Run Your Life Into a Ditch, and Then Get Rewarded

My daughter once asked me how to get into motivational speaking. I told her, sort of tongue-in-cheek, that she could run her life into a ditch, and then write a book telling other people how not to repeat her mistakes. I tried to convince myself that I was at least half kidding, but I really wasn't.

Timing had a lot to do with my answer that day. I had just watched a news story on Walter Pavlo. Pavlo was a senior manager at MCI who oversaw the $1 billion monthly billing and collection department for MCI’s carrier finance division. In March 1996, Pavlo started a fraud scheme with someone outside of MCI. Within six months, Pavlo and his partner had stolen $6 million from seven MCI customers.



Pavlo ended up serving 22 months in prison. When he was released, no one would hire him. So he went to work as a public speaker, teaching how and why individuals commit fraud. He made six-figures his first year out the gate.

Pavlo's story is one of restoration and hope. Proverbs 24:16 says that a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. This scripture tells us that even the righteous man comes up short sometimes. But even when we hit an all-time low, not only can we get back up, but we can get back in line. Now I'm not suggesting that anyone should set out to deliberately ruin their life. But when we fall, God, our redeemer, can deliver us from our sin AND its consequences.

I'm Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.

Death and Life Are in the Power of the Tongue

Words hurt.

Words can make us bitter or better. An encouraging word can make us feel like we can conquer the world. Whereas, words spoken to belittle, can make us feel like a weak worm of the dust.

When I was teen, my life was filled with the he-said, she-said drama that's usually associated with girls that age. But as I entered my late teens, I got fed up with hindering my spiritual and professional growth by spending more time worrying about other people's lives than my own, so I prayed that the Lord would bridle my tongue.

The bible warns that believers must bring restraint to their tongue. James 1:26 states that if anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this one's religion is useless. It is deceptive for any of us to think we can be effective without allowing Jesus to become Lord over our tongues.

Unfortunately, we have dismissed mouth sins as annoying habits that aren't too serious. However, when Paul wrote to the church at Rome, he sternly contended that gossipers, slanderers, and bad-mouthers were in the same league as murderers, sexual perverts, and haters of God. Furthermore, he said such sins are worthy of death. (Romans 1:28-32)

Jesus warned that our words are so important that we will be held responsible for all our words, even the careless, idle ones. Matthew 12:36-37 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

I still pray that same prayer today that I prayed as a teen. I want my words to edify, not condemn. It's a simple, but powerful prayer. When I use my words to uplift others, I take the brakes off God to use me.

I'm Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God, and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.

Homeless Teen Makes Her Mess Her Message

Victims feed their pain. Victors feed their power.

Katy Hughes and her mother Elizabeth have been living out of a car after being evicted from their apartment. In an effort to shed light on the harsh reality of homelessness, Katy started chronicling her experiences online. An aspiring writer, the 16-year-old created a blog called "Destination Anywhere But Here."

I have a saying: victims feed their pain, victors feed their power. In a time when so many people compete for victimhood, it's (somewhat) refreshing to see a young lady who has chosen to make her mess her message. This young lady is willing to risk being shunned and shamed in an effort to shed light on another one of America's dirty little secrets: homelessness. How many of us are willing to do the same?

We all have the power to choose to be pitiful or powerful. We can allow the less than pleasant situations in our lives to make us bitter or better. We can bury our heads in shame or walk upright in hopes of helping someone else.

God has not given us a spirit of fear, so we must not fear what others will think of us if we tell our testimony. And when we tell it, we need to give the raw, undiluted, unpolluted, unadulterated version.

Dr. Maya Angelou has taken drugs and written about it. She was a madam for lesbian prostitutes. She was a teenage mom. And she tried prostitution. When asked why she chose to write about those things, she replied:

I mean if you happen to fall into the gutter, see where you are and admit it. As soon as you admit it you can be like the prodigal son, the prodigal daughter: get up and go to a safe place. Get up and go to someplace where your spirit is not kicked and brutalized, and your body misused and abused. Get up! But you can't get up unless you see where you are and admit it.

I wrote about my experiences because I thought too many people tell young folks, "I never did anything wrong. Who, Moi? Never I! I have no skeletons in my closet! In fact I have no closet!" They lie like that, and then young people find themselves in situations and they think, "Damn, I must be a pretty bad guy. You know, my mom or dad never did anything wrong, so I'm pretty bad," and they can't forgive themselves and go on with their lives.

Dr. Angelou also said that if she doesn't tell the truth, she hasn't helped anybody. In my continued effort to take the brakes off God and allow Him to use me, I pray that I can continue to be real, even when it's unpleasant.

I'm Lisa Maria Carroll, reminding you to take the brakes off God and watch Him do exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think.