This past Sunday we celebrated Summer Solstice--the longest of our long summer days--and so this week I decided to share an article I wrote a couple years ago that was originally published in my local newspaper. In it, I reflect on the beauty of our light-filled summers and how they give us a glimpse of eternity to come…
Read MoreWhen I graduated from high school, I had high hopes—and a lot to learn about how to let God guide me into His plans for me. As I reflect on how my path has meandered over the last 17 years from high school graduate to professional counselor-turned-writer, I’ve been wondering: What advice would I give the 2003 version of myself?
Read MoreIn the journey of living a purposeful life, I think many people feel that finding their call is the hard part. Once they know what they’re called to, they think the rest will be easy.
But that’s not necessarily the case.
I believe it is not discovering but rather accepting our callings that is often the hard part…
Many 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…
During this crazy season of the coronavirus outbreak, I think we’re all asking some variation of the same question: What does the future hold?
We're wondering how long this pandemic—and the mandated social distancing—will last. We're wondering what will happen if we or our loved ones get sick. Many are wondering how long they will be out of work and how they will pay the bills. Together we're wondering: What’s going to happen next?
Do you ever feel that because God is so big your dream, goal, or need must be big in order to warrant His attention?
We know we can pray for healing, or help with our finances, or guidance in choosing a career. But what about when the grocery store runs out of your favorite coffee and you're desperate to get more? Is it okay to pray for something so small?
New Year’s Eve 1999: I’m spending the night at my best friend Tricia’s house, counting down the hours until the new millennium. We joke about Y2K and wonder what will happen if the computers glitch and the world really does fall apart, as so many fear it might. But being in one of the last time zones on earth to enter the New Year, we pretty much already know nothing is going to happen.
We also speculate about what 2020 will be like…
Read MoreHave you ever dared to pray a small prayer? So small, that if it were to be answered, you would know without a doubt God was listening?
I want to share a time this happened for me, all through the visit of a humble groundhog…
Last week I shared about how God has been giving me an extra strong reminder of the importance of relationship with Him. One of the reasons relationship with God is so vital is that it’s only through Him that we can find our true identity and purpose…
Read MoreIn recent weeks I’ve felt an extra strong impression from God about the importance of spending time with Him. One of the coolest things about this has been that, though I certainly have a role to play in setting aside time for God and developing our relationship, a big part of what He’s been revealing is how much He wants to spend time with me…
Read MoreSometimes when I’m confronted with challenges or hard decisions, I find my heart falling into a place of discouragement. Idling in the undercurrents of my mind are thoughts that go something like this: I need help, but there’s no one to help me. I need to figure this out, but I have no idea how…
Read MoreAs I shared last week, Fairbanks got a lot of snow in April. After having our warmest March on record (which resulted in the snow being almost completely gone by the end of March), it was a bit of a letdown to have such adverse weather in April. But, by the time I wrote my last post, which was less than a week after our last big snowfall, almost all the snow had (re)melted…
Read MoreI somehow have this subconscious perception of God as stoic, serious, and stern. Thankfully, God has done a lot over the years to change this perception, but sometimes I still find that when I’m in emotional pain or am struggling with a problem, I feel guilty. Deep down, I think I should be stronger and I fear God is displeased with me…
Read MoreNot long ago, I was driving down the road on a bright winter day when movement on the shoulder ahead caught my eye. At first I thought it might be a fox. I slowed down to take a look and quickly realized that the animal was too big to be a fox. Was it a dog…? As it trotted across the road, my heart jumped. I saw, to my shock, that it was a lynx!
I’m sure my eyes were bulging like a startled pug’s. I’ve never seen a wild lynx, and I had long been asking God to let me see one of these stealthy forest cats…
Read MoreI grew up knowing about God’s love. My pastors preached about it at church, my teachers taught about it at school, and I read about it in my Bible. But I haven’t always felt it.
In my late teens and early twenties, I struggled with the disconnect between my knowledge of God’s love and my experience of it. I started talking to God about how I felt (or rather didn’t feel) and I began praying to feel His love more…
Read MoreI hope your New Year is off to a great start!
I feel like I’ve been in a post-Christmas whirlwind, but I think I’m finding my way back to a more normal rhythm. :)
This week, instead of my normal blog post, I’m sharing an article I wrote that was published in my local newspaper…
Read MoreDuring my first year as a counselor, a former professor invited me to her classroom to speak to her counseling students. She wanted me to share about what it was like to actually be working in the field. Near the end of our talk, one student gushed, “It must be so wonderful to finally be doing what you really love!”
I was at a loss for words….
Read MoreI sat in the coffee shop debating my next step. I had already decided to go to graduate school. Now I just needed to decide what to study. Against the backdrop of café chatter and between sips of my Americano, I mulled over two options: a master’s in English or a master’s in counseling…
Read MoreLife is busy. The list of of every day commitments and necessities goes on and on: phone calls to make, clothes to launder, church events to attend. There are baby showers, doctor appointments, and birthday parties. Dishes to wash, snow to shovel, groceries to buy…
Still, in midst of it all, I rarely miss a meal…
Read MoreIt's a gorgeous September day. The birch trees around my house are just starting to turn golden, and the first leaves are beginning to fall, settling on the grass as softly as feathers. Bright sunshine glows through the branches, flickering like an autumn campfire, and through the open window I can hear one my favorite sounds: the rustle of wind in leaves.
There is something so soothing about the sound of wind-tussled trees, like the caress of ocean waves on soft sand. There’s something timeless and eternal about it, something holy…
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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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