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Free to Be You: Exhorter Gift · The Father's Business Podcast

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: The Father's Business was founded by Sylvia Gunter to encourage people to a deeper relationship with God.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Elizabeth Gunter Powell.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: And I am Kimberly Roddy.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Father's Business Podcast.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: We are so glad that you've joined us.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: Welcome everybody to our podcast on the Exhorter Gift.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: Y'all are in for a treat with our friend Natalie today.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: She is large and in charge and full of energy at all times.
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: You never know where Natalie's going to pop up.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: If you follow her on Instagram, one day she could be in her home in Minneapolis.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: The next day she could be in the tropics, somewhere.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: She bounces around the world and for that I have given her the nickname Wild Card, which she loves.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: So we are so happy to have her with us.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Natalie's been on our team and I think she has been since she has joined the team.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: She has been at every single RUOK event we have done.
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: If you've been to a RUOK Journey Conference before, you will remember Natalie.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: She needs no introduction, so we are so thrilled that she is with us today.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: So, kimberly, before we start our conversation with Natalie, would you just give us the highlights, reminders of what an Exhorter gift is?
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Absolutely.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: If you want to go back to the first podcast we did in the Free to Be you series, we did an introduction to all the gifts so you can check out that Free to Be you intro podcast.
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: But to highlight real quick the Exhorter GIF they are intensely motivated by relationships.
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: They are people oriented to their core.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: They have never met a stranger.
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: They really desire to be around people, to have the approval of people and to connect with people.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: They also have very full schedules.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Their calendar it would overwhelm most of us, but they have a full calendar, lots of things scheduled, leaving one place and going to another.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: They're usually taking the last place with them as they go into the next.
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: They have a big vision and they have big dreams that is also very true of an exhorter and they bring life and laughter to all situations.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: So the exhorter gift is a beautiful gift, as well as the rest of the gifts, and so today we really hope you enjoy this time with Natalie.
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: Natalie, you're an Exhorter gift and what is it that you love about your gift?
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: The most exciting thing I love about my gift is what it taught me.
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: It taught me that I am created to do much and to do more, and the reason why I love that is because when I look at my calendar, I am so okay when, when other people look at my calendar, it frightens them, and for a long time I would try to adjust my calendar to meet the other needs of people, but I'd be like what this is boring.
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: And so the thing about being an exhorter is that I wake up to life, and my calendar expresses that.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: The way I show up If you see the background, you know when I pop up on a Zoom, you can't see it because you're listening to me, but it's bright, it's loud it's not that I'm necessarily loud, but it's engaging.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: So my color is engaging, my colorfulness is engaging, engaging.
• 3:08
  Speaker 3: So my color is engaging, my colorfulness is engaging, and in that engagement I can share with them not only who I am, but I can also help them learn about who they are, and that's one of the things I like about my gift.
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: I'm excited about my gift.
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: Natalie, how do you see the exhorter gift is a beautiful gift, like you said, full of color and full of life.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: How do you see the character of God, or God's character, in your gift?
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: You know, the communication, the way that the exhorter sees everybody as important, the way that the exhorter, when they walk into a room, the exhorter changes the atmosphere and so, and when you have an encounter with God, he changes the very atmosphere that you sit in, that you walk in and whoever you are, and so that exhorter gift.
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: The way I see God is he loves people and exhorters love people.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: I've seen that firsthand with you.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: You and I had the opportunity many years ago to go to a mutual friend's wedding.
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Yes, and I remember we were going into the reception and so I'm I'm focused on the task, right, we're going inside, we're going to go to the reception, and also not I stopped.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: I was like where's Natalie?
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: And you had stopped and gone off to the side of the building and you were asking every individual server that was going to be working that event what their name was, something about them like, and I was like she loves everybody, like it had never dawned on me to stop and make the people that are there mainly to be working kind of in the background and you know, know and not be seen.
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: But you went directly to them first and made them be seen and that left such an impression on me so many years ago that it's like you know what she didn't, she didn't make a thought in her head.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: This is what I'm going to go do.
