In this raw unproduced non-episode episode, Dr. Carol shares a quick word from her heart about coming to the end of 2024. Right now, come check out ARISE: A Place of Transformation , and be part of making this beautiful place a reality for people to experience lasting transformation through Dr. Carol Ministries intensives. Or you may wish to purchase an item from our Amazon Wish List to help us be ready for moving into this place where lives will be healed and transformed for eternity. Dr. Carol...
Dec 28, 2024•8 min
Christmas can be a season of wonder, hope, and joy. However, it can also be a very difficult season for many. Often it's both good - and hard. Dr. Carol shares a few of her favorite things at Christmas, and how these objects signify aspects of what Christmas means. Perhaps this will help you think of your own favorite things this Christmas. All of us at Dr. Carol Ministries pray that Jesus bless you with a special sense of His presence this season. Merry Christmas! Dr. Carol loves to hear from y...
Dec 24, 2024•12 min
A Christmas Carol, the classic story by Charles Dickens, has been made into several movies and told in countless ways for generations. However, is it possible that this holiday story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come might have meaning to your own life story? In this special Christmas episode Dr. Carol talks with best-selling author and columnist Bob Welch about stinginess, innocence, grief, joy, transformation, and other contemporary and meaningful l...
Dec 17, 2024•31 min
Christians have the best answer to the epidemic of loneliness in our culture. As articulated by the US Surgeon General, being disconnected has life-damaging consequences. But too many in the body of Christ are neither experiencing nor offering the kind of friendship Christians are uniquely equipped to provide. Dr. Carol's guest on this episode is author and podcaster Rebecca McLaughlin who has a PhD in literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill Theological College i...
Dec 10, 2024•43 min
There's a guaranteed and often overlooked method to elevate your mood, energize your spirit, and bring you a wave of meaning and joy, and that is - wait for it - generosity! And Giving Tuesday is a strong reminder of just how powerful giving can be. In this Giving Tuesday special, Dr. Carol is joined by John Curtis, professor and senior development specialist, to talk about transformational giving. This is not about organizations asking for money. Instead, this is about the power of generosity t...
Dec 03, 2024•45 min
Love sex or hate it, and regardless of your relationship status, you have a sexual story. You might be proud of part of your sexual story. But you may also struggle with shame and guilt about parts of your story. And whether you’re married or unmarried, your sexual story greatly impacts your ability to experience real intimacy with others and with God. In this talk Dr. Carol gave at the SHE Recovery Summit, she uses personal stories, theological perspectives, and clinical research in sexuality a...
Nov 26, 2024•53 min
"Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" The Bible asks that question, and answers it with a clear "No, nothing is impossible with God!" But does that apply to a truly destructive marriage? If your relationship is deeply troubled, you may be asking, "Is there any hope?" Shayne and Sheila Pitcock would say YES, there is hope! They join Dr. Carol on this episode to share their story. There are buzzwords here; domestic violence, abuse, separation. Healing requires both partners to allow God to do...
Nov 19, 2024•45 min
Knowing information, even information about God, is important. But so many Christians find information woefully inadequate to fully address the realities of their lives. Our souls long for something more - something of beauty, connection, even love. In this unique and beautiful conversation Dr. Carol talks with Quina Aragon, author, editor, and spoken word artist, about the love of God - not in the sense of information, but from story - our story, the Bible's story, and God's story. And you'll e...
Nov 12, 2024•42 min
The US Surgeon General has highlighted the epidemic of loneliness in our culture, and the very negative health implications. Just being around people is helpful but inadequate to satisfy the deep longing for connection God built into every human heart. In this practical episode Dr. Carol talks with Becky Harling, speaker, podcaster, Bible teacher, and author, about the deeper connections our hearts truly need, and what you can do to proactively nurture those connections. Though it may feel chall...
Nov 05, 2024•40 min
The wounds we all experience in life - internally as well as externally - can leave you with permanent scars. As a result you may feel disqualified from experiencing true goodness, from being able to fulfill what you most deeply desire, or from being as useful to God's kingdom as you wish. Dr. Michelle Bengston, speaker, author, and board-certified clinical neuropsychologist, has experienced lots of scars and helped countless others face their own scars. She talks with Dr. Carol on this episode ...
