The WOFOYO Podcast
The WOFOYO Podcast
WOFOYO INTERVIEWS: Carol and Willard McDonnell
Willard and Carol McDonnell share their journey in prophetic ministry, balancing firmness with love while emphasizing the importance of loving God and His people above all else.
Important topics of discussion include:
• The need to allow God to change us from the inside out rather than trying to change ourselves
• How prophetic words helped their marriage by clarifying their individual purposes and how they work together.
• The pressure to perform in ministry and the importance of maintaining integrity
• How prophetic words have timing—some received decades ago are just now coming to pass
• How understanding that "God sees you" can bring peace when struggling with unfulfilled prophetic words
• The conversation concludes with the reminder that God's approval comes with fewer strings attached than man's approval
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Eagles Nest Watch on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@eaglesnestwatchministry120
Hey everybody, this is C-Dub For our next few episodes that we're going to be doing. We're going to be featuring some interviews I did with some people, a couple of which you've heard from before and a couple of which you have not, and those are going to be the ones coming up right now. You're going to have some background noise. We recorded this over at the Illinois State Capitol at a prayer meeting and this was combined through Eagle's Nest Watch Prophetic Ministry out of Carbondale, illinois, and this interview is with Willard and Carol McDonald out of St Louis, missouri. You're going to have some background noise because it was windy and thank God it was because it was in the mid-90s, because it was in the mid 90s and it was hot, as long as you weren't in the shade and in the wind. So, without any further ado, willard and carol mcdonald woe fo yo. Hey everybody, welcome to a joint venture between Wofo Yo Pathfinding Resources, the Wofo Yo podcast, and Eagle's Nest Watch Prophetic Ministry out of Carbondale, illinois.
Speaker 1:I have been waiting to talk to you all you are. First of all, we got Willard and Carol McDonald Carol and Willard and however you meet people and you're not supposed to say this as believers. This is not very spiritual, but you have your favorites and I know just. I've met you before. I got to know Willard, and the more I know both of you, the more I like and the more impressed I am, because you two balance things very, very well. And let me go ahead and stick my foot in my mouth right now.
Speaker 1:For those of you that are not familiar with prophetic ministry one of the things you constantly have to do and one of the things I see Carolyn Willard dealing very well with probably the best I've seen is being able to balance the liberty that's in Christ Jesus as well as as you're maturing. Sometimes people haven't reached a level of maturity where they can discern what they're feeling versus what the Holy Spirit is saying, and they like to go on and on. And I have seen Carol balance out that firmness yet the love that needs to be had to nurture people so that they mature. So, welcome to the podcast. It's good to be here. Yes, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you all got started and what we're doing here?
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I think we had to become who we are before we become who we are, Gotcha, and God blessed me with Willard to help me grow and supported what God was doing in me, because the path of a prophet isn't always fun, but learning how to be fun in the midst of the not so fun. So the maturing. But I feel like the Lord had given me my mandate a number of years ago and he says I want you to love me and I want you to love my people and um, and so the motive of my heart has always been that we have been predestined to become conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Amen, and whatever that looks for everyone and we're all in different levels of maturity and whatever, and I know that I have appreciated the prophetic word over my own life that has moved me along and helped me continue the course and mature in that, and it still happens.
Speaker 1:Every day.
Speaker 2:I remember in 1987, bishop Bill Hammond I'm dropping a name here. I love this man. It was the first time he had prophesied the word of the Lord over me. And you know he kept asking me questions what do you want? You know, and this was back in 87. And honestly, I had no clue. I mean, I knew I wanted whatever God wanted to give me, which is what I said. And he said we'll give you whatever you'll take. And I'll say I'll take everything he'll give me. And he says God's not playing with you, he's wanting a response.
Speaker 2:And and um, and here's some seasoned prophets behind me going oh, I wish you'd asked me that I know what to say. And I'm thinking well, I I don't, but my heart is I want whatever he wants to give me. And um, he says, well, do you want to prophesy and move in the gifts? And I said yes. He said, say it again, because it's being recorded in heaven. And he said now he's going to drag square through you his round knot hole because he's looking for those that are willing to die the death, pay the cost, live the life and flow the river. There's been years of that dragging through that round knot hole and that knot hole gets smaller, but I am thankful for every step of the way because it's made me who I am and and I love what I do, and I love honoring and glorifying God amen, oh wow.
