Eternal Leadership 109 Steven Furtick | (Un) Qualified: How God Uses Broken People To Do Big Things
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In this episode, we interview Pastor Steven Furtick. He used to think the answer to his failures was to fix them, that the solution to his weaknesses was to replace them with strengths. He believed that his character and competency qualified or disqualified him. That is until an online critic caught his attention and made him start asking questions.
In (Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things, Furtick teaches about the discoveries he’s made while wrestling with questions about self-acceptance and self-improvement. He shares the answers he’s found in scripture that have helped him reconcile who he is compared to who he is meant to be.
[su_quote cite="Steven Furtick, lead pastor and founder of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C."](Un)Qualified is about finding and embracing who you are in light of who God is. It’s a book about coming to terms with the good, the bad, and the unmentionable in your life and learning how to let God use your mess for your benefit. [/su_quote]
Drawing from the Bible, Furtick uses the story of Jacob to address issues of identity, fear, weakness, comparison, and change. In his witty, high-energy and insightful style, Furtick equips the reader to understand what it truly means for a follower of Christ to be qualified.
“As I’ve wrestled with my own questions, I’ve found myself changing,” says Furtick. “I’ve learned some things about weakness that I never understood before. I’ve come to see God and myself differently, and it’s changing the way I parent, the way I pastor, and the way I approach God.”
(Un)Qualified is an ideal resource for those struggling with the gap between their present reality and their hope for the future. It offers encouragement and inspiration to readers to see themselves as God sees them. After all, as Furtick teaches, “God can’t bless who you pretend to be.”
Resources- Get Steven's book: (Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things
- I Am Unqualified website - Great resources and bible study you will love
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StevenFurtick
- Twitter: @stevenfurtick
Pastor Steven Furtick is the founder and lead pastor of Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., named by Outreach magazine as one of the fastest growing churches in the nation with 20,000 weekly attendees across multiple locations.
Furtick grew up in Moncks Corner, S.C., where, at age 16, he felt God’s call to start an innovative church in a metropolitan city. This vision became a reality in 2006 when Furtick, along with his wife, Holly, and seven other families, moved to Charlotte and launched Elevation Church. In 10 years, the church has given away over $20 million to local outreach organizations, opened 13 locations, released eight worship albums, launched a daily television program, and continues to reach thousands of people with the hope-filled message of the Gospel.
In his fourth book, (Un)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People To Do Big Things (March 1, 2016, Multnomah Books), Furtick confronts the question of what it means to be deemed “qualified”—whether in ministry, vocation, or life. He untangles the difference of being qualified by God’s definition versus the world’s definition.
“I have to admit, this hasn’t been an easy book to write. It’s not that the topic is particularly controversial. It’s been hard to write because it’s messy,” says Furtick.
“If you’ve ever been frustrated by your failures or exasperated by your weaknesses, this book is for you,” he continues. “But let me warn you, I’m not going to tell you 15 ways to fix yourself in 15 minutes a day. I want to do something that is, I hope, a lot more valuable. I want to be real.”
Furtick is also the author of the New York Times best-sellers Crash the Chatterbox (Multnomah Books, 2014) and Greater (Multnomah Books, 2012). His debut book Sun Stand Still (Multnomah Books, 2010) calls Christians to activate their faith and be inspired to ask God for the impossible. In addition, he created the DVD and study guide Seven Mile Miracle (Feb. 2013) about the last words of Christ.
Furtick has had the privilege to speak to global audiences at such conferences and churches around the world as the Catalyst Conference, Hillsong Conference and the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit.
Furtick received a B.A. in communications from North Greenville University and a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Holly, have two sons and a daughter.
For further information, visit www.stevenfurtick.com, www.iamunqualified.com or www.waterbrookmultnomah.com.