Eastman Curtis: Count it All Joy
Eastman Curtis says that as a 13-year-old he was his "mothers worst nightmare." It wasnt until Curtis was 17 years old that the lights finally came on and he realized that Jesus had something better for him. Shortly after his conversion, Curtis led a revival at his high school that saw more than 100 people accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior over the span of a year.
Curtis has never looked back as he has devoted his adult life to sharing the gospel with people all over the world but especially with teenagers. He currently pastors Destiny Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma and hosts the "Eastman Curtis Live" television show as well as a new program called "This Generation". In addition, Curtis has authored several books including his latest, "You Can Make it Happen", a book designed to help people to discover their destiny.
CBN.com Producer Chris Carpenter sat down with Curtis recently to discuss his philosophy on evangelism, how a person can discover their destiny, and how to effectively minister to the Y Generation.
CHRIS CARPENTER: When the name Eastman Curtis comes to mind I think of thrills, chills, and bucket loads of blessing. You certainly have a vibrant personality and that definitely speaks to youth. What is your philosophy regarding the evangelization of teenagers?
EASTMAN CURTIS: I think the one thing that I have found out with teenagers is they are looking for something to believe in. They will go wherever you lead them. And if you are sincere, not just about hype, but you are sincerely enthusiastic about something, they will go wherever you lead them. Honestly. Here is something really interesting; I did a study awhile back on the word "enthusiasm". It comes from two Greek words. "En" which means in, and "theos" which means God. When the word originated it was like, why is this guy so fired up?, how come he looks like he is going to blow up? Someone would have responded, Oh, he is enthusiastic. Well, that means God lives in him. He believes God lives in him. If we as Christians would just get that understanding, that hey, God, the creator of the universe is on the inside of us -- to me that really causes this enthusiasm, this exuberance, that we would be able to reach out and touch people. When I look at Jesus and comprehend what He said, These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and your joy might be made full. Gosh, when you find that out that there is so much joy in serving God, you want a relationship with Him. And everyday, if a teenager can see that, the way that God really is presented, nothing can hold them back.
CARPENTER: From your standpoint, is there any right or wrong way to reach out to teenagers?
CURTIS: There are all sorts of methods. To me a method isnt holy. A lot of people will get it mixed up and say, Well, you cant do it this way because that method is different than what has ever happened before. The message is what is holy. Saying yesterday, today, and forever is what is holy. The way you convey that message can be through different methods. It can be through music. It can be through someone speaking. It can be through video. It can be through any way possible to communicate that I by all means might save someone. We use every method possible.
CARPENTER: I would like to point out that doesnt always ring true or resonate with everyone. I was listening to a recent sermon of yours on your web site and you were talking about the people up the road from you who came down to your church.
CURTIS: (laughs) Oh my, you heard that?
CARPENTER: These people were complaining that you were having a "Christian Coffee House". They said that having a coffee shop "atmosphere" isnt the way you should be worshipping Jesus. What do you say to these detractors?
CURTIS: When you heard that, what they (detractors) did was encircle our building. They were pronouncing a curse on us just because we were serving cappuccino in our foyer and allowed people to bring their drinks inside the sanctuary. In fact, in our new building we have cappuccino cup holders in the sanctuary. We are simply trying to be where people are at. What cracked me up was when they said, This church is trying to bring the world into the church. I started laughing and thought that this is exactly what I am trying to do. I am trying to bring the world into the church so that they can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ, be changed and then they can go into every mans world and proclaim the Good News.
CARPENTER: Isnt that what it is all about?
CURTIS: Exactly. Im with you. To me it is all about not straining mats and swallowing camels. We need to major on the majors and minor on the minors.
CARPENTER: Changing gears, your church is called Destiny Church. Why do you call it Destiny?
CURTIS: Because I believe that God has a destiny for each person. Probably one of the most difficult things you could ever do is to locate what your destiny is. What has God called you to do? Once you find that out then you are able to focus all of your resources, all your giftings, to fulfill the plan that He has placed you here for. Everybody has gifts plural, to make up a calling singular, because the Bible says that gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Many gifts make up one calling but to hone in and find that one thing -- what is that purpose that God has placed you here for on this earth? Once you find that, honestly, I have discovered that there is more demand, more pull on you. When I used to travel on the road, people would ask me what I do. I would say what do you need me to do? I will do what you need me to do. But when I found this is what God has called me to do -- so then that way they needed someone to minister to their youth, to minister to their teenagers, they would then think, Eastman, that is what he does. That is his big thing. So, the more specific you get the more demand there will be for you.
