Last Friday night, I had one of the best conversations I have had with a pastor/leader/friend in a long time. Granted, it was in Gaffney (you out-of-towners will know Gaffney as the city on 85 with the GIANT peach watertower that could be mistakenly identified as a body part with an issue...:-0), but we met at Starbucks, so it was like home. (Perry...if Gaffney has a Starbucks, please tell me why Anderson doesn't? It does not get ANY more redneck than Gaffney...there is just NO excuse!)
A few years ago at the start of my junior year at North Greenville, I met a pumped up freshman from Moncks Corner, SC. He literally found me everyday for about 3 months straight wanting to know about preaching, and how to find places to preach, and what to wear to preach, and what preachers I liked, and how I prepared a message, and...you name it, he asked it. He was a little on the charismatic side for me, but I liked him. He had a fire...a passion...a drive and it was tangible. As I began settling more into local church work, I started passing off my speaking invites to him. He took every one of them - believe me, he saw it and did it ALL in those days!
I'll never forget the night Clayton King and I were going to the Waffle House after BSU or something and I invited my freshman friend along. That night, I watched him do in 3 hours with Clayton what he had done with me for 3 months - ask questions. I knew then that Steven Furtick would be a man that God would use to do things beyond imaginable. It was true then and as thousands of people all over the world know, it is true now. Steven was somebody I believed in from the moment I met him.
Fast forward to Friday night and there we are in Gaffney, SC. Now, he's not a freshman any more. He's still asking questions, but he's also got a ton of answers and a ton of wisdom. More passion. More drive. God all over him. For the first time in several months, we just sat and talked.
This time, it was me asking a ton of questions. This time it was me sorting through 1000 thoughts about what's happening and what God may be doing in my life. This time it was me looking for wisdom, clarity, and encouragement. And, it was Steven casting vision. It was Steven reminding me of how God has used me in the past and using it as motivation for the future. It was Steven pointing out dangers and potential pitfalls. It was Steven calling out things in me that I had pushed to the backburner. It was a classic case of turnabout.
And I loved every minute of it.
My respect for Steven Furtick is off the charts. The guy loves Jesus, loves the church, loves the city where God placed him, and is relentless in his pursuit of God's absolute best for Elevation Church and the city of Charlotte. Steven, thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for turning around and investing in me.
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