Oct 29, 2024•22 min
Dr. Carol receives lots of questions about relationships, menopause and married sex, marital rape, struggle with pornography, and more. In today's episode she answers some listener submitted questions on a range of subjects. You won't want to miss this! Resources mentioned in this episode: - Navigating Midlife online course - Article Having the Sex Talk With Your Spouse - eBook Dr. Carol's Guide to Sex and Menopause - Article Why You Are Not Entitled to Sex - Article Where to Start if Your Marri...
Oct 22, 2024•26 min
Many followers of Jesus might wish God would "zap" them out of their addiction to porn, alcohol, or whatever else. Are they uniquely flawed when they still struggle with their unwanted behavior patterns? Doesn't being "a new creation in Christ" mean things should be resolved? Troy and Melissa Haas are licensed counselors and lead the HopeQuest family of ministries. They join Dr. Carol on this episode to talk about their own story of painful addiction and betrayal trauma, and about how they are n...
Oct 15, 2024•53 min
Even as followers of Jesus, stuff happens to us. And more than that, stuff happens within us as a result. Your personal dashboard may start showing yellow lights or even flashing red lights, indicating things are not well. It's time to pay attention. In this very personal and practical episode, experienced counselor, author, pastor, and professor Chuck DeGroat rejoins Dr. Carol to talk about how to address those warning lights, find healing for what's going on inside, and reconnect with oneself,...
Oct 08, 2024•40 min
The divorce rate for blended families is 70%. But there's another surprising statistic; well over 99% of couples who do this one specific activity stay together - blended or not. Dr. Carol talks with Scott and Vanessa Martindale of Blended Kingdom Families in this very encouraging episode. Scott shares the one activity that guarantees an over 99% success rate for you staying together! We talk about the unique challenges blended families face, but even more about the doable ways of building onene...
Oct 01, 2024•37 min
What kind of change is possible - or not possible, especially when it comes to LGBTQ issues? And how does change happen? There are no one-size-fits-all answers. But as the Changed movement is demonstrating, there are more stories of lasting change than many realize. Dr. Carol's guest on this episode is Ken Williams, co-founder of the Changed Movement. He shares his story of following Jesus away from a gay identity to what he describes as a true masculine identity and intimacy with God – and also...
Sep 24, 2024•46 min
At some point in life, you'll likely to face a time when everything seems to be falling apart. A job loss, health or financial crisis, end of a marriage, death of a close loved one, or other catastrophe that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and unsure whether or how you can go on living. Dr. Carol's guest on this episode, author, Bible teacher, and minister Dawn Mann Sanders brings her own personal experience and a deep exploration of God's creative process to this encouraging conver...
Sep 17, 2024•42 min
Statistics show that divorce rates are at their highest between five and eight years of marriage. That's when the disillusionment sets in. Even if your marriage is not destructively toxic, what happened to the "happily ever after" that you thought you were embarking on? And what can you do about it? Dr. Carol's guest on this episode, Chelsea Damon, thought marriage would make her happy - until it didn't. But since she and her husband have learned these important keys, she says her marriage is no...
Sep 10, 2024•31 min
The Bible doesn't talk specifically about dating. But that doesn't mean it has nothing to say on the subject. Dating as a Christian can seem confusing, and hard. There are questions not only about sexuality and sexual behavior, but about how to know if this is "the one," what makes a relationship healthy, and preparing for not just a wedding but a marriage. Tovares and Safa Gray talk with Dr. Carol in this authentic and fun conversation about Godly Dating 101 - their ministry to young Christians...
Sep 03, 2024•42 min
The rapid increase in LGBTQ+ issues in our culture leaves many Christian parents struggling with how to navigate these realities with their children in ways that are both loving and aligned to their Christian faith. Dr. Carol's guest on today's episode is Ellen Radcliff. She was raised in a Christian home and also wrestles with same-sex attraction. As a faithful Christian wife and mother who holds to a Biblical sexual ethic, she now works with other parents and families navigating these challeng...
Aug 27, 2024•39 min
Christian women, young and old, often struggle with a disconnect between what their intellect may know is "right" about sexuality, God, and relationships, and what their own experience has been. Pornography or other ungodly sexual behaviors only add to their sexual shame and feeling of being stuck. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Joy Skarka, director of discipleship for Authentic Intimacy , about the journey God invites every woman into of discovering the full love of God, how to grow i...