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: It's just oozes out of you.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Like you like, just like we say with the prophet sometimes I lead even when I'm not supposed to lead, and I lead without even thinking about it.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: You just naturally went and made sure every single person in the room not just the guest and not just the people we were there to celebrate, but also the people that were probably behind the scenes a bit felt honored and special in that moment and that really had an impact on me that day.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, you know I do that a lot.
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: I always say how do you know those people?
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: I say, well, I talked to them.
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: They go oh, did you know them before?
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: No, I don't know.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: But you definitely have that engaging ability to quickly build a relationship connection with anyone that you come in contact with.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you're a trip when you go to the store.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was at an event yesterday and it was so funny because everybody goes, man, you know a lot of people.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: I said I didn't know those people.
• 5:54
  Speaker 3: I know them now, though I love it.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: I think I may.
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: I may be no new two people in the room and and it was so interesting, I just showed this really quick story.
• 6:10
  Speaker 3: So I had this outfit on, I had this very colorful scarf on and it had like some oranges in it, and so there was a young lady, a woman, that watched it and she had this orange.
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: She said, oh, you have a scarf that goes to my dress.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: And I said, no, this would look fabulous with your dress.
• 6:18
  Speaker 3: And she said, yes, it really would.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: And so she said you should leave it with me, and I said sure, and so she didn't think anything of it.
• 6:25
  Speaker 3: So I had to leave the meeting a little early, and so I sought her out.
• 6:29
  Speaker 3: It was a big old room and I found her in the dress and I just walked up to her, I gently placed the scarf over her and I left.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: I may not never see her again, but she has a fabulous scarf to go with her fabulous dress now.
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: And so somebody said somebody.
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: When I was leaving, they was like, oh, do you know her?
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: And I was like I don't even know her name, but I know that that made her day.
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: And guess what?
• 6:54
  Speaker 3: That also gives her a story about the kindness of someone else, and I think that's also a thing that we have to think about that people want to be recognized, people want to be seen, and sometimes even in those large crowds, people are not seen, and God sees us always all the time where we are, and so I am really big on also helping making people know that I see you, and when I see you, god sees you as well.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, that's awesome.
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: Well, there's a lot to love about the Exhorter gift, but we all have parts of ourselves that we struggle with or don't like so much.
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: What part of your gift do you struggle with or you wish was a little different?
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: You know what it's interesting?
• 7:38
  Speaker 3: I was thinking about that and I'll tell you what it is.
• 7:41
  Speaker 3: The one thing about the Exhorter is that we catch on really fast.
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: We catch on really fast, and while I love to study the Word I really do love to study the Word there are times when I get a revelation and I just want to go and share the revelation.
• 7:59
  Speaker 3: I don't want to study it out, I don't want to get some of the details, and I know it's scriptural, but I don't want to go and get all the scripture behind it to make it, you know, more meaty, cause I already, I already know the meat.
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: However, there are times when I find myself sharing a revelation that I received and then, after I share it, I said you know what?
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: That would have had so much more impact, maybe if I would have studied it out a little bit more.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: And so it's a part of my gift, because I want to run and let somebody know hey, this is what God shared with me, this is what God said to me, this is what God showed me, which is great, but it also has to be substantive in some cases.
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: In some cases, you can just share it like that, but in a lot of cases, you want to make sure that not only is it a revelation from God, but you also have the foundation for it, so that you don't appear shallow.
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: And there are times when I felt like I appeared shallow, even though I'm not a shallow person.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: But that's a part of the gift that I really am learning and have learned to manage a lot better.
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: So it's that excitement about the Word of God and the knowledge of God, but it's also I have to temper it with the study and the foundation of the Word of God as well.
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah, in light of that I'm thinking about, sometimes in our gifts we also end up hurting each other unintentionally and I know that.
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: You know one of the things that we want to recognize is that you've done a lot of work around recognizing your exhorter gift and you're more mature in that gift probably than you were 10 or 15 years ago because you've grown, studied and you've learned and guys use that.
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: A lot of people aren't always mature in that gift and so some people may listen to this and think, well, this person is exhorter in my life and I don't really like the way they treat me.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: So kind of a twofold question here how do you think you can hurt others unintentionally by your gift?
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: And question here how do you think you can hurt others unintentionally by your gift and look back?
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: A second part of that question is maybe even looking back to when you were less mature.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: How do you think you did that?
