Ditching Perfection

Mike and I are also chatting about: 🤩 Our Strengthfinders results, 🎈 The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and 📖 How paying attention to a seemingly small detail in the Bible can teach us something significant! —— 🪩 If there is any way that I can support you on your ditching perfection journey, or if you’re looking for a preacher for your next event, reach out to me at carlycommunicates.com/cont...

Mike and I are also chatting about: 🎃 What we wore on Halloween, 📣 How I talk louder than I realize, and ➖How God may be inviting us to subtract, rather than add things, to our schedules —— 🪩 If there is any way that I can support you on your ditching perfection journey, or if you’re looking for a preacher for your next event, reach out to me at carlycommunicates.com/contact

Mike and I are also chatting about: 🗣️ How small words of encouragement make a big difference, 🧡 Gilmore Girls, and ✉️ A letter Mike recently received from his 2nd grade teacher. —— 🪩 If there is any way that I can support you on your ditching perfection journey, or if you’re looking for a preacher for your next event, reach out to me at carlycommunicates.com/contact

We are BACK! 🥳 We took some time off this summer and had so many adventures! We are sharing with you the highs (seeing the Backstreet Boys at the Sphere! 🪩), the lows (some health challenges for Mike), and God moments from this summer (youth camp in Colorado ⛰️) — and we’d love to hear about yours! Since I am officially back on social media, send me a DM @carlycommunicates and share with me a fe...

Mike and I are also chatting about: 📖 My recent preaching travels, 🌻 Our summer plans, and 🎵 Early 2000s boy bands —— If there is any way that I can support you on your ditching perfection journey or if you’re looking for a preacher for your next event, reach out to me at carlycommunicates.com/contact

Mike and I are also chatting about: 💭 The pros and cons of being a futuristic thinker, 🧐 The importance of remembering, and ❓How We Navigated Through Big Decisions in our Young Adult Years —— If there is any way I can support you on your ditching perfection journey or you’re looking for a preacher for your next event, reach out to me at carlycommunicates.com/contact

Mike and I are also chatting about: 📚 Habit stacking, 🥪 Our favorite condiments (pesto aioli 🤤), and ❤️ How the life and teachings of Jesus recorded in the Gospels shape the way we interact with our broken world. —— If there is any way that I can encourage you in your ditching perfection journey, you can connect with me on Instagram @carlycommunicates or reach out to me via my website carlycomm...

The podcast is back! Today Mike and I are chatting about what we’ve been up to the last few months. We are also talking about: 📚 Slowing down & reading more 📖 Seeing people in the Bible as real humans with real pain, rather than storybook characters, and 🏀 How Mike’s love of the NBA is slowing influencing me to become a fan. 😂 —— If there is any that that I can encourage you in your ditchi...

Today is our final conversation in the Caring for Creation series! I trust that you have been encouraged, challenged, stretched, and inspired by J.D. and David! Please reach out to them and let them know how much you’ve appreciated their insights and passion for this topic. You can email them at dhille@nnu.edu and chaplain.j.d.henry@icloud.com. — If there is any way that I can support you in your...

Do you want to learn about practical ways to make changes that will help care for creation? J.D. and David have great ideas for you (and me)! Join us for part 3 of our September series and learn how you can help preserve the earth’s resources through simple in your homes, in the grocery store, and in your landscaping. 🌱 Let me tell you about my friends, David and J.D…. Dr. David Hille completed a...

In part two of our Sept series, J.D. and David share with us about: 📚Reliable research & resources in the creation care conversation, ⚠️ What concerns they have about the state of the earth, and ⭐️ What gives them great hope for the future of creation. This is an incredibly meaningful conversation, where we are reminded not to despair or live with toxic positivity… but to lament & live w...

We are kicking off our new four part series today! Each week in September, we will be unpacking the idea of caring for creation. We will be talking about how to partner with our Creator God to take care of the creation around us. We will looking at this topic from a theological and scientific lens. My friends, Dr. David Hille & J.D. Henry are going to guide us through these inspiring and impor...

When is too much of a good thing no longer a good thing? Us perfectionist and people-pleasing types have a tendency to take on too much. We’re afraid to let others down or we don’t want to miss out on significant opportunities so we keep saying yes… to the point that we’re left exhausted and overwhelmed. Proverbs 2:1-11 helps us reframe the way that we view success and reminds us that the fulfillm...