Speaker 3:I guess the thing that's important to me is allowing God to change you from the inside out. That has always been my heart. God changed me from the inside out. I can't change myself, but he can.
Speaker 3:Where a lot of people try to change themselves, thinking it's going to impress God, and it's like God already knows your failures because he knows the alpha and the omega. So, messing up, you should be like a baby who falls down and hurts himself and runs back to mom or dad crying because you hurt yourself, and basically that's what it is when we mess up we have just missed the mark. God already knew you were going to miss the mark, but he wants you to have a heart where you don't want to miss the mark. Your heart is not to miss the mark, but unfortunately we haven't been brought into the image and likeness of Jesus yet. So until we get there, we're going to miss the mark, and too many people beat themselves up for missing the mark and they waste months or years of their lives because they keep beating up on themselves. So they become, uh, an advocate for the devil and they don't even realize it because the devil is the one that accuses the saints and, uh, my I guess my whole heart is is I just believe God is going to do what God says he's going to do. Whether I see it or not, has no bearing on anything. He is going to do. What God says he's going to do, Whether I see it or not, has no bearing on anything. He is going to do what he said he's going to do because his word is eternal. His word can never fail because if it failed there wouldn't be no us because the whole thing would just disintegrate.
Speaker 3:And one time this is going to sound strange, but one time he took me outside and it was like I almost saw down to the molecule level of these plants I was looking at. It was like I saw them almost moving, which I think in science it's a true thing. But I mean I don't and it's like I'm like it almost felt like I was on drugs and I wasn't on drugs and it's like that's how he and he just holds everything together and people don't realize it and I don't know why he showed me that, but it made me know that he is working at the micro, micro, micro level of our lives. Because he's working at the micro, micro level of everything we see, because the word said that I'm being distracted by the people prophesying over there.
Speaker 3:I'm sorry on the podcast, that doesn't sound good, but this is what life sounds like. Yes, this is life and it's live. So we just you know, when God does this to you, there's a reason, and I think the reason is so that you understand how everything is held together in Jesus, because your faith has to come from Jesus, Because through Jesus, everything was created and everything is held together. He paid the ultimate price so that we could be free and that we could be bearers of the image and likeness of himself, with his glory and his light, and that's where God wants to take us.
Speaker 1:Amen. Just to kind of verify what both of you are saying and how it's right on One of the things that Lord, when I first got called and all of a sudden thank God for wind, it is 95 degrees out here and this wind feels good and we have a fountain we got a fountain right next to us, and it's
Speaker 1:nice remember Holy Spirit can be wind and water. But I remember distinctly have any of y'all ever seen the old movie Christmas Story where the kid has a BB gun, oh yeah, and he blurts out what he wants for Christmas and he goes dude. And I remember just being in prayer and starting to hear from the Lord consistently and he let me know that I have a prophetic calling. And I go, oh, it's not for the faint of heart, and the gifting developed. But then it took the wilderness, the, the wilderness. You were talking about people. Oh, I wish that was me. Well, uh, my buddy that would do this podcast.
Speaker 1:When we were talking about there was a time when we were growing, we were interacting with people that were in full-time ministry, you know, and had all the titles and all this and you need to be under our submission and you need to do all this and you need to do all that.
Speaker 1:But every time they had some guest speaker come in from out of town, the one that they're hyping up, you're like, oh, you got a prophetic calling on, oh, and not just me but my buddy too, and it was the same thing.
