[00:00:00] The Missional Life - Dan: All right. Welcome back to the Mission Live podcast. Today we have Carol McLeod on the show. Carol is a bestselling author, speaker, and president and CEO of Carol McLeod Ministries. She's passionate about encouraging and empowering women through biblical teaching infused with hope and humor. Her latest book, Today is a Verb, challenges readers to embrace every moment with purpose and intentionality.

[00:00:20] The Missional Life - Dan: Carol is also the host of Significant Women, a podcast that inspires listeners by sharing the stories of women who have made a meaningful impact in their spears of influence. Carol. Welcome to the show.

[00:00:30] Carol McLeod: Welcome. Hi, Dan. Hi, Amanda. It's so good to see you again. Thank you for having me.

[00:00:35] The Missional Life - Dan: Absolutely. So good to have you back on the show.

[00:00:38] Carol McLeod: Thanks.

[00:00:39] The Missional Life - Dan: Let's start with your new book. The heart of your book is that idea. Today is a verb. What inspired the concept and how did God begin to place the idea? That message on your heart.

[00:00:50] Carol McLeod: Yeah. So, you know, several years ago I went in for my yearly, my annual physical seeing my doctor. I love dearly. I've known him for years.

[00:00:57] Carol McLeod: He actually goes to my church and, and he said to me, Carol, as you grow older, there are so at first I thought, what? I'm getting older. No, that's not true. But he went on to say there are some habits or some practices I want you to incorporate into your life. And he said the first one is this older people tend to shuffle.

[00:01:18] Carol McLeod: They don't pick up their feet and as a result they trip over things that normally wouldn't They wouldn't stumble over and they lose their balance. He said, so it's very important for you to pick up your feet intentionally, almost in a marching fashion. And as Dr. Sackett was saying that to me, I thought, Lord, you're talking to me.

[00:01:39] Carol McLeod: You're telling me how to live my life that I shouldn't shuffle through life. That I shouldn't be bored with my circumstances, but there should be a spring in my step and I should march into your promises and into your purpose. So that sort of became the foundation of me thinking about how were we created?

[00:02:01] Carol McLeod: To do life. And then Dan and Amanda, I just started watching people and looking at healthy lifestyles. And now this book is not about what you put in your mouth or how long you exercise, but it's about living a healthy lifestyle of intention, both emotionally and spiritually that honors the Lord. So today is a verb and in the book are 30 different verbs that are going to help all of us live.

[00:02:31] Carol McLeod: A life that heaven just stands to its feet and applauds. Wow.

[00:02:38] The Missional Life - Dan: I love that when we get on with authors or speakers, how you hear somebody say something, but you hear God speaking through that too. And I love how you have that tuning to hearing God's voice. And I think that's something that we all can do, but sometimes we don't do it as often as we As we should, and also I'd love the idea of marching because so many times it feels a little safer to stay closer to the ground.

[00:03:04] The Missional Life - Dan: , . But when we march, when we pick up our feet, we move forward, we move a little more confidently. I think that's how God wants us to move. You know, he wants us to confidently move into the day that he has for us.

[00:03:13] Carol McLeod: Yeah. You know, even to take it a step further than that, Dan, I've been thinking lately, you know, we're in a rather new year here that I can either slog through this year, just sort of kicking the rocks, just sort of looking at my feet, or I I can dance.

[00:03:29] Carol McLeod: I can be very aware of my surroundings and of the music that God is playing for me. I can have a sparkle in my eye. And so, you know, we only get to live once Dan and Amanda only once I told my staff recently, we were having a staff meeting. a month or so ago. And I said to him, look, y'all, this is the only Friday, January the 3rd 2025 you will ever have.

[00:03:56] Carol McLeod: It will never come again. So what are you, you going to do with this day that God has given to you? And we began talking about What makes a good day a good day? Like what makes a bad day a bad day and just all of the facets that the lord has given us to turn even bad days into meaningful days

[00:04:20] The Missional Life - Dan: So you have an idea this concept of verbing tell us what that means and how you put it into your practice in everyday living

[00:04:29] Carol McLeod: So today is a verb.

[00:04:30] Carol McLeod: So I always say we got to today our way through life. I have turned the word today into a verb, but it means to live with biblical intention. It means to know what the Bible says about life and then practice those habits. It means to have a heart filled, overflowing really with gratitude. And a mindset of expectation instead of thinking that the other shoe is going to drop all the time.

