I’m not bold by nature. The only time I seem to be is when someone backs me into a corner, but there are occasional times when I get adamant.
In the mid-1990s, one of my comedy mentors was Dave Fitzgerald. He was an amazing comedian. I took every class that I could and read every book of his early in my comedy career. Dave was my hero, not because of what he did on stage, but for the person he was off stage. In the comedy world, headliners don’t usually hang out with wannabes. Dave was different. He respected all people.
One night in a small comedy club outside of Boston, I was opening for him. He had just landed from LA where he had moved to“become a star.” He was up for some big movie parts but hated it there and was just disgusted with the process. Agents were sending him out to Hollywood parties to be funny, to network, and hope he would be discovered.
Dave told me that his true passion and desire was to use his humor skills to help people and inspire them. That’s what he used to do when he was a guest speaker at support groups before he was a comedian.
I thought, “He should become a motivational speaker!” He had been working dive bars in front of drunken hecklers and making a couple hundred bucks a night.
Dave didn’t even know what a motivational speaker was. He could be in front of big conventions and conferences, making a lot more money and making a difference in people’s lives. That is what he wanted to do.
I was just making the transition to the speaking world myself. I had been to several conferences and knew that this was a serious profession and that Dave needed to be there. I had also learned who the great teachers were.
I did not have the answer for Dave, but I knew who did. I knew industry expert Alan Weiss, Ph.D., and he was brilliant. I was just a wannabe, but I knew that he could help Dave.
Normally quiet and shy, I don’t know what came over me, but at that moment I became impassioned:“Dave, I can’t help you, but I know a guy who can! His name is Alan. You need to talk to him and spend some time getting to know him.”
For some reason, Dave took my advice and went to learn from Alan. They became fast friends, and Dave was a sponge for what Alan taught him. I couldn’t teach Dave, but I knew enough to point him to the people who could help him make his life better. Dave went on to be one of the funniest motivational speakers in New England. It was wild that he actually listened to me. It was rewarding to connect him to a mentor who could help him since I could not.
Now I’m realizing that it was not I. It was the Holy Spirit in me who knew what Dave needed and how it needed to be delivered to get Dave to that meeting. The Holy Spirit made me bold in that moment. It was a profound moment for Dave and me.
Have you had any Holy Spirit moments?
What church do I attend? Verve Church in Las Vegas
http://vivalaverve.org
P.S. Thank you, especially, for grace.
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