton of TV because I was raised by a single mom and spent a lot of time with my grandmother. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-waithe/i-watched-a-ton-of-tv-because-i-was-raised-by-a-single-mom-and-spent/)

[Lena Waithe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-waithe/)

> [I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas and seasonally lived in New Orleans and Boston. Given that this was all at a tender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/i-was-born-and-raised-in-dallas-texas-and-seasonally-lived-in-new/)

[Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/)

> [I had been in so many towns and cities in America with John Kennedy, but I was not with him in Dallas, Texas, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-salinger/i-had-been-in-so-many-towns-and-cities-in-america-with-john-kennedy/)

[Pierre Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-salinger/)

> [I was just down in Dallas, Texas...the Assassination Museum...it's really accurate, you know, 'cause Oswald's not in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-was-just-down-in-dallas-texas-the-assassination-museum-it-s-really/)

[Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/)

> [Paperwork, cleaning the house, dealing with the innumerable visitors who come all through the day, answering the phone, keeping patience and acting intelligently, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/paperwork-cleaning-the-house-dealing-with-the-innumerable-visitors/)

[Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/)

> [Just lock myself in a room, stop answering emails, stop answering the phone and I come out with something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/just-lock-myself-in-a-room-stop-answering-emails-stop-answering-the/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Because a poem is not written while running or while answering the phone. It's written in whatever minutes one has. Sometimes you have half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/because-a-poem-is-not-written-while-running-or-while-answering-the/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [“WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING YOUR PHONE?!? OH MY GOD, DID YOU SEE THE ARTICLE? I AM FREAKING OUT, WHY ARE YOU NOT ANSWERING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-benway/why-are-you-not-answering-your-phone-oh-my-god-did-you-see-the/)

[Robin Benway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-benway/)

> [“Em, it’s Will. Where the hell is that fiancé of yours? He didn’t turn up at the meeting place, and he’s not answering his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pilkington/em-it-s-will-where-the-hell-is-that-fianc-of-yours-he-didn-t-turn-up-2/)

[Paul Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pilkington/)

> [“The room was dark except for the light of her phone. She picked it up, even though nothing good ever came from answering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/the-room-was-dark-except-for-the-light-of-her-phone-she-picked-it-up/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

## More by Bart Millard

> [I came to know Christ at the age of 13 during church camp at Glorieta, New Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/i-came-to-know-christ-at-the-age-of-13-during-church-camp-at-glorieta/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [If somebody told me people would still care about our music 25 years ago, I would have thought they were crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/if-somebody-told-me-people-would-still-care-about-our-music-25-years/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [God was always a refuge for me growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/god-was-always-a-refuge-for-me-growing-up/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [We started making independent records. We started in '94 until about 2000 when just kind of just did it ourselves... We'd write our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/we-started-making-independent-records-we-started-in-94-until-about/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [My dad was a monster and I realized if the gospel could change that dude, the gospel can change anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/my-dad-was-a-monster-and-i-realized-if-the-gospel-could-change-that/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [The song 'Even If' is incredibly special to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/the-song-even-if-is-incredibly-special-to-me/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [I would say that God is much bigger than all of this. I've been through difficult times where it just seems like hope is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/i-would-say-that-god-is-much-bigger-than-all-of-this-i-ve-been/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [As long as there's breath in our lungs our story is still being written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/as-long-as-there-s-breath-in-our-lungs-our-story-is-still-being/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [Yeah, musically, from a production standpoint my favorite is probably 'Have a Little Talk with Jesus'. Just the way it turned out production wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/yeah-musically-from-a-production-standpoint-my-favorite-is-probably/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [My son, Sam, is 15 years old, and he's been a diabetic since he was 2. When you're a parent of a child with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/my-son-sam-is-15-years-old-and-he-s-been-a-diabetic-since-he-was-2/)

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> [When my father died of cancer in 1991, he left me with the assurance that he was headed to a better place. He used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/when-my-father-died-of-cancer-in-1991-he-left-me-with-the-assurance/)

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> [You didn't choose Christian music because it's more beneficial. It doesn't pay more. It doesn't make you more famous. There's some reason why you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/you-didn-t-choose-christian-music-because-it-s-more-beneficial-it/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [I am just sitting back and trying to take in the idea that the God who created everything around us, He didn't call the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/i-am-just-sitting-back-and-trying-to-take-in-the-idea-that-the-god/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [After 'The Hurt &amp; The Healer', we kind of hit a wall. I grew up in a somewhat legalistic church and it taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/after-the-hurt-the-healer-we-kind-of-hit-a-wall-i-grew-up-in-a/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

> [I'm not trying to shove anything down anybody's throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-millard/i-m-not-trying-to-shove-anything-down-anybody-s-throat/)

[Bart Millard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

[Explore all 64 Bart Millard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-millard/)

## More Answering the phone quotes

> [ \[Answering the phone\] Hello, this is a recording, you've dialed the right number, now hang up and don't do it again. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sinatra/answering-the-phone-hello-this-is-a-recording-you-ve-dialed-the-right/)

[Frank Sinatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sinatra/)

> [If you're not popular, then everyone is not wanting anything to do with you, or not answering the phone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/if-you-re-not-popular-then-everyone-is-not-wanting-anything-to-do/)

[Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/)

> [Just lock myself in a room, stop answering emails, stop answering the phone and I come out with something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/just-lock-myself-in-a-room-stop-answering-emails-stop-answering-the/)

[Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/)

> [Paperwork, cleaning the house, dealing with the innumerable visitors who come all through the day, answering the phone, keeping patience and acting intelligently, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/paperwork-cleaning-the-house-dealing-with-the-innumerable-visitors/)

[Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/)

> [Because a poem is not written while running or while answering the phone. It's written in whatever minutes one has. Sometimes you have half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/because-a-poem-is-not-written-while-running-or-while-answering-the/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

Browse all 6 Answering the phone quotes

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