[00:04:57] Carol McLeod: Think about how God's goodness can transform a situation. One of the things I always said to my kids as they were growing up is, listen, you need to happen to life. Don't just let life happen to you, but you happen to life. So today is a verb. Today in your way through life means choosing how you will live the days allotted you listen I i'm not pollyanna with the bible.

[00:05:22] Carol McLeod: That's not who I am. I'm a woman who's experienced unbelievable pain and heartache. But by applying the eternal principles of scripture to my life, I have changed the narrative. You know, there are things I have to do every day. I, I have to do the dishes. I have to cook. I have to take care of my elderly mom.

[00:05:45] Carol McLeod: I have to pay the bills. Those things are non negotiables in my life. And do I like all of them? No. You know, some of them are mundane. Some of them tempt me. They, they sort of woo me to say, Carol, just slog. You're okay. But no, todaying means that choose how I will do those things. I'm going to take care of my mother with such love and such compassion, because that's what the Bible says.

[00:06:12] Carol McLeod: I'm going to be kind to my neighbors and look in their eyes and talk to them. And, because that's what the Bible says that I should do. You know, so, so we live in time. That's, we don't even know how far away it is from the feast of heaven, but in this space called time, we were created to embrace the joy of heaven.

[00:06:34] Carol McLeod: We, we were actually divinely designed by our creator to be the receptacle, the holding place and the distribute, distribution center of the joy of the Lord. Like, once you're a joyful Christian, like, you can't keep it to yourself. It has to splash on the world around you. And, and this is a glorious assignment.

[00:06:58] Carol McLeod: I, I think that last time I was on your show, we might've talked about how I spent most of my thirties in, in a deep, dark, devastating depression. And, and during those days, y'all. I developed an addiction. My, my heart was broken. The grief was unending and the addiction that I developed wasn't to alcohol.

[00:07:21] Carol McLeod: It wasn't to over the counter meds. It was to the word of God and the Bible delivered me from that dark place before my circumstances ever changed. Changed. And all I can tell you is that the Bible works. The Bible has renewed me, refresh me. It's okay. This is the word I was looking for. The Bible has renovated me emotionally.

[00:07:48] Carol McLeod: You know how when you buy a fixer upper and old home and there's, Oh, so much to be done. It's daunting. Well, that was me. There, there was so much to be done in me. I was so broken. My foundation was off kilter. No, nobody could enjoy living in me or with me, but the word of God renovated the woman that I am.

[00:08:12] Carol McLeod: So now I, I just believe it. I believe with my whole heart, like Paul says, I am convinced that every remarkable day that I live and breathe on planet earth, I've been commissioned by my creator, by the heavenly father, by the one who holds everything in his hands. I am. I've been commissioned to demonstrate the joy of heaven's glory in the middle of earth's pain.

[00:08:39] Carol McLeod: That's my assignment and I will not ignore it. I will not belittle it, but I will take it and I will run with it because the astounding miracle y'all, and. Accompanying this incredible appointment or assignment is that we, Dan, you and Amanda, me, my family, anybody who's listening, we as God's beloved children have been allowed to carry the stunning characteristics of the father in our human shells and we have to do it today.

[00:09:19] The Missional Life - Amanda: That's so beautiful. You know, as you were talking about the idea of renovation, so Dan and I kind of looked at each other and chuckled a bit, cause we have actually renovated a few houses , in our marriage. And so we know exactly that analogy. But you know, I think as a culture, we try to self renovate ourselves.

[00:09:40] The Missional Life - Amanda: We try to look for solutions and ideas and, , how we're going to attain this weight goal, how we're going to attain this career goal, et cetera. And really, , you said the word of God renovated you. And it's like, I got this picture of without God's word, we don't have the tools. Or the energy or the strength.

[00:10:00] The Missional Life - Amanda: We have absolutely nothing to be able to renovate ourselves. So it's impossible. We can't do it. , but he wants to co labor with us. That's the beauty of it. It's the idea of co mission, you know, the great co mission, we get to co mission with the Lord.

[00:10:15] The Missional Life - Amanda: Like you said, we get to have the love of the father, just filling out of us each day as you know, the temple of the Holy spirit. And. It's just something that the Lord has been speaking to me this year is this idea of zeal that Even in the book of Isaiah, it talks about zeal for you know for the Father's house zeal in his zeal God himself provided a way for us and it, it goes even beyond ambition.

