with The African Professional. What do you consider to be the highs of your career thus far?
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My career high must be discovering what my calling is. When I was working at Rhema Bible Church (Rhema) we each did an analysis test which uncovered what our strengths were as individuals and in a team. I came out strongly in communication which made a lot of sense given that as a kid my parents always told me I talk too much. Even in boarding school in Kenya, I would get into trouble for talking after lights out. And how about the lows?
fulfilled their purpose and influenced the lives of others. If you celebrate people because they look good on TV, I don’t think that has much meaning. What message are passionate about?
you
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I am interested in people’s testimonies; in what makes one person achieve their dreams and their goals and survive
for what I am doing now. That’s why I couldn’t enjoy it as much as what I am doing now. At some point the eagle has to kick the baby out the nest otherwise it won’t learn how to fly. How did you become a pastor? Around 2001, my mom kept phoning and asking me to go to church and I obliged. Initially I volunteered in the TV department because that is what I knew. And then one day a presenter couldn’t make it and they asked me to step in. Afterwards, I ended up interviewing all the resident and visiting pastors. I decided to go to Bible School to learn more. I used to give a lift to some fellow classmates for the two years I was in Bible School and one of them kept telling me that I was a preacher. Yet I wasn’t preaching, I was just sharing on the way to the school. At some point I preached in the youth service and there and then I knew this is what I was born to do. On TV, certain things for me made sense but I still had questions. Something was still missing that I couldn’t put a finger on. But when I preached, it was the first time in my life that my spirit, my soul and my body were in unison.
Originally from Liberia, Pushie’s culturally diverse heritage lead her to further her education in Kenya and Ghana, followed by a study related gap year in the Gambia before finally immigrating to South Africa.”
Fame is a big low for me. I come from Liberia which is a small country and my father worked for the president which put the family on the spotlight. When we went into exile in Ghana, everyone also knew us because we were part of the political circles in West Africa. When I came to South Africa at the age of nineteen, it was refreshing because I was essentially anonymous. But not long after, I got into television and once again I became a familiar face. I think this is why I love travelling because it gives me the freedom to go to places like Europe where people don’t know me. I find it strange when people ask for my autograph; I am not Mandela who saved the nation from apartheid or some scientist with a cure for cancer. Being a celebrity doesn’t hold a lot of weight for me; I think people should be celebrated because of how they have
the trials of life over another person. What is it that makes a tennis player win? What was the cost of his or her journey? I simply love meeting people who are winning at what God has called them to do. That inspires me. My gift in ministry is the gift of exultation; it gives me joy to exalt people and encourage people. No matter what I preach about, the central theme would be to encourage people. And I believe that you were born for a purpose, the Bible says that “before I formed you in your mother’s worm I knew that I would have appointed you”. So before I even came on to this world, God had a purpose and a calling. It is everybody’s primary mission to find out why he or she is here and to get busy doing it at all costs. For me being in television and being famous was my preparation
What books have you read that have had an impact on your life? I am not much of a reader although I go through the whole Bible every single year. I enjoyed reading Oprah’s story because a lot of the things she went through resonate with me. It is a story of all things working together for