• Uncategorized

    Lasantha Wickrematunga, the Media, and Courage

    I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the media–especially in the United States currently, but also throughout our country’s history, and the role of the media around the world. Like most topics, I’m quite ignorant in this area. But one thing I know for sure–the impact of the media is important. Terribly important. And the ruthless killing of Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga is just one horrific example. I know it’s off-topic from the normal gospel & relationships & peacemaking, etc. posts on this blog. But I encourage you to consider slowing down and taking a few minutes to read the editorial he wrote in anticipation of his murder. (He…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Magnanimity (HT: RZIM’s Margaret Manning)

    Wow! I just read my daily “Slice of Infinity” from Ravi Zacharias ministries and since it is perfectly on point to my most recent post, I encourage you to check it out: Magnanimmity Let me tempt you with just a brief excerpt: “… Acedia was considered one of the most serious of sins. It manifested itself in sloth or spiritual despair, but more significantly embodied the temptation to give up caring about anything truly important. Acedia led to spiritual impotence and smallness of heart. Spiritual impotence would allow vice to flourish and virtue to languish, not because vice was purposely chosen or intentionally entered into, but because spiritual lassitude desiccated…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Nameless and Faceless Criticism

    I received an interesting question from a women’s ministry leader and I thought I’d share my response to her with you. The gist of her question had to do with the fact that after a recent retreat, their women’s ministry leadership team met, and one of her leaders shared how “someone” had been offended by the style or worship music used at the event. This woman asked for my advice and this is what I told her: “Dear [name], I’m sorry that you had to receive some ‘nameless, faceless’ criticism. It’s always hard to learn that we’ve offended ‘someone’ but that person hasn’t talked to us, they’ve talked to others.…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    More on Church Membership

    Pastor Anyabwile has another great post on church membership that I encourage you to check out: What God Has Joined Together In it, he quotes John Stott and that made me want to go and grab my old books by Dr. Stott. I think he was one of the very first theologians I read as a new Believer back a zillion years ago in my late-teens, early twenties. Thank God for the (imperfect!) Church!   Yours, Tara B.  

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    When Our Leaders Let Us Down

    I’m praying and working to prepare a new teaching for our denomination’s women’s ministry leadership conference this March: Persevering with Grace When our Leaders Let Us Down: As wonderful as headship is (and it is wonderful!), our leaders are not perfect. No matter how hard they try, their leadership of us will always be flawed. They may misunderstand us, take offense at something we do or say, or simply not like our personality. In their fallenness and sin, they may actually wrong us intentionally. Often, they hurt us most deeply by their neglect—they fail to give us the proactive attention and care we long for. So how do we respond?…

  • Sin & Repentance

    Trying Not to Panic

    We got a letter in the mail today and I’m trying so hard not to panic. It’s from the city of Billings and, apparently, we need to tear up the sidewalk in front of our house and put in a new sidewalk–or else the city is going to do it and charge us $2,000 (!!). This is stressful to me in so many ways … 2009 is already a year of less income and additional expenses for us. Our budget is thinner than it’s been since grad school. Soph’s illness started in November, so we have huge medical bills from November and December–and THEN (right after meeting our deductibles for…

  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    Church Membership

    Have you been following the discussions over at IX Marks re: church membership? Pastor Anyabwile posted some great examples today that I encourage you to check out: Membership Based on a True Story I have always been so grateful that when the Lord saved me, He placed me into membership in a local church. I was taught that was “just the way Christians live.” We know that there are spiritual forces at work; that the world tempts us; our own flesh hates the thought of crucifixion … and so we run to the church for accountability, discipline, oversight, protection AND so that we can serve others as members of the…

  • Please Pray for Troops & Chaplains

    Final Salute

    A member of our church had the privilege of saluting President Bush as he departed D.C. We’re so proud of you, T.M.! And grateful for you both, President and Mrs. Bush. Please do continue to pray for our troops.   Yours, Tara B. PS If you haven’t yet read the gracious letter that Jenna and Barbara Bush sent to the Obama girls, I encourage you to read it today. It is precious.  

  • Actually Setting Your House in Order

    Your Money Counts

    Fred and I are beginning to work hard to (try to) pull it together and teach well our Sunday school class: (Actually!) Getting Your House in Order. This is the description that’s been running in our church’s bulletin: “(Actually!) Setting Your House in Order: Deacon Fred Barthel and his wife Tara will lead this class to help all families (this includes singles of course!) to ‘set their houses in order’ regarding financial stewardship, budgets, credit card debt, life insurance, estate planning, tithing, student loans, and any other related topics that come up during the course of the semester. Participants will not only learn about these topics, they will be encouraged…

  • Uncategorized

    Please Pray for PeaceGals Moderator, “Ruth from NC”

    Dear friends, The PeaceGals Moderators received some very, very hard news this morning when our own PeaceGal Moderator, and frequent commenter on this blog, and friend, “Ruth from NC” shared this prayer request with us: “Two weeks ago I detected a questionable lump at my right temple so head, neck, and brain scans were done yesterday and we saw the doctor this morning. He confirmed that the tumor is back…with a vengeance. It has overtaken the remainder of the right masticular (chewing) muscle and has invaded the right eye socket, wrapped the optic nerve, traversed the cranial wall and the brain lining. They are unable to confirm via any scans…