Aug 20, 2024•38 min
We all get wounded. What do you do with your wounds? As humans we naturally hide the parts of us we deem least presentable. And that very hiding is what prevents the deep healing and transformation Jesus longs to bring. In this moving and personal episode, author, pastor, and ministry director Russell Joyce talks with Dr. Carol about how Jesus finds us in our wounds. His own shame and physical pain he's lived with as a result of being born with Goldenhar syndrome becomes that metaphor for how Go...
Aug 13, 2024•44 min
Our culture seems obsessed with sex. Then why do so many men seem to experience sexual desire as a place of brokenness, shame, struggle, and confusion? Dr. Carol's guest on this episode asserts that men are oversexualized yet sexually undernourished, and that many men need more talk, not less, about sexuality. Experienced therapist and author Sam Jolman joins Dr. Carol to talk about masculine sexuality as God designed it to be, how evil has hijacked and distorted this critical part of a man's so...
Aug 06, 2024•46 min
While approximately 50% of those who call themselves Christian in the developed world are unmarried, only about 25% of the typical church attendees are unmarried. Where are the other single Christians? Many unmarried Christians report unique struggles in their walk with God. They often report feeling disconnected or even alienated from the body of Christ, like church isn't for them. On this episode Lisa Anderson, who manages Focus on the Family's young adult ministry, talks with Dr. Carol about ...
Jul 30, 2024•39 min
The need to belong is deep in our human souls. We are almost always asking, "Am I on the inside? Or on the outside?" Loneliness has strong negative impacts on our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Dr. Carol's conversation with writer, speaker, and podcaster Sarah E. Westfall will help you navigate your need to belong, and how that comes more from who you are than something you achieve. And they offer insight into how to move closer to both God and others. More resources: - Connect wi...
Jul 23, 2024•39 min
More religious stuff to do. So much performance leads to anxiety and exhaustion. When our attachment to God is insecure, or is based on our own activity and behavior, there's no life. Anglican priest and spiritual director Summer Joy Gross has walked the journey to become securely attached to God. She talks with Dr. Carol on this episode about how you can do the same. While offering practices that will help you, your biggest takeaway from this conversation is likely to be a deeper desire to be w...
Jul 16, 2024•46 min
Marriage is hard. And it can be really hard when you face betrayal, neurodiversity, old baggage, emotional deprivation, and more. Shawna Meek has faced all this, and has chosen to stay married. She talks with Dr. Carol about what helped her stay - and stay sane - in the middle of all the mess. You may or may not make the same choice Shawna has. But regardless, this conversation will help you feel validated and encouraged, and help you persevere regardless of what happens - or doesn't - with your...
Jul 09, 2024•43 min
Your journey to wholeness - sexually and otherwise - will be opposed. That opposition comes from both inside you and from outside you. That opposition includes pressure from the kingdom of darkness. Not everything is spiritual warfare, but understanding this aspect of what you will face helps you be prepared and successful in facing the opposition. Dr. Carol provides three specific strategies or things to do in facing spiritual opposition that will help you recognize when you're under spiritual ...
Jul 02, 2024•28 min
We often don’t get what we want and that is often a good thing. Desire—including sexual desire—can often be in disorder. Today’s follower of Jesus exist at a moment in history when our desires, longings, and wants are being weaponized against us by cultural, spiritual, and relational forces. “Follow your heart” and “You do you” has become our moment’s mantras. The result, for too many, is feeling torn asunder by the raging desires within. What do we do with our desire? What about our unwanted de...
Jun 25, 2024•47 min
It’s never really about sex. Matters of the heart and a desire for intimacy are imbedded in humans since creation. But what does that mean if you are married? Or single? God gave us desire; he gave us this longing … the Greeks called it eros, passion, It’s the deepest desire of our heart. However, our world has hijacked eros, it just sees it as erotic. It has been taken over by a corrupt culture that only sees passion as something that is dirty, sullied, and sinful. Author and educator, Bill Don...
Jun 18, 2024•53 min
Your heart is shattered. How can you find healing when you've been wounded by trauma and betrayal? And that process is even more challenging when you brought your past complex trauma into the relationship to begin with. Trauma expert and counselor Stacey Sadler Smith has both experienced that herself, and now brings years of professional experience to helping both individuals and couples heal from trauma and betrayal. She talks with Dr. Carol on this episode about her own story, about broken att...
Jun 11, 2024•36 min
