Carrie is a biblical correspondent for Revive Our Hearts, a Bible teacher, conference speaker, and author of Joy in the Midst, a Bible study on Philippians. She and her husband Dennis, who serves on staff with Life Action Ministries, have two grown children and a new daughter-in-law.
Carrie has a deep love for God’s Word and a passion to see women grow in ever-increasing intimacy with Jesus through the study and application of His Word. She enjoys discipling and encouraging women and has had the privilege of ministering to missionary and national women in Africa and China through conferences and retreats. In her spare time Carrie enjoys walking, reading and “chatting” over coffee.
One of the most unusual gifts I ever received was an overflowing bowl of cooked-to-perfection chicken feet from my Zambian friends. Gifts certainly come in all shapes and sizes! Philippians 1:29 describes another unusual gift.
While I was never a huge fan of that mopey little grey donkey, Eeyore, I never imagined how the shadow of gloom and doom that characterized his little world would one day permeate my own life.
But then it happened. Like falling dominoes, segment after segment of ten-foot tulling walls suddenly came crashing down. Gasps of horror preceded a deafening silence as we realized that hours of hard work now lay undone at our feet.
Our daughter’s wedding was in five days. In that short period of time, a
simple gymnasium needed to be transformed into an elegant reception
hall. A seemingly impossible task; yet this mother-of-the bride was
fully confident the “impossible” would become reality. My confidence
rested firmly in the transformational abilities of our dear friends. I
had no doubt . . . they would turn the common into a thing of incredible
beauty.
Enkelejda describes Albanian women as “used and abused.” Kidnapping, human trafficking, pornography, prostitution, and organ trafficking all run rampant. If you have money, you can buy anything . . . or anyone. Ordering a child seems to be almost as normal as purchasing coffee in a coffee shop.
For years, I was the "queen of bad" at hiding God's Word in my heart. I had great intentions and periodically even managed to memorize a verse or two. The problem was those verses never seemed to stick in my mind for very long. In the area of Scripture memorization, I felt like a total failure.
It’s not that I’m surprised by my “little strength and ability.” In fact, daily those truths flash like a neon sign in my mind. What’s surprising is that the Lord doesn’t see them as hindrances.
For months the Lord had been speaking to me about an area of surrender. It began initially as a simple question from my husband, “Would you be willing …?” I laughed at the ridiculousness of the thought. Surely he wasn’t serious.
Yesterday afternoon I was sitting at a red light (multi-tasking, of course). I glanced up from my book to see this license plate staring back at me: THKFUL. I laughed out loud.
So many times I’ve thought “I don’t want to ever forget this moment.” The look in my son’s eyes as his bride walked down the aisle; my husband’s “welcome home” embrace as I returned from a third-world country; the joy of freedom after years of spiritual bondage; the night I first realized I was loved by the King of kings.
I’ve battled a fair amount of weeds in my flower garden this year, but the greater battle by far has been with the weeds I’m discovering in my own heart.