[00:10:45] The Missional Life - Amanda: It's like a high form of energy. And it's just amazing that God himself would do that for us. And apathy is not even in his characteristics, you know, as you were saying, like not to shuffle through life, that being apathetic is really not. How to live as a believer.

[00:11:06] The Missional Life - Amanda: We don't have to live that way. So can you just speak to the believer that is just feeling in their soul, crushed, disappointed by life. In this moment just struggling saying I want to believe God, but I'm really just Can't seem to get over these things or i'm just physically exhausted or I feel Like I don't have the joy of the lord.

[00:11:31] The Missional Life - Amanda: Can you just speak into that

[00:11:34] Carol McLeod: Oh, that's so good. I Amanda, I just want to comment on everything you said. It was so rich and so good. So I am going to talk to the discouraged person in just a minute, but let's let's just rest.

[00:11:46] Carol McLeod: Let's just pause on that word zeal for a moment because that is a powerful word. You know, we all know what a zealot is, right? It's somebody who's so dedicated to a cause they think of nothing else. They Eat, breathe, dream about this one cause, nothing will stop them, nothing will get in the way. And I think that's what we're talking about today is being zealous, having a holy zeal for the things of Christ.

[00:12:16] Carol McLeod: And, and like you said, we have been so deceived by our culture to think that the renovation is going to happen with I think maybe especially women. I don't know, Dan, maybe you can comment on this. For men, you know, like you said weight size or a new hairdo living in your dream house a great water full of clothes.

[00:12:34] Carol McLeod: No, those things don't renovate us. They, that's the masquerade that the earth offers to us. So that is not, if you're discouraged today, that is not what we're talking about. We're not talking about a masquerade. We're talking about in a, internal renovation. You know, when I think of the word zeal, I also think of the word enthusiasm.

[00:12:59] Carol McLeod: And that word enthusiasm comes from two greek words and theos, which means in God, there's only one way to be sincerely, authentically passionate about life. And that is enthusiasm. God. So if you're discouraged today, if you're downhearted, if you are downcast, let me just encourage you for a few minutes in your faith walk.

[00:13:30] Carol McLeod: This is not pretense. This is the real stuff of life. As I alluded to a minute ago, I spent a decade of my life in that black pit of depression and I went to my doctor. And I, I was on medication. I'll just be honest with you. I went to a clinical psychologist who helped me peel back the layers of my pain, but it was my faith that lifted me out of that dark pit and set me on solid ground.

[00:14:02] Carol McLeod: Now, My counselor told me many practical things to do. So let me just share some of those things with you today. Do something kind for somebody else, like slip your pastor's family a 20 bill so they can go out for ice cream after service mow your neighbor's yard, make cookies for the neighborhood.

[00:14:25] Carol McLeod: Kids. Send an encouraging email to a, to a high school friend. Pick a bouquet of flowers, go to the grocery store, buy the flowers that are on sale and take them to a new, a newly married couple or a new mom. Because you see when we're generous, when we give to others, our endorphin level raises. And endorphin is, is a, Substance inside of us that helps us fight depression.

[00:14:54] Carol McLeod: Imagine that. And so you've got to raise that endorphin level. Did you know that smiling at a stranger raises your endorphin level? So get, get outside your skin and be the kindest version of yourself. Be generous. Another thing I do is I go for a walk every day, whether it's 30 degrees. That's sort of my coldest.

[00:15:20] Carol McLeod: I'll go outside or 110 degrees. When you get outside in God's creation and you've got your earbuds in and you're playing the great hymns of your faith, something's going to rise within you. You're going to feel more powerful. So those are two great practical suggestions. But let, let me just minister to you for a minute.

[00:15:42] Carol McLeod: I don't know what's happened to you to cause your pain. I don't know what has broken your heart, but I can tell you this, the Bible promises that God is close to the broken hearted. And so God is very close to you today. You are not forgotten. Do not let the enemy tell you that you are forgotten. Do not let the enemy tell you that God does not care about you.

[00:16:08] Carol McLeod: Because he cares about you very, very much. In the book of 1 Peter it says, cast all your cares upon him. Why? Because he cares for you. So today I want you to snuggle into God's presence. I want you to open your Bible, and I want you to turn on worship music, and I want you to invite the Holy Spirit to comfort you.

[00:16:35] Carol McLeod: Because you know what? That's one of the things the Holy Spirit does best, is he comforts the afflicted. So I know that my God will meet you in that spot and that he will encourage you. You know, there's so much about life we can't control, right? So much we can't control, but there are some things we can control and we can control how we spend our time.

