The Spark

Have you ever experienced so much disappointment that you quietly stopped reaching for more? Sometimes life will LIFE! And after experiencing grief, closed doors, unanswered prayers, and unexpected challenges, we can find ourselves shrinking our expectations, afraid to hope again. But here's the reminder: Being grateful for where you are doesn't mean you have to stop believing God for wher...

LET ME IN THERE | An Invitation to the Wounded Heart ❤️‍🩹 What do you do when you know God's promises, but your heart is still hurting? Sometimes we are so busy trying to understand what happened, why it happened, and what we could have done differently that we never give ourselves permission to acknowledge what the experience did to our hearts. In this week's episode of The Spark , Sandr...

Have you ever been so frustrated by what went wrong that you couldn't see what was still going right? In this week's episode of The Spark , Sandra C. shares a powerful lesson that started on the volleyball court with her children but became a personal reminder from God: "When you're mad, you can't see." Sometimes life doesn't go the way we planned. Whether it's ou...

What happens when what you "see" starts challenging what God "said"? While studying Deuteronomy 1, I noticed something about the children of Israel that made me stop: they had a, nevertheless. God told them the land was good. He told them He had given it to them. He told them to go and possess it. Nevertheless… there were giants. And suddenly, what they saw became greater in th...

What happens when God brings you into a new season, but you don't really know how to operate there? In this week's episode of The Spark , Sandra makes a confession: I don't really know how to be in this space of my life. After God told her it was time to go, so much of what was familiar began to change. The position changed. The environment changed. The responsibilities changed. And wh...

What do you do when the journey God has you on doesn’t look anything like what you expected? In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. gets real about the “sucky” part of becoming—the waiting, rejection, uncertainty, setbacks, and moments that make you wonder, God, how did I get here? Inspired by the story of Caleb, Embrace the Suck is a reminder that faith doesn’t mean you don’t see the gi...

In this episode of The Spark , I’m sharing something God has been teaching me in real time: how to occupy the space I’m in. Sometimes we become so focused on where we’re going and who we’re becoming that we miss what God is doing right here, right now . There is purpose in this season, even if it doesn’t look like the promise yet. Maybe you don’t have to become her today. Maybe your assignment is...

What do you do when you have prayed, believed, hoped, and still find yourself standing in a place you never wanted to be? In this deeply personal episode of The Spark Podcast , I share what God taught me while walking through one of the hardest seasons of my life: His peace is not limited by our circumstances. At my cousin Sean’s bedside, I prayed for healing, restoration, strength, and a differen...

STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment | Part 4 What do you do when you've already prayed, already cried, and you've run out of words? In this week's episode of The Spark , we're slowing down to discover something many of us overlook in the middle of disappointment: God's presence. Sometimes we spend so much energy asking God to remove the valley that we miss the fact that He h...

STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment | Part 3 Disappointment is inevitable—but believing the lies that follow is not. When life doesn't go the way we planned, our minds naturally begin searching for answers. Sometimes the answer is simple. Other times, we don't get one. And it's in that silence that disappointment starts whispering: "Maybe I'm not enough." "Maybe G...

What if your tears aren't a sign that your faith is failing? What if they're the very seeds God is using to grow something beautiful? In Part 2 of our STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment series, we're talking about what it means to keep praying when life doesn't go according to plan. Because not every prayer is prayed with confidence. Some are prayed through grief. Some through...

What do you do when disappointment makes you want to stop praying? In the first episode of our new series, STRIKE: Praying Through Disappointment , we're talking about what happens when life doesn't go the way we planned and how disappointment can quietly steal our expectation. Looking at the story of King Joash in 2 Kings 13, we'll discover that he didn't stop striking because he...

Forgiveness Series | Part 4 Where do you run when life hurts? When disappointment, betrayal, rejection, or grief find their way to your heart, it’s easy to seek refuge in isolation, anger, busyness, control, or even emotional distance. But none of those places were ever meant to carry what only God can heal. In the final episode of our Forgiveness Series, we’re discovering what it truly means to m...

