…comes in small packages. 🎁

….and oh the impact it has to destroy!

So why do we use this coined phrase to encourage people, to motivate people, and to give them hope that they can do great things?

I’m 5 foot nothin’! And I’ve heard this all my life. I heard it a lot growing up.

When I played softball, some would remind me of the the Dynamite analogy to spur me on to hit hard.

Some said I reminded them of Punky Brewster. My coach would cheer me on at bat, “come on Punky, give it some “Punky Power!”

My nephew sits in the field singing the Snap! Song “I’ve got the Power!” And his teammates sing it in the dugout while he’s at bat. All 10 of them, “I’ve got the power!” Oh, the faith of a child!

As an adult, I’ve struggled with defeat. I haven’t felt very powerful. That Dynamite nor “Punky Power” visual Never got me a home run and sure doesn’t motivate me now.

Especially since my parenting years began, I have experienced many challenges that have made me question my abilities to do anything right. Life is hard. Life throws us curve balls.

The only real power we have as humans is found in the trinity. When we accept Christ as our Savior, He promises us His Holy Spirit. Led by God, Loved and forgiven by Jesus, and moved by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the Power. We have the greatest power of all! Heaven comes down, miracles happen, and hope is restored when we tap into our faith in the Jesus Christ who gives us this power.

The cross: It’s foolishness to those who don’t believe, but for those of us who do, It is the POWER of the Holy Spirit! 1 Corinthians 1:18

It’s simple too. God makes it easy for us. All we have to do is Pray for God to show us the Power of the Holy Spirit. We have to come to Him with a “believing in Jesus” heart of faith. And Boom! We do have the power!

So as the Snap! Song says, “It’s gettin, It’s gettin, It’s gettin kinda hectic”….remember to say to yourself, “I’ve Got the POWER!”

And remember, Jesus Loves You!

Carrie On! And Stay High! Colossians 3

Carrie

I pray my home is as welcoming and peaceful as my childhood neighbor’s home.

The Bright House, as we liked to call it, was across the street from my childhood home. I was always welcomed there with milk, cookies, and a hug.

My best friend lived there. She and I were like sisters. We shared so many good times together.

Mr. And Mrs. Bright were a peaceful, gracious, quiet couple. I never once heard them raise their voices or say a negative word.

I called Mrs. Bright my “other mother”. And I remember thinking that the saying, “Walk tall and carry a big stick.”, was referring to Mr. Bright. He never spoke. He just hunted, grilled, and smiled a lot. But, one time, I accidentally kicked him under the table after a long day at the beach. He said, “Don’t do that again.” (The emphasis on Don’t) He was so sunburned. You can believe I didn’t move for the rest of that meal. I completely respected that man.

Mark 12:31 tells us to “Love our Neighbor as we love ourselves.”

The Brights loved me well. They loved me like family.

When I spilled coke on their brand new carpet, they just picked it up. Never once did they scold me or criticize me. We actually joked about my careless move that night and for years to come. They had a Graceful character that made me feel comfortable around them.

They invited me on their family vacations. They fed me thousands of meals. They weren’t nervous, hurried, frustrated, nor mad. Ever! And if they were, they hid it well. They just seemed to me to be the best neighbors anyone could ever have.

Looking back, I know it was because of their rock solid faith in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They were committed to their faith and their family. They attended the local Catholic Church. They were very active practicing Christians.

We were very active in our church also. My family of 7 outnumbered them by 3. And those 3 boys caused a lot of tension in our family. When the arguments started, I loved to run across the street to my home away from home. They were a shelter, a stronghold, like Jesus is now.

I pray you have neighbors like the Bright Family. And I pray we can be that neighbor for someone else. and I pray that Jesus is a priority in all of our homes.

If you’re struggling to know your neighbors, I pray you’ll make an effort to get along with them. It may be a memory that will impact you or your family for years to come.

Remember, Jesus Loves you!

So Carrie On and Stay High!

Carrie

“This little light of mine, I’m a gonna let it shine, let it shine! Let it shine! Let it shine!”

Like us, light bulbs carry many different shapes, sizes, voltage, wattage, and life.

Since my last name is Watts, I often ask myself, what kind of light will I be today? My “Wattage” should always be 100 since Jesus is my Light and He lives in me. Right!?!?

You may ask me, “Carrie, don’t you ever have a bad day? A bad week? A bad year, a bad decade?” And I would respond in truth, “Yes, I do” Let’s call it what it is. That’s Spiritual warfare. Satan would love for you to dim that light. Don’t let him. Satan OUT! Jesus IN!

