• Hope in Suffering

    I never question why people hate Christians …

    In the last few weeks, I know of five (brilliant! godly! wise! Spirit-filled! Biblical-thinking! loving!) women who have been utterly mistreated by their church leaders. (I would use a different term for mistreated there, but it’s crass and I’m sure not very appropriate for any setting, more or less this blog.) There is much that I could say about each situation, but I won’t. (Not only do I not have their permission to share their stories–but honestly? As is usually the case with most relational conflicts, their stories are so incredibly complex that it would take hundreds and hundreds of words to even TRY to BEGIN to “summarize” them. These…

  • Sin & Repentance

    Earning and effort are not the same thing …

    I read a great quote on the “gospel driven church” blog and thought you might enjoy it too (the emphasis is mine): “Currently we are not only saved by grace; we are paralyzed by it. There is deep confusion. We find it hard to see that grace is not opposed to effort, but is opposed to earning. Earning and effort are not the same thing. Earning is an attitude, and grace is definitely opposed to that. But it is not opposed to effort. When you see a person who has been caught on fire by grace, you are apt to see some of the most astonishing efforts you can imagine…

  • Uncategorized

    We must learn to take ourselves in hand …

    My good friend is helping me (a lot!) by “making me” re-read through the great D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones book, “Spiritual Depression.” Oh! How accurately this dear pastor describes my tendencies: – Prone to melancholy – Sometimes drawn, haggard, vexed, troubled – Overly introverted and introspective – At times, weeping and tearful because I am in a state of perplexity and fear – Overly analyzing myself and everything I do and worrying about the possible effects of my actions; always harking back; always full of vain regrets – Too centered on myself (as evidenced by my propensity to talk too much about myself and my problems/troubles; forever going around with a…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    They were becoming a family …

    Here and there … in tiny snippets … (often when I’m tired and just feel like slothfully procrastinating rather than working on some BIG HUGE projects that I really need to tackle one of these days) … I’ve been reading Band of Brothers. Have you read this book? Do you like war/military books? I do. The first one I remember reading was General H. Normal Schwarzkopf’s autobiography, It Doesn’t Take a Hero. I was in undergrad during the first Gulf War and I remember picking it up out of curiosity and a genuine sense of how IGNORANT I was when it came to our military. (It Doesn’t Take a Hero…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    He is NOT your personal Holy Spirit …

    I had a wonderful time at my prayer/friendship group this morning … I hadn’t planned to share my heart today. (Yeah, right. That usually goes well.) But of course I ended up sharing a TINY bit and then a little more and then–before you knew it, tears & Kleenex & lots of words. My friends shared great counsel with me: They neither placated me (and dismissed my contributions and sins/fallenness) nor dismissed me (by ignoring the wrongs that have been done to me). Most of all? They loved me. Encouraged me.  And reminded me that a certain person who is causing me a fair amount of pain and sorrow right…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    How to help (really help!) when a family is in crisis …

    I just received this list from my dear (dear!) friend and fellow PeaceGal, Ruth M., and I immediately asked her if I could share it with you all. (She said, “Sure! But it’s just a rough draft and it’s very much in process.”) I’ve re-ordered things a bit (am I compulsive organizer or WHAT?) to group by genre … and the little subittles are mine. (So blame me for the weird wording, not Ruth!) But I just have to say, if you have ever said, “I would really like to help!” to a family in need (cancer? loss of a baby? unemployment? death?), I’d copy this list down and keep…

  • Grace in Daily Life

    God answers even UNASKED prayers …

    I just spent a few hours with a remarkable woman (and her two wonderful children!) and I just have to say: Thank You, God, for answering prayers that I don’t even have enough faith (or awake hours or diligence?) to pray. Seriously–I was so blessed to spend time with this woman … AND … we MAY get to work together on a project to serve our little local church too! (Shhhhhhhhhh … have to wait on that one until we pray some and talk with our hubbies and they pray some and we check with some people in authority too. 🙂 ) But still … Even just the POSSIBILITY of…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    It sounds so good in theory …

    Wouldn’t many of us say that “one anothering” (“love one another,” “serve one another,” “pray for one another,” etc.) happens in community, and thus … relationships are important? Wouldn’t we say that the Church is the Body of Christ–and thus, we hold a high view of her and we seek to build up the Church? Doesn’t it sound really good in theory to say that “change happens within community” and “there are no Lone Ranger Christians” and “God uses people to grow us in grace”? But then … let’s be honest: – Isn’t hard to forbear with people? Well, CERTAIN people? – When it’s 6:30PM on a Monday, would you…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Having a critical attitude …

    Our church’s summer intern, (future pastor) Bruce Clark, made this observation in one of his recent sermons: “The extent I judge and criticize and reject others? This is the extent I don’t understand myself.” Don’t you think that is true? (Sorry. I tried a few times to come up with some pithy observation or application and NOPE. My brain, apparently, is completely FRITZED OUT. I’m just going to let his statement stand on its own.)   Hope you’re all having a great day! Yours, Tara B.