[00:17:02] Carol McLeod: I'm going to spend it in the word. I'm going to spend it being generous to others. We can control our thought life. I'm going to put God's word in my mind. So I'm thinking the thoughts of God, we can control our tongue. So I'm going to be speaking God's word. I'm going to be singing the songs of faith. And I just want to tell you that you have a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

[00:17:25] Carol McLeod: Jesus has stuck to you like super glue. He's never going to leave you or forsake you.

[00:17:34] The Missional Life - Dan: Such an encouraging word. I think sometimes we struggle with wrestling with the today. And yet we also, as Christians, we're hopeful for this life of heaven and we live in this mixture, right?

[00:17:48] The Missional Life - Dan: And so you talk about that in your book about balancing both today and eternity. How do these perspectives complement each other? How do you work these both out? And how does that apply to Yeah.

[00:18:01] Carol McLeod: So sometimes, Dan, it might seem like eternity and time are wrestling that they, that they don't get along, that they're like mutually exclusive.

[00:18:11] Carol McLeod: But, but this is the truth about eternity and time. We serve an eternal God who has placed us In the confines of time, but, but time doesn't imprison us. Time is our springboard to everything eternal. I can actually experience heaven on earth when I choose to live with biblical intention. I can experience joy in spite of pain.

[00:18:41] Carol McLeod: And in spite of confusion one time Dan and Amanda, you're going to love this. I wanted. the biblical definition of the word joy. So I started looking in concordances and Bible dictionaries and, and they all basically the said that said the same thing. You read the word joy, and then the next word you read in the definition, joy.

[00:19:03] Carol McLeod: No, you can't do that. I was an English major in college. You can't use the word in its own definition. And so then you might see something like rejoice, gladness. I thought, well, that's weak, gladness, no. And so I went on, Amanda, a zealous, search to find out what the word joy meant. And I found it. I'm the beneficiary of, of my grandfather's library.

[00:19:30] Carol McLeod: He was a Cornell educated lawyer who became a theologian later in life. And in a Bible dictionary, the copyright date y'all was get this 1865. Hmm. This was the definition of the word joy, the atmosphere. That surrounds the throne room of God. What? So we know that in his presence, there's fullness of joy.

[00:20:01] Carol McLeod: So when I embrace the joy of his presence, I am delivering the atmosphere of heaven. To planet earth, to my family, to my home, to discouraged people. That's quite an assignment and I must not take it lightly. You know, we know that joy and peace are both components of eternity. And my choice today is to bring.

[00:20:31] Carol McLeod: that atmosphere of eternity to my life, which is happening in time. Does that describe it to you a little bit?

[00:20:44] The Missional Life - Dan: That's a good definition.

[00:20:46] Carol McLeod: I know. I know.

[00:20:48] The Missional Life - Dan: You know, God has provided so much for us, right we read about this in scripture. And I think there's a difference between when God provides something and then there's a difference when we apprehend or when we take hold of what God has given us,

[00:21:02] The Missional Life - Dan: Because he wants us to, but he doesn't force us to, right?

[00:21:06] The Missional Life - Dan: And so I'm just wondering, why do you think so many of us struggle with embracing that joy and embracing the kind of life and living life to the fullest, the way that God wants us to live. , what do you think holds us back?

[00:21:18] Carol McLeod: Well, I think it's because life is hard, and when we're a believer in Christ, we're not sure we want a hard life.

[00:21:26] Carol McLeod: You know, I've been thinking about this lately, Dan and Amanda, that I think the church, the 21st century church, even the latter part of the 20th century church, has done a phenomenal job of teaching the next generation how to stand on the promises of God to declare your destiny, declare your future to know that that your best life is right now.

[00:21:50] Carol McLeod: Like we've taught them all those things so well, but we have not taught them to suffer well, that that has not been part of our theology. And suffering is part of this experience known as time. There is a perfect place and, and you're going there some way day. If you know Jesus as your Lord and savior, but this is not that place.

[00:22:14] Carol McLeod: I think it was Elizabeth Elliot that says heaven is there. And we are here. Two separate places, two separate experiences. So as believers in Christ, we, we have been given the tools to get through suffering. And, and I believe that suffering comes with, Many invitations. It's the invitation to know Jesus.

[00:22:41] Carol McLeod: You know, y'all, it's been in the hardest days of my life that I have been introduced to the goodness of God in uncommon and extraordinary days. Like when my life is fine, when it's Christmas morning and all the kids are home and, and the bills are paid and everybody's getting a present, I, I'm not as aware of him, but when life is hardened and I can't go into it.