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: So because an exhorter, you know, we always use this example and literally it's not an example, it is a real truth for me I literally can be leaving, I can be walking into a meeting or into an event with a phone, talking to somebody and so, and so in that transition, I'm not always aware of how I'm entering and how I'm completing one, and so, in that you know, if someone doesn't know you or they haven't met you, or they don't know anything about you, or they don't even know that you're exorcist, they don't know any of this language you can appear to be not attentive.
• 10:53
  Speaker 3: Or there's the case where you can sit and when you are sitting with somebody and you're listening to their stories and you're talking to them, you're there, but when you walk away, you're somewhere else, and so what can happen in that space is, while you are connecting and making an acquaintance and making friends, other people can also feel slighted.
• 11:17
  Speaker 3: The other thing that can happen too is because of the friendly nature of the exhorters.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: It's because of the friendly nature of the exhorters, people can think that they're your best friend, and they're really.
• 11:28
  Speaker 3: They're not, but you can make them feel that way, and if they invest in that and they realize that's not the case.
• 11:35
  Speaker 3: That also can be very hurtful.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: So you have to be very, you have to learn, and so I know that in my younger days, before I understood this, you know, you know it's almost like I can liken it to speed dating.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: You know, you sit down and you go to the next person.
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: You go to the next person and that person may have shared some very intimate stuff, but you're trying to get to the next person and you don't, and you don't, and you're not cautious and you're not caring about maybe the emotional connection that they were making and you kind of go to the next and it can appear to be dismissive, it can appear to be nonchalant or noncaring, and that can be very hurtful or in any could turn people off and in that space you lose in a sense, you lose your witness, and so you've got to be very aware, and that's also what we learn and how we learn to live in our giftings at the conference.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: So you should make sure to come.
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: Natalie, I remember a story you told once you were given some kind of award and so you invited a table full of your friends to all be there with you and celebrate that.
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: Can you tell that story, yeah?
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: So, so, yeah, I forgot the name of that award, but I saw all my friends were there and they were all introducing themselves as my best friend friends were.
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: All my friends were there and they were all introducing themselves as my best friend.
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: So you know, and they were like I'm my best friend, no, I'm my best friend.
• 13:11
  Speaker 3: And so, and it was, it was, it was, yeah, it was.
• 13:15
  Speaker 3: It was an interesting event because they all genuinely believed that they were my.
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: They were the one, they were my best friend.
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: Each and every point over that, they were my.
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: They were the one, they were my best friend.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: Each and every one of them were like they were and they were kind of looking at each other like, no, you ain't her best friend, I'm her best friend.
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: And so, yeah, that was a, that was.
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: It was an interesting event.
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: But I also learned a lot from that and I was able to and the funny and interesting about it, they're all still my friends to this day.
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: I don't know how I got out of that one, but I did.
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: But yeah, so they were all there and they all truly believed that they were all my best friends and I was like, ooh, okay, pay attention to that girl.
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah I could.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: I could see how that could be hurtful, especially if there's a different gifting or different personality.
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: That's more of a one-to-one yeah, they have a close friend, they don't.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: They don't try to meet everyone in the room and so that I think in some ways maybe felt like a betrayal to them and that's not your intent at all, exactly, exactly, exactly, and it was, you know, and and for me it was it was not only awakening, but it was also hurtful for me, because my intention is not to hurt anybody, not to hurt anyone, and so it lets me know.
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: You've got to be you.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: It's important for you to be aware of your gifting and how it impacts others.
• 14:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and that's an important part of just you even just being aware how you show up in the world and how God has beautifully designed you and he wants to mature you in that design and to be yielding to that so that you live in the fullness of it and not in the detriment of it.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: In light of what you're saying there, Natalie, I think a lot of people assume they know you from the outward actions and words of who you are.
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: So what do you want the other gifts to know about you?
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: What do you wish we really understood about the internal part of the exhorter gift?
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: How do we love you better?
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: You know, that's a good question and one of the ways I could say about this is so, one of the ways that my gift shows up is I generally check on everybody.
• 15:42
  Speaker 3: I may not check on you every day, I may not check on you every week, but you're going to get a call from me, an email from me, a text from me.