Here’s a News flash! I’m human! There’s also my human side. Stress, worry, disappointments, unwelcome surprises, sin, and shame all try to dim my light. And, I confess, I have let those things steal my light. I act as if I get to choose my light bulb Wattage. Don’t I get to choose to be a 40 Watts, 60 Watts, or 100 Watts?

Isn’t it my choice to choose my wattage?

No, it’s not my choice.

I am His and He is mine. The Power that provides the light lives in me. I have to get plugged in to Him and the Holy Spirit that lives in my heart, my mind, and my soul. Jesus gave me access to this power when I was 9 years old. When I first asked Jesus into my heart, in came the light, out with the dark.

“The Light shines in the dark and the dark cannot overcome it.” John 1:5

The end of “This Little Light of Mine” says, “Hold it under a bushel? No!”

If we are in Jesus and He in us, we can’t hide the light.

“Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might” or maybe today we should say “….The Power of His Light”

There’s a praise song that sings, “Be in the Light, he is in Light.” This is based on John 1:7

Don’t be afraid to shine your light!…even on the bad days. The Bible also tells us to “fear not!” 365 times (once for every day of the year). Is not fear what keeps us from shining His light from within us?

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life, whom shall I dread?” Psalm 27:1

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!”

Be a light!

Jesus Loves you!

So Carrie On and Stay High!

Carrie (100) Watts

Don’t you just love A Spring Wedding Celebration?

Blooms and beauty are all around us. Love is in the air!

Weddings are about new life! A Forever Love. A forever Oneness.

Marriage is a picture of Heaven.

God is all over it! The Bible tells us that He is Love. Without Him, we don’t have love. The union between Christ and us is a marriage. He is our bridegroom. He loves us unconditionally. He teaches us that we are to Love others as we would want to be loved. And to love as He loves us.

He loves us so much that he sent us Christ to save us. We need a savior. Without Him we are but dust. With Him, we are precious. Like all things that he made that are valuable and beautiful, we are in the refining process. He knows we are prone to wander. He knows we are sinful. After all, we are like tarnished silver, we need to be polished. Like diamonds, he’s cutting us into something sparkling and shiny.

So allow Him to polish you today. Allow Him to make the necessary cuts to bring out the best in you. Take joy in the process.

Jesus Loves you!

Carrie On and Stay High!

Lord, you are more precious than silver. Lord, you are more costly than gold. Lord you are more beautiful than diamonds, and nothing I desire compares with you.

Stay High y’all! Carrie on. Jesus Loves You!

Please don’t judge me, but I’m a recovering angerholic. God has changed me. He can change you too.

I don’t think that “angerholic” is a real word, but I lived with a temper and suppressed anger that would come out unexpectedly, and I didn’t have the self control to handle it. When I would let it out, I actually felt a rush with it and really relieved after I threw my fit. I actually told myself that I deserved to get that out. I told myself that it really wasn’t as bad as it could be. I didn’t physically hurt anyone. I was just loud. I liked to slam doors. I liked to throw things.

Honestly, I didn’t want to be angry. I would make excuses like, “It’s not my fault I was angry.” I would tell myself, “It’s their sin that makes me angry.”

The truth was that I hated that part of me. I honestly did not know how to get rid of my anger. I knew it wasn’t biblical. I knew that it was not a good witness to my children. But, I wasn’t very good at managing it.

I didn’t know I had so much anger pushed down deep inside until I had children. The height of my anger was a result of their disobedience. I was taking their natural tendencies to explore their identity and push the limits very personally. I was amazed at how much it impacted my temperament. When they would disobey, I would blow up. It took me by surprise at how volatile I actually could be. I was loud and mean.

Oddly enough, I confess, it felt so good to get it out. But oh, how my yelling hurt others feelings. It hurt my little one’s feelings. And my husband didn’t like it either. They would look at me with those sweet eyes and say, ” Mom, stop yelling at me.”

Then, when I heard their hurt, I could snap out of it. I would melt. I would tell them how sorry I was. I would ask for their forgiveness. I knew I had to do something about it. I would promise them that I would never do it again. But that was a lie. I needed Gods help. I needed a lot of help.

I would pray about it, asking God to change me. It took me years to get a hold of my anger. But I have. I’m “recovering”. Sometimes I hear my voice rising and I have to stop and get myself together before I respond.

2 very impressionable moments took place that helped me the most:

In 2012, we started attending Pinelake Church. The first Sunday we visited, Chip talked about fasting. He spoke about the blessings and miracles that come from fasting.

Soon after, he talked about anger. He said there’s no room in a Christian’s life for anger.

So I fasted about my anger. I prayed through the hunger for food and asked God to fill me, instead with His Spirit to overcome it. I begged God to replace my anger with sympathy, compassion, forgiveness, and love.

I fasted once a week. And after several weeks, I noticed that I was becoming more patient, less reactive, and more calm. God was working a good work in me. And He still is. He’s so kind.