CARPENTER: You have a new book, "You Can Make It Happen". The premise of this book seems to be connected to what we have been talking about regarding a persons destiny. Am I correct in saying that?
CURTIS: Exactly. It is about finding your destiny, how to fulfill your destiny, and how to cause this thing to take place with what God has given you. There are some things that we can do to cooperate with the spirit of God and the gifts that He has placed in you that will enable you to reach your full potential.
CARPENTER: How can people find their true destiny?
CURTIS: There are several different things you can do. Number one of course is to read the word of God. Find out what the overall plan is, well that is to go into every mans world and proclaim the Good News, to make a difference where you are. The second one is to find out what are the things that you enjoy doing. Because when you delight yourself in what the Bible says God gives you the desires of your heart. Well, find out what those desires are. A New Testament reference to that is "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." That means when you are going after God, He is putting His will, His desires in your heart and giving you the ability to fulfill those desires. That is in . The third thing is to just take steps to get there.
CARPENTER: In other words, dont try to bite everything off all at once to use a cliché.
CURTIS: Exactly. The steps of the righteous
CARPENTER: Or to quote a movie, take the necessary baby steps.
CURTIS: (laughs) There you go. That will preach! It really will. Baby steps, one at a time. And then there are some things you can do that will help that. Once you get that established, once you discover it, there is something else you can do that I have found to really help me. It is found in , "Write the vision, make it plain on tablets, so the he may run who reads it." The first thing you have to do is once you get that overall overview of what it is God wants you to do, just make it simple by writing it down. You dont have to go into a lot of detail -- write stuff like this is my goal, this is what I would like to see accomplished, this is my end result. But then start declaring it so that the he may run who reads it. Youve got to herald it or declare it. Youve got to say it to other people. And then the third thing is to run with it. Youve got to take those steps like we have talked about.
CARPENTER: So visualize it, figure out a way to do it, and put it into practice.
CURTIS: That will do it.
CARPENTER: You were saying earlier how we can effectively reach the youth of today. I was talking with Bebo Norman a while back and his whole premise is that to reach kids today, people in general for that matter, you have got to be real. You need to be authentic. No false pretenses. No smoke and mirrors. As long as you are genuine with people they will listen. Do you get that same sense? That you need to be authentic to reach todays generation?
CURTIS: Years ago, with my generation, it was all about the apologetics. In other words, let me mentally prove that Jesus came 2,000 years ago, that He walked the earth, He healed the sick, that He died and then He was raised from the dead. And so you can go through history and look at that. Josh McDowell wrote some great apologetics on that. This generation, they will say, Great, that is wonderful. So what. How is that going to help me? Monday morning when I wake up and roll out of bed and I am believing God for a job, AIDS is running rampant, we have got all of this stuff going on with gang banging, look at what is happening overseas. What about my life? Where do I fit into the picture? So, I think relevance is a big issue with this generation. How can we make the word of God just as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago? How can we convey that to them to make it very practical for teenagers to reach out and receive it and to see these miracles from the same Bible, the same Jesus from 2,000 years ago who is still doing them today. How can we communicate that to where they can tap into it? So that is my big thing. Speak in their language, be relevant, be real, and dont try to flower it up. Bullet point. Bullet point.
CARPENTER: Absolutely. That is what you have to do. You need to put the message into context. You need to meet them where they are. What is coming up next for you?
CURTIS: I have a brand new television series coming out called "This Generation". We do X-Games, I will jump out of an airplane, I will ride bulls, and I will do all sorts of stuff. Whatever it takes to connect with the message. It is so much fun. I am having a blast. Im always writing, always working on something new. The way that I write a book is that I will write a chapter here on this topic and a chapter there on that topic. And then I will try to pool everything together to see what I have on a particular subject matter.
CARPENTER: If you could pick one thing that you feel is the key to your ministry, what would that be?
CURTIS: That is a great question because I believe that God gives every person a message. I can preach destiny, I can preach love, I can preach the second coming of Jesus Christ, but the real message, if you squeeze me up against the wall, is that when it is all boiled down, the real message is enjoy your salvation. The joy that is set before you. Jesus endured the cross. To me, I think that when push comes to shove, I would say, Hey, God is on your side. You can enjoy your life here on earth. You dont have to wait to die and get to heaven before you start experiencing heaven here on earth. Sure there are sacrifices, sure you come up against tough things, but even in the midst of this, count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials and temptations because the joy of the Lord is your strength. If you squeeze me, joy is going to come out of me.
CARPENTER: Thanks for the time.
CURTIS: Any time. God bless you.
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