Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

What if Scripture was meant to be experienced with more than just our minds? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with biblical scholar and Biola University professor Dr. Jeannine Hanger about what it means to engage the Bible through our whole selves—our bodies, senses, memories, and experiences. Drawing from her work Engaging Jesus with Our Senses, Dr. Hanger explains how Western Christianity can sometimes reduce discipleship to acquiring information, while Scripture invites us into something much richer. Together, they explore the sensory language woven throughout the Gospel of John—from Jesus as the Bread of Life and Light of the World to His compassionate touch and Mary of Bethany filling a room with the fragrance of costly perfume. Dr. Hanger also offers practical ways to slow down and encounter familiar passages differently. She shares how practices such as Lectio Divina, walking while reflecting on Scripture, creating worship playlists, and intentionally noticing sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and touch can help biblical truths move from something we simply know to something we more deeply experience. Along the way, Dr. Carol and Dr. Hanger discuss the powerful connections between scent and memory, the significance of physical touch in Jesus' ministry, and why sensory metaphors such as tasting God's goodness or carrying the fragrance of Christ still speak so powerfully today. Dr. Hanger also gives a glimpse into her upcoming project, Engaging the Epistles with Our Senses, and considers why physically gathering, worshiping, eating, serving, and living in community with other Believers matter for our spiritual formation. If your time in Scripture has begun to feel primarily intellectual—or simply routine—this conversation may help you encounter God's Word with fresh attention and your whole self. For more about today's topic, check out Dr. Hanger's book, Engaging Jesus With Our Senses. You can follow Dr. Hanger on Instagram, X, or Facebook. Click here to learn more about Dr. Carol Ministries, including information about: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective.

What does it mean to be a sexual person when you're not married? In this replay of a webinar presented at the Sexual Integrity Leadership Summit, Dr. Carol challenges some of the assumptions the church has often made about Christian singles and sexuality. Sexuality doesn't disappear when you're single, and marriage isn't the goal of the Christian life; becoming like Jesus is. Jesus Himself was single, yet He was fully human, fully alive, and completely whole. Dr. Carol explores the important distinction between sexuality and sexual activity, and between sex and the deeper human need for intimacy. So how can Christian singles pursue genuine sexual and relational wholeness while honoring God's design for sexual activity within covenant marriage? Dr. Carol offers practical steps including consecrating your sexuality to Jesus, learning emotional self-regulation, developing an intentional plan for moments of temptation, and cultivating deep friendships with people who truly know you. And she challenges churches and Christian leaders to stop treating singles as people waiting for their "real life" to begin, but to instead help them flourish, experience meaningful intimacy, and become more like Jesus right now. More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Find Dr. Carol's book Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories About God, Love, and Relationships Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective.

What happens when the person who was supposed to help you feel safe, loved, and known instead becomes a source of hurt? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Sarita Lyons, author, Bible teacher, and psychotherapist, about mother wounds—the emotional and spiritual wounds that can shape our identity, relationships, and even our picture of God. They explore how experiences with our mothers can contribute to people-pleasing, over-functioning, parentification, and difficulty trusting others, while also recognizing that many mothers who wound their children are carrying wounds of their own. Healing doesn't require pretending the wound didn't happen or abandoning biblical honor. Dr. Carol and Dr. Lyons unpack the important difference between honoring a parent and obeying a parent, especially when an adult child needs healthy boundaries with an unsafe or unrepentant mother. Through honesty, grief, community, professional help, the Holy Spirit, and the healing love of Jesus, it is possible to face these wounds and move toward wholeness. The goal isn't to erase your mother from your story; it's to allow Jesus to redeem your story and become the perfectly loving parent to you that your heart ultimately needs. Connect with Dr. Lyons on her website, Facebook, or Instagram. Find Dr. Lyons' book Honor Thy Mother: How to Grieve, Heal, and Make Peace with Your Mother Wounds Find out more about the Honor Thy Mother conference coming up October 2-3, 2026 More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective.

