Posts by Carmen Fowler LaBerge
A Prayer for Palm Sunday: Turn our Eyes to Jesus
Turn our eyes upon Jesus, who indeed is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, and set our hearts on Him as He does for us what we could not do for ourselves – offer You a living sacrifice that is truly holy and acceptable in Your sight.
Read MoreSpotlight interview: A special conversation with Carmen’s mom, RuthAnn Melzer
My mom, RuthAnn, finished her career as a university professor. She’s a published author. She had a TV show on PBS for 14 years. She’s an accomplished person, but she came from a tiny little rural community in southern Indiana and spent her growing up years, with her family, as tenant farmers. They moved almost…
Read MoreA prayer for the discouraged
This is an excerpt from the new resource, Our Certain Hope: Prayers for Lent and Easter. Receive the full prayer book by signing up for Carmen’s monthly newsletter, Keeping up with Carmen. Holy Lord, we acknowledge Your goodness and greatness this day. We acknowledge that our ways are not Your ways neither are our thoughts your…
Read MorePodcast Playlist: Lent
Our Christian faith hangs on the reality of the empty tomb (1 Corinthians 15:12ff), and each year, for centuries, believers have been preparing themselves to celebrate Easter during Lent. This is a playlist of podcast episodes to help your heart, mind and spirit draw nearer to God as we approach the Lenten season. Updated March 2025…
Read MoreSpotlight interview: John Dickson on resurrecting the oldest known hymn for the Church today
What’s the oldest hymn you love to sing? I can still hear my grandmother Robina singing the Old Rugged Cross. Even though she died when I was 11 or 12, I can hear her voice right now singing it. What are some of the old hymns that you love to sing? Have you ever wondered,…
Read MoreLord, have mercy
“Lord, have mercy! I need you.” “Christ have mercy, they need you – now.” Do you know this cry? It is known historically as the Kyrie eleison and it is a cry that echoes throughout life. We live in a broken, desperate world and we all live in that broken, desperate world together. When we…
Read MoreLenten prayer of hope
Prepare our hearts This is an excerpt from the free new resource, Our Certain Hope: Prayers for Lent and Easter. Receive the full prayer book through Carmen’s monthly newsletter, Keeping up with Carmen. Originally posted February 2024 Lord of all Creation, we bow before You this day awed by the verdant beauty of the world…
Read MoreKingdom Connections: DeKryger Family and the Hospital of Hope serving West Africa
*NEW: Kingdom Connections with Carmen spotlights ministries, individuals, resources, and more that are building the Kingdom of Heaven right here and now on earth— and we want you to know about them! We hope you are encouraged, challenged and informed, and perhaps find new ways you can participate in God’s work at home and around…
Read MoreResource: Primer on Israel
Updated February 2025 On the morning of October 7, 2024, Hamas, a terrorist group based in Gaza, executed a cross-border attack on southeastern Israel. The attack took place on the Sabbath when many of the people in the self-sustaining communal Kibbutz villages and towns were in their homes. Many of them still in their beds.…
Read MoreWhy does Jesus Love me?
Have you ever wondered if God really loves you? Sure, “God is love” and all that, but be honest, have you ever wondered if God really loves YOU? Lexi has. Lexi is a singer/songwriter originally from Tampa, FL who now lives in Nashville, TN. She and I crossed paths through Lionshare at an event at…
Read MoreAnd the Grammy goes to…
The Grammys. Well, I don’t quite know what to say. I confess that I don’t recognize the overwhelming majority of individuals or acts being honored. And the pictures reveal very provocatively dressed young women wearing nothing more than glorified underwear behaving in ways that I find very unbecoming. I didn’t watch the Grammys and I…
Read MoreWhat matters when you’re in the hot seat?
When was the last time you were in the hot seat? Were you in the passenger seat of your parent’s car as they drove you home from somewhere you knew you weren’t supposed to be, doing something you knew you weren’t supposed to do? Or maybe the last time you were in the hot seat…
Read More