[00:23:05] Carol McLeod: But y'all trust me to say the last 10 or 11 years of my life have been excruciating. That's why I'm always careful to say I'm not Pollyanna with the Bible. That is not who I am. I am a real girl who lives in time, who has decided I am not going to be imprisoned by my circumstances. But I'm going to have the mind of Christ and I'm going to keep my eyes and my heart Set on who he is.

[00:23:41] Carol McLeod: I think suffering comes with the invitation to sing, like to sing the song you were made to sing. We were all born with a song in our souls and suffering is an invitation to sing that song. Suffering is an invitation to care about others. More than you care about yourself like suffering is is an invitation to Welcome other people into your life and to share with them the peace that passes understanding I I love the story of Paul and Silas in that Roman prison cell how they were beaten and and their clothing was stained was stripped and, and it was the midnight hour, the darkest time of the night.

[00:24:23] Carol McLeod: And Paul and Silas looked at each other and said, what should we do? And they said, guess we'll sing like who wouldn't sing in that situation. And, and so they began to sing songs of praise to their Lord. And, and the Bible tells us a very interesting fact about Paul and Silas. It says, and the prisoners We're listening to them.

[00:24:44] Carol McLeod: Now, when you look at that word, listen in the Greek, it doesn't mean over here. It doesn't mean eavesdrop. It is the strongest word for listening in the Greek. And so when we're suffering, when we're in pain, when life has robbed us, when, when life has stripped us, when we feel imprisoned, by that pain as we lift a song of praise to the Lord.

[00:25:10] Carol McLeod: Y'all, the world is listening. The world is waiting to hear your song. So sing it even when you're suffering.

[00:25:21] The Missional Life - Dan: Wow. That is one of the defining characteristics of Christians, right? Is our joy.

[00:25:27] Carol McLeod: Yeah.

[00:25:27] The Missional Life - Dan: And I'm just thinking how, that's how Paul starts his letter. He's like, look, consider it pure joy when you go through all these different things.

[00:25:35] The Missional Life - Dan: , consider it joy. And he lists pretty extensive list of those things. And I mean, they're, they're, they're pretty heavy things, but he says, look, when you go through these things, man, consider it joy. And then he continues on later and he talks about how people are watching , that the world is watching.

[00:25:53] Carol McLeod: Yeah,

[00:25:54] The Missional Life - Dan: and I love , that story that you share because people are watching.

[00:25:58] Carol McLeod: Yeah.

[00:25:58] The Missional Life - Dan: And especially when Christians go through challenges themselves. And I think we sometimes have to,, you've heard the expression fake it till you make it, you know, but you probably heard that faith it till you make it too.

[00:26:13] The Missional Life - Dan: And I think that's so important too, that sometimes you don't have it in your soul and you don't have it in your spirit. You just, You just have to force yourself and you begin to put those words of, of praise on your lips and you bring that sacrifice of praise and you bring those, those things to God and slowly your perspective.

[00:26:32] The Missional Life - Dan: begins to change. And I think it's much like if I hold something in front of my face, it's all I see right now. But now when I begin to pull this away, my horizon changes, my perspective changes. And so praise does that. It slowly pushes things away that have been so up close and intimate and personal and so controlling and attention grabbing that.

[00:26:55] The Missional Life - Dan: It pushes those things away and you begin to see the fuller perspective and you can begin to see God working in the midst of it. And you can begin to see how he may be using you in that circumstance and probably not causing that circumstance. But at the same time, his promise is to you that he will work that for your good.

[00:27:13] The Missional Life - Dan: And especially as you continue to live and rely on his word and work those things out into your life. And so I'm just wondering, you know, you said you're not Pollyanna, what of the Bible? What did that look like? Kind of adopting this mindset of today and how did it change your life? And can you share a before and after scenario maybe in your life?

[00:27:32] The Missional Life - Dan: And what have others been seeing in their own life as they've adopted this today and mindset?

[00:27:38] Carol McLeod: Oh, I, I just love it. So one thing I do, Dan is every morning when I get up and I've got to face the The first thought that comes to my mind, the first words that come out of my mouth are these.

[00:27:50] Carol McLeod: This is the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. And I, I declare that while I'm brushing my teeth, while I'm fixing my coffee, while I'm making the bed, while I'm getting dressed because I'm going to frame my Day with my focus on the Lord. You know, you were, you were talking about the power of praise, you know, David, the Psalmist said, Oh, magnify the Lord with me.

