Ellen Radcliff, a Christian mother and COO of Strength and Weakness Ministries, opens up about her journey with same-sex attraction while adhering to her faith. She shares insights on how Christian parents can navigate LGBTQ+ issues with compassion and understanding. The discussion highlights the emotional needs of young women, the intricate balance of love and identity, and offers practical resources like her book, 'Love Covers Over.' Ellen emphasizes fostering strong family connections while holding onto faith amidst challenging conversations.

Christian women, young and old, often struggle with a disconnect between what their intellect may know is "right" about sexuality, God, and relationships, and what their own experience has been. Pornography or other ungodly sexual behaviors only add to their sexual shame and feeling of being stuck. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Joy Skarka, director of discipleship for Authentic Intimacy, about the journey God invites every woman into of discovering the full love of God, how to grow into freedom from sexual shame regardless of your story, and the experience of true intimacy as God originally intended.  Connect with Joy Skarka on her website, Facebook, X, or Instagram. Find Joy's book Her Freedom Journey: A Guide Out of Porn and Shame to Authentic Intimacy      Get your free download from Dr. Carol:   Your Prescription for Sexual Healing – God's Way My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

We all get wounded. What do you do with your wounds? As humans we naturally hide the parts of us we deem least presentable. And that very hiding is what prevents the deep healing and transformation Jesus longs to bring. In this moving and personal episode, author, pastor, and ministry director Russell Joyce talks with Dr. Carol about how Jesus finds us in our wounds. His own shame and physical pain he's lived with as a result of being born with Goldenhar syndrome becomes that metaphor for how God meets us most transformatively in the very places we find most challenging. Connect with Russell Joyce on his website, Instagram, or YouTube. Find Russell's book His Face Like Mine: Finding God’s Love in Our Wounds  Get your free download Your Prescription for Sexual Healing – God's Way My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

Our culture seems obsessed with sex. Then why do so many men seem to experience sexual desire as a place of brokenness, shame, struggle, and confusion? Dr. Carol's guest on this episode asserts that men are oversexualized yet sexually undernourished, and that many men need more talk, not less, about sexuality. Experienced therapist and author Sam Jolman joins Dr. Carol to talk about masculine sexuality as God designed it to be, how evil has hijacked and distorted this critical part of a man's soul, and what the journey to sexual wholeness, wonder, freedom, and even innocence is all about. Connect with Sam Jolman on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Find Sam's book The Sex Talk You Never Got: Reclaiming the Heart of Masculine Sexuality    My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships And get the Audiobook of Sexpectations at 60% off through August 9th. Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

While approximately 50% of those who call themselves Christian in the developed world are unmarried, only about 25% of the typical church attendees are unmarried. Where are the other single Christians? Many unmarried Christians report unique struggles in their walk with God. They often report feeling disconnected or even alienated from the body of Christ, like church isn't for them. On this episode Lisa Anderson, who manages Focus on the Family's young adult ministry, talks with Dr. Carol about what it's like to live as a Christian single - at any age. And Lisa has some helpful things to say to singles about the church, and to the church about singles.  Connect with Lisa Anderson on the Boundless website, or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Get Lisa's book The Dating Manifesto: A Drama-Free Plan for Pursuing Marriage with Purpose    Find my article Handling Your Sexuality as a Single Christian My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

The need to belong is deep in our human souls. We are almost always asking, "Am I on the inside? Or on the outside?" Loneliness has strong negative impacts on our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Dr. Carol's conversation with writer, speaker, and podcaster Sarah E. Westfall will help you navigate your need to belong, and how that comes more from who you are than something you achieve. And they offer insight into how to move closer to both God and others. More resources: - Connect with Sarah Westfall on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  - Get Sarah's book The Way of Belonging: Reimagining Who We Are and How We Relate My article How to Find Your People When You Need Help My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

More religious stuff to do. So much performance leads to anxiety and exhaustion. When our attachment to God is insecure, or is based on our own activity and behavior, there's no life. Anglican priest and spiritual director Summer Joy Gross has walked the journey to become securely attached to God. She talks with Dr. Carol on this episode about how you can do the same. While offering practices that will help you, your biggest takeaway from this conversation is likely to be a deeper desire to be with Jesus.   More resources: - Connect with Summer Joy Gross and the Presence Project on her website, or on Facebook or Instagram. - Get Summer's book The Emmanuel Promise: Discovering the Security of a Life Held by God Check out my article Practical Ways to Pursue Intimacy with God My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

Marriage is hard. And it can be really hard when you face betrayal, neurodiversity, old baggage, emotional deprivation, and more. Shawna Meek has faced all this, and has chosen to stay married. She talks with Dr. Carol about what helped her stay - and stay sane - in the middle of all the mess. You may or may not make the same choice Shawna has. But regardless, this conversation will help you feel validated and encouraged, and help you persevere regardless of what happens - or doesn't - with your marriage.  More resources: - APSATS - Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists - Find Shawna Meek at Living Stones Coaching, Facebook, or Instagram - Get Shawna's book Determined for More: A Story of Perseverance Through Divorce, Betrayal Trauma, Emotional Deprivation and Autism My book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

Your journey to wholeness - sexually and otherwise - will be opposed. That opposition comes from both inside you and from outside you. That opposition includes pressure from the kingdom of darkness. Not everything is spiritual warfare, but understanding this aspect of what you will face helps you be prepared and successful in facing the opposition.   Dr. Carol provides three specific strategies or things to do in facing spiritual opposition that will help you recognize when you're under spiritual attack, experience true freedom, and build a lifestyle that will maintain your freedom.  . . . . . More resources: - article The Most Powerful Prayer I Ever Prayed - book and related resources: Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories Around God, Love, and Relationships Dr. Carol enjoys hearing from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

We often don’t get what we want and that is often a good thing. Desire—including sexual desire—can often be in disorder.  Today’s follower of Jesus exist at a moment in history when our desires, longings, and wants are being weaponized against us by cultural, spiritual, and relational forces. “Follow your heart” and “You do you” has become our moment’s mantras. The result, for too many, is feeling torn asunder by the raging desires within. What do we do with our desire? What about our unwanted desires? And how do we cultivate desires which bring life and freedom and lead to Christ? Author and educator, AJ Swoboda joins the podcast to discuss this and more on this thought provoking segment. Connect with AJ Swodoba on his personal website, or on Facebook, or Instagram. Find AJ’s book  The Gift of Thorns: Jesus, the Flesh, and the War of Wants Check out Dr. Carol's new book Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories About God, Love, and Relationships. And find supplementary resources at YourSexpectations.com. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here.