I 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 MoreI hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are enjoying a wonderful New Year’s Eve (or New Year’s Day, depending on your time zone!)!
As I reflect on this past year, I see so many ways God has helped me, encouraged me, and showed His love to me and those around me…
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 MoreHave you ever had a pair of shoes that didn’t quite fit?
I once had a pair of adorable brown suede flats that I LOVED. They were super cute and went with just about everything. The problem was, they didn’t quite fit. The toe box was too narrow and squeezed my toes, while the back of the shoe had elastic embedded in the leather that bit into my heel, leaving bright red stripes. Still, I was determined to wear them…
Read More What can help you have
A stronger immune system
Increased quality and quantity of sleep
Decreased feelings of loneliness
Better relationships, including more feelings of connection and generosity
A better sense of self-worth
More feelings of happiness and joy
More resistance to stress
Less pain
And greater life satisfaction? …
Do you ever wish God would appear to you in a vision and explain with perfect clarity what your calling is?
I can relate. Over the years, there have been many times I wished that my direction was more clear cut. But my path to understanding my calling has been more like a meandering river than perfectly straight railroad tracks leading from point A to point B.
Yet, in spite of all the meandering, there have been moments of clarity and even epiphany.
Today, I’m sharing a bit of my story…
Read MoreIn his book, Drawing Near, author and minister John Bevere shares about a “wonderful secret” he discovered to connecting more intimately with God. He writes, “As I entered my times of prayer, I’d refrain from words and just meditate on my Father’s wonderful splendor and greatness. I would think of Jesus’ magnificence and the glorious battle He won for me to be His own. I pondered on His awesome spirit and the fact He chose to live with me.” As John engaged with God this way, he found himself entering God’s presence more easily.
Eager to draw nearer to God myself, I recently decided to start incorporating this approach into my prayer time…
Read MoreDo you ever feel like you don’t have much to offer? Do you sometimes look at other people and feel like your talents pale in comparison?
Most of us have probably had at least a few days when we’ve felt discouraged about ourselves. Days when we’ve questioned our value and purpose. Maybe we’ve even wondered what God, or others, could ever see in us…
Read MoreOur state bird here in Alaska is the willow ptarmigan. I think they are so adorable with their kind, watchful eyes and their legs and feet covered in feathers, like little built in bird snowpants.
They also have the wonderful ability to change color with the season. They are snow white in the winter and brown in the summer. And in the spring and fall…well, they’re in between…
Read MoreToday I’m celebrating a milestone: the one year anniversary of launching my website and starting this blog!
One of the beautiful things about milestones is that they’re an opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. (The term milestone actually comes from ancient Rome, where the Romans used actual stones to mark the miles along highways. A traveler could both see how far they’d come along the road as well as how much farther they had to go to their destination.)…
Read MoreWherever I went, the smell followed. It was spicy and earthy, like patchouli oil. Though I was certain I hadn’t used any patchouli scented products that morning, after a bit of sniffing, I confirmed the scent was definitely coming from me.
As I pondered how the patchouli could have gotten there, I remembered that earlier in the day I’d hugged a friend, and I realized her fragrance had transferred to me through our embrace.
We tend to become like the people we spend time with. The closer the association, the more we pick up another’s mannerisms, patterns of speech, eating habits and even smell…
Read MoreHave you noticed how fruits and vegetables are so much better when bought in season?
Here in Fairbanks, fall is the only time of year to get freshly harvested local carrots. They are so bright, crispy, and deliciously sweet they seem to be a different vegetable altogether than the imported variety we get the rest of the year.
And if I want squash, I need to get my fill now, because come March, though there may be a few lingering in grocery bins, they’ll be dry and shriveled.
I know not to buy summer fruits like tomatoes in December because they’ll taste like nothing, and if I want non-mealy nectarines I’ll need to wait until June.
Depending on where we live, seasons affect not just what we eat but often where we focus our time and energy as well…
Read MoreDo you want to spend more time in God’s Word, but life keeps interrupting? The phone rings, the dog gets into the trash, a neighbor stops by unexpectedly…
In the busyness of life, it can be challenge to carve out quiet time. Yet, the reality remains that nourishing ourselves with God’s Word is vital to growing in faith and relationship with Him.
The good news is you don’t necessarily have to be sitting down with your Bible and a cup of tea in order to get a good dose of Scripture…
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…
Read MoreDo you have a Bible verse that is particularly close to your heart? One that you aspire to live by and live up to?
One of my favorites is Jeremiah 17:7-8:
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. (NIV)
I love this passage because it taps into some of my deepest values and topics I’m passionate about…
Read MoreOne sunny morning last summer, I found myself in a big hurry to leave my house.
I had an appointment with myself at the coffee shop to write, and I was determined to arrive before the lunch rush. Like a cat chasing a laser pointer, I darted around collecting this and that. As I raced up the stairs to get one last thing, I could feel my heart pumping and the unpleasant buzz of adrenaline coursing through my limbs.
But it wasn’t until I stepped out of my car at the coffee shop that I realized just how hurried I had been…
Read MoreYou have unique passions, values, gifts, and skills. Do you want to make the most of them and fulfill all God has created you to be? If your answer is yes, I highly recommend creating a purpose statement. This powerful tool can help you keep your priorities straight, gain a clearer sense of identity, and make the difference in the world that only you can make.
This week, I’m sharing three questions that will help you create a core purpose statement…
Read MoreWhen I first started my coaching business, I read lots of advice about the need for a business purpose statement, so, dutifully, I got to work crafting one. In the midst of that process, something very cool happened: I also ended up creating a personal purpose statement.
Before my business, it never even occurred to me to create a purpose statement for my life. Now, in hindsight, I can’t believe I hadn’t done it sooner! It is one of the best things I have ever done, and today I want to share five reasons why I now believe EVERYONE should have a personal purpose statement no matter who you are or what you do...
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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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