Some people may be aware, but Steven Furtick is the pastor my brother Kevin, was listening to, when he finally gave his life to God. Clearly that made Furtick a very special person to him. Kevin has wanted to see him preach in person for as long as he's been a Christian. Pastor Furtick came to Ohio a few months ago to preach at a megachurch. Kevin found out about it the next day. He was very disappointed. Nevertheless he was planning a trip down to North Carolina to see Furtick at his home church.
He had everything set in place. Planned out all the things needed. I agreed to go months in advance, but was definitely having second thoughts when the time came to drive states away. The day before we were supposed to leave, I get a call. Kevin was devastated. For whatever reason, his paycheck was short. Short the amount he needed for gas, food, and hotel expense. The trip was off. I remember something I saw in a movie once and explained it to Kevin. Sometimes we don't know the reason things happen the way they do. Our lives are like woven tapestries. On the side we get to see, it's messy and string is everywhere. None of it makes any sense. There's no pattern. It's all random. But on the other side...
God sees the other side. The beautiful picture of our lives that He is seeing come together. The plans He established for us. Where nothing is random. Sometimes we never get to see things from God's point of view. Sometimes we never get to see His reasons. Oh, but sometimes we do.
Kevin seemed to be okay. At least resolved that he wouldn't be seeing Pastor Furtick that weekend. Come Monday morning Elevation Church puts their latest sermon on youtube and podcasts. Kevin always catches these. This time he watched with a hurt in his heart. Knowing he was supposed to be there. Kevin later told me how great the sermon was that he missed. In the strange turn of events, I could hear the smile through his words as he told the story. I kept wondering why he would be so excited he missed seeing his favorite pastor. He was destroyed days before. Turns out, God showed Kevin the other side of the tapestry.
Halfway through the sermon, Steven Furtick called out the location of the church. Only it wasn't Ballantyne, which is the location of Elevation. He called out University City. Immediately Kevin looked around the church on the video. Pastor Steven Furtick wasn't in his own church!
Kevin emailed the church before we were supposed to go and they told him that Furtick was planned to preach at Elevation unless some unforeseeable event happened. Kevin would have wasted days, hundreds of dollars, and time. Just to drive down to North Carolina and watch Pastor Furtick on a green screen. He was so relieved! He knew why God didn't want him to go. God wasn't disappointing Kevin. He was protecting Kevin from disappointment!
In perhaps the weirdest turn of events, the story didn't end there. You see, I've been having a lot of rough times here lately. I've been having some issues with my health, and not really sure why. For whatever reason, this has put a distance between my heart and God. I've had a lot of anxiety, and what has felt like one battle after the next.
Last week I went to work, and had to go pretty far out to see a patient. I drove past this huge church. I didn't even glance over. Didn't even notice it was a church at first. Not until I saw a flash of light. When I looked over, I saw that the light was coming from a rotating billboard of sorts, in the yard of this church. And whose face and name was on that screen? Steven Furtick. Coming this Sunday, 7pm!!! I was on the phone with Kevin at the time. I got stopped at the stop light beside the church and stared at the billboard. I wanted it to flash back to Furtick so I knew I wasn't seeing things. The whole time I sat at that red light, it never showed him again on the prompter. I looked it up online. Sure enough it was true. Steven Furtick was coming back to Ohio! And we didn't miss him!! We were incredibly excited! Crazy enough, the story would take another turn.
You see, I kind of worried about how much Kevin really liked Furtick. I mean, I love his preaching. He preaches the word, and it's good. I just worry that sometimes we start idolizing people. Francis Chan has said people would rather see Moses than go up the mountain themselves. I think there's a lot of truth to that. I was worried maybe Kevin held Furtick up there with God.
Sunday morning comes and I get a text from Kevin. He's not going to see Furtick. He saw something that he didn't like about the church Furtick was preaching in, and couldn't get past it. I'm not mentioning the church or the reason bc it has nothing to do with the story, but Kevin was absolutely not going. I was stunned. And honestly proud. Kevin would choose God over his favorite pastor. It seems like a no brainer, but sometimes you can rationalize things away for your own personal wants.
As I sat at the church potluck, I started telling other people about Furtick coming to town. No one could go for this reason or that. I still felt very strongly that God wanted me to go. It was looking like I was going on an adventure with God to see what He had for me.
I asked my mama to tune in online, since it played live. I guess I wanted her to see what I was seeing, so we could talk about all of it later and I wouldn't have to remember everything that was said. From the moment of worship in this place, I felt my heart just fill. We sang "surrounded." Hands up in praise. The whole night I felt God kept using everything to tell me that he brought ME here. This was Him still chasing me down.
Matthew 18:12 says 'What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?'
As I talked with my mama later about Pastor Furtick's sermon, she made the comment that he seemed all over the place. He was preaching from some of his earlier sermons. Everything he said, just fit so well with what I felt God was telling me, it all made perfect sense. One of the most impactful things I think God wanted me to get that night, was He doesn't have to change my situation, to be consistent with His character. Too many times I'm dwelling on me. If I chose those opportunities to dwell on who He is, my perspective would change.
The next day as I was talking with my brother, he didn't seem too upset that he missed it. He had a peace about it. He said 'I just don't think I was meant to go, but I think you were.'
