And many have. In the ensuing hour-and-a-half conversation, Schultz relays at least four or five more stories of conversations along those same lines. Schultz says these in-depth conversations with others, where he’s discussed what he and author John Eldredge in bestseller "Wild At Heart" call a person’s “story,” have resulted in emotional healing or strengthening — whether in himself or the other person.

“So much of my story is like the guy who thought he was a screw-up his whole life and [who was] finally able to pull that out. … And that’s the lesson I’ve learned over the last two years. I’m the kind of guy growing up that got my validation from other people. I hope people think I’m funny; I hope they think I’m interesting; I hope they think I’m a great songwriter.” As if to illustrate his point further, Schultz reflects on his own healing after John Eldredge exhorted the audience (at a “Wild At Heart” retreat) to stop getting their validation from others.

“My normal thing when I get home is I walk in; I put my keys on the counter; I get a drink of water and sit on the couch,” Schultz explains. “About three minutes pass, and something inside of me goes, ‘You’ve got to go write a song.’ The reason why, I figured out, is because something inside of me was going, ‘You’ve got to write a song because that’s what makes you special. You can write songs that move people. And if you don’t do that, you’re not special anymore.’

“I remember thinking about what John [Eldredge] said when I came home from that retreat. And I put my keys on the counter, got a drink of water and sat on the couch. About three minutes later, tears were rolling down my face, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, is this what it’s like to be free? Is this what it feels like to know who you are?’” Schultz says, with tears in his own eyes.

While people like Eldredge and Schultz’s friend/counselor Al Andrews have made an impact on his life, he says Nashville’s First Presbyterian youth minister (and Schultz’s former employer) Mark DeVries is the person who’s left the most significant imprint on him. As with every point he makes, Schultz explains the statement with a story.

"There’s a scene in 'Les Mis[erables]'” says Schultz, “that describes what Mark DeVries did for me. Jean Valjean [the main character] goes into that house where the priest is; and the priest says, ‘You can eat here and sleep here.’ If you remember, they’re sitting there at the table, and [Valjean] is telling the priest how bad he’s been — that he’s a thief and that’s all he’ll ever be. He ends up stealing the priest’s silver and when the priest catches him, Jean punches the priest, knocks him out and leaves.