Forgiveness Series | Part 3 Sometimes the hardest person to forgive is ourselves. We can extend grace to others while secretly replaying our own mistakes, carrying shame, and punishing ourselves for seasons God has already forgiven. In Part 3 of our Forgiveness Series, we're having an honest conversation about self-forgiveness. Together, we'll talk about regret, self-condemnation, feeling...

Pain has a way of trying to rename us. Rejection tells us we're not enough. Betrayal tells us we can't trust. Disappointment tells us not to hope. And before we know it, we're carrying labels God never gave us. In Part 2 of our Forgiveness Series, we're having an honest conversation about how trauma, church hurt, abandonment, failure, rejection, and disappointment can challenge our...

Forgiveness is one of the hardest conversations we can have because it forces us to confront the places that still hurt. In Part 1 of our Forgiveness Series, we're defining what forgiveness actually is—and what it isn't. Together, we'll explore how unforgiveness keeps wounds active, why time alone doesn't heal, and how replaying offense can keep us emotionally trapped in moments Go...

💬 “Even in seasons where you feel scattered, overwhelmed, or exhausted… God is still preserving purpose within you.” After a 2.5-month break, Sandra C. Carroll returns to The Spark Podcast with an honest and heartfelt conversation about burnout, overwhelm, mental renewal, and learning how to drift back toward God instead of away from Him. Through personal testimony, Scripture, therapy, and prayer...

💬 “God’s intention has always been freedom.” In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll shares a powerful reflection from her trip to Canada — standing in the place where Harriet Tubman first crossed into freedom and realizing a deeper truth: He meant us free. Through the lens of a special Canadian growth-zone microclimate, Sandra unpacks how God’s intention for our lives mirrors th...

💬 Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t in moving faster — it’s in learning to look again. In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. shares a powerful reflection born from a slowed-down week, unexpected transitions, and a deeper invitation from God to pause, reflect, and see life with new eyes. When familiar rhythms change, it can feel uncomfortable or even unfamiliar. But what if this season i...

💬 “Becoming always requires leaving.” In this episode of The Spark Podcast, Sandra C. Carroll reflects on what it truly means to say yes to God when that yes requires separation, pruning, and trust. Through a personal moment sparked by a Facebook memory and anchored in Scripture, Sandra explores how God often calls us to release old identities, relationships, and patterns—not as punishment, but a...

💬 “God already called you victorious — but the question is, who are you agreeing with?” In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll continues the STRIKE series by confronting one of the deepest barriers to faith: identity shaped by threat instead of truth . Using the story of King Joash in 2 Kings 13 , Sandra unpacks how God declared victory, yet the king struggled to strike with con...

💬 “Just because a door opens doesn’t mean it’s your door.” In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll continues the STRIKE series with a timely word on discernment after the promise . After God has already declared the victory, the enemy often shows up not with resistance — but with counterfeit opportunities . Doors that look aligned. Invitations that show up right after prayer. Opt...

💬 “Sometimes we stop striking not because God didn’t speak — but because the threat feels louder than the promise.” In this episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll continues the STRIKE series by addressing the places that quietly limit belief — the places shaped by past pain, learned survival, fear, and pressure. Using 2 Kings 13 and the story of King Joash, Sandra unpacks how victory wa...

💬 “God wanted to do more… but belief determines how far we go.” In this powerful first episode of the year on The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll shares a personal revelation that shifted her faith: God can only move where we believe. Rooted in 2 Kings 13 , Sandra unpacks the story of King Joash and the prophet Elisha — a moment where victory was promised, but belief determined the outcome. Whe...

💬 “Joy isn’t just something we sing about — it’s something we live.” In this Advent episode of The Spark Podcast , Sandra C. Carroll reminds us that joy is not just a Christmas carol — it’s a fruit of the Spirit meant to live in our homes. Rooted in Nehemiah 8:10, this episode explores how joy doesn’t require perfect moments, perfect families, or perfect conditions. Joy shows up in laughter, conn...