God used this very strange story to do two things; reach me in my darkness, and teach Kevin to trust Him in every situation.
I wish I could tell you how this story ends, but I can only write of what God has done. Until God is done weaving the tapestry, the rest is still unwritten..
He had everything set in place. Planned out all the things needed. I agreed to go months in advance, but was definitely having second thoughts when the time came to drive states away. The day before we were supposed to leave, I get a call. Kevin was devastated. For whatever reason, his paycheck was short. Short the amount he needed for gas, food, and hotel expense. The trip was off. I remember something I saw in a movie once and explained it to Kevin. Sometimes we don't know the reason things happen the way they do. Our lives are like woven tapestries. On the side we get to see, it's messy and string is everywhere. None of it makes any sense. There's no pattern. It's all random. But on the other side...
God sees the other side. The beautiful picture of our lives that He is seeing come together. The plans He established for us. Where nothing is random. Sometimes we never get to see things from God's point of view. Sometimes we never get to see His reasons. Oh, but sometimes we do.
Kevin seemed to be okay. At least resolved that he wouldn't be seeing Pastor Furtick that weekend. Come Monday morning Elevation Church puts their latest sermon on youtube and podcasts. Kevin always catches these. This time he watched with a hurt in his heart. Knowing he was supposed to be there. Kevin later told me how great the sermon was that he missed. In the strange turn of events, I could hear the smile through his words as he told the story. I kept wondering why he would be so excited he missed seeing his favorite pastor. He was destroyed days before. Turns out, God showed Kevin the other side of the tapestry.
Halfway through the sermon, Steven Furtick called out the location of the church. Only it wasn't Ballantyne, which is the location of Elevation. He called out University City. Immediately Kevin looked around the church on the video. Pastor Steven Furtick wasn't in his own church!
Kevin emailed the church before we were supposed to go and they told him that Furtick was planned to preach at Elevation unless some unforeseeable event happened. Kevin would have wasted days, hundreds of dollars, and time. Just to drive down to North Carolina and watch Pastor Furtick on a green screen. He was so relieved! He knew why God didn't want him to go. God wasn't disappointing Kevin. He was protecting Kevin from disappointment!
In perhaps the weirdest turn of events, the story didn't end there. You see, I've been having a lot of rough times here lately. I've been having some issues with my health, and not really sure why. For whatever reason, this has put a distance between my heart and God. I've had a lot of anxiety, and what has felt like one battle after the next.
Last week I went to work, and had to go pretty far out to see a patient. I drove past this huge church. I didn't even glance over. Didn't even notice it was a church at first. Not until I saw a flash of light. When I looked over, I saw that the light was coming from a rotating billboard of sorts, in the yard of this church. And whose face and name was on that screen? Steven Furtick. Coming this Sunday, 7pm!!! I was on the phone with Kevin at the time. I got stopped at the stop light beside the church and stared at the billboard. I wanted it to flash back to Furtick so I knew I wasn't seeing things. The whole time I sat at that red light, it never showed him again on the prompter. I looked it up online. Sure enough it was true. Steven Furtick was coming back to Ohio! And we didn't miss him!! We were incredibly excited! Crazy enough, the story would take another turn.
You see, I kind of worried about how much Kevin really liked Furtick. I mean, I love his preaching. He preaches the word, and it's good. I just worry that sometimes we start idolizing people. Francis Chan has said people would rather see Moses than go up the mountain themselves. I think there's a lot of truth to that. I was worried maybe Kevin held Furtick up there with God.
Sunday morning comes and I get a text from Kevin. He's not going to see Furtick. He saw something that he didn't like about the church Furtick was preaching in, and couldn't get past it. I'm not mentioning the church or the reason bc it has nothing to do with the story, but Kevin was absolutely not going. I was stunned. And honestly proud. Kevin would choose God over his favorite pastor. It seems like a no brainer, but sometimes you can rationalize things away for your own personal wants.
As I sat at the church potluck, I started telling other people about Furtick coming to town. No one could go for this reason or that. I still felt very strongly that God wanted me to go. It was looking like I was going on an adventure with God to see what He had for me.
I asked my mama to tune in online, since it played live. I guess I wanted her to see what I was seeing, so we could talk about all of it later and I wouldn't have to remember everything that was said. From the moment of worship in this place, I felt my heart just fill. We sang "surrounded." Hands up in praise. The whole night I felt God kept using everything to tell me that he brought ME here. This was Him still chasing me down.
Matthew 18:12 says 'What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?'
As I talked with my mama later about Pastor Furtick's sermon, she made the comment that he seemed all over the place. He was preaching from some of his earlier sermons. Everything he said, just fit so well with what I felt God was telling me, it all made perfect sense. One of the most impactful things I think God wanted me to get that night, was He doesn't have to change my situation, to be consistent with His character. Too many times I'm dwelling on me. If I chose those opportunities to dwell on who He is, my perspective would change.
The next day as I was talking with my brother, he didn't seem too upset that he missed it. He had a peace about it. He said 'I just don't think I was meant to go, but I think you were.'
God used this very strange story to do two things; reach me in my darkness, and teach Kevin to trust Him in every situation.
I wish I could tell you how this story ends, but I can only write of what God has done. Until God is done weaving the tapestry, the rest is still unwritten..
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