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: I'm going to check on you.
• 15:51
  Speaker 3: I'm going to make sure that, hey, are you doing good?
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: Hey, are you okay?
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: Hey, what's going on?
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: Hey, I was just thinking about you.
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: That's just who I am, and I've learned that that's who I am.
• 16:01
  Speaker 3: However, what happens is sometimes and I know this that we all have lives.
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: We all have lives and things happen and we know how the young people are saying life be lifin'.
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: And one of the things that, as an exhorter, it would just be nice some days to have somebody check on me.
• 16:20
  Speaker 3: Just hey, girl, how you doing.
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: And when people do that, I'd be like, oh my God, somebody checked on me.
• 16:26
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying, but it feels like, wow, somebody checked on me.
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: So I think in that exhorter space, the assumption is of course people are checking on her, of course people are doing this.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: Because of that, because of the outworn personality, because of the connection and those things that I do as an exhorter.
• 16:56
  Speaker 3: But many times people don't.
• 16:58
  Speaker 3: They don't check on me and then when I check, but when I check on them, they check on me that way, but it's not.
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: I initiate the check-in and so for me that would be, that would be a thing that I would say hey, just check on a sister every now and then, you ain't got to have no long conversation with me, but just that one little text, that one little email, the one, even a phone call message.
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: Hey, girl, I don't want anything, I'm just checking on you, let me know if you need anything.
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: And let me add this to this Let the check-in be genuine.
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: Let the check-in be genuine Because if you genuinely, if I could check on you and you generally need me, I'm there.
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: Genuinely, if I can check on you and you genuinely need me, I'm there.
• 17:41
  Speaker 3: And if you check on me and I call you and you're not there to me, it's a checkoff list.
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: I don't want to be anybody's checkoff list.
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: So if you're going to check on me, be genuine in the check.
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: Very rarely will I say, girl, I need to talk to you but be genuine, be prepared on the other end, that if I check on her she may call me and understand.
• 18:01
  Speaker 3: And then when an exhorter checks in, an exhorter checks in, so you have to have the capacity and I get it.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: If you don't but just say, girl, I just need to check in, let me know.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: If it's something short and sweet you need, you know you can say that and it won't be offensive, because I get it, because I get me.
• 18:24
  Speaker 2: Thanks, say that and it won't be offensive, because I get it, because I get me thanks.
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: How does an exhorter this is a question.
• 18:27
  Speaker 2: As you're talking there, I hear like exhorters are really great at caring for other people, seeing other people showing up for other people.
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: How do you take care of yourself?
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: Oh, beach, ocean and sun.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: I have the privilege of being able to travel and so, as an exhorter, it is nothing for me to jump on a plane.
• 18:55
  Speaker 3: Now a lot of people say, oh you just be by water.
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: Some waters, water is okay.
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: I will tell you.
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: I have fountains all through my house so I always have the sound of water Wherever you go in my house.
• 19:07
  Speaker 3: I have some fountains.
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: Something's gurgling, there's some kind of fountain or movement of water is the ocean, and I don't like a still ocean.
• 19:22
  Speaker 3: The ocean has to be one that's moving, so it has to be.
• 19:23
  Speaker 3: It's got to have some waves going on, but ocean, beach and the sun, and I love the sunrise and I love the sunset, and that's one way.
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: The other way, if I can't get to a beach or ocean, the other way of self-care also has to do with water.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: I've learned this because there was a season where I couldn't get to the beach and water.
• 19:46
  Speaker 3: I take luxurious baths.
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: I take luxurious baths and then the other piece is dancing yeah, so that's how I take care of myself.
• 19:58
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so that's how I.
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: That's how I take care of myself.
• 20:02
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's interesting because there's a lot of movement in that right.
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: But I mean that's we've talked about.
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: Like some people I don't remember which episode we took, it was a while back, but we talked about some people really listen to God by sitting still and other people need to be in movement.
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: Exactly.
• 20:19
  Speaker 2: I think that would be characteristic of an exhorter most of the time is that need for movement, even when you're rejuvenating yourself.
• 20:26
  Speaker 2: There's a need for movement there, which I think is interesting.
