Your relationship - or lack thereof - with your earthly father impacts your relationship with your heavenly Father. If your earthly father was absent, or unpredictable, or harsh and abusive, or neglectful, or emotionally unavailable, you'll experience God the same way. Overcoming father wounds is a challenge for so many people. Kia Stephens has experienced father wounds. In this episode she talks with Dr. Carol about the long process of her healing, and how she has built a healthy relationship with her Heavenly Father. Kia now helps countless others find the same healing - in their earthly relationships, and even more in their connection with God. Connect with Kia Stephens on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find her book Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God’s Perfect Love Check out Dr. Carol's articles: - God Is Your Father: Good News, or Bad? - How to Develop a Healthy Internal Picture of God Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! You can leave her a confidential message here. 

Don't you often wish God would "zap" you from here to there? If you need to change and you ask Him to change you, don't you wish it would happen quickly? But all longterm followers of Jesus discover that spiritual transformation is a process - and one where we learn to cooperate with God. Jonathan Daugherty has experienced that transformation, and now as founder and president of Be Broken Ministries he helps many others experience that as well. In this episode he talks with Dr. Carol about the 3-stage process to become spiritually mature and whole, and what you can do along the way. Connect with Jonathan Daugherty on the Be Broken website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Find Jonathan's latest book Grace-Based Transformation: The 3-Stage Journey to Wholeness in Christ    Check out Dr. Carol's article Ways of Being With Jesus that Bring Transformation Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave her a confidential message here. 

Christian culture has promoted the idea of purpose and calling. But the struggle to find and fulfill one's purpose and calling has left many feeling frustrated, tired, and discouraged. Longing for significance and greatness seems often futile and disappointing. Do our priorities and perspective need to be changed? Dr. Carol talks with Kelly Needham, Bible teacher, author, wife and mom, about how we've been fooled in our understanding of purpose. Striving for meaning and longing for significance is not fulfilled by things we do, but by Who we know. This conversation just may set you free and open the door to real joy. Connect with Kelly Needham on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. Find Kelly's book Purposefooled: Why Chasing Your Dreams, Finding Your Calling, and Reaching for Greatness Will Never Be Enough    Check out Dr. Carol's article Being With Jesus in Ways That Bring Transformation Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave her a confidential message here. 

Every marriage is the union of two sinners. And that sets every couple up for pain and disappointment. Most couples simply react to the stresses their marriage encounters, or don't think about it much until a crisis hits. Grace and intentionality can change all that. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Brad and Marilyn Rhoads about how their own marriage was desperately challenging in the beginning, and how grace change both of their hearts. They then address how grace impacts communication, sex, money, and more, and why a foundation of God's grace and being intentional is the only way a marriage can thrive. Connect with Brad and Marilyn Rhoads at Grace Marriage, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find their book The Grace Marriage: How the Gospel and Intentionality Transform Your Relationship Check out Dr. Carol's resources on Relationships Dr. Carol loves to hear from you; you can leave her a confidential message here. 

Sobriety is not enough. There are many men who have found sobriety from problematic sexual behaviors, but their relationships are still in tatters. And many women say something like, "My husband doesn't know how to love me." What's missing? Dr. Eddie Capparucci answers these questions in this episode with Dr. Carol, addressing the underlying reasons many men struggle with addiction, sex, and intimacy, and how they can overcome these blind spots. If you want to move beyond stopping bad behavior and experience a truly healthy relationship, this is for you. Check out Dr. Eddie Capparucci's Inner Child Model of addressing sex addiction, including the video series he mentioned in this episode.  Connect with Dr. Capparucci on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  Check out Dr. Capparucci's books:  Going Deeper: How the Inner Child Impacts Your Sexual Addiction     Why Men Struggle to Love: Overcoming Relational Blind Spots      Understanding Your Inner Child and Overcoming Addiction          Browse Dr. Carol's resources on relationships and marriage on our Relationships page. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

Who hasn't felt knocked down, held back, or left out? Perhaps you feel that way now. Whether your problems stem from your own choices and behaviors, or whether you've been harmed by others, there is a pathway back to goodness and a life full of purpose. That pathway involves cooperating with God in changing your mindset and taking positive action. Kimberly Jones, better known as Real Talk Kim, talks with Dr. Carol on this episode about places in her life where she felt stuck, and how she changed her mindset and her actions in becoming the hugely successful person she is now. Hear important keys you can learn that will empower your own comeback regardless of how far down you feel now. Connect with Real Talk Kim on her website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Youtube. Find her book You Gotta Get Up: Grab Hold of Your Life After Being Knocked Down, Held Back, and Left Out Get Dr. Carol's free downloadable 7 Keys to Living Fully Alive Dr. Carol loves to hear from you; you can leave her a confidential message here. 

Most of us human beings try to live beyond the limitations of our time, energy, and responsibilities. We see limits as a bad thing. But God doesn't. Might our very limits be part of God's gifts to us? And how might understanding the humanity of Jesus help us navigate these questions? In this episode Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Kelly Kapic about our nature as created beings, and how our limits are actually good news. They discuss what Jesus becoming a human being might imply about our bodies and our sexuality, and how we can embrace our humanity in experiencing the process of transformation God is working in us. Find Kelly Kapic's book You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News    Find out more about Dr. Kelly Kapic on his professor page Dr. Carol would love to hear from you; leave a confidential comment, question, or suggestion here. 

Too often narcissism seems to thrive in our churches as well as in some Christian homes. Navigating out of the pain and dysfunction involved is hard. And Chuck DeGroat has been helping churches, individuals, couples, and church systems address these issues for over 20 years. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Chuck DeGroat about some of the deeper personal and church system factors that can lead to narcissism, and what's required to find healing both personally and in the church. If you've been harmed by narcissistic abuse you will find this insightful and healing. Connect with Chuck DeGroat on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find Chuck's book When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse    Check out Dr. Carol's articles: - Is My Marriage Toxic? - Good or Not-so-Good Reasons to Leave Your Church Need some personal help? Consider coaching with Dr. Carol. 

Someone sitting beside you at church, at work, or at school has experienced sexual abuse or exploitation. Perhaps that's even you. Unfortuately, the Christian community's response has not always been effective. Drawing from her own story makes Trish Propson – chaplain, author, speaker, and advocate – a sensitive and engaging voice in bringing hope and healing to those who need to be set free. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Trish to shine the light on how sexual abuse and exploitation are affecting members of the Christian community, and what the church can do about it. Connect with Trish Proposon on her website or Facebook. Additional resources from Dr. Carol: - article How to Experience God in Your Past Trauma - podcast episode with Dr. Diane Langberg What God Hates: Abuse and Trauma in the Name of God Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave her a confidential comment here. 

The loneliness epidemic is real, and has a larger impact on physical and mental health than most people realize. But friendship is hard and messy, perhaps more so in our culture today than ever before. Are ongoing authentic friendships really possible? And are they worth the effort and the risks? Lawyer, author, and speaker Justin Whitmel Earley joins Dr. Carol on this episode to talk about how we are all Made for People and the concept of covenant friendship. He talks vulnerably about the difficulties and risks of such friendship, but also about how this is possible regardless of your relationship status or past history. Connect with Justin Whitmel Earley on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Find Justin's book Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship Check out Dr. Carol's article How to Find Your People When You Need Help Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential comment here.