Carla Bianco: A Vessel of God’s Love (Part 3)

John Farrell: It sounds like you knew that Jellybean Benitez would eventually become your publisher and manager. Was that something you just felt in your heart? What was that like?

Carla Bianco: Yeah, it was definitely an inkling from what that person had said, “Why don’t you look up Jellybean Benitez? He’s always looking for new talent.” It stuck in my head, and I kept replaying it in my head. Something just told me to follow through on it.

That’s been something that I’ve learned to trust more and more as I grow – knowing that God speaks to us in these ways. These feelings and these thoughts are like little whispers. I like to call them. Because it’s not like this loud, booming voice or something. It’s like a little whisper, but it doesn’t go away. If you keep listening, if you keep open, it just keeps resurfacing.

Sometimes they’re things that you’re like, “Really? How am I going to do that? That’s crazy. How’s that going to work out?” And it doesn’t go away, and you think, “Well, let me just step out. Let me just make a move, take a step in that direction.” Then it starts building momentum.

I remember when I went to his office that first day, I actually thought there was going to be tons of other girls there doing the same thing I was. When I got there, I was the only one there waiting outside his office.

I think whenever it’s the thing that God is leading you to do, that when you take the step in faith, the doors open. It might not open super easy. You may have to take a few steps and you may have to have some perseverance with it, but it does open.

I feel like we’re meant to take these leaps. I think we’re meant to move out of our comfort zones more often than we’d like. It’s in the places where we’re uncomfortable that God does his work because we’re more open. It’s like whenever you’re traveling and you’re not sure of where you’re going or how things are going to work out, you almost kind of pray more because you’re like, “God, let this all work out.”

It’s in the places where we’re uncomfortable – we don’t know what’s going to happen, we’re stepping into the unknown – that God has an opportunity to use us more because we need Him more and we have to rely on Him. I think listening to those inklings and stepping out is really meant for all of us to do in one form or another.

An Inspiring Experience

JF: For those who have never seen you perform live, what can they expect from attending one of your performances?

Carla: Definitely a really inspiring time. A time to connect with God and His goodness and just feel a sense of comfort knowing that we are all okay, that everything is going to work out, that God’s with us. There’s just a good feeling to know that God is on our side. And just a sense of love, peace, and comfort are the biggest things.

People tell me that they feel inspired and they feel good after a concert. They know that they’re loved and it makes them look at their life in different ways, different perspectives, and know that things happened certain ways for a reason. It kind of gives them some new hope to continue on and know that God’s with them.

JF: Who are your biggest influences?

Carla: I really love Hillsong UNITED and Kari Jobe. Some of their music has really moved me. “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” was one of the first Christian contemporary songs that I ever heard. I grew up in a Catholic church and I know a lot of hymns and sacred music, but I didn’t know that there was this whole world of Christian contemporary with full bands with the rock influence. I had no idea.

When I heard “Oceans” for the first time, I was like, “Wow, this is so gorgeous.” It was so poetic and so dynamic. That started to open a door to other music. I love “Revelation Song.” My sister actually sent that to me – Kari Jobe’s version. I sing that song myself. It’s just a really blessed piece of music. It’s so divine. Music like that really inspires me to do my best for God to use me to do His best work and be open to that.

JF: Where’s the best place for our readers to find your music and learn more about you.

Carla: Any digital platform that you listen to music on you can search me on there and you can go to the website, carlabianco.com. Those would be the best places.

Spend Time with God

JF: Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you’d like to say or something that you’d like to reemphasize?

Carla: I just want to say that it’s really important to spend time alone just with God. Even if it’s a half hour or whatever time you can allot, but just to sit with the Word of God. Even opening up to some psalms or just reading the book of John. Just even a few lines. Doesn’t have to be a lot. Not just reading with your mind, but reading and sitting with your heart open.

There’s something really amazing that I didn’t know about the Bible. Whenever I was growing up, it was always, “Read the Bible, read the Bible.” Like it was a book that you read and you get information and you read stories and you learn stuff. But when I went on that retreat, I received the Word of God in a different way. I didn’t know how alive it is.

When you sit with it, you read the words. Yes, you read the words, but then it’s almost like writing a song. When I write a song, I don’t just grab the pen and write. I’m open and I’m like, “Okay, what is coming? What do I hear? What do I want to say? What’s God bringing me?” You’re just open. Then, all of a sudden, I hear a melody in my head, and then I’ll pick up my phone and record a quick idea. But it comes to me like you have this open vessel, this open channel.

It’s like that when you sit with the word of God. You read the words and then you let it hit you. Sometimes I’ll just jot down a word that hit me. Just a word that was like, “Oh, that word hit me for some reason.” Then I just sit there and say, “God, what do You want to say to me here in these words I just read? What do I need to receive here?” And I just sit and wait until something comes. An inspiration comes. A feeling comes, or words come, or an emotion comes, or an inkling comes of something to do or write down and it’s alive. The spirit of God is alive there and you receive it in this new way. Scriptures that you’ve read a bajillion times can have different meaning depending on when you sit down and where you are in your life and what God wants to tell you in that moment.

I wanted to say that because it is something I just learned recently, like five years ago. I didn’t know what that meant, that the word of God is alive. It’s being with God and just sitting and waiting and receiving the spirit in between the lines. Like writing a song is the way I think of it, but I know everybody has their creative things that they do. Even if it’s just an idea of something I want to cook that day. Creative ideas come in all kinds of ways because I love to cook. But, it’s receiving in the reading of the Word and waiting on God.