What if learning to follow Jesus more deeply also means learning to recognize what isn't from Him? In this conversation at Austin Christian University, Dr. Carol shares from her journey from medicine into ministry as she and her host Avery Montgomery explore spiritual growth, personal stories, and intimacy with God. They talk about why our stories matter, how shame drives us into hiding, and why bringing our whole story into the light can become part of our spiritual transformation. Rather than beginning with the brokenness of Genesis 3, our stories begin with the goodness and intention of God in Genesis 1—and our journey toward wholeness includes rediscovering that original design. The conversation also explores the integration of what we know about God with what we experience in our hearts and bodies. Dr. Carol offers a practical framework for discerning the work of God from the work of the enemy: confusion, condemnation, and control are warning signs that "it ain't Him," while the Holy Spirit leads us toward conviction, freedom, and a way forward. The episode closes with three practices for spiritual health; stay clean, stay connected, and stay consecrated. You'll gain. a sense of what it looks like to stand firmly in the freedom Jesus offers while continuing the slow, sometimes difficult work of becoming whole. You can learn more about Dr. Carol Ministries by clicking on the link. Dr. Carol's In-Person Intensive Weekend will help you experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Interested in a one-on-one format? Dr. Carol's practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective can help through Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol. Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

What if the sexual struggle you're trying so hard to overcome isn't really about sex? In this conversation, Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Floyd Godfrey about the powerful connection between attachment, intimacy, mental health, and sexuality. We're born with a deep biological need for connection and belonging, but when those needs are wounded or unmet, they can sometimes become fused with sexual desire. Sexual behaviors or attractions may then become attempts to meet legitimate needs for connection, affirmation, comfort, belonging, or mentorship in ways that ultimately leave us even more empty. Dr. Godfrey explains why lasting healing requires us to look "under the hood" rather than focusing only on behavior modification. Recovery may involve identifying old wounds, changing unhealthy patterns and environments, building intentional relationships and support, and most importantly, inviting Jesus into the deeper places of our story. The goal isn't to become nonsexual, but to become increasingly whole—to learn how to meet our God-given needs for intimacy and connection in healthy ways through relationship with God and with other people. Learn more about Dr. Floyd Godfrey and his work here, including information about his book Healing and Recovery More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective. Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

What does it actually mean to follow Jesus—and what can Christians today learn from those who followed Him centuries before us? In this conversation, Dr. Gerald Sittser, professor emeritus at Whitworth University and author of Water from a Deep Well, takes us on a journey through Christian history, from the early martyrs and desert fathers to monasteries, mystics, and missionaries. We explore why early Christians developed rigorous processes for discipleship, what a Rule of Life can teach us today, and how learning to "inhabit time" through rhythms of prayer, work, silence, and stillness can reshape our lives with God. But this conversation isn't simply about looking backward. It's about recovering something we desperately need today: a deeper, more embodied way of becoming like Jesus. Dr. Sittser explains the Christian understanding of union with God, the difference between relationship and absorption, and why serious discipleship ultimately moves us outward into mission. Following Jesus isn't merely about believing the right things; it's about closing the gap between who we are in Christ and how we actually live, trusting that grace is present from beginning to end. Learn more about Dr. Sittser here. And be sure to check out his book Water from a Deep Well: Christian Spirituality from Early Martyrs to Modern Missionaries. Follow him on Facebook: @jerrysittser and Instagram: @jerrysittser. More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective. Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

Have you ever experienced a season where God felt distant, your prayers felt unanswered, or your faith seemed harder than it used to be? What if those moments are not signs that something is wrong, but invitations into a deeper kind of transformation? In this episode, Dr. Carol talks with author Tish Harrison Warren about the unexpected spiritual growth that can happen in seasons of uncertainty, weariness, and longing. Tish shares from her own journey of feeling distant from God and discovering that the way God meets us often changes as we mature. She reflects on how these seasons revealed her desire for control rather than surrender—and how learning to trust God's presence brought greater freedom, joy, and deeper relationships, including with her teenage daughter. Together, they explore the ancient Christian understanding of "desert seasons" and why spiritual dryness has long been recognized as a place of profound formation. Drawing from the wisdom of the desert fathers and mothers, Tish explains why these seasons should not automatically be viewed as failures or evidence that we have done something wrong. Instead, they can become sacred spaces where God reshapes our desires, deepens our faith, and teaches us to live with greater openness and trust. Learn more about Tish Harrison Warren and her new book, What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience. Follow her on Instagram-@tishharrisonwarren; X/Twitter-@Tish_H_Warren; Facebook-@Tish Harrison Warren Author. More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol - A one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural-based perspective. Have a question for Dr. Carol? She loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