• 20:29
  Speaker 3: Yeah, now I have learned in my maturity to be still, but I like, but generally, even when I'm still, there's some other movement, something's moving.
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: Perhaps that's why you have to sit in front of an ocean, because at least the ocean is moving while you're sitting.
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: Still, exactly, natalie, there is a big factor about the exhorter that we often bring up at Ruots and that is their relationship with time.
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: Bring up at Ruots and that is their relationship with time.
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: Can you help I mean other gifts often look at Exhorter and say they're never on time, or you know there's some comment about time Can you help us understand the relationship that Exhorter has with time and why sometimes it can appear to others that you're not going to be on time?
• 21:20
  Speaker 3: So time is just a man-made construct.
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: We don't know what is time.
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: So with an exhorter it's the relationship that's more important than the time, no-transcript.
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: And then before I can get there, or it's too long on the conversation, so then I had to get dressed, whatever the case may be, or it's too long of a conversation, so then I had to get dressed, Whatever the case may be.
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: But it's not necessarily that they don't respect time, but time is less of a priority as it comes to relationship building.
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: Part of maturing as an exhorter is that you learn the value of the giftings of others and what honors them and some of the other giftings.
• 22:31
  Speaker 3: Time being on time is honoring of them and you learn that and you're aware of that.
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: And so it may be a thing where you may not be on time but there is a call beforehand I'm not going to be on time, you know.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: But you also learn to be.
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: There's other ways to be reliable.
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: It may not also be timely.
• 22:54
  Speaker 3: So maybe you do things in advance or you do different things to learn those type of things.
• 22:59
  Speaker 3: Maybe you do things in advance or you do different things to learn those type of things, but for an exhorter, time is just a cute watch.
• 23:13
  Speaker 1: I need that quote on a T-shirt, yeah.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: Love it, I love it, I love it.
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: Well, that that kind of answers the next question, but elaborate a little bit more on how do you see the gift of exhorter impacting others?
• 23:32
  Speaker 3: you know it's so.
• 23:35
  Speaker 3: I have actually I have a.
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: I have a perfect story about this.
• 23:39
  Speaker 3: So I have a girlfriend who is.
• 23:45
  Speaker 3: I have a couple of girlfriends.
• 23:51
  Speaker 3: This particular girlfriend is a servant gift, and when we first met, she met me.
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: She was coming to work for an organization that I worked for she was kind of scouting it out, and that we met at one of the conferences and I was, I was one of the speakers at the conference, and and and so and and I was doing some things, and so I remember she.
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: So she looked at me and she said, oh my God, keep her away from me.
• 24:14
  Speaker 3: She has way, way too much energy.
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: She would drive me crazy.
• 24:20
  Speaker 3: Right, that's how we that's what she said.
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: Now, we are the bestest of friends.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: To this day, that was, that was over almost almost 20 years ago.
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: We are the bestest of friends and we tell that story.
• 24:53
  Speaker 3: It's so funny because she was like do not bring that.
• 24:55
  Speaker 3: So she, so, so my, my fullness, in a sense, or my energy, or my presentation, was overwhelming to her.
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: And, and the way that it kind of played out is there was a situation where she was she couldn't understand, she didn't understand someone, and one of the things that that I do very well is I can simplify other people's personalities.
• 25:11
  Speaker 3: Sometimes for other giftings, I can kind of explain it, and so through that we began to formulate this relationship.
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: So I'm going to tell you, I'll bring it up to present day.
• 25:22
  Speaker 3: So we've been friends forever.
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: So recently she has a organization that travels to Africa and she's been running this organization for 16 years and she goes and does missions over there and I've supported her financially for various projects for all those times.
• 25:40
  Speaker 3: And so this last March I attended the conference.
• 25:44
  Speaker 3: I mean, I attended the sessions with her, and so every year she does this huge girls conference, right?
• 25:52
  Speaker 3: And so we're there, we're at the girls conference.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: You know, the young ladies have put everything together.
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: We're at the girls conference.
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: I'm sitting at the table.
• 26:01
  Speaker 3: She's like three people down, the conference is about to start.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: She leans down to the girl next to me and she says oh, tell Natalie, she's the keynote, right?
