Amanda Carrasco

Bob Goff says you can quit anything on a Thursday. I decided not to wait till Thursday and on Monday I put on my big girl panties and rolled out the chopping block. Yesterday and today I have/am quitting a lot of things. It’s been long overdue and it’s painful. My favorite song is by… Continue reading

It’s been happening slowly over time but I noticed it last weeked fully. There is a change among those I highly respect in the faith, in my friends and in myself. I named it last weekend and I call it a revival. For those in pentacostal circles that word brings images of large tent meetings,… Continue reading

Love is my 8 year old making me a salad for breakfast. Love is my daughter waiting five years to go to camp and then one camp morning leaving her friends to call her mom just to say hello. Love is my 14 year old going to the movies and diner with his grandmother. Love… Continue reading

I am about half way through my trip to Africa and I have come undone. What a great and also painful place to be. There is so much going on in my life personally that I am trying to manage in the background and in the foreground I am confronted daily with how much bigger… Continue reading

There is a lot of writing involved in getting your MA and your PhD but for me there is additional writing because I am applying for scholarships. I had to write an essay for one and thought I would share it with you. It’s the basis for why I do what I do. Here was… Continue reading

I love to get there. I love that feeling after a really long drive, of having arrived. It excites me to cross things off a list – I have a deep sense of satisfaction when I accomplish something. I am an achiever. I get a lot of things done because it feels good to get… Continue reading

I’m not going to do a theological debate here, nor state any verses for either theological side regarding the doctrine of original sin, but what I am going to do is explore the implications. So please bare with me whichever camp you are in. The doctrine of original sin leads us to a conclusion that… Continue reading

I can’t stand fakers. I really have no patience  or empathy for someone who fakes life, their intentions or who they are. One of my core values is integrity and faking goes directly against that value. It’s like scraping nails on the chalkboard of my inner being. Today I had to spend a lot of… Continue reading

I felt very alone growing up. I didn’t have a really close friend until high school. There was no one to share my thoughts, hopes, dreams or fears with. I needed someone who could see my heart. The relationship I yearned for is the relationship I see between Jesus and John. J. Philip Newell describes… Continue reading

Through my life, I have consistently felt like the ugly duckling. The one who doesn’t fit in; I’m too loud, to firm, too blunt, too different. Anytime I found somewhere that accepted me, I have clung to that deeply. I think the first time was when I was 14 and I sat in the back… Continue reading