DEEP WATERS

Okay, so there are probably two groups of people reading this post right now. Group #1 is saying, "What in the world possessed Carla to post that picture of the crazy woman? Is Carla losing her mind?" Group #2 is saying, "That's exactly how I feel today! How did Carla know I'm about to lose my mind (up in here, up in here)?" Believe me, I've had my share of days when I've felt like the lady pictured above. I have both literally and figuratively almost lost my mind a few times in my life. Like I discussed yesterday, life can be challenging, trying and downright hard. I mentioned responsibilities, bills, jobs, kids, homes and all the things that daily loom over us, making it hard to pursue and even think about our God-given purpose. But what about the times when you're dealing with extra-difficult pressures? What about when a major tragedy strikes you or a loved one? I believe God doesn't waste pain. Through faith in Christ and His susta...

Have you heard the R&B song, Walk It Out ? If it weren't for the bikini clad babes in the video, I'd post the music video here. Since I'm trying to maintain a PG rating, I'll just tell you about it. Now my guess would be that the rapper Unk, who headlines this single, had no spiritual intent behind this song when he recorded it. But back in our Strong Tower Bible Church days, my husband Anthony and I used to say the chorus of Walk It Out would be the perfect closing to a great sermon. After all, isn't that our job as hearers of the Word? Once we've received a Word from God, we've got to walk it out . So that's what I want to talk about today. And it's funny, I'm writing this with no agenda and very little planned. I'm not sure what I'm going to say. I honestly feel depleted after sixteen straight days of blogging on PURPOSE. I've studied the Word, I've combed through some amazing books, I've researched other people of...

Welcome back to 31 Days of PURPOSE. Or if this is your first time reading this month, welcome! If you read my post yesterday, I hope you enjoyed reading my "review" of the other Ladies I'm blogging with for the month of July. We've committed to blog hand-in-hand (through cyberspace) every single day this month. It has been an experience that has far exceeded my expectations. Well, I don't know if you're needing to regroup, but I sure am. Now that we're halfway through our 31 Day journey, I'm sensing the need to remind us of our desire, our goal, our purpose. When rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem, Nehemiah addressed the people at the halfway mark with one purpose: to remind them of their collective purpose. So bear with me for a moment while I review a bit, then we'll peek into the telescope to see where we're going. This month kicked off with several days of various issues the Lord laid on my heart in the area of purpose. We discussed...

We interrupt the regularly scheduled program... to give a shout out to my "31 Days" Blogger Sisters! Today, at the halfway mark of the "31 Days" blogging mission, we have decided to take a break from our respective topics and highlight our fellow 31 Day bloggers. I have thoroughly enjoyed my sisters' blogs. Each lady has obviously committed a tremendous amount of time, prayer and effort to her blog this month. Read along as I speak to the specific posts that have ministered to me personally. But first, let me say that I truly appreciate authenticity. The sermons, Bible studies, books and articles that most encourage me are the ones where the speaker or author shares candidly about his or her imperfections. And blogs are no exception. The blogs that minister to me most are written by people like me. People who don't have it all together. People who fail miserably at times. People who, like Paul in Romans 7, want to do good, but evil is always with them. ...

The tremendously popular Spiderman has made its mark in almost every form of media possible. What began as a Marvel Comic has grown into an empire, with a history of a television series, several blockbuster films and now a Broadway theater production. The rock musical, entitled Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark , features a score written by U2's Bono and The Edge. So what originally made this story of an orphan boy being raised by his aunt and uncle so popular? Peter Parker, the story's protagonist, was the most unlikely superhero when he came on the scene in the early 1960's. A bright and imaginative teenager, the shy Peter also suffered from rejection by his peers, loneliness and an insatiable crush on his next-door neighbor. Teenage boys immediately identified with Peter, visualizing themselves, like Peter, being endowed with the superpowers of a radioactive spider. The underlying theme of Spiderman can be found in the words of his guardian, the late Uncle Ben: ...

`   Yesterday I defined the word Passion and gave a checklist for any of you wanting to discover your personal passion. I hope you found this step useful in determining your God-given purpose. There are a few more pieces to the purpose-puzzle that we'll examine in the days to come, so keep reading! Today I wanted to put some flesh on this passion phenomenon. So let's examine some people -- some well-known and some not so well-known -- who embody the word passion. When I began creating this list, several names and faces flooded my mind. I could have included hundreds more people with great passion, but I've settled for a small sampling. Hopefully, these folks will give clarity to what passion looks like and inspire you to discover and pursue your own passions. Billy Graham When I think of passionate people, I can't help but think of evangelist Billy Graham. Since 1948, Graham has conducted large evangelistic crusades, renting large venues such as stadiums and park...

The 1981 British film Chariots of Fire , tells the true story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a Scottish Christian and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew. In perhaps the movie's most memorable scene, Lidell's sister challenges him, questioning whether his love for running exceeds his love for God. When he misses a church prayer meeting while training for his race, she accuses him of no longer caring for God. His response confirms his prior commitment to return to the China mission field, although he believes his running glorifies God as well. He then speaks the words that have transcended the film since its release three decades ago: "I believe that God made me for a purpose . But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure." What do you do that makes you feel God's pleasure? This, most likely, is your passion. Passion can be described as the thing you could do everyday, all day without getting paid one penny for it. It's ...