What do you do when a wave of anger, sadness, or anxiety hits? Do you shove it down and push through, or do you let it take the wheel completely? In this episode, Dr. Carol sits down with Zion and Avery Montgomery to explore the "ditch" most of us fall into when it comes to processing emotions, and why neither extreme actually serves us well. They dig into how our emotional habits are often formed in childhood; Avery shares how he learned to suppress tears and "man up," while Zion describes becoming her mother's emotional caretaker and convincing herself she didn't have needs of her own. Together they unpack why emotions aren't good or bad, but simply information, and why anger so often becomes a socially acceptable mask for sadness or pain, especially for men. The conversation then turns practical and deeply personal, offering real tools for slowing down long enough to actually listen to what you're feeling. Dr. Carol introduces the idea of the "U-turn" — pausing to ask curious, non-judgmental questions internally, alongside grounding techniques that help calm an overwhelmed nervous system. They also explores what it looks like to bring raw, unfiltered emotion to God, following the model of the Psalms and the example of Jesus himself, who felt deeply but processed those feelings in healthy ways rather than taking them out on others. It's a rich, honest conversation about building emotional resilience through curiosity, honesty, and the support of a psychologically safe community. More Resources from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

Do your feelings ever hijack your thoughts and behavior? In today's episode, Dr. Carol sits down with experienced therapist Dr. Eddie Capparucci to explore one of the most overlooked skills in the healing journey: emotional self-regulation. They unpack what it really means to stay regulated as Dr. Capparucci explains how staying within the internal bandwidth of one's "window of tolerance" allows people to respond to stress and triggers without swinging into hyper-reactivity or shutting down entirely. He makes the case that regulation isn't something you simply will yourself into during a crisis; it's a trained skill, built through small, consistent practices repeated daily so the body and mind are ready when pressure hits. The conversation examins how many men struggling with problematic sexual behaviors are really carrying unresolved trauma and emotional neglect from childhood. Real healing means going back to that younger version of self to uncover the root lies, fears, and unmet needs driving the behavior in the present. They also discuss why this work can't happen in isolation: while personal faith practices like prayer and scripture matter, God's design for healing includes community and often requires professional guidance to surface what's been buried for years. And there's a note of hope for anyone who feels like their struggle is too entrenched to overcome. Dr. Capparucci shares his conviction that healing is available to everyone willing to engage the process, framing his own work not just as a career but as a calling—helping people move toward the freedom and abundance he believes is available on the other side of doing the hard, honest work. For More from Dr. Eddie Capparucci, check out his Abundant Life Counseling, or connect on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram Dr. Eddie Capparucci's previous podcast with Dr. Carol His books: Going Deeper: How the Inner Child Impacts Your Sexual Addiction, Why Men Struggle to Love: Overcoming Relational Blind Spots, and Understanding Your Inner Child and Overcoming Addiction Find his newest book: Same Triggers. New Responses Journal Dr. Capparucci offers a list of 20 practical emotional regulation techniques, which interested individuals can request by emailing [email protected] More Resources from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.

What happens when the very things that are meant to draw you closer to God become sources of fear, anxiety, or pain? Spiritual trauma is more than disappointment with church or difficult experiences with Christians. It happens when faith becomes intertwined with trauma, leaving your nervous system physically reacting to prayer, Scripture, worship, or church as though they are unsafe. In this compassionate conversation, Dr. Carol welcomes trauma therapist Colleen Ramser to unpack what spiritual trauma really is, why it affects both body and soul, and why simplistic advice like "just pray more" often deepens the wounds instead of bringing healing. Together they explore how healing begins by honoring your body's responses, giving voice to the silence and anger that often follow trauma, and finding safe relationships where trust can slowly be rebuilt. You'll discover why anger isn't the enemy, how secure attachment with God can be restored, and how Jesus can be found again beneath the debris left by painful experiences. If you've been hurt by church, spiritual leaders, or faith communities—or if you love someone who has—this conversation offers both practical wisdom and genuine hope that healing is possible. Connect with Colleen Ramser on her website or Facebook Find Collen's book The Shattered Soul: Restoring Wholeness and Rebuilding Your Faith After Spiritual Trauma https://amzn.to/47uYGOh More from Dr. Carol Ministries: In-Person Intensive Weekend - Experience true healing and wholeness as you unpack your personal story around intimacy and relationships in a safe, caring, Christ-filled environment. Individual Coaching with Dr. Carol provides a one-on-one format to help you navigate your personal journey through practical encouragement and scriptural- based perspective. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can send her a confidential message here.