Relationship status is a big deal. Marriage was God's idea, and He created it to be good. But when we make something God created to be good into an idol, it becomes harmful. We can do that with marriage or parenthood. We can also do that with singleness. In this brief episode Dr. Carol addresses the harm that can come when we turn one of God's good gifts into an idol, and how we must fully live into the relationship status to which God has called us – regardless of whether married, single, or parents - or not. Check out Dr. Carol's article on this: Throwing Down the Idols of Marriage, Singleness, or Parenthood Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message for her here. 

LUST. What a disturbing word for many. Is living without lust possible? What is lust, and is it possible to have healthy sexual desire apart from lust? Dr. Carol's guest on this episode believe the answers to those questions is YES. Jay Haug is the executive director of Living Without Lust, an organization helping men who struggle with lust and supporting the Christian leaders who serve them. He shares his own story of sex addiction and the long journey to finding freedom, and what the most important keys to freedom are for anyone experiencing the control of lust. Connect with Jay Haug's organization Living Without Lust for real support and practical resources Find Jay Haug's book The Rest of God: Finding Freedom from Lust in the Internet Age Check out the ministries Jay mentioned that offer intensives to help someone with sex addiction begin the journey to recovery: Be Broken, Boulder Recovery, and Bethesda Workshops. Check out these resources from Dr. Carol Ministries: - free download A 5-Part Prescription for Sexual Healing - God's Way - online course Sexpectations Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave her a confidential message here. 

Our culture has politicized so much around abortion, sex trafficking, even sex addiction. Policies matter. However, it's more important to address the roots underlying such painful and difficult realities. On this episode Dr. Carol talks with Lisa Rowe who has previously worked with sex trafficking survivors and is currently executive director of Support After Abortion. But this is not primarily a discussion of abortion, but about deeper heart needs involved. Lisa shares how she learned this in her own heartbreaking story, and what kind of support makes the most difference for those who have experienced these hard things. Check out Support After Abortion Check out these articles from our blog: - Disentangling the Connection Between Sex and Intimacy - How Sex Has Lost Its Glory: Intimacy Gone Wrong Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message for her here.   

What has your heart most deeply longed for? Whether you've used these words or not, it has something to do with being safe, secure, and loved. Life often leads to deep wounds around your deepest longings. What do you do then? As a little girl Sue Moore prayed, "God, make me pretty, and happy, and give me a man who loves me." On the podcast today she talks with Dr. Carol about how different her life ended up than how she had originally hoped, how God brought rescue and goodness out of all the mess, and how she now helps others on the journey from brokenness to wholeness especially in the area of sexuality. Connect with Sue Moore at Forgiven Much Ministries Check out these articles from Dr. Carol Ministries:  Disentangling the Connection Between Sex and Intimacy Practical Ways to Pursue Intimacy With God Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave a confidential message here.

Behaviors matter. Sexual behaviors matter! But focusing most on behaviors leads to "trying harder" and failing, and stops short of addressing the deep heart changes needed for lasting transformation. In this episode Dr. Carol shares the core part of her message given at the Sexual Integrity Leadership Summit. This message shows how the "problem" is less of a sex problem and more of an intimacy problem. And she addresses God's plan for intimacy as the solution, and what you can do about it. Check out our free download A 5-Part Prescription for Sexual Healing – God's Way Some of the ministries offering small groups to support you in growing in sexual wholeness: Pure Desire Ministries, Be Broken Ministries, SHE Recovery, and Living Without Lust. Dr. Carol loves to hear from you. You can leave her a confidential message here.

Marriage always takes work. But what happens when mental health struggles get added to the mix? How can both partners experience intimacy and goodness when things get messy? In this eyeopening episode Dr. Carol talks with founder and president of The Veritas Creative, Jon Seidl and his wife, Brett, a business owner and interior designer. Jon lives with significant mental health diagnoses. However, in this conversation the couple discus how their marriage has not only survived but thrived, and how those in the body of Christ can help those challenged with mental illness. Connect with Jon Seidl at The Veritas Creative, his website, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram Connect with Brett Seidl on her interior design website Find Jon's books Finding Rest: A Survivor's Guide to Navigating the Valleys of Anxiety, Faith, and Life and Finding Rest Guiding Workbook: An Invitation to Go Deeper  For personal help with mental health or marriage challenges, check out these courses from Dr. Carol Ministries: - Defeat Your Fear and Anxiety - Fully Alive Marriage Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! Leave her a confidential message here.

Loss is always possible when you love. But when emotional bankruptcy and loss happen repeatedly, regaining intimacy and love has even more challenges. In today's episode Dr. Carol talks with Rachel Faulkner Brown who describes herself as emotionally bankrupt during her first two marriages which both ended in death and grief. Hear how she found freedom, healing, true intimacy, and love again, and how she is now leveraging her story in helping thousands of hurting women. Connect with Rachel Faulkner Brown at Be Still Ministries and Never Alone Widows, or Facebook or Instagram. Get her Father's House Study, and enter promo code DrCarol25 for 25% off!! If you're walking through grief, you'll appreciate this 30-day email series The Christian's Journey Through Grief Dr. Carol loves to hear from you; you can leave her a confidential message here

Behaviors matter. Sexual behaviors matter. But at least as if not more important are the underlying matters of the heart, such as broken needs for intimacy, isolation, and believing lies about the world, self, and God. Maria Nistri, Dr. Carol's guest on the podcast today, serves as executive director of Exchange Ministries. Here she shares her story of what she describes as "struggle and victory over same-sex attractions" and the role that an intimate daily relationship with Jesus has played in her journey.  Find out more about Exchange Ministries on their website. Check out our 5-Part Prescription for Sexual Healing – God's Way You can leave me a confidential message here. 

Many in the Christian church see singleness as a condition of deficit, focused on what a single person doesn't have. The culture and ministries of many churches give the subliminal message that marriage and children are a higher spiritual state than singleness. That's not a Biblical - or a historically Christian perspective. Listen as Dr. Carol talks with Dr. Dani Treweek, author, adjunct professor, and ordained Anglican deacon, about the meaning of singleness. This conversation "goes there" - about a theology of singleness, struggles have with intimacy, loneliness, and sex, and what singleness can and should mean for the body of Christ. Connect with Dr. Dani Treweek on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.  Find her book The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church Check out Dr. Carol's article Feeling on the Outside as a Single Christian Dr. Carol loves to hear from you! Leave her a confidential message here.

Why does it matter that God created humans as sexual beings? What does that tell us about ourselves, and more importantly about God? How do we make sense of all the harm sex/sexuality has brought to many people in light of what God originally intended to be good? In this deep and encouraging conversation Dr. Carol talks with John Stonestreet, President of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, about bringing what God reveals in Scripture about these topics into this cultural moment even when it brings controversy. Find more about the Colson Center for Christian Worldview Check out the article Sex as Sacred: What a Twitter Maelstrom Reveals About Us Find John Stonestreet on Facebook or Twitter My podcast episode with Joshua Butler: How God's Vision for Sex Challenge's Today's Culture Check out this 5-Part Prescription for Sexual Healing – God's Way You can get in touch with me personally by leaving a confidential message here.