Speaker 1:But what we didn't know is at that time we were about to go into a big time wilderness period and I was a lot more hard-headed than he was because mine lasted about twice as long. But he develops your character to be able to love people. He develops your character to be able to love people with his love and to minister properly and, like you all are saying, that doesn't look the same for everybody. No, we're not cookie cutters and we've had a discussion or two recently on our podcast about how a lot of times what your protocols and all these things that happen in church they're meant to develop cookie cutter, good, obedient church sitters. They're not meant to. They're not designed to develop formidable Christians and this idea of being so afraid of messing up that nobody does anything is a big reason of why we're having to reclaim ground in this country.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yes, I mean, you have to look at yourself like God looks at nature. How many different trees, how many different flowers, how many different bushes, how many different types of grass are there. So why do you think he wants us to fit into some kind of mold? Amen, you know how many sunsets are there? How many sunrises are there? We need to realize we're individuals that God has created and to be comfortable in your own skin and be who you're going to be.
Speaker 3:Now. That doesn't mean be obnoxious or rude or any of that, because that's not Christlike, but to realize that God has made you special. I am definitely different, but that's how God made me. You know, I prophesied different. My wife we got this word one time with John, who was it from CI prophesied that you were a machine gun and I was a nugget person John Webster, john Webster, prophet John Webster and it set me free because I realized now I'm giving more in-depth words now, but it freed me because it's like, well, I'll just give what I got and that's what I got. I don't worry about if it's not long enough or it's not broad enough, I just give what God gives me and it's the purity of that and sometimes we just got to free ourselves from being put in a mold. Amen.
Speaker 2:Or measuring yourself against someone else. Amen. You know, I remember early on in our marriage relationship we had just been married, I don't know, maybe a year or two and I was at a women's meeting and and one of the women ministered the word of the Lord over me and she said I see you as the lightning and I see Willard as the lightning rod. And he said, she said that you know, without him you'll burn everything up in its path, but if without you he won't go anywhere. And that is kind of, you know, prophetic words like that really help in a marriage relationship. You know, because you know we get to be who he's created us to be and you know it helped me to understand because I am that.
Speaker 2:You know, even a while ago, when we were walking to go to the restroom, it's like, you know, I'm on a mission, so I'm walking at a higher pace. You know he's still back there. You know, and that's kind of a joke that we have with each other Are you 10 paces behind yet? Kind of thing you know. But the truth of it is is, I love the fact that he's steady and reliable and honest, full of integrity and, um, he has always supported the call of God on my life and that has been a real uh blessing. And it doesn't happen. It takes a strong man to be married to a prophetic woman, in my opinion, which I've seen many times, that I've seen many times where the marriages fall apart because they can't handle, you know, living with a prophetic person and so that's been a real blessing in my life.
Speaker 1:One of the things I described it a little bit different that I've seen very anointed men and women of God, and I've seen it. I've seen it just take. I've seen it take their integrity first and then it take the relationship, or take the ministry. But the pressure to perform that we put on people in ministry, everybody has to have a word right then and now, especially if you're prophetic, well, I can tell you with me it don't work like that. I'll go two or three months and I might hear some things from me, but usually it takes me sitting down and getting my head out of my rear end and go hey, lord, what you doing? You're going to, you're going to ask, to ask, because you can get so busy doing everything and you're supposed to be doing those things. But if we're not careful, like you mentioned, it's every day that you find out that, oh, there's some improvement that needs to be made, there's some work that needs to be done.
Speaker 1:But one of the things that I have always appreciated about you because I've been watching you for a couple years now and I remember some words that you spoke to me which still stick with me the thing I love about him is a lot of times we don't know what we're saying, and that's something about being prophetic you have no idea, you're just out there hanging out, have no idea, you're just out there hanging out.
Speaker 1:But you see, probably as good as anybody that I've met, you see through the performative and are willing to address it. And that is something, especially if you get into the title heavy ministries oh, you can't correct that person. You can't correct that person. You can't correct because they have an apostle title, they have a bishop title, they have a prophetic title, you know, and all this stuff. But I've just seen you two just go in with the love of God and address what needs to be addressed. And also one of the things you've got to deal with being a prophetic person is not everybody is going to listen and I've seen you all deal with that. Pretty doggone good.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, I learned early on that I'm just his mouthpiece and it's the Holy Spirit's job to bring the word to pass. I can't make it happen and it depends on the hearts of the people. But if you look in the scripture, god would send the prophets in over and over and they got killed and they got stoned and they, you know whatever, and they didn't want to listen and they didn't want to hear. But you know, the love of God causes us to keep speaking, keep talking, keep pressing in there and saying things. I remember when I was ordained with Ernie and Verlinda in 2007. And several of the prophetic voices that they had on the presbytery, the phrase was this One thing I know about Carol she'll tell you what God says and not what you want to hear. Amen, because, listen, we don't have time to play games. I'm not a game player and I love you enough to tell you the truth, even if it hurts.
