Linger at the Altar — Carol McLeod Ministries

Do you remember what it was like to “linger” at the altar?

When I was just a little girl, my family started attending an Assembly of God church on Sunday evenings. The worship was lively, the people were friendly, and the messages were powerful. Even though I was only eight years old, I knew there was something different about this church – and I wanted to have what they had!

The best part of each service was the time spent at the altar after the lengthy time of worship and preaching. My friends and I responded to every altar call and prayed with tears and sincerity that God would use us. We were at that altar until nearly midnight after some of those vibrant, enthusiastic services.

It was during those years, at time spent on my knees, that I heard the Lord’s voice call me into full-time ministry. However, I wasn’t exactly sure what that looked like for me, a little girl in the 1960’s.

I thought that perhaps I, as a woman, could play the piano, marry a pastor, teach Sunday School and chair the annual Turkey Dinner held at the church. I saw no other options for a woman called to ministry.

However, when I went to college, and heard amazing women such as Corrie ten Boom, Elisabeth Elliot and Catherine Marshall speak in chapel, I thought that perhaps the windows of ministry for women might be opening to other possibilities.

I did marry a pastor; I still play the piano and teaching Sunday School to lively four-year-old children remains one of the highlights of my life. And yet, the Lord has opened so many dynamic avenues of ministry simply because I said, “Yes, Lord. I am in. I am in all the way to Your ways, Your will and Your Word.”

I believe the gift that God has given to me is that of communication. I often light-heartedly say, “Some people sing. Some people dance. Some people paint. I talk.”

I love teaching the truth and hope of Scripture more than I love my morning coffee, a rich piece of chocolate or digging my toes into the hot sand of the beach. I dream about teaching the Word of God and pray every day for open doors. Would you pray with me that the Lord would open doors for me to teach the Word of God?

“Praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned.” – Colossians 4:3

When I was in second grade and opened the first page of “Little House in the Big Woods”, I knew that I wanted to do what Laura Ingalls Wilder had done. I wanted to write books. This year, my 18th book will be released, and I pray that it will touch thousands of lives in the English-speaking world. The title is “Today is a Verb” and it holds the blueprint for living a life of unmatched joy and strong hope. each day in this devotional feature one verb, one word of action to guide our lives. Would you pray that this book encourages both men and women to live a life of intentional commitment to Christ?

When I was battling aggressive cancer ten years ago, one of the scriptures that the Lord gave to me was this one, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay.” – Acts 13:36

As I meditated on those words, written nearly 2,000 years ago, I realized that we each have purposes that are unique to our own generation. If I had been born before the Reformation, I would have been a scribe writing out the words of scripture on parchment for the common man to read. If I had been born during the 1800’s, I would have bought the fastest pony I could find to take me across the Rocky Mountains so I could tell the story of Jesus.

But that’s not when I was born. I was born in the middle of the 20th Century, to have impact in the early 21st. Century. I will take everything that is unique to this moment in history to tell the old, old story that never grows old.

I will use podcasting, TV, radio, blogging, the publishing industry, church events, the internet, apps and the ability to travel around the world to share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May I share with you just a few avenues of ministry that the Lord has opened for me?

“The Significant Women Podcast with Carol McLeod” is consistently listed in the top 10% of faith podcasts. I give women the opportunity to tell their stories of faith, hope and purpose. We inevitably cry, laugh and pray together. Would you pray for this podcast? Would you pray that thousands of women are strengthened and encouraged as they listen? Would you consider sharing this podcast with a friend?

I have been given the opportunity to teach the Word of God and minister to men and women in Pakistan monthly. A rich part of my calling is partnering with a missions’ organization who takes the light and truth of Jesus to the most remote and difficult to reach people groups in the world. Pastors in a local village invite people to come to an obscure location, in the middle of the night, to hear an American speak. In this location, the local pastors and missions’ workers have set up a primitive screen made from a sheet, and with a small projector, a laptop computer, and the power of the internet, they use Zoom so I can connect with these precious people who have never heard the name of Jesus. At the end of my teaching, I give a call for salvation and hundreds of people accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We provide Bibles, in their own language, for each new believer in Jesus Christ. Would you pray for Pakistan and for the Pakistani pastors? Would you consider partnering with us to provide these Bibles?

One of the mission fields that the Lord has opened for me is ministering to women in prisons. I often speak in person to these valuable and vulnerable women who need hope and peace even while imprisoned. We have been fortunate enough to donate about 3,000 copies of my Bible Studies to these women, and as of January 1, 2025, we will be partnering with an organization to make Christian teachings, Bible Studies, faith-based TV shows and encouraging podcasts available on iPads to women in prison. Would you pray for women who are in prison? Would you pray they would come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior?

I intend to cross my finish line sweaty, not rusty, as I continue to teach the Word of God and encourage my generation with the joy of His presence. The goal of my life is to make hell smaller and heaven bigger. I will not be quiet; I will not pause, and I will not be distracted from this call.

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” – Acts 20:24

Embracing the Fourth Quarter of Life with Barbara Wright

Today’s guest on the Significant Women Podcast is Barbara Wright, a new author with a lifetime of experience serving Jesus and plenty of thrilling stories to share! Join Carol McLeod for an interview ranging from Barbara’s coming to faith through the Jesus movement to her missions experience on a reservation to her new calling as an author following her husband’s passing. It’s an episode you won’t want to miss!

Connect with Barbara at www.barbaratwright.com