Second, my children inherited my sin. They had seen it enough. They new how to have a good fit. But, sometimes it would end in more than raising voices. They would get physical in their anger. I would explain that pushing and hitting during anger was not acceptable. Imagine that!?!? Here I was trying to teach them how to deal with their anger. I bought them a book called, “Getting a Grip”. I read it. It helped me tremendously! Imagine that!?!?! Learning from a book for a teen.” Yep! God works through mysterious means. Many of the lessons I’ve taught my children helped me the most.

God is always calling us closer to Him. He is so patient and so kind. I had to rid myself of that very thing that Satan was using to tear me apart. We need to pull those weeds of sin, and we need to throw off that which prevents us from growing in our faith. For me, I had to rid myself of anger and angery outbursts.

God’s Kindness and His Power through the Holy Spirit is alive! He is my strength! He is my power!

Colossians 3

I had to Carrie On and learn to Stay High.

Jesus Loves me. Jesus Loves you too.

Carrie

Please forgive me, but I have to confess, forgiveness is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I come from a long line of stubbornness.

For me it takes so much to get over myself. My rights. My opinions. My anger. My feelings. Did I mention my feelings?

My cross has to picked up and carried on. I Gotta crucify me. Because let’s face it, Its not about me.

Here’s the Big Picture: It’s about Him. He is more important than me.

The First question in the catechism asks, “What is the chief end of man?”

Answer: The chief end of man is to Glorify God and enjoy Him Forever.

Forgiveness glorifies Him.

So, no matter what, I have to forgive if I want to be forgiven. I really don’t have a choice in the matter.

Luke 6 lays it on the line. I have kicked and screamed my arguments with God through that chapter, but it didn’t help. He’s in charge. He’s the King of Forgiveness.

He knows what you’re going through. Just read about His life. He didn’t deserve being abused, lied to, persecuted, nor hurt. He did it for us. He did, so I can. He did it for you too.

He did, So we can Carrie On. So We can Stay High.

We can forgive.

Jesus Loves you!

Carrie

The wisdom of my father spoke to me, “Life can be easy or life can be hard, it’s up to you!”. He repeated this many times over to me during my life.

What is “easy”? How do you define “easy”?!

It’s work, it’s commitment, it’s a die-hard passion for dreams of yours and my future.

When you boil it down: It’s God’s approval, not man’s.

In reading the Bible, there’s a repeated theme. Obedience results in blessings. Disobedience results in curses and punishment.

Do you want blessing or curse? Make no more excuses. It falls on you. It’s your decision. Once you become an adult, it’s no longer up to your parents to carry you through life. No matter their influence, it’s now up to you!

So are you going to waste this precious life God gave you? Or are you going to make it count?

God has a plan for you! So Stay High! And Carrie on…in Christ, you can!

Jesus Loves you!

Carrie

When I was in high school, my youth pastor showed us a video of some teens partying, driving, and drinking. There was a crash.

As those teens stood before St. Peter at Heaven’s gate, one by one they were either allowed in (if they had accepted Jesus as their savior), or not.

At the time, seeing this made a huge impact on me. I was living a divided life. I was praying for forgiveness in church on Sunday for what I was doing on Friday and Saturday nights.

After the video, there was a deafening silence in the room. I’m sure there were a few tears too. My Youth Pastor didn’t have to say much. The video said it all. So he went to his office and invited any of us who wanted to talk to come on in. So, without hesitation, I did. I almost stepped on the back of his shoes.

I unloaded my concerns about my sins on him. He was very gracious. He said, “Carrie, you have to decide whether you are going to give God 100%, or Satan 100%. There’s no in between.”

So, I made some changes. Changed who I was hanging out with. Broke up with the guy. It wasn’t easy. But, I knew it was necessary.

Soon after, I was riding in the car with my youth pastor and he asked how I was doing. I explained that I surrendered 100% to God, but I was having a hard time moving forward. I just couldn’t let some things go.

He said, “Carrie, someone who lives in the past has no future.”💥Baam! That hung in the air and penetrated my heart. Those were words to live by…Even today.

That was life-changing for me. I knew then and there that I had to make every effort to put the past where it belonged! To move on, to carry on to God’s plan and purpose for my life in Him.

Put your name there and tell yourself that you can move forward. With God’s help, Power, and miracles, you can. He wants to bless you above and beyond what you could ask or imagine.

Now, Carrie On! And Stay High!

Colossians 3

And remember, Jesus Loves you!❤️

Carrie

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I was taught this prayer 35 years ago while sitting in a religion class led by a priest visiting St. Joseph’s Catholic school. I was only there one day on a “Bring a Friend Day” with my best friend. Without a doubt, it was God’s plan for me to be there because, this process of praying made a huge impact on my prayer life. Many nights, unable to clear my mind, I go to sleep praying like this ….for 35 years, since 8th grade.

