I had put a lot into growing and developing my career and leaving it would come at a loss.
But my career was also costing me: It was draining my joy and sapping my energy, which impacted my marriage and held me back from following God’s call to write…
Unbelief whispers that if we don’t expect too much, we won’t be disappointed. But what it doesn’t tell us is that if we don’t expect anything, we reduce the likelihood that we’ll receive anything. In other words, by choosing not have an expectant outlook, we often miss out on good things…
Read MoreWhen you want nothing more than to take an afternoon nap, maybe it’s because that’s exactly what your body needs to strengthen itself and carry on.
When your job is sucking your soul dry and you want to make a change, maybe it’s because your job is a poor fit for your gifts and personality and a career change is exactly what your soul needs to flourish...
What originally seemed like a novel idea now seems obvious—of course doing more things that bring me joy will increase my joy. But if boosting our joy could be as simple as doing things that bring us joy, why don’t we already do those things more?
Read MoreDon’t worry if your course isn’t conventional or doesn’t make complete sense. God knows exactly what you need for the next leg of the journey, and the experiences that come with today’s twists and turns just might provide the tools you need to navigate tomorrow’s temptations, challenges, and opportunities…
Read MoreThrough the example of the tortoise, I felt God encouraging me that when it comes to my personal race, particularly the part of my race that pertains to book publishing, being the fastest is not what matters most. What counts is faithful perseverance…
Read MoreThe Bible says that God makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). So if it’s not beautiful, it’s not the end. Your time is coming. Hold on to the hope we have in Jesus, the Author and Perfector of Our Faith, the One Who shed His precious blood to bring us shalom…
Read MoreMy home lies under a flight path used by a group of local ravens. In the mornings, they fly south over my house, heading toward the city, where they scavenge for food. Come evening, they return north to roost.
One day, I was watching the ravens fly by, and the word "provision" came into my mind. I was a little surprised since this was not a word I normally associated with ravens…
I had just finished having a particularly difficult, tear-filled conversation with a friend who was struggling when I opened my phone and listened to a voice message from a different friend. In it, she shared some heart-wrenching events that had just occurred in her family...
Read MoreI can hardly handle modern dental care with a near guarantee of no pain, while Jesus accepted every form of pain known to humankind. He suffered for us physically, mentally, and emotionally. He bore ALL our pain, all at once...
Read More…We too have a Good Shepherd—Jesus who is diligently tending to the needs of His flock. Despite this beautiful reality, too often I take it upon myself to meet my needs. I feel like it’s up to me to provide for myself and solve my own problems. I feel that I must take care of myself…
Read MoreMany times in my journey of pursuing my purpose, my dreams, and my goals, I’ve struggled with a feeling of powerlessness. I’ve felt the frustration of knowing I needed something—be that skill, wisdom, connections, or financial resources—and feeling unable to attain what I knew I needed.
But regardless of how I might feel in any given moment, the truth is, the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives inside me…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…🎶
Okay, maybe not where you are, but here in Fairbanks we’ve been getting tons of snow over the last several weeks—and there’s more in the forecast.
A few weeks ago, all the fresh snow was putting me in the Christmas spirit…
Recently, I dreamed I was sitting in a comfortable living room. Seated on an adjacent couch was woman. Without any preamble, the woman said, “That was 1998—don’t you think it’s time to let it go?”
As happens in dreams, I knew exactly what she was talking about without her saying another word. While the woman looked on with a benign smile planted on her face, I spent the several minutes defending my grudge, trying my best to convince her why what happened in 1998 was actually a really big deal...⠀
Do you know God loves you but struggle to feel it?
I can relate.
I remember driving home from church one dark winter night in my twenties, my heart troubled by my lack of experience of God’s love on an emotional level. I knew God loved me, but sometimes, inside, I felt as cold as the shimmering snowbanks flying by my car. I longed to actually feel, warmly and deeply, God’s love…
Do you want to run the race of life to the best of your abilities? When you get to the end, do you want to hear, “Well done!”?
I know I do, and I’m guessing you do too! Today I'm sharing a devotion* I wrote that I hope encourages you as you push forward in passionately pursing your purpose…
Read MoreSarah explains what Christian meditation is, some reasons why we struggle with our thought life, and how meditating on God’s Word can help us grow in our relationship with God.
Read MoreI adore fall time. I love it so much, in fact, that I like to say in Heaven I’m going to have a house that is surrounded by a perpetually autumn landscape. Recently, I was joking with a friend about my future autumnal home, and this question arose: If fall, as wonderful as it is, is a season of loss and decay, could there actually be fall in Heaven?
Read MoreI stood at the baggage claim in the Sacramento airport, praying that my duffle would magically materialize. After flying all night, I was exhausted. I still had a two-hour drive ahead of me, and I wanted nothing more than to collect my luggage and get on with my journey. Finally, after watching the carousel rumble by for the 100th time, I accepted that my bag had not arrived…
Read MoreThis week is a big one for my hometown of Fairbanks, Alaska, as we celebrate Summer Solstice. Though June 21st is the longest day of the year, it’s happily only one of over 70 days on which we receive 24 hours of daylight…
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Hi! I'm Carina, and I'm here to help you connect with God and discover and share your unique gifts.
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