• Relationships & Peacemaking

    Leaders as Peacemakers (HT: Ajith Fernando)

    One of my favorite people in the world is Ajith Fernando. This quiet, gentle, giant of a man of faith serves Youth for Christ with passion, brilliance, and faithful, humble, love. I never fail to learn when I read anything he writes–and I am always drawn to worship Christ. I think I may have posted this essay he wrote on “Leaders as In-House Peacemakers” a few years back (can you believe I’ve blogged over 1,200 posts?!)–but it’s so good that I wanted to share it again. (Please note that the bolded sections are my emphases, not Pastor Fernando’s.) Hope your weekend is restful and enjoyable! Yours, Tara B. LEADERS AS…

  • Uncategorized

    Free booklet …

    BTW–If you asked for one of my Free Favorite CCEF Booklets and haven’t yet received it, you should drop me an email and let me know. I sent them a long time ago and some of you didn’t confirm your address with me so I might not have had a current address for you. (Hint, hint if your first initial is an “M” and you live in Texas because I just received your booklet back in the mail today as having a wrong address. Oops! Please email me your address and I’ll resend.) Just as a little FYI–in general, I don’t track snail-mail addresses for y’all because I just can’t…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    New Topic?

    I just pitched a potentially new topic to Peacemaker Ministries for their conference next month and I’d LOVE to know whether you think it sounds interesting/helpful/etc: How to Grow Redemptive (and Enjoyable!) Relationships among Our Women—Especially When We Disagree: Do you have a hard time even imagining what it would be like for the relationships among your women to be united, mutually-encouraging, and overflowing with grace—especially when you disagree on important topics? In this workshop, we will discuss some of the most  commonly-divisive topics among women (working outside of the home, children and childrearing, domestic duties, educational choices, money, sex, in-laws, etc.) and prayerfully consider some biblical and practical ways…

  • Singleness & Marriage

    What a Husband Must Be (HT: PureChurch)

    Pastor Anyabwile is continuing his study on marriage and family and we are all the blessed recipients of his work of humility, scholarship, faith, and love. Don’t miss this latest post: What a Husband Must Be In it, he lists five things that drive women to marry men who are not prepared to lead in marriage. (Oh oh oh! But I’ve heard all five of these reasons a lot too.) He also lists five things that a husband must be. Consider number 4: 4. Must lead in selflessness. “…nourishes and cherishes….” The husband should be the first one in the family to go without, sacrifice, or lay it down for…

  • Sin & Repentance

    Confessing sins to one another … (HT: ByFaith Magazine)

    There is a great article by Pastor Ben Hames over at ByFaith Magazine having to do with confessing sins one to another: It Has Become Clearer … That We Should Confess Our Sins to One Another Consider just an excerpt: ” … Many in the church have begun to see the value of having a Christian brother or sister to hold them accountable in life. This service to one another is a great example of the Church of Christ living as vivified community. Confession moves us beyond the cognitive and internal toward the tangible and at least mildly communal. Through this, believers find they are more honest with themselves, more…

  • Uncategorized

    Enjoying (learning from / being comforted by / being CHALLENGED by) Helen Roseveare

    After a strong recommendation from Noel Piper in a bookstore mailing from WTS, I ordered a number of books by Helen Roseveare. This week I started Give Me This Mountain and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I also had to chuckle when I did a quick Google search of her name to learn a little more about her–and I found out that Snopes & TruthOrFiction had to do entries on her because of a story that has circulated around email-land for years re: a dying baby, a hot water bottle, and a doll. (BTW–Please please oh PLEASE don’t ever forward any emails, well, really to ANYONE EVER–with limited exceptions–but FOR…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Peacemaker Staff (funny!) Conference Video

    My darling Fred just posted a funny video over at the Peacemaker Ministries blog. You can even see his (messy!) office in it … I hope you enjoy! And I also hope that you will give serious consideration to attending the Peacemaker Conference next month in Orlando. I’m already scheduling visits during the conference with online and “real life” (and online who’ve become real life) friends. Hope to see you there!   Yours, Tara B.  

  • Uncategorized

    Grace and Truth (HT: Randy Alcorn)

    Recently, I’ve been troubled by two memories and this morning I figured out why. – The first is just ONE LINE from a (wonderful!) sermon I heard recently. It had to do with a woman being confronted by her husband and (over)-responding with despair and (extreme) anxiety. The pastor (whose sermon was otherwise brilliant and gospel-soaked), made some sort of passing comment about her “temper tantrum.” This troubled me. – The second is a blog comment that a man once made in response to a question Pastor JollyBlogger posted on his (wonderful!) blog having to do with why certain women in his church struggle so much with ungodly shame. I…