The third Episode of Christian Daily International’s podcast Faith Without Frontiers featured a wide-ranging conversation with Carla Miller, who serves churches across the Middle East from her base in Lebanon, helping young people build resilience in the face of pressure and persecution.
Hosted by Gordon Showell-Rogers, the episode traces Miller’s journey from a multicultural upbringing in the United Kingdom to life in Beirut, where she and her husband have lived for the past six years. Born to a British father raised in Brazil and a mother of Caribbean heritage, Miller reflects on growing up as part of a visible minority — and as a pastor’s daughter — in a predominantly white English community. The experience, she says, brought a strong sense of pressure to “be perfect” and to counter assumptions placed on her family.
That tension continued into her teenage years, when she describes living a “double life” — involved in church while also exploring the freedoms and risks typical of adolescence. A turning point came at age 16, when she began reading the Bible for herself. What followed was a transformative period in which, as she recalls, the message of Scripture suddenly made sense in a new and personal way. “There was no coming back from that,” she says, describing a faith that shifted from inherited to deeply owned.
From there, Miller’s story becomes increasingly shaped by a growing awareness of Christians facing persecution globally. Through stories, prayer, and later work with a UK-based organization, she says she was “discipled by the persecuted church,” learning from believers who remained steadfast under pressure. That experience would eventually lead her toward the Middle East — a calling she says remained constant for nearly a decade before becoming reality.
Now based in Beirut, Miller works with local churches and organizations across the region, focusing on how to support young people whose faith is tested in complex cultural and social environments. She explains that while persecution is often understood in terms of violence against church leaders, its impact on youth is different and often overlooked. Many young people, she notes, experience pressure before they have fully formed their own convictions, making resilience both more difficult and more essential.
Drawing on the biblical example of Daniel, Miller describes how identity, belonging and faith are often contested in subtle but powerful ways. Her work, she says, involves helping churches become places of safety and restoration — environments where young people can wrestle honestly with their faith without fear of shame or rejection. “If the church was the safest place for young people,” she reflects, “can you imagine what that would do?”
The episode also offers a sobering glimpse into life in Lebanon over recent years. Since arriving in 2019, Miller and her husband have lived through political upheaval, economic collapse, the Beirut port explosion and ongoing regional tensions. She recounts moments of real danger and uncertainty, alongside what she sees as repeated experiences of God’s protection and provision.
Despite these challenges, Miller speaks with deep affection for Lebanon and the wider region. She describes a strong sense of connection with local communities and a profound respect for the long-standing Christian presence in the Middle East. “It feels like such an honor,” she says, “to be part of what God is doing here.”
Listen to the conversation to hear how Miller reflects on faith, identity and perseverance, and how her work among young people is shaped by both the challenges and the hope she encounters in the Middle East.
