Becky Carey ~ Worship, Ministry and Music

In All Things…Praise the Lord!

Becky Carey — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 02:38:56 +0000

“Give thanks to Yahweh, call on His name;

proclaim His deeds among the peoples.

Sing to Him, sing praise to Him;

tell about all His wonderful works!

Honor His holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

Search for the Lord and for His strength;

seek His face always.”

Psalm 105:1-4

Hi everyone. Wow, it has been a long time since I have updated this blog. Lame intro…I know…but it’s the truth and that is what I hope to share with you today. Where have I been and what have I been doing? I will try to update you as quickly as possible.

I want to assure you that in all things and in spite of all things, I have been praising the Lord through song, I am still praising the Lord through song, and by God’s grace, will continue to praise the Lord through song! I have, however; in my mind at least, been a bit more “side-lined”…or you could say “on the bench” than I was expecting. I was hopeful that the momentum my music ministry was experiencing was going to continue and that our family would be moving into a season of blessings. Instead, I was headed straight into a downpour of heartbreaking disappointments.

It started with our move from the Florida Keys. We had hopes that our real estate investments would be a financial footing for our future…not! Because of the national recession and the failing economy, we like many of you have been learning to deal with a new normal, one that we never expected we would be facing. The past few years have included ALL of the following challenges…

Personally, it has felt as if I have been caught up in “the perfect storm” brought on by a relentless enemy who has been pulling out his big guns (some of which I cannot even discuss publicly) in an attempt to steal, destroy and kill me. I’ve dropped in sheer exhaustion a few times but I am not defeated because I have a mighty King that strengthens me and stands in the gap as my intercessor at all times! The enemy will not silence my praise for my Savior. The enemy will not snuff out the light of Christ who lives within me. The battle is the Lords and He said that it is not by might nor by power but by His Spirit…that is where my victory is!

Even in the darkest hours, my heart has never stopped beating for my God, my soul never stopped yearning to know Him more, and my spirit, though it felt crushed at times, has never stopped praising Him. Yet, the journey through these painful circumstances has changed me. I believe the challenges were part of God’s permissive will and therefore, whether the changes have come due to God’s pruning hand or loving discipline or creative rescue…the truth of His promise that “He makes all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes” still stands! You see, He is the one constant! He is always good.

Some of my life changes include an increased interest in writing and blogging for the sake of inspiring others to know and share the love of Christ. Another big change is that I have begun a new journey to become a speech language pathologist and currently I am attending USF in pursuit of the education needed to achieve that goal. Please visit “Choosing to Shine” and “Vocal Matters” to read more of what God has been up to in my life the past couple of years.

Although some things have changed, many things about me have not. They include…

the never ending sound of music within my spirit that cries for release as an over flow of praise for the ONE who saved me

the never ending compulsion to share with others about the ONE who continues to save me

the never ending hope that I have in the Lord Jesus that He is the only ONE who can and is willing to save and change anyone who will trust in and follow Him

Through it all, I have found renewed strength, nourishment, and a never ending love exchange in the process of being who He created me to be…a Worshiper.

In actuality that means…I sing all the time…sometimes silently but most often audibly during my quiet time with Him, around the house, in my car, at the office, when I’m out and about, and when I pray. I sing privately and sometimes publicly. I am willing to sing for Him publicly wherever He gives me an opportunity too. I am also still writing music and would love to record again but financially, it has not been possible yet. Perhaps, God will make a way. But no matter what, I will never stop worshiping Him.

The past few years, it has been my privilege to sing with some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ as we lead worship together at FishHawk Fellowship Church. I have been blessed to have been carried by the fullness of God’s amazing Spirit as I relied on Him and worshiped Him in the middle of the “Perfect Storm”. Why do I refer to it as the “Perfect Storm”? Because I have intimately come to know God’s great “Perfecting Love” in deeper and more profound ways than ever before as He carried and held me above the waves the entire time. For that, I am so grateful. His strength is surely made perfect in my weakness.

I leave you with a few snapshots of some of those public moments of worship. (I am sorry the snapshots are not very clear but they are all I have.) Feel free to contact me if you would like me to come worship with you at your church or event. It would be my privilege!

“Love One Another as I Have Loved You”

Becky Carey — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:57:11 +0000

John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man (woman) remains in me and I in him (her), he (she) will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

This verse revolutionized my walk with Christ many years ago as the Holy Spirit revealed to me that God would help me walk out my faith, would help me accomplish everything He asked me to accomplish, and would help me serve Him even when I thought I didn’t have what it took …all by the power that flowed in me through the filling of His Spirit as I remained in close fellowship with Him. Knowing this…believing this…was the beginning of me uncovering the meaning of “life more abundant” …that life that Jesus came and died to give to me, and to you; however, Jesus demands my all if I want to realize this abundant life. My portion in this equation is to remain in Him…to keep my will in sync with His will, to obey His Word, to worship Him with my life. For some reason, it took me much longer to come to understand that He also gives me power to take authority over my own emotions.

My heart always swells in agreement when I hear or read the following verses…

John 13

34″A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

1 Corinthians 13

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails.