[00:28:16] Carol McLeod: And whatever we focus on, we will magnify. It gets bigger in our eyes. So we have to focus on the Lord rather than our circumstances and, and living like that. For me, it's, it's given me purpose beyond the mundane. You know, we're, we're talking about my book and so many other things. My new book today is a verb, but in the book, there are 30 verbs of, of just practices, habits to incorporate into your life.

[00:28:46] Carol McLeod: And, and so when, when you make these 30 verbs part of your life, you know what to do. If somebody wrongs you, you know what to do. You forgive them. There's a verb when you're concerned or worried, you know what to do. You pray, pray. There's a verb when memories of a difficult past threatened to consume you.

[00:29:10] Carol McLeod: You know what to do. You forget, there's your verb. When, when you're believing for a miracle and you're standing in faith, you, you know what to do. You remember what God has done for you in your past. When, when you meet a stranger or a discouraged friend, You know what to do. You smile. You know, I, Dan and Amanda, I always say that being a Christian is not rocket science.

[00:29:38] Carol McLeod: Okay. Like if I can do it, anybody can do it. And so I've just tried to, to parse it down into bite sized choices that we all can make and incorporate into, Our lives. And I'll tell you what, doing life this way, I cannot tell you how it has changed me from, from the inside out. I, I, I really do feel like there are days, not every day, but there are days when heaven has come to earth and I'm partnering with my creator in this awesome assignment and I'm having a blast doing it.

[00:30:19] Carol McLeod: And you know what else? It's taken my focus. off my pain. It's taken my focus off my disappointment and rejection because it's given me great purpose to live in, if that makes sense.

[00:30:36] The Missional Life - Amanda: Yeah, , it just makes me think of that scripture, , They're talking about Jesus, how He, , endured the cross, scorning its shame, , for the joy set before Him, that He, God Himself, , put Himself into the confines of time, and that helped not just propel Him back to eternity through being raised from the dead, but, in doing so, like through his blood, we all get to be propelled into that presence of God and that the Holy Spirit then came, you know, on the day of Pentecost.

[00:31:08] The Missional Life - Amanda: And , we get to house the Holy Spirit. Like you said, it is such a divine assignment and such a joy and privilege. Again, when you've take your focus off of your circumstances and pain and, you know, Everything else just fades away. God shines so brightly and things just seem very insignificant in those moments.

[00:31:30] Carol McLeod: Yeah. Yeah. You know, it, it really does. Amanda, I, you know, growing up, I was raised in a Christian home and my dad was really a general of the faith and, and he made sure that I knew about these heroes and heroines who had lived before us, missionaries, great men and women of God who had really paved the way for not, not just Bible, Characters, although we did say the word, but, but others as well.

[00:31:58] Carol McLeod: And you know what, we are the heroes and heroines who are paving the way for the next generation. And so we have to make sure that, that we're living with integrity. We're living with zeal. Amanda, that's going to be my new word. I love that word that we're co partnering with God and living with zeal and that we're very mindful.

[00:32:21] Carol McLeod: There's a world out there listening for our song. I, I think one of the thing about today is a verb is it makes us poignantly aware. Yeah. that we're leaving a legacy today. Like the way we're living our life today is how we will be remembered in all the tomorrows. So are your kids and grandkids going to think, Oh yeah, she, she really had a problem with anger.

[00:32:47] Carol McLeod: Remember how she could just go off on us? You know, what, what are you, what are they going to remember about you? Oh, remember her? She watched soap operas all day long. You know, Oh man, Did you ever see her closet? She spent so much money on clothes because they're watching us. They're listening for our song.

[00:33:04] Carol McLeod: And I want my kids and grandkids to say, boy, that Marmee, because that's what they call me, that Marmee. Man, her life wasn't perfect, but do you remember how she'd gather us around the piano and sing? Do you remember how she had to hear everybody's story at the grocery store? Like you're, you're leaving your legacy today.

[00:33:25] Carol McLeod: So live it well and embrace the life that's been given to you.

[00:33:30] The Missional Life - Amanda: That's so good. You know, just remembering people that have carried the torch before us. Yeah. That we wouldn't have the faith that we have today. Without that torch being passed on to us and how important it is, you know, what if that hadn't happened, you know, I've often thought about that again, there's still unreached people groups throughout the world, and someone has to pass the torch for that to begin to happen in their lives and, but just doing that on a daily basis in the today moments of each day.

