Are You as Close to God As You Would Like to Be?

Author and speaker Carol Round offers prayer journaling workshops, teaching women how to use journaling as a spiritual tool to nurture their relationship with God.

A new year is in full swing, and many are still going strong with their resolutions to lose weight, quit smoking or learn a new hobby. Perhaps your personal goal is to focus on your spiritual wellbeing and nurture a more intimate relationship with God, but you're not sure how to go about doing so. Carol Round, author and speaker, discovered a technique over ten years ago that has allowed her to become more authentic in her relationship with God: prayer journaling.

    Carol has been keeping a prayer journal since 2001. Through this daily discipline, she discovered her true identity in Christ. Carol’s mission is to inspire women with her testimony and teach them the spiritual discipline of keeping a prayer journal by offering prayer journaling workshops.

    What exactly is a prayer journal? Carol explains that it is not a diary in which you record events of your daily life; rather, it is a tool for examining your life and a way to keep track of your spiritual journey. It can also help you to develop a greater consistency in your prayer life. “Imagine being able to communicate your hopes, thoughts and feelings more clearly to your heavenly Father. Prayer journaling can do that once you make it a daily habit,” she says.

    Carol sits down each morning and pours her heart out into her journal, seeking guidance from the Lord. “Seizing the day by beginning it with God is one of the best ways I know to stay focused on growing a relationship with Him,” says Carol. “When I return to reread entries, I can see how God has answered my prayers and I discover how much I have grown. My prayer journal is like a love letter to God.”

    Before she wrote her book “Journaling with Jesus: How to Draw Closer to God” (as well as the companion workbook “The 40-Day Challenge”), Carol had been sharing with other women in speaking engagements about the power of keeping a prayer journal. After the book was published, she began offering workshops on the subject. “My goal is to help others, especially women, to slow down and spend more time with the Lord and discover who we are in Christ. Our fast-paced society encourages us to be doers. While that can be good to an extent, I think if we take the time to discern what God wants us to do with our time, we would lead lives filled with less stress and more joy.”

      Carol has received a lot of positive feedback from women who have attended her workshops. One participant, Julie L., said, “Carol’s workshop will take you to new depths in knowing the Lord. If you seek a relationship with God, this is the place for you.” Melissa V. said, “I am a busy mom of young children. Utilizing the techniques Carol teaches has brought new life to my quiet times. Prayer journaling helps me to stay focused so I can use my time more effectively.”

    To book Carol for a prayer journaling workshop, call (918) 540-4282 or email her at eat0@eau0eav0eaw0. “I enjoy doing small intimate workshops of 15 to 30 women so I can relate to them on a more personal level,” she adds.

    After retiring from a 30-year teaching career, Carol began using her love of writing and speaking to glorify God. Her weekly faith-based column, “A Matter of Faith,” runs in 12 Oklahoma newspapers and several national publications, and she is the author of five books. 

For more information, contact

Carol Round

(918) 540-4282

eat0@eau0eav0eaw0