Those verses were beautifully illustrated on a framed poster that hung in my bathroom for many years. It was the first thing I read every morning, but almost every morning, although my heart was moved by these wonderful verses, I would also think…but God…how can I do that? But God…what about what ______ is doing to me? But God…how can I trust someone that has proved to be untrustworthy?!?! But God, that person is so ______! BUT GOD! BUT GOD!! BUT GOD!!!

Anyone ever talk to God like that?

I had done and could do some pretty awesome things with God’s help…but I could not fathom how I could love the way I Corinthians 13 defined love.

Yes…God even heard David, the very same man referred to as the man after God’s own heart, lament over what was being done to him by others. David asked God to even kill those that were trying to hurt him or destroy him…those that were trying to rob him of the future that God had told David he would have. But in the same Psalm, David’s laments are often followed by prayers for mercy for the same enemies that he wanted killed only a few verses earlier. David almost always ends His laments with praise…but only after He focuses his eyes and his reliance back where it should stay…on his powerful and sovereign God!

It took God allowing me to come to the “end of myself” and to completely break me of all self-reliance until I realized it was disbelief that kept me from experiencing this God-sized love. The problem was my belief was focused on the wrong object. I needed to base ALL of my belief completely on my infallible God and His abilities…not on my ability to “love”…but on His ability to fill me up with His love so that it could flow through me to others…especially the unlovable. What I needed to do was to get out of God’s way and to pray and ask Him to love others through me. When I did this, my prayers were answered almost instantly. This miracle of experiencing God’s love flow through me to someone who does not deserve it is very close to the experience of my own salvation…when I knew and felt God’s unconditional love fill my heart for the first time. If you have not known this type of love, I urge you to ask God for it. I must warn you; however, that it will become something your heart will “pant” after…more and more of Him and His love flowing through you to others…at the cost of constant death to self.

I did not choose the following scripture to discuss doctrine or to study its deeper spiritual meaning; I selected it because of the clear word picture it will hopefully paint in your mind and on your heart forever.

Ezekial 19

10 Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of abundant water.

11 Its branches were strong, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick foliage, conspicuous for its height and for its many branches.

12 But it was uprooted in fury and thrown to the ground. The east wind made it shrivel, it was stripped of its fruit; its strong branches withered and fire consumed them.

13 Now it is planted in the desert, in a dry and thirsty land.

14 Fire spread from one of its main branches and consumed its fruit. No strong branch is left on it fit for a ruler’s scepter.

200 dpi 51p x 69p Earl F. Lam III color illustration of a woman crying in house full of images of domestic violence, weapons and a heart. Miami Herald 1999

" data-medium-file="https://beckycareymusicministry.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sad-woman2.jpg?w=198" data-large-file="https://beckycareymusicministry.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sad-woman2.jpg?w=400" class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-106" title="Domestic woes ILLUS.jpg" src="https://beckycareymusicministry.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sad-woman2.jpg?w=98&h=150" alt="" width="98" height="150" srcset="https://beckycareymusicministry.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sad-woman2.jpg?w=98&h=150 98w, https://beckycareymusicministry.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/sad-woman2.jpg?w=196&h=297 196w" sizes="(max-width: 98px) 100vw, 98px" />When I look out from behind the keyboard on Sundays, I see forlorn faces of women who are hurting, women who have been blown about and stripped of their worth by the difficulties of life, women who have been “burned” by people that were supposed to love them and women living in lonely desert places who are thirsting to death for living water…and my heart breaks but also somehow simultaneously swells with love. To love on these women in the name of Jesus is the reason we are called for those of us working in women’s ministry. Yes, it is a large order and as we answer this call, it will feel exhausting and exasperating at times but I urge you to press on and to stay close to the source of your strength, the very One that will not ask anything of you that He will not help you accomplish. Remain in Jesus Christ our Lord, and then love one another as He has loved you.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.

Comfort Cafe » Coffee Shop Concert—Becky Carey

Becky Carey — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:49:04 +0000

Comfort Cafe » Coffee Shop Concert—Becky Carey.

I am excited to announce that my music is being highlighted in the

Coffee Shop Concert

of this months (July 2009) Comfort Café e-zine, which for those of you who might be new to that terminology means electronic online magazine. Comfort Café is more than a magazine, it is a an entire website that is updated and published monthly with an amazing amount of Godly grounded, Christ glorifying , inspirational resources and blessings for today’s woman.

“The mission of Comfort Café is to offer hope, help, and healing to women facing physical, emotional, and spiritual challenges. Through personal stories, practical resources, and inspirational articles, Comfort Café offers encouragement, support, and comfort to hurting women. We believe that Jesus Christ has the power to heal, restore, and redeem broken lives and use them for His glory. We pray that you would experience God’s comfort, restoration, and redemption as you browse through this site.”

To say that I am humbled to have my music included and deemed worthy of their mission is an understatement! I feel extremely honored and blessed to be their pick for July’s “Healing Music” / “Coffee Shop Concert”.

Please…please…please…pass this information on to every woman you know. If you take a little bit of time and “drink in their offerings”, Comfort Café can be a phenomenal ministry and evangelistic resource that will help change your and your loved ones lives.