Do you remember when you were just a child … and one of your friends told you an incredible secret? 

Maybe they whispered to you who they had a sweet crush on … or what they were getting for their birthday … or that their dad got a new job, and no one was supposed to know yet. 

Didn’t it make you feel excited … singled out … even trustworthy? 

And then … as the years rolled by … and friends confided their deepest hopes and most impossible dreams to you … you took it seriously and knew they viewed you as a friend worthy of their confidence. 

When someone shares with you a private matter … a secret yet to be revealed … or even a private prayer request … it communicates friendship, faith and even honor. 

I’d like to share a secret with you this week … just so you can be praying for me as your friend. 

Also … I give you full permission to share this secret with anyone and everyone who you think might be interested in this particular secret. 

Actually … my “secret” isn’t that much of a well-kept “secret”. 

My 17th book will be released in June … and I couldn’t be more excited! This is a book that I have long wanted to write … and the Lord finally opened the door. 

The title of the book is “Overflowing – Living Abundantly in a Broken Culture”. 

Our culture truly is broken, you know. 

However … there is a way … a joyful way … to live abundantly in the middle of it! 

“Overflowing” is more than just a book to read before you go to bed at night … it is actually a deep dive into the book of Colossians in the New Testament. 

As you know … I love the Bible! Now … that’s NOT much of a secret, is it? 

I do believe the Bible has all the power … wisdom … and insight we need to live a truly wonderful life.  

The Bible is the most vital and life-giving Book ever written; absorbing its principles and its truth is the only way any generation will be able to live abundantly in a broken culture. 

So … in anticipation of its release … I thought I would share with you a brief excerpt from “Overflowing” this week. 

I’d also like to humbly ask you to pray that it will touch thousands upon thousands of people’s lives for the glory of God. 

And don’t forget … “Overflowing” is available for pre-order on Amazon, Christian Book and on my website. 

So … here you go … just a little bit of encouragement from “Overflowing”. 

Excerpt from Overflowing: Living Abundantly in a Broken Culture

There are verses in Scripture that, when expounded upon in a book or in a sermon, become life-changing to the listener. The following verse is one such verse for me. A sermon was preached on this verse when I was in college, and I can remember it to this very day, nearly fifty years later.  

Say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” Colossians 4:17

I wonder who this fellow was by the name of Archippus, don’t you? Was he young or old? Was he a committed believer or merely a seeker? Did he have a family? I wonder what was going on in his life and why Paul was so directive in his words concerning this unknown man.   

What we do know is that Paul was unyielding in his opinion that everyone in the body of Christ had an assignment to complete. Perhaps Archippus needed personal encouragement, or perhaps he had been floundering in his faith. Maybe Archippus needed—as we all need from time to time—a gentle nudge to wholeheartedly serve the Lord. Archippus was a man who needed the reminder from a leader in the body of Christ to finish what he had started.  

What is your specific assignment in the body of Christ?  

Are you working wholeheartedly at it?  

There is another mentioned of someone named Archippus in the book of Philemon, and we can assume it is the same person:  

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Philemon 1:1–2

If Archippus had been settling for mediocrity in his Christian walk based on Paul’s words in Colossians, Paul now calls this early believer a “fellow soldier.” Paul apparently had seen something in Archippus that was worth calling out and Archippus had responded in a valiant fashion. Paul implied, “I will go to battle any day with Archippus.”  

As I pondered the life and attitudes of Archippus, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear, “Carol, you are Archippus.” 

 And, my friend, so are you. You are Archippus.  

You are the one who needs to be reminded there is a call of God upon your life.  

You are the one who needs a gentle nudge to wholeheartedly fulfill your call.  

You are the one who needs to embrace the encouragement of Paul. 
 

You are the one who needs to be reminded to finish what you have started.  

You are needed for battle in the twenty-first-century church.

Thanks for listening to my heart this week.  As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart, but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me.  And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is. 

If you long to live a life overflowing with hope, peace, and joy, perhaps what your life needs is an intentional center. We all have one―that nucleus upon which we obtain our energy and discern our purpose. Bible scholars through the ages have insisted that the book of Colossians is the most Christ-centered book in the entire Bible. If that is true, then we, as twenty-first-century believers, must choose to study this Jesus-centric epistle with enthusiasm and with intention. By the end of this deep dive into the sacred pages of Scripture, your life will shout to the world, “I am Christ-centered! He is my source, my joy, my all in all!”

Carol McLeod

Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!