I am no stranger to anxiety. Anxiety has been a part of my story, but God has also helped equip me to recognize and respond to anxiety differently when it comes knockin’ on my door. Today, I want to share with you why Philippians 4:8 has been pivotal on my journey and how from that Scripture, I have come up with five steps that have shift my perspective when I am anxious. I believe the bite-sized...

For years I have found this passage about Jesus’ experience in the wilderness perplexing. Why would the Spirit purposefully send Jesus into the wilderness, where He would be tempted by the devil? In today’s bite-sized Bible study, we will look at this passage from a different perspective. What if it was in the wilderness where Jesus was most prepared to face the enemy with strength and confidence?...

Sometimes we feel like we shouldn't doubt or ask questions. We feel like we have to have all the answers. We don't want to offend Jesus with doubts, or we wonder if can truly follow Jesus if we still have some loose ends that haven't been tied up when it comes to our faith. Unfortunately, I think that doubt has gotten tangled up in shame—but that is not Jesus' intention for us. In...

This week, we are talking about how to embody God’s compassion when we see others walking down a road of destruction. Sometimes, it is easy for us to not say anything because we don’t want to come across as rude, judgemental, or hypocritical. On the opposite side of things, it may be tempting to say something harsh or biting because we are disgusted, disappointed or hurt by others’ choices. Thankf...

Episode 115: Bite-Sized Bible Study | Reading Passages on Judgement with a Lens of Compassion | Jude Part 1 The Bible is jam-packed with stories of restoration, incredible miracles, and displays of God’s compassion… but there are also writings about judgement and punishment. So, what do we do with those? It is easy to want to skip those or allow those passages to fuel our own judgement toward othe...

Waiting isn’t easy. When we have a dream or desire, it is tempting to kick doors down and make something happen. But what if, just like Moses, Elijah, and the early disciples of Jesus, God has us in a season of preparation for a purpose? —— Are you looking for a speaker or preacher for your upcoming event? If so, I’d love to hear your vision and chat with you about how we could partner together! L...

What if we use the seasons as a lens to look at our spiritual lives?  The Scriptures were rooted in societies that were dependent upon agriculture. All their food and sustenance were dependent upon farming and proper rhythms of cultivating the land. Farmers had to be aware of what their purposes were in each season. In the spring, if they didn't plant, they wouldn't have a harvest in the f...

For our last Europe trip recap, you get to hear from my daughter, Lulu, about her experience. She shares about: 🎵 her favorite memory of the trip — seeing the musical, Wicked, ☔️ the several times we got drenched in rain storms, 🍪 where we found the best macaron in France, 💡 and how God helped her have new perspectives on fear during our trip. I also answer some of your questions that you subm...

Join Mike and me as we reflect on the last leg of our trip—three weeks in England! We spent a week in the lovely city of London and then two weeks in the picturesque rural countryside, the Cotswolds. If you haven’t seen photos, google “Cotswolds” ASAP and you will see baby sheep that will make you weep with joy. 🥹 Some of the highlights that we talk about in the episode include: 🎵sitting in the...

This week, Mike and I share about the third portion of our trip in Germany & France, including these memorable experiences: ⚽️ Watching a rowdy professional soccer game, 💛 Visiting Mike’s sister and her family in their hometown, ✝️ Celebrating Easter with our pastor friends in Germany, 🏰 Spending three days at Disneyland Paris, 🥐 Eating our way through neighborhoods in Paris, 🫧 And running th...

Highlights of our second leg of our European adventure was full of fairy tale vibes… and a few mishaps. 🤪 Today on the podcast Mike and I are sharing about: 🏰 Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle — the castle that served as the inspiration for the Walt Disney’s castle, 👀 How we found a super affordable Airbnb with castle views, 🍫 Our delicious tour at the Lindt Chocolate Factory, 🏔️ And the magical...

This week, Mike and I are talking about the three weeks that our family spent in Italy! We are reflecting on: 🎂 our unforgettable birthday party with nuns, 🖼️ our favorite art pieces in Rome & Florence, 👀 how we got to see the Pope, 🪦 visiting where Paul & Peter were buried, 🤤 and where you can find the best tiramisu in Rome! We also talk about how seeing a painting of Thomas helped us reshape...