Carmen on hope…

Kara Powell from Fuller Youth Ministry institute on 5 things adults can do to help kids deal with the anxiety they’re experiencing right now. (They 5 things help adults too!) Visit Kara at https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/anxiousworld

In the second half, Carmen visits with New York City pastor, Jason Harris, from Central Church about how ministry has changed, what its like to be alone in a city of so many people, and how to approach the skeptics who may be asking questions of faith for the first time. Visit Jason at CentralChurchNYC.org

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13419322/04-03-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR1.mp3

 

Carmen shares how much she misses the women in her church community group.  We can relate! She also gives us permission to worry less about productivity right now and play hooky if we need too. (Thanks for that!)

Peter Kapsner is back for a conversation about NT Wright’s take on Christian hope and then Carmen probes the subject of just how vulnerable, fragile and small we all suddenly feel.

In the second half, Carmen talks with one of her favorite women in the world, Trillia Newbell.  Carmen describes Trillia as “one of the shiny people.” Listen and you’ll see what she means!

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13415755/04-02-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR2.mp3

 

 

Carmen helps us remember how NOT to lose track of the days even when today feels like the blurteenth of Mar-pril-ay.

Conversations in this episode include Ben Johnson from Acton and Kathy Branzell from the National Day of Prayer.

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13415757/04-02-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR1.mp3

Carmen welcomes back Dr. David Stevens from Christian Medical and Dental Assn. to answer a number of questions listeners have asked about the Coronavirus. He also offers sage counsel from God’s Word for these days.

Then Carmen talks with author Heath Adamson about his new book (released today), The Sacred Chase: moving from proximity to intimacy with God.

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13409178/03-31-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR2.mp3

 

How did you feel when you saw the USS Comfort pulling into New York harbor?

How did you feel when you saw emergency field hospitals being raised by Samaritan’s Purse in Central Park?

Carmen shares how she felt and how she feels – and then discusses the same with Nick Pitts.

Then Carmen talks with Jeff Schulz from Houston Responds about how churches came together after Hurricane Harvey – and have built upon that collaboration to continue working together to meet the needs in their community. That means they are ready to respond now to COVID19 in ways other communities are not so well organized. We all have something to learn from their example.

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13409180/03-31-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR1.mp3

Carmen’s candid open: “Last night was the first night I really couldn’t sleep. Just before I went to bed I received the alert from the AP that the President had extended the social distancing guidelines by 30 days and I read Dr. Fauci’s acknowledgement that we’re facing the prospect of millions of coronavirus cases in the U.S. and more than 100,000 deaths. Maybe as many as 200,000. That’s a lot of families. That’s a lot of grief.

But the grief we’re experiencing isn’t confined to the actual deaths of our fellow Americans. We are grieving so many losses right now…grieving the loss of life as we knew it.” 

We have permission to grieve and Carmen calls us to grant one another the grace to grieve as losses multiply and we become aware of the loss of things we didn’t even know we’d miss because we took them for granted.

Carmen then talks with Dr. Linda Mintle about the stages of grief and how we must allow one another the space to grieve as the cycles come. They also discuss how to cope with anxiety in the midst of so many unknowns.

In the second half, Carmen talks with Cedarville University infectious disease expert about testing, flattening the curve, buying time via social distancing, projections and how to avoid contracting the virus.  You’ll want to subscribe to the videos he’s posting each Monday on YouTube. This week’s video.

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13404979/03-30-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR2.mp3

 

The President has extended the national “social distancing” guidelines through April. 

Many of you – most of us – are now following stay at home orders for at least the next two weeks. 

Shelter in place, for the Christian, is really to shelter in Peace.  We possess – and are possessed of – the Peace which surpasses understanding. Let us be reminded of Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Carmen reminded us from Genesis 1, 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Today may be the first day of your quarantine or the first day of your shelter in place order or your first day with the coronavirus or your first day of unemployment or your first day of needing more help from others than you can give. Here’s what is true on this first day: God is and He has spoken. And because He is, we can not only live today, we can face tomorrow. 

In the beginning, before the first day, God was and in the beginning, on the first day, God was and on this first day, God is and when the first day comes tomorrow with whatever new chaos it brings, God will be – And God will be God. The same God, yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

The God who is steadfast, immovable, gracious, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 

The God who thought up the very idea of Light and spoke it into being – and then the God who came in flesh to bear the Light of His love into the world, darkened by sin. 

That Light still shines – by Christ and the power of God’s Spirit, that light – shines in the darkness today in and through you and me. And where there is light – even a flicker – darkness must flee. 

So, let your light shine today. Stand in the bathroom in front of the mirror in the darkness and weep – hiding in the shelter of the Most High God – and then light a candle and see what happens. It not only illuminates the darkness it is reflected over and over and again. 

Getting personal, Carmen said, “That’s how you and I are going to function today – like reflecting mirrors of God’s light into the darkness seeking to cover our land. Friends, this is I know: the light has come and no power of hell is going to be able to overcome it.  In this faith we live on this first day and in all the first day that will come in all our tomorrows.”

 

Carmen’s guests today are:

Jamie Aten, Director of Wheaton’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute who shared about Covid19 Church Summit

and

Author, Donna VanLiere on her new novel/bible study, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

Carmen also co-hosts a 9 part limited podcost series with Donna on the book: The Looking Up Podcast

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13404981/03-30-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR1.mp3

As everything is upended, how to find patterns of peace and when everything is disrupted, how to do foster rhythms of hope and renewal?

Carmen talks with Justin Early from The Common Rule about four essential practices:

* Scripture before phone

* Kneel to pray three times a day

* Gather (safely) for encouragement and joy

* Light a candle to remind our soul that it is well and hope endures.

In the second half, Carmen welcomes New York Times best selling author, Patti Callahan Henry to the show to talk about Becoming Mrs. Lewis. This novel is extraordinary and a welcome refreshment during days filled with too much bad news. The unlikely love story of the woman who married C.S. Lewis is really about becoming the person she was always meant to be. 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13396848/03-27-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR2.mp3

 

Carmen talks with Dr. Melissa Mork, professor of psychology, criminal justice and law enforcement at the University of Northwestern St Paul about resilience, and how we develop it amidst today’s unique stress factors.

In the second half, Chris Martin from LifeWay Social returns to offer a primer on how to effectively use social media platforms to gather your church and community groups during this time of social distancing.

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13396816/03-27-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR1.mp3

Carmen leads off with prayers for those affected in unusual ways by the coronavirus quarantines and hospital restrictions.

Peter Kapsner joins Carmen for conversations about Tom Brady’s religion (which is football) and the need for real sacrifice in the nation today. Here’s the question, would you be willing to suffer some loss now for someone else to have a more positive future? If so, how much? For how long? To the point of life itself? Read Romans 5:7-10 as part of your thinking about this topic.

In the second half, Carmen welcomes author Jamie Sumner, special needs mom, for a discussion of her newest book, Eat, Sleep, Save the World. Carmen and Jamie talk candidly about life – real life – with real kids who have special needs. Nothing glamorous but oh so good.

 

http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15795/13392867/Sacrificial-living-in-a-time-of-crisis-Encouragement-for-the-special-needs-parent-03-26-2020-Mornings-with-Carmen-HR2.mp3