• 26:12
  Speaker 3: I said do what, I said what, and she said she just looked at me and she said girl, you got it.
• 26:22
  Speaker 3: I'm like wait a minute, I'm in another country, I'm in another language, I'm in all the what.
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: What are you?
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: What are you talking about.
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: And so I have to start laughing because this is what I did.
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: My girlfriend said what are you going to do?
• 26:35
  Speaker 3: And so I started saying Holy Spirit, holy Spirit.
• 26:39
  Speaker 3: I didn't really laugh right there.
• 26:42
  Speaker 3: I did it right there and and then I said Lord, and got up and literally listened because there was a couple of people that spoke and they got translated, literally took all of those things and created a presentation that ended up getting a standing ovation.
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: But it wasn't just a presentation, but I actually put a visual, I put visual action to it and I used the audience and participation and all this other kind of stuff.
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: And when I got done, the other women in the group that we were with said why didn't you tell anybody that you were going to be the keynote?
• 27:19
  Speaker 3: I said I just found out 10 minutes ago.
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: They were like, no way.
• 27:23
  Speaker 3: But that's the power of not only operating in your gift but honoring the gifts of others and having them honor your gift as well, and so that's just a full circle story.
• 27:38
  Speaker 3: But yes, I was.
• 27:40
  Speaker 3: I was I'm not gonna say I was repulsive, but I was like girl, she was like, and I've had people they meet me and sometimes I can, I know I can be a lot, a lot, but I'm created to be a lot and I just have to understand how that impacts each and each gift.
• 28:00
  Speaker 3: Like there's a, there's a person on this, on this particular podcast, who I love to hug, who love, I love.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: I was actually, I was actually going to bring that.
• 28:15
  Speaker 3: And she runs from my hug.
• 28:17
  Speaker 3: She's now learned to accept it gets it over faster.
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: She just just accepts it exactly, exactly because it's coming either way.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: well, I think it's.
• 28:29
  Speaker 2: You know, that is something in all honesty, that is something that like it kind of.
• 28:33
  Speaker 2: I don't even remember how it started, but I kind of was known as someone who doesn't love a lot of physical touch or affection, and I don't know where that came from.
• 28:38
  Speaker 2: But I kind of was known as someone who doesn't love a lot of physical touch or affection, and I don't know where that came from because, to be honest, I love a good hug, and so I think sometimes God will bring other people into our life to help us embrace some of the things that we do, long for, that we don't know how to do that with.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: And I think exhorters are great at that because you just naturally are comfortable stepping into that place with people, and so, yeah, I love a good Natalie hug.
• 29:00
  Speaker 2: I'm going to play the part here and be like wait a minute now, but at first it was like wait, wait, what are you doing?
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: What are you doing?
• 29:07
  Speaker 2: Huh, huh, no, it's very true, it's very true, yeah, yeah.
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: So I think I think the exhorter gift is it's.
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: It's a big gift and it can be.
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: You know, I'm sure there's many times where you've been told you're too much, and all those messages come across and at the same time I look at the beauty of that and I'm like man.
• 29:26
  Speaker 2: God so uses that gift in a big way.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: You know, alongside all the other gifts they compliment one another across the board.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: You know, it's beautiful to watch.
• 29:35
  Speaker 3: But it has to be yielded to the Holy Spirit.
• 29:37
  Speaker 3: The board it's beautiful to watch, but it has to be yielded to the Holy Spirit.
• 29:39
  Speaker 3: It has to be and I've learned that it has to be.
• 29:41
  Speaker 3: It's a big gift, it's a powerful gift.
• 29:44
  Speaker 3: It has to be yielded to the Holy Spirit because it can be overwhelming to others, and it can be.
• 29:51
  Speaker 3: Sometimes it can be intimidating, sometimes it can be repulsive, depending on who they are, and it has to be yielded to the Holy Spirit.
• 30:00
  Speaker 3: And the other thing is, when it's yielded to the Holy Spirit, you can also or I've been able to know and see someone who is wounded in their gifting.
• 30:11
  Speaker 3: You know and I can see that, and so it helps me interact with them in a different way because of the yielding to the Holy Spirit.
• 30:22
  Speaker 1: What does the exhorter gift look like when it's not submitted to the Holy Spirit?
