Relationship Prescriptions with Dr. Carol

The divorce rate for blended families is 70%. But there's another surprising statistic; well over 99% of couples who do this one specific activity stay together - blended or not. Dr. Carol talks with Scott and Vanessa Martindale of Blended Kingdom Families in this very encouraging episode. Scott shares the one activity that guarantees an over 99% success rate for you staying together! We talk about the unique challenges blended families face, but even more about the doable ways of building oneness even when your marriage is blended. Check out the organization Scott and Vanessa Martindale lead, Blended Kingdom Families, or also on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. Check out the Martindale's book Blended and Redeemed: The Go-To Field Guide for the Modern Stepfamily    Consider attending the Blended Family Conference coming October 5 - in person or virtually Explore the resources on Dr. Carol Ministries Relationships page Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here. 

What kind of change is possible - or not possible, especially when it comes to LGBTQ issues? And how does change happen? There are no one-size-fits-all answers. But as the Changed movement is demonstrating, there are more stories of lasting change than many realize. Dr. Carol's guest on this episode is Ken Williams, co-founder of the Changed Movement. He shares his story of following Jesus away from a gay identity to  what he describes as a true masculine identity and intimacy with God – and  also being happily married to his wife. And Ken and Dr. Carol dive deep into what change means, and how it happens.  Connect with Ken Williams on his website, the Changed Movement, Navigating LGBTQ, or on Facebook Find Ken's book The Journey Out: How I Followed Jesus Away from Gay        Check out 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.

At some point in life, you'll likely to face a time when everything seems to be falling apart. A job loss, health or financial crisis, end of a marriage, death of a close loved one, or other catastrophe that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and unsure whether or how you can go on living.  Dr. Carol's guest on this episode, author, Bible teacher, and minister Dawn Mann Sanders brings her own personal experience and a deep exploration of God's creative process to this encouraging conversation. You'll learn how to partner with God in overcoming adversity and recreating a new life of goodness and meaning after everything seems lost.  Connect with Dawn Mann Sanders on her website, Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram Find Dawn's book When Your World Ends: God's Creative Process for Rebuilding a Life          If you have recently experienced the death of a loved one, you will appreciate Dr. Carol's free 30-day email devotional series The Christian's Journey Through Grief, or her book by the same name. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you; you can leave her a confidential message here.

Statistics show that divorce rates are at their highest between five and eight years of marriage. That's when the disillusionment sets in. Even if your marriage is not destructively toxic, what happened to the "happily ever after" that you thought you were embarking on? And what can you do about it? Dr. Carol's guest on this episode, Chelsea Damon, thought marriage would make her happy - until it didn't. But since she and her husband have learned these important keys, she says her marriage is now consistently more happy than ever. Find out what she has coached thousands of couples to walk through in making their marriage enduringly happy. Connect with Chelsea Damon on her website, Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram Find Chelsea's book I Thought This Would Make Me Happy: How to Fight Less, Forgive Faster, and Cultivate Joy in Your Marriage      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 Bible doesn't talk specifically about dating. But that doesn't mean it has nothing to say on the subject. Dating as a Christian can seem confusing, and hard. There are questions not only about sexuality and sexual behavior, but about how to know if this is "the one," what makes a relationship healthy, and preparing for not just a wedding but a marriage. Tovares and Safa Gray talk with Dr. Carol in this authentic and fun conversation about Godly Dating 101 - their ministry to young Christians helping them navigate all the challenging questions and experiences they are faced with in developing a healthy relationship God's way. Connect with Tovares and Safa Gray on their website, YouTube channel, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find their book Godly Dating 101: Discover the Truth About Relationships in a World That Constantly Lies  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.

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.