In the Center of His Love: Getting to Know Rebecca Carrell

“Oh, that you would choose life.” The words from Deuteronomy 30:19 (NLT) rang in Rebecca’s ears as she drove home the morning after her lowest point. Racked with guilt and shame from getting blackout drunk the night before, Rebecca truly surrendered to Jesus for the first time in her life. She yielded to the Lord and knew her addiction was over.

Thirty-five years prior, Rebecca Carrell was born to loving parents in a Christian home. From a young age, Rebecca knew God loved her. And she loved him. She wanted to follow him and found herself reading the Bible from cover to cover in seventh grade. But undiagnosed, generalized anxiety also gripped her. Not knowing how to handle it, she coped with her anxiety through alcohol. Starting at age twelve, Rebecca regularly turned to alcohol to deal with her struggles.

In 1998, Rebecca moved to Texas to pursue a career in radio. She landed a job at one of DFW’s country music stations. Working in country radio, and eventually as a morning show host, felt like a dream come true. She met and married her husband, Mike, and together they had two beautiful children. From the outside, their lives looked put together.

And yet, Rebecca’s relationship with alcohol continued to plague her. “I knew I was living outside of the Lord’s will,” she shared, “so that was a constant source of torment.” She would drink, make bad decisions, spiral into shame, and then do it again.

Everything began to change in 2009, however. Rebecca attended a spiritual retreat called the Walk to Emmaus and felt immersed in Christ’s love, leading to a palpable encounter with him. She recalls, “It was so holy that I didn’t even want to breathe.” Time slowed, and she savored every minute, not wanting to leave that sacred moment. Still, she hadn’t yet hit rock bottom.

Six months later, Rebecca and her husband headed to a Dallas Cowboys game. She’d told herself all week that she wouldn’t have a drink, but as soon as someone handed her one, she couldn’t stop. She vaguely remembers fighting with her husband on the way home. He steered her past the babysitter, helping her as she tripped up the stairs. Her three-year-old daughter recoiled at the scent of alcohol on her breath as she went in to kiss her goodnight. Rebecca refers to that night as her bottoming out.

The next day, Rebecca was listening to a Christian radio station as she drove home from work. Convicted by something the pastor had said, she turned the radio off. As silence filled the car and shame pulsed through her veins, she felt God’s presence. She said, “Okay, Lord”—not quite knowing what she meant. But in that moment, God revealed to Rebecca her own path of destruction. She pictured herself losing her job, her kids, and her marriage. And yet, she also felt in the center of Christ’s love. She sensed God telling her that he wanted to use her, but he couldn’t because she had let sin take over and had damaged her witness for Christ.

Immediately, God brought a passage from Deuteronomy to her mind. As Moses records it, God has set before Israel a path to life and a path to death. He outlines the blessings that come from following him and his law and the curses that will result from choosing to abandon him. One path leads to generational life, blessing, and beauty, and the other to destruction, chaos, and death. “Oh, that you would choose life”—these words rang in her ears, and she surrendered to him. “Okay, Lord,” Rebecca repeated, and everything changed. God delivered her from alcoholism—through both supernatural deliverance and the help of counseling and a supportive community. This year, she celebrates fifteen years of sobriety.

In the moments after Rebecca surrendered to God, she felt him call her into ministry. She began voraciously reading Scripture, studying theology, and writing. After a decade at the country station, she no longer felt content with her job. She wanted to talk about God more and more and the things of the world less and less. She and her husband, Mike, began praying for a new opportunity and ministry.

In another sovereign series of events, Rebecca sensed God prompting her to quit her job at the radio station. She obeyed. Though at times she and Mike wondered how they would make ends meet, they always had exactly enough. They watched as, time and again, God came through in miraculous ways.

Six months later, one of the two Christian radio stations in DFW offered Rebecca a job. For the next decade, Rebecca faithfully ministered to hundreds of thousands of regular listeners through the morning show at KCBI. Her platform on the radio opened doors for teaching and speaking engagements. Yet, as she led and taught others, she increasingly felt the weight of the microphone. She knew her listeners trusted what she said, and she began to desire further training.

God’s sovereign hand continued to lead Rebecca. One day, she picked up a book that caught her eye and saw that it was written by her friend, Kelley Mathews (ThM, 2000), and Dr. Sue Edwards (Professor Emeritus of Educational Ministries and Leadership). She immediately contacted Dr. Edwards, who then invited Rebecca to come hear Chuck Swindoll preach in chapel at Dallas Theological Seminary. Edwards says, “From the first day I met Rebecca for coffee, I knew God had his hand on her.” Not surprisingly, Rebecca started her ThM degree at DTS the following year.

Two and a half years ago, Rebecca felt her season at KCBI drawing to a close and God leading her into the next chapter. She joined the staff at DTS and later entered the Doctor of Educational Ministry program. Teaching the Bible is one of Rebecca’s favorite things to do. Dr. Edwards notes that Rebecca’s “deep walk with the Lord, humble spirit, and genuine care for others make her a dynamic Bible teacher.” Now DTS students have the privilege of learning from Rebecca’s years in radio and Bible teaching.

Dr. Edwards knew DTS would benefit from Rebecca’s passion and gifts, but she couldn’t have known how much Rebecca would mean to her personally as her teaching assistant and coauthor of the Discover Together Bible Study series. The pair have written studies on 1 Timothy and Hebrews (forthcoming) and are now working on the book of Esther. Dr. Edwards adds, “I’m incredibly grateful for Rebecca, for such a time as this.”

Rebecca now serves as the director of Media Arts & Worship special projects and apprenticeships. She loves investing in students and guiding them in their seminary journeys. In conversation, she quickly brings up Christ and points to his love. She wraps students in warm hugs and her infectious smile and also exhorts them in their studies and walk with God.

She also serves as the director, producer, and cohost of the Story of Scripture podcast and as a Story of Scripture event speaker alongside DTS president Dr. Mark Yarbrough and Dr. Josh Winn, Vice President for Communications and Community. The Story of Scripture events teach participants the meta-narrative of the Bible by tracing God’s faithfulness through his covenants. Rebecca is a main stage speaker and hosts women’s breakout sessions, leading participants in a study of select women in God’s story. The Story of Scripture podcast that she hosts with Dr. Mark Yarbrough and Dr. Josh Winn launches in 2024.

Before God changed Rebecca’s life, she had seemingly achieved everything on her bucket list: a career in radio, a wonderful husband, two beautiful children, a home in the suburbs, and acclaim. She had everything she wanted but continued to face depression and anxiety from her addiction. “None of it meant anything without living in his will,” Rebecca asserts. “We can have everything and not have Christ and have nothing. We can have nothing but have Christ and have everything.”

Click to hear Rebecca share her story in a DTS chapel message

To learn more about Story of Scripture events and resources, visit https://thestoryofscripture.org