• 30:27
  Speaker 3: Oh Lord, I can't imagine.
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: Well, it can be very.
• 30:32
  Speaker 3: What's that word Is it?
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: What's it I forget the name of it Gregarious.
• 30:36
  Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, it can be.
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: What's that word Is it?
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: What's the African name?
• 30:38
  Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, it can be.
• 30:42
  Speaker 3: It can be rude, it can be dismissive, it could be dishonoring, it can be.
• 30:53
  Speaker 3: The exhorting is more about look at me, look at who I am, this is me, this is all about me, and you can hear it in the conversation versus you know about you, about God, about the person in front of you, and about God and making, because the whole purpose really for an exhort is to make God famous, to make God famous through your words, your actions, your deeds, you know, and how you interact and how you love on his people and how you do things.
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: And we're created to be on big stages and so big stages don't they never have scared me and I never knew why, but I'd learned that.
• 31:30
  Speaker 3: Why that I didn't.
• 31:31
  Speaker 3: You know, I can speak extemporaneously if needed to.
• 31:34
  Speaker 3: You can call me at the last minute One of my nicknames of my friends.
• 31:39
  Speaker 3: They call me the pinch hitter.
• 31:40
  Speaker 3: So when all bases are loaded and they don't know how they're going to get the rest of the people in that's when I get the call.
• 31:46
  Speaker 3: So a lot of times, even in my connections with my friends, one of the things I say is don't call me till you're ready to move.
• 31:52
  Speaker 3: I'm not sitting through all our meetings because y'all be talking about nothing.
• 31:56
  Speaker 3: When you be ready for me, give me the cliff notes and I know exactly what to do.
• 32:00
  Speaker 3: And I can, and I can also read a room well, so you know so, but you've got to also be able to do that and, like I said, yield it to to the Holy Spirit so that you can do what needs to be done on behalf of of him.
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: That's awesome on behalf of Him.
• 32:16
  Speaker 1: That's awesome For people listening to this podcast and they're trying to figure out if they're an exhorter gift.
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: Oftentimes what we hear is well, I encourage people.
• 32:25
  Speaker 1: Can you give some advice to people who are trying to figure out if this is their gift?
• 32:31
  Speaker 1: As to what advice would you give them?
• 32:35
  Speaker 3: Well, the one thing I would say literally, because this is a really telltale sign Look at your calendar.
• 32:41
  Speaker 3: If your calendar scares people, that's a big sign, and I'm not saying because it's, but if it scares people and you have a lot and you hear this a lot, you're doing too much.
• 32:53
  Speaker 3: You've got too much going on.
• 32:55
  Speaker 3: You know you'll hear certain terms, or you know you're always on the go.
• 33:02
  Speaker 3: You know you work a room like nobody else.
• 33:05
  Speaker 3: You know what I'm saying and and it could be in your expressive nature of of of how you dress the colors that you choose it there's, there's certain things that you can think about, but the biggest thing is that you have a heart for people and you truly want to kind of not only know them but talk to them.
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: And when you walk in a room, there is no hierarchy for people.
• 33:30
  Speaker 3: Everybody counts, everybody matters, and so those are a few signs.
• 33:34
  Speaker 3: Sometimes you can be trained to be that way, but this is like a natural thing.
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: So it's not in your training, it's actually in who you are and just how you show up in the world, and so pay attention to how you show up in the world.
• 33:49
  Speaker 3: Pay attention to how you showed up.
• 33:51
  Speaker 3: If you don't know, think about how you were as a child, because we operated very naturally in our giftings as children and then we were kind of trained in other ways, and so think about it from that perspective.
• 34:06
  Speaker 2: So we just hope that people who hear this podcast and are more curious about the Exhorter gift or the other gifts you know will join us.
• 34:13
  Speaker 2: Like you said, come to Ruach, because it's a place where you were able to learn more and be even in community with others and see other gifts and kind of rub shoulders with other gifts and flesh out your gift a little bit more and hear more from the Holy Spirit about what that looks like.
• 34:28
  Speaker 2: So we really appreciate you sharing with us today.
• 34:30
  Speaker 2: I want to thank you for listening to the Father's Business Podcast.