Here we go. Try it out…Close your eyes. Imagine you’re on a cliff holding a trash bag.

Open your bag.

Now fill it with everything that is distracting you. It may be people, plans, your house, the laundry, your car, or your grocery list. Whoever or whatever it is. Pick it up, one by one, and put them or it in the bag. Seriously, is it a spouse, a friend, a coworker? This virus and the impact it’s had on the world and your community? Put them in there. You’re not committing a crime, this is temporary and only in your mind, so clear them off the worry list. Put it all in there. Tie it up.

Now, walk over to the cliff and throw it over. Gone. Now it’s just you.

Whew! Doesn’t that feel good!?!? Turn around. Walk to the Forest. Walk through the trees, to the river. You’ll see a log. Sit there. Hear the water rushing over the rocks? It’s a beautiful day.

You see Jesus walking towards you. Do you need a hug? Go ahead…Invite Him to sit down. Now tell him anything and everything. Jesus is your Father, your friend, your counselor. Your risen king. He loves you and knows you already. Give it to him. Take your time. Don’t rush.

Allow Him to talk to you too. Just sit quietly. He Loves you. Allow yourself to feel His love surround you there.

This may take a few minutes to an hour, depending on how long you need.

Remembering everything that you threw off that cliff..All those worries and distractions….Jesus has all that, so don’t worry about going back to get those things. He’s got you.

I became a Christian at 9 years old and my family attended a Protestant church. I knew Jesus already. I had a relationship when this was presented to me. Maybe that’s why it helped me to develop a deeper relationship with him. It helped me have longer, more intimate time to dig in and say what I need to say or to just listen.

He does this over time. He allows opportunities for us to become closer to him as we grow in relationship with him.

If you’re at a place where you can step up, lean in, and grow into the next chapter of your Christian walk with Christ, now is a great time. Today is the day. I pray you will take time with the one who knows you best. Release all your worries and cares of this world and let Him love you. ❤️

Carrie On and Stay High!

Jesus Loves you! He really does! He died for you and He lives!

Colossians 3:1-4 reminds us, “Since you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

Happy Easter ✝️

“God gave me a mouth, and I’m going to use it!”, I yelled back at my brothers when they would say, “Will you just stop talking!”

I’m a loud mouth girl from the south, and I like to talk. In my scrapbook from my childhood, my brothers would write about how much I talked and how much they didn’t like it. In elementary school, I received “U” for “Unsatisfactory” on my report cards for talking. In nursing school, I was reprimanded for too much talking in the early morning hours. My professor explained, “Carrie, you can’t just bust in a hospital room at 6:30 in the morning with that big white bow in your hair, rip open the blinds, and exclaim to the patient about what a beautiful day it is when they just had surgery on their colon 24 hours earlier!”

Back in the 90s, in our college cafeteria, I sat at a table with 2 boys I had never officially met, but I knew that they were brothers. So, I started to introduce myself. One of them interrupted me and he said, “Oh, I know who you are. Your name is Carrie. I remembered it because you carry on and on and on!”

My husband, since our dating days, has even been known to squeeze my knee under the table when I’ve gotten too winded in the presence of company.

I’m not as bratty now, thanks to God’s Grace. Now, I have a greater mission: God did give me a mouth, and I do want to use it to glorify Him. I’ve had to learn where, when, and how to use it properly.

It’s been a 46 year journey, but I’ve learned a lot about words.

Word, in Latin, is verbum. It’s where we get our word, verb. God’s word is alive and active in my heart and in all believer’s hearts. God’s word has much to say about our words, our mouths, and how we can be salt and light, we can be wise, and we can be used for Him. Or, we can be darkness, foolish, and hurtful to His kingdom. We have to learn to use our words wisely.

I think the best use of our words is to share God’s Love. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

So study your bible. Use your words wisely. Let’s grow His kingdom.

Another note about “Carrie On”: Even in the Christian Life we can get bogged down by the sin around us. We can let the sin that entangles us and that disappoints us pause our mission. Sometimes, it causes us to rethink our mission. And it even makes us question our mission to serve God and share Him. “Carrie On” has not only been about my loud mouth, but my inability to keep going on the days that seem hard to keep going. I had about a 13 year period where I battled with Satan’s lies about myself and my family. I dug deep in God’s word to find hope. I believe in God’s promises, but I was having a hard time living them out. It was as if they weren’t for me. However, God kept whispering to me to keep going, to move ahead, to “Carrie On!”

So let’s do just that, let’s Carrie On!

Jesus Loves you!

Carrie