[00:34:01] The Missional Life - Amanda: , we get those opportunities wherever we're at, , like you mentioned that your kids and grandkids remembering hearing people's stories in the grocery store, you know, that, that is so important. Sometimes people just need to be heard and it's such a, and seeing, and that shows them, Hey, I have value to like, I'm not just, , living in this life without purpose and , it just again, shining that love of the father throughout life.

[00:34:32] The Missional Life - Dan: So I have, I have a question. , we got to get to the root of this here. Your new today as a verb, you said 30, 30 verbs, right? Oftentimes when we write something. It's something that God is putting in our heart too. Of the 30, is there a verb or two that when you're writing it, you're like, ouch, like , which one is the most challenging for you, Carol, which one or two do you think, man, God, I wish we would have chosen some different verbs.

[00:34:59] Carol McLeod: Now, Dan, that's a great question. So what are my ouch verbs? Well, I think. Probably one of them is forgive. You know, when God gives us the opportunity to forgive, he's giving us the choice to be like him. And I don't know if you guys have difficult people in your life. Like I do. And unfortunately, I have allowed difficult people to bring out the worst in me when what if they're in my life to bring out the Jesus in me?

[00:35:34] Carol McLeod: And so, forgive is one of my ouch verbs because there's been a person in my life that has brought a lot of ouch to me and I've had to daily forgive. And I, I, I'll be honest with you, I said to the Lord, nope, I'm, I'm not gonna do it. Nope, I'm going to move on, but I'm not going to forgive. And the Holy Spirit said, Carol, I know you can't do it, but how about if we do it together?

[00:36:02] Carol McLeod: And so that, that would definitely be an ouch verb Dan. And what's, what's another ouch verb for me? Well, okay. I think this one, I, I'm an introvert by nature. Like I'd rather stay home and read a book than go to a party any day. I, when I'm in a crowd, I'm, I'm gracious, but I'm quiet. I always say I'm an introvert with good social skills.

[00:36:26] Carol McLeod: So one of the hard ones for me is smile, which what, I mean, that's why I put it in the book because I want to be quiet. I don't want to make eye contact. I, I want to be. Absorbed in what I want to be absorbed in, but smile is one of the verbs I chose that, you know, our countenance can welcome people or reject people.

[00:36:50] Carol McLeod: And I don't believe there's anything that we should consider a chance encounter. Every encounter in life is a divine encounter. And so our countenance, our smile can minister to people or hold people at arm's length. Our smile can. help people feel comfortable, feel welcome in our lives, or say, no, she doesn't want to talk to me.

[00:37:18] Carol McLeod: So I, Dan, that's a great question. Nobody's ever asked me it before, but those would be two hard ones for me. I

[00:37:26] The Missional Life - Dan: think for all of us, sure. Forgive in particular, right?

[00:37:30] The Missional Life - Amanda: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'll be honest. I was curious to see what your answer would be, but The first word that came to my mind was, oh, I think forgive would be my biggest.

[00:37:41] The Missional Life - Amanda: So we just appreciate the honesty and answering that because I, it's just, it's encouraging to know that we're all in this together, that we're all, , walking in God's word together and relying on God to help us through those things. So thank you for sharing that. I think it's so

[00:37:59] The Missional Life - Dan: important too, because I think so many, People can feel isolated.

[00:38:03] The Missional Life - Dan: They can feel like they're the only one that's really a major tactic for the enemy. Because you kind of almost begin to, you examine your heart. Am I really ugly inside? This is really like a deep thing. I don't want other people to know that I'm struggling with forgiving this person or I'm going through this and the enemy can really have a lot of play with that idea.

[00:38:22] The Missional Life - Dan: And yet when we, When we are honest and we say, Hey, I'm, this is what's going on in my heart. I think that just invites other people to be like, okay, well, well, Carol, Carol or Dan or Amanda, or, you know, they, they struggle with this too. And it just, it shouldn't give a license to just not forget, , but it should really encourage because that's really what it's all about.

[00:38:42] The Missional Life - Dan: And so I was thinking too about our countenance and we've talked about a lot about joy and you, you brought up how the, the inmates were, they were listening. Yeah, I think in this world now, there's a lot of people that maybe they're not just listening, but they're watching Christians and it should be our defining characteristic.

[00:39:02] The Missional Life - Dan: We touched on this earlier, but our countenance should. should be different. And I think we're coming into a season. In the world where dark has gotten darker and yet when you see people smiling, when you see people, their countenance is, is lit up, you see, wow, there's something different about that person.

