Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

It's the seventh day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  On the last day of 2023, let's talk about time - our experience of time, and God's perspective on time. The verse for today: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to die;  a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;  a time to kill, and a time to heal;  a time to break down, and a time to build up;  a time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;  a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  a time to seek, and a time to lose;  a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  a time to tear, and a time to sew;  a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  a time to love, and a time to hate;  a time for war, and a time for peace."    Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

It's the sixth day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  Reflecting on 2023, are you more like Jesus today than you were a year ago? How does that happen?  The verse for today: "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful."  Colossians 3:12-15  

It's the fifth day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  HOW can we walk as Jesus walked? What makes it work? We contemplate here how Jesus did it, and how we can too.  The verse for today: "And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."  1 John 2:3-6  

It's the fourth day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  Today we celebrate children! (the Feast of the Holy Innocents). And we pray for the end of evil. The verse for today: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt."   Matthew 2:13-14  

It's the third day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  Christmas means that God came to be WITH us. How can you experience that? The verse for today: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— . . . that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ."  1 John 1:1,3  

It's the second day of Christmas.  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  Today - Christmas is not just for you! What does it mean to share - your story, and perhaps your resources? The verse for today: "And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some . . . rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking."  Acts 6:8-10  

Merry Christmas!  We're celebrating Christmastide - 12 days of brief Scriptures and thoughts to let the message of Christmas nourish our heart and impact our lives.  Today, Christmas Day, we consider what it means that Jesus entered our world - God becoming human.  The verse for today: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14  

The Christmas season brings lots of emotions; anticipation, hope, joy – and for some, deep loneliness, pain, or grief. Being intentional about how you celebrate the holiday season will make it so much more meaningful. In this holiday episode Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Andrew Fox, pastor and professor, about the deeper meaning of Christmas including some unique and fun differences in how Christmas is celebrated in the U.S. versus Great Britain. Find Dr. Fox on his website, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Plan Your Way through the Holiday Blues Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here. 

What stays with you from what you read or hear? Isn't it stories you remember best? Our human minds are created to run on story. In our information-saturated world, what does that idea have to say about our relationship with God? About Scripture? About how we share the gospel with others? In this fascinating episode Dr. Carol talks with Jerry Jenkins, author of over 200 books including "The Chosen" novels, about his 50-year career in writing stories. Also they talk about his writing process, what it's like to be the father of Dallas Jenkins (co-author and producer of "The Chosen" TV series), and much more. Find Jerry Jenkins on his website (with tons of help for other authors), Facebook, or Twitter. Find Jerry's latest book The Chosen: And I Will Give You Rest: A Novel      Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can leave a confidential message here. 

To be human is to suffer. And we don't like that! Much of our energy is expended is seeking to prevent or stop suffering. It's not that such efforts are not good; they are. But if we are to get through this human experience with any hope at all, we will need to change our relationship with suffering. To help us do that, Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Curt Thompson, Christian psychiatrist, about the journey from suffering through perseverance and character to the formation of hope. If you suffer, you need to hear this! With deep caring and insightful theology, this conversation will show you how to experience the transformation of suffering that God invites us into. Connect with Dr. Curt Thompson on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube Find Dr. Thompson's latest book The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope Check out Dr. Carol's articles: - How to Experience God's Presence in Your Past Trauma - How to Find "Your People" When You Need Help Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here.