Pastor Steven Furtick

This Thanksgiving we loaded up the SUV and made the 4 hour trip to my hometown: Moncks Corner, South Carolina.  It’s a great place to be from.  I’m proud of my roots.

Located 30 miles north of Charleston, South Carolina, Moncks Corner is a bustling metropolis which has quickly become the cultural hub of the Southeastern United States of America.  And by that I mean they got a Super Wal-Mart a few years ago.  Big time.

Every time we cross into the town where I grew up I’m flooded with vivid memories about my childhood and adolescence.  They’re almost all good.  I had great parents, good friends, and relatively few heartbreaks during my 18 years in this town of 6,000 people.  (Actually, I think the population is significantly higher these days.  6,000 was the number when I left for college.)

For some reason, on this trip to Moncks Corner, I started thinking about some of the lessons I learned growing up in a small town.  Over the next few days, I’ll blog a few random things I appreciate about my small town upbringing.

I’m no John Grisham, so don’t expect a picturesque description of my back porch or a detailed account of my early morning quail hunts.  Primarily because I’ve never gone hunting.  Instead, I just want to share a reflection or two on how growing up in Moncks Corner shaped my character and approach to life in a positive way.

Disclaimer: Big cities are great too.  If you were born and raised in Boston, more power to ya.  I’m just sharing from my experience.  Hopefully my musings will relate to you in some way.