Speaker 1:Amen.
Speaker 2:But I try to do it with grace, you know, and I've really experienced several prophetic words that have impacted my life greatly. One of them was in November of 2023, and a prophet has prophesied the word of the Lord over me. Because I was going through school and you know, they kept wanting to pigeonhole me in that prophetic trap. And when I made the comment of you know, I've been doing that since 1985. And not that I can't learn more, because I can, but the Holy Spirit will reveal to me what I need to know from this point, because I've always listened, and so the prophetic word was quit trying to figure out what your predominant call is. And years ago, I felt like the Lord spoke to me and told me that I was an apostolic teacher that stands in the office of a prophet was an apostolic teacher that stands in the office of a prophet. So when I had to make a decision on which track to go down in school, the Lord told me to go back over my prophetic words that I had written, and you know, in my notebooks and things, and he said I want you to look for apostolic terminology. And I go well, what does that look like? You know, I don't know. And so I started with my first one that's recorded and I read, I don't know, to 2010 or something, and he would start saying that's apostolic, that's apostolic, that's apostolic.
Speaker 2:So I chose to go down the apostolic track, but because of the strong prophetic anointing that they've witnessed, they thought I was calling myself something I wasn't. So that prophetic word, this is what she wound up saying. She says quit trying to figure out which is your predominant, because God says you're all fivefold Amen. And so that set me on a trajectory again of accepting the apostolic call of my life. And it's really funny because I've been on this apostolic team with Berlinda, you know, and a couple other women from Illinois and Indiana, and you know. But I thought I was just the prophetic voice on this apostolic team, and the Lord said, seriously, you know how he can talk? Oh yeah, and you know, wake you up, make you listen. Well, that's what he did and I said so it was a transition, but my whole thing is is I don't want a title, I want to function.
Speaker 1:Amen. I was telling Dan Blackshirt this message and I go. You know, most of my walk these days is. I know he wants me to be somewhere and I'll just show up and about 30 minutes into it I find out why.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:But the Lord, if you think your gifting makes you special, but the Lord, if you think your gifting makes you special, he will use a kid with Down syndrome to prophesy to you accurately, just to show you it's not you being special. I'm very, very serious about that. But those that will be obedient is what he's looking for, those that will act. And some people think, hey, would you like a prophetic word? I'm like I guess, but I'm still trying to get back on the last one that I got you know. I'm still trying to walk that one through.
Speaker 2:You know there's a timing in prophetic words. You know, bishop Hammond always taught us um, they won't come to pass without faith and obedience, and um, and you can get a prophetic. I've got prophetic words that I got way back that are just now coming to pass. Yes, you know. So you didn't say they missed it, you know. It just wasn't his timing and the process of getting me to that place to be able to have the character to carry it.
Speaker 1:There was in 2000, actually started in 2019, late 2019. I was joking with my buddy Bones. I'm like you know we could write a book talking about all the mess we've seen up in the church and all that. We could call it the Christian Self-Defense Manual. How do you protect yourself from all the stuff that goes on? And we're laughing, you know this is funny all the stuff we've seen, and I put the phone down. You know, and I hear, will you? I guess you know, sure, sure, we'll do it, but in doing that we get. I give out all my Bibles that I had these notes in from 2001 to 2004 that I've written down and it looked for about 15 years like I had missed, just missed, the Lord, and all of a sudden, in 2019 and 2020, they were so accurate it was scary. But it took a process. There's a process. But, willard, I'm to let you flow this out because I know you've got to be called upon here soon.
Speaker 3:Yes, the process is what people mess up. There's hard times that can come upon you, and it's not that God has pulled away or that he's even caused it, but he will cause that to create a character in you to help you go to another level. Amen, you know, just like recently, these are just two random things that most people mess up.
