Posts by Carmen Fowler LaBerge
How to get to heaven: The way to eternal life for President Trump—and for you
Do you know anyone who wonders if they’re going to get into heaven when they die? Would it surprise you for a public figure to share that worry openly on live TV? Well, that’s exactly what the President of the United States did on Tuesday morning. He dialed into “Fox and Friends” to talk about…
Read MoreOh the Graces You’ll Know
Congratulations! My childToday is God’s day.You’re off on His path!You’re well on your way! You have me in your corner,And hope to your toes,God’s Spirit will guide youThrough life’s highs and lows! Oh, the graces you’ll know!Oh, the glory you’ll show!With God’s Word and His SpiritYou will grow, grow, grow! You’ll meet lots of people,Some…
Read MoreMindless or Christ-Minded?
How to Think About What You’re Thinking About In all likelihood your mind is consumed with the basics of daily life. According to people who study such things, most people spend most of their time thinking about their own concerns: basic needs, relationships, and the rather immediate future. Most of the people you meet today…
Read MoreSpotlight Interview with Sandra Peoples on Creating an Accessible Church: Welcoming Every Family, Every Child
Do you know a family who has a child with a disability seen or unseen? You don’t have to look far— in fact, you don’t have to look beyond my family. We are one of the 20%, or one in five households in this country that has a child with a disability. And families like…
Read MoreStorm Stories: How We Bear One Another’s Burdens
How we show the heart of God by being present in people’s pain and listening to each other’s stories. It’s the kind of thing you never forget, right? The storm stories. You never forget them. The disciples never forgot the storm on the lake, nor the One who calmed the storm (Mark 4). They also…
Read MoreCulture as Garden: How God’s People Cultivate Good in a Broken World
What is culture? And why does it matter? Culture. It’s a bit of buzzword. We’ve got office culture, pop culture, church wars and even a clash of cultures but do we really know how to define it? What is culture? From a biblical perspective, a simple definition of culture is what humans do with what…
Read MoreSpotlight Interview with Rick Lawrence on true discipleship: Following Jesus, not principles
When I say the word discipleship, what do you think of? Jesus tells us to go and make disciples. Well, what does that look like? I mean, did he pass out a curriculum? He was the pattern that, by living and walking alongside him and listening to him, they learned the character and the nature…
Read MoreTake a Summer Vacation WITH Jesus, not away from Him
Keeping Jesus at the Center of Your Summer Summer vacation means Vacation Bible School (VBS). We may remember participating in something like this as a kid, or with our kids. Or maybe we are volunteering for a week of VBS at our church or with our grandkids. Can you remember any of your favorite VBS…
Read MoreWrestling with Israel, and Wrestling with God
When Conversations About Israel Become Conversations About God Israel. What is it or who is it or where is it? Good questions. Let’s wrestle with it. Did you know that before Israel was a geo-political entity it was a people. And before it was a people, Israel was a person. And all along, Israel has…
Read MoreJoin the Culture Gardener Challenge this summer
Dear friends, It’s time to get gardening! Culture gardening. Let me explain. Consider the dominant metaphors for culture: melting pot, war zone or contest, stage, endlessly repeating cycle, or culture is likened to a house or a river. And while several of these have scriptural support, the primary metaphor God uses for culture throughout the…
Read MoreSpotlight Interview: Ray Ortlund finds good news at rock bottom
Where is God in our pain? When the bottom drops out and you finally discover a new rock bottom, is God really near to the brokenhearted? Is God there? Does he care? What is he doing? Why is he not helping me? If you have ever cried out in any of these ways, we’ve got…
Read MoreGod-mothers
God-mothers If you are not a mom, you might be tempted to tune out Mother’s Day. Or perhaps, the day is just about planning—with cards purchased and flowers ordered and reservations made. But don’t tune out. I am thinking of Mother’s Day cards that I gave to Ms. Mabry in the fifth grade and she…
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