Rev Karla’s Blog

Dear God: Can You Hear Me?   One of the most common questions I get is, “Can you please teach me how to pray?” Although it is commonly asked, the question always catches me off guard for a couple of reasons. The very notion that I would be an authority on prayer, something which I…

Blaming God for What Humans Do   For years, I couldn’t bring myself to say the Name. I would replace it with the Holy One, Divine, Holy Spirit, Great Source or You Who Are Known By So Many Names But None Captures The Wonder, The Beauty, The Essence Of All That You Are (capitalization intentional,…

The Spirituality of Empathy Empathy seems to be a popular subject these days. But what exactly does empathy mean, and how does it show up in the world? It is important to differentiate empathy from sympathy because the difference is significant. Empathy and sympathy are considered to be two of the emotions available to humans,…

Leaving Church: Finding God Each week, I plan a theme for my writings. The schedule is made out weeks in advance. Lately, however, I’ve been adjusting the teaching themes based on the most common questions and challenges facing those who follow me and seek my counsel. Such is the theme for this week — for…

When Intuition Became a Dirty Word   Somewhere on humans’ journey to understanding God, religion took a hard right and discouraged personal spiritual growth outside of the walls of the religious institution. How is that for an opening sentence? This perspective about personal spirituality and its relevance to religion is important for this week’s theme…

The Spirituality of Self-Care   Hydration — it seems simple enough. We’ve repeatedly been told the health benefits of drinking ample amounts of water. Yet according to medical experts, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. Why would I begin a writing about the spirituality of self-care with the notion that we spend the majority of…

Sorrow   ​Feeling the void before filling it “You don’t know who is important to you until you actually lose them.” ― Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi’s words resound in our time together this week as we explore the void of loss and sorrow. For many of us, this may be a week you would just as…

Why it’s Okay to Be Spiritual But Not Religious I was born a teacher, a healer — an old soul. It was both a blessing and a curse. At 6 years of age, I couldn’t relate to the Sunday School teacher because I craved the intellect of adult Bible study. I couldn’t wait for tent…

How Long, O’ Lord?   The path to gratitude is paved with patience… If it hasn’t happened yet, it’s coming. That moment when you least expect it — the agenda of others doesn’t align with yours, and with little warning, you lose your cool. Perhaps it is in traffic, or in the grocery line, or…

Who Are the Change-Makers?   There are many words used to describe a change maker — discoverer, trailblazer, pioneer, groundbreaker, visionary, history maker, iconic leader. Research shows that stories written about change makers are oftentimes controversial – many disagree in Time magazine’s decision to name Hitler to the prestigious position of person of the year. While the…