Rev Karla’s Blog

Holy in Our Everyday “We’ll make heaven a place on earth.” Belinda Carlisle sang those words. At the height of her career in the ‘80s, Belinda’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” hit #1 and solidified her as an American music icon. Besides its flowing melody that held the words to this love song, the…

A Name By No Other Name   God is… What a fun project it would be to poll 200 people to answer that question! Based on my own spiritual journey and my work in spiritual care and comfort, I can offer some ways that people may answer: God is… Love. My Heavenly Father. Energy. Misunderstood.…

You Worship Jesus with That Mouth?   “Please know I’m asking from a place of love.” Well, I know how this is going to end. This type of statement precedes a judgment disguised as a question. “If you were a true Christian, wouldn’t you be telling people to go to church?” “Why would you accept…

Honoring What Was Unveiling the History Behind Halloween and a Fusion of Sacred Traditions Read Time: 3 Mintues “It’s time to close some tabs, Karla.” That thought often arises in the wee hours when I awaken for an early morning round of writing only to find my computer is unresponsive, a victim of being plunged…

Is That God Speaking to Me? Is that God speaking to me? I often receive hundreds of comments and questions each week, and one of the most common questions I get is “How do I know I’m hearing from God?” My first response is usually not helpful, but it’s truthful, which is, “Join the club.”…

The Bible Doesn’t Say That   The receiving line is long, stretching beyond the visitation room of the funeral room, into the main lobby and out the door. Cancer won the battle, and this young girl was gone much too soon. As expected her family was devastated, and her family and friends now gathered to…

Being Spiritual in a Religious World   “What does interspiritual mean?” “It means that God can be found outside of religion.” “Oh. I hadn’t thought of looking for God outside of religion before. I just alway thought that if you didn’t go to church, it meant you were going to hell.” I’ve had more than…

Where is God in the Unknown?   Someone said to me the other day they feel like they’ve lived five years here in 2020, and it’s only September. I concur. Is there a spiritual perspective that can help us find firm footing in this year? In other words, where can we find God in the…

Facing the Darkness   Before pumpkin spice lattes were even a thing, one of the sure tell signs of autumn’s arrival were the turning of the leaves. They usually appear as only a few golden or orange ones, hidden among the green foliage of the trees. With the arrival of the first of the fall…

When Sin Became Weaponized Hate the sin — love the sinner. My God. Can we please remove this phrase from our lives? I’m going right for the jugular this week. This phrase has done more damage than it ever has done good. Prove me wrong. Now that we have established the energy surrounding this week’s…