Coffee with Carole

Do you like bananas in your smoothie?  I don't.  In fact, I can't stand them in a drink.  I like them in bread or pancakes, but never in my smoothie.  However, what if God required me to have bananas in my smoothie?  Whether it is a conscious thought or not, we all have a worldview and are walking around choosing how we like our smoothies.  God's view is for our exist...

Grab your notebook and pen!  Take some time to reflect and ask yourself (and GOD) these powerful questions! 1- How committed to change am I ?  Why? 2- Where am I not willing to step outside my comfort zone?  Where am I not courageous? 3- What stops me from taking action?  What do I say to myself or how do I interfere with taking action?  4-What is one meaningful thing I ha...

Every day we give God a report of our situation.  What does it sound like?  Are you praising Him for His promises to you and claiming victory over every challenge and problem or are you full of worry and doubt? The Israelites showed us both prophetic vision and worldly sight.  When God told them that the land of Canaan was theirs, they believed it.  Yet, when the leaders (scout...

Joseph was destined for great leadership but he had to go through the development process.  How many of us, like Joseph, think we are ready for promotion and are frustrated because it isn't happening the way we think it should?  God has perfect timing!  If you want it to happen faster, you have to learn the lessons and make the changes that God requires!    Ask, what...

When you are faced with a challenge, what are the first thoughts you have and the first words you use?  Your words and thoughts reveal what you are filled with.  Are you filled with fear?  Are you filled with the world's messages or are you filled with God's promises?   Proverbs 16:20 MSG says "It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God."  Are we...

Most of want to escape from situations that cause us to feel stressed or fearful.  We also can react in fear by getting angry or completely freezing and not taking action.  Abraham (Genesis 16) reacted in fear by telling a lie about Sarah being his sister instead of his wife.   The way we react to situations tells us a lot about how much we believe God & trust God.  When we...

Have you ever felt that even though you’re doing what you know God wants you to, you just can’t seem to make it happen? You may be on the path that God placed you on but you just don’t seem to be making any progress or things don't seem to be "coming together".   Just because you feel that God has given you an opportunity or idea does not mean He wants you to take action on it in the same way...

The very first fear was embarrassment.  This type of fear can cause us to react in ways that are irrational.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God out of a fear of embarrassment.  (Genesis 3:8)   What would it be like to stand naked in front of your boss, or your family or your friends?- after you did something you were not supposed to do?  How many times do we let...

We all like to be a part of the NEW, don't we?  We love to hear about the new store or the new restaurant opening.  There is just something wonderful about being a part of the NEW!  Did you hear?  There is a NEW earth and a NEW heaven coming!  Are you ready for it?  It is time to get serious and get prepared.  ♥  

Chapter 47 in the book of Ezekiel is the vision of the river flowing from the temple and the process that God may take us through.   When we first enter into the waters, (verse 3) things are easy to manage.  However, when things get challenging (verse 5), it is not that He has left us or that we have made a wrong decision, but rather that He requires us to become MORE dependent on Him. &...

If you are like most, you say you trust in God, yet you worry about things too.  Ok, so maybe you don't actually trust God all that much!  It's ok.  We are all in the same place.  However, there are ways to strengthen and deepen your trust in God.  You actually have to practice it by applying His word to your life in a practical way.  A daily surrender of all your tas...

What do you do with new information?  When you were ignorant to the information, you behaved one way...but now that you know, what will you do differently?   2 Corinthians 5:14-15 in the Message Bible says, "Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone.  That puts everyone in the same boat.  He included everyone in his death so that everyone...

Sometimes, we want God to approve or accept our decisions so much that we try to make His word fit our situation instead of conforming to it. As you consider God's word, don't just read one line and apply it.  Look at the rest of the verse or chapter.  The original Bible was not written in English either.  Sometimes we need to look up words to discover what God was actually saying w...

We have all heard the phrase, "fear and faith can't fly on the same plane".  But, is this true?  As I work to live my life by God's design, I continue to question the teachings of the world.   Do you realize that God doesn't actually speak about faith and fear together, but He does speak about DOUBT and faith!  In James 1:6 He reminds us that when we ask in faith, we should not...

God is faithful.  He never lies.  He never says something and does something else.  How faithful are YOU to HIM?   I think, more than ever before, we need to be testing ourselves and our faithfulness to God.  Let's spend time putting God first in everything and choosing HIM over the pressures of the world.  Many of us look at Russia and the injustice in the Ukraine as...

Short-term or Long-Term Investments? I live in an area of Georgia that is growing and changing daily.  It isn't surprising to me to drive through an area from one week to the next and see buildings and construction that seems to appear overnight. New commercial properties and new homes represent growth and future investments in our world. How many of us focus on our personal growth, personal...

I think it is pretty safe to say that if you are listening to this, you speak English.  However, is it your native language?  If it is, do you speak any other languages or understand a little of another language?  We learned our native language from the culture and people we grew up with.  Our parents, teachers and friends taught us the language.   Yet, do you realize that...

Yikes!  Do you sometimes feel like there is NO WAY you can stop and talk to God?  Does the pull of the world and all the responsibilities you face suck you into action so you forget to ASK GOD to lead you?   Today was one of those days for me.  I thought I could do it.  I actually thought I could just get started and bring God along.  This, my friends, NEVER works out...

As leaders we are faced with decisions every single day.  For many leaders, some decisions are extremely difficult because the popular opinion may not be the best option.  Many times, today's leader will spend time surveying the pulse of the people and ultimately is either unable to make a decision or makes a decision that compromises their values.  For these leaders, it would seem...

Valentine's day is not just for lovers.  When we are living by the world's design it may seem that way.  So many become sad or depressed because they don't have a significant other to celebrate with.  However, God is love and so no matter whether we are married or have a partner, LOVE is who we are!   1 Corinthians 13 is called the LOVE Chapter and read at most weddings.  ...

Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on things that are pure, honorable, just, praiseworthy, lovely, commendable, and excellent.  For years I have taken this verse to mean that I should be "thinking positive" in all things.  However, I never stopped to consider that it is written in the PRESENT tense, not in the future tense!  We are to focus on the present and on what IS happening and...

Do you own a business?  Have you decided to invest in an opportunity to increase your time freedom & financial resources or to better use your talents and skills?   For most of us, especially women, who begin a business, we do so to help our family or our community.  We start a home-based business, for example to stay home and care for our children or work to help the less fortu...

We all know that if we want something different we must do something different.  This year I chose to commit to following Joshua 1:8 and put this verse into practice.   As I lean into God's vision for me and my business, I see growth and increase.  It excites me , so I began to look at the things that I could do differently for my business to experience the increase as fast as possi...

Building strong relationships starts with the words we choose.  As women, we tend to want to share everything.  We feel like it is our "job" to make sure things are known!  But, we should be more careful with the words we share.  Proverbs 21:23 tells us that those who are careful of the words they say will save themselves trouble and Proverbs 18:8 says gossip is like eating che...

For most of us we believe that it is good to have options.  Our world tells us that we should keep our options open...like a foot in the door.  But, have you ever tried to reach something inside the house while your foot is in the door?  Not easy to do.  Sometimes, it is impossible to get what you want until you take your foot out of the door and go inside. Many of us live our...