Speaker 3:I was at McDonald's and I gave the lady some money for an order and she gave me $40 too much back. Now I could have kept the $40, but I'm like there ain't no way I she gave me $40 too much back. Now I could have kept the $40, but I'm like there ain't no way I'm keeping this $40 because it's gonna cost a whole lot more. So I gave it back to her and you could just see her eyes like holy smokes. The person gave me it back. And then I was at a restaurant and the guy charged me the wrong amount for my meal and I pointed it out to him and he goes oh, that's okay, I wrote it down wrong, so it's on me. And I'm like okay, I can't do anything more than that. But I think the Bible talks about the little things, the little things that we do or don't do.
Speaker 2:Faithful and a little.
Speaker 3:That causes you to grow. You know the only way to be faithful with money is to not let money control you. Money is a tool. You know everything that we have in life is a tool that must be used properly and if we don't use it properly, it upsets what God can do with us. Upsets what God can do with us.
Speaker 3:I remember a long time ago I can't remember who the minister was but he said there's like three levels that he was talking about and I remember one was gold and he says you want to be gold? And it was like out to the audience I'm thinking, yeah, I want to be gold. And then he goes well, you know, that costs a lot more to be gold to God because there's so much more he's got to do in you and I'm like I still want to be gold. So it's like you can have a 20 year ministry or you can have a three and a half year ministry, like somebody we know that was effective and it changed the world. I want to change the world to the, to the glory of God, in whatever way that is, and it may just be something small, but it's like the guy that led. Oh, what's the famous guy that led all kinds of people to the Lord, billy Graham. So the guy that led Billy Graham to the Lord got as much glory from all that Billy Graham did because he led Billy Graham to the Lord. But most people don't have that concept that the little things I do make a big difference in the world. And that's the thing we all struggle with is we want to be recognized, and once you let God settle your heart where God you're, the only recognition I need. If you recognize me, that's all that matters.
Speaker 3:I remember being at a church we go to. It's called Fire Nest, st Louis Missouri. Right, st Louis Missouri. If you're in St Louis Missouri, you want to go to a place to be refreshed. That's the place to go.
Speaker 3:But I was sitting up at the altar for some reason, and here's the prophetic word I got God sees you. That's all I got. God sees you. Now I've had a lot of prophetic words, but at that time and place I was struggling with the fact that I'm getting older and I haven't fulfilled all the prophetic words I got. They're massive.
Speaker 3:And it's like how do I do this Lord? And when he did that, not that at that second it changed me, but by him saying that I just got to the point. It's like, wait a minute, I don't do any of this anyway. Whether I fulfill one thing or don't fulfill one thing, it's all in your hands, because you said that you're the one that causes us to come into fulfillment and completement in Christ. So it caused me to relax. So if I have one thing to tell people, relax. Amen.
Speaker 3:God is your father who loves you, that if you get that, you've won the game. God loves you, jesus loves you, and if you can, just, I mean I want this. This is what Paul said. I want to know the height and depth and length and breadth of your love. If we ever get to that point, we won't have to worry about what we do and what we don't do, because there'll be so much glory coming off of us. God won't affect people around us without us saying a word. One of the people that I've been said that I'll be like is Smith Wigglesworth, and there's a story where he's in a train car and he doesn't say anything and he leaves the train car, I guess, to go to the bathroom. You know. He comes back in Everybody's crying and weeping and they go. What must we do to be safe. And he didn't say a word, but it was the glory of the God that he carried in his life, and that's what I want.
Speaker 1:Amen, Guys, thank you so much. It is an honor and pleasure. I love you both and what you do, even though we only see each other a couple times a year, means more to me than you all will ever know. And just remember God's approval comes with a lot less strings attached than man's.
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, thank God, thank God.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Hey everybody, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you and caused you to go out and walk out your faith. You can always check us out at wofoyoorg or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify, audible, or check us out on YouTubeefoyoorg or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, spotify, audible, or check us out on YouTube. Remember, folks, if you want to grow, you got to woefoyo. Get in the word for yourself.