[00:39:21] The Missional Life - Dan: I wonder what it is as a Christian. Oftentimes we can identify that, but people that are hungry, They need to, they, they want that. And so I think we need to really experience more of that and, and get on with moving into and living out many of these verbs. And so , a few, a couple more fun questions.

[00:39:41] The Missional Life - Dan: If you had to explain todaying or This concept in life, in your new book, life in the verb. If you had to explain this today to a five year old, how would you do it? We have a five year old. How do we, how can we share this with our five year old self? Okay.

[00:39:54] Carol McLeod: I would say, buddy, go put on your favorite outfit.

[00:39:58] Carol McLeod: I don't care if it matches or not. You just choose whatever you want to wear. Put on your favorite pair of shoes, buddy. Come on. We're going to go outside and we're going to have fun. What do you want to do? You want to go to the playground? Okay, let's do that. And as we approach the playground, I'd say to him, Hey, look, there's a little boy over there.

[00:40:15] Carol McLeod: I wonder if we could be friends with him. Let, let's go talk to him. And I would just give a five year old this awareness of how Life isn't all about me, but it's about the world in which we live. And then I say, buddy, Hey, let's go write a thank you note to grandma. Cause it was just your birthday. And would you draw her a picture to tell her, thank you for the gift that she sent to you.

[00:40:37] Carol McLeod: And then I'd say, Hey, what's your favorite Sunday school song? Let me sing it with you. Can we sing it together? And so I would just incorporate a bunch of meaningful things. fun activities because today is a verb. So we're talking about an action word that his little heart could just be expanded to love the world around him.

[00:40:59] Carol McLeod: And if we were at the playground and he fell down and he got hurt and there were tears rolling down his cheeks, I'd say to him, Hey buddy, could I just hold you for a minute and pray for you? just so that he understands that this life we've been given, there are going to be people who come beside him to lessen his pain.

[00:41:20] Carol McLeod: Oh, I can't wait to meet your little boy someday. Now I want to meet him.

[00:41:25] The Missional Life - Dan: Pretty awesome. Little dude. We talked about joy. He, he has a shirt , bring joy. That's his shirt. . Cause he, when he's in the house, everybody knows and pretty amazing. Yes. Your new book today, the verb.

[00:41:37] The Missional Life - Dan: One more question. Sure. As an author you write this because God puts a message on your heart, but you write it for for the readers For the for the reader who's going out who's going to get this book and listeners go out buy today the verb for the listeners.

[00:41:51] The Missional Life - Dan: What is the biggest thing that you hope that they take away? If they only take one thing and apply it to their life? What would you say that is

[00:42:00] Carol McLeod: I hope that they realize that even though And we've talked a little bit about this, even though there's so much about life we cannot control, there's a whole lot about me that I can control, that I can control the way I approach life, the way I embrace life, the way I respond to circumstances.

[00:42:19] Carol McLeod: One of my favorite verses in the Bible is found in Colossians chapter three and it says, do your work heartily. As unto the Lord, not as unto men, for it is the Lord Jesus that you serve. So I just want to raise up a generation of men and women who will work, who will live heartily with zeal, with enthusiasm for the cause of Jesus Christ.

[00:42:45] Carol McLeod: I pray that they'll be like your little boy and bring joy to the world. To every situation, every conversation, every dinner table, every relationship, you are in it to distribute the joy of the Lord to the world you live in. That's what I hope their takeaway is.

[00:43:05] The Missional Life - Dan: Today the verb is the book. Carol, where can our listeners connect with you?

[00:43:09] The Missional Life - Dan: Where can they buy the book?

[00:43:10] Carol McLeod: Yeah, so they can buy the book wherever books are sold amazon christianbooks. com Books a million my website carolmcleodministries. com That's where they can connect with me. I also have an app for your smartphone Just it's free app carol mcleod ministries. You can join a bible study read a devotional, leave a prayer request.

[00:43:32] Carol McLeod: It's all right there. And I'm on social media as well as Carol McLeod, Bible teacher and author. And I'd love to connect with your listeners in any of those places.

[00:43:44] The Missional Life - Dan: Listeners will be sure to have those in the show notes. Carol, always a pleasure to have you on the show. Thanks

[00:43:50] Carol McLeod: you guys.

[00:43:51] Carol McLeod: Amen. Amen. Thank you.

[00:43:53] The Missional Life - Dan: Amen.