• Relationships & Peacemaking

    Long Conversations

    I’m processing through my notes from Ajith Fernando’s Reclaiming Friendship: Relating to Each Other in a Frenzied World and I am a) inspired to keep striving to be a better friend; and b) grateful, grateful, grateful for the women in my life who have pressed through all of the difficulties associated with being a friend to me—and have loved me with grace. A few random notes from my reading … – Most of us don’t seem to have time for long conversations … and yet, Christian truth has a qualitative and experiential aspect to it. Truth can be enjoyed only if we are willing to linger with it, to ask…

  • Teens & Technology

    More Tolerant of Infirmity

    I’m deep into a second day of prayerful research and study to prep for AmazingGrace360. Oh! How I am thanking God that the clouds are beginning to lift a bit and my fuzzy brain is starting to (slowly) engage. I’m sure a great deal of my progress is due to simple encouragement—I am encouraged as I read and re-read great books like Relationships: A Mess Worth Making, Reclaiming Friendship: Relating to Each Other in a Frenzied World, and Life Together. I’m also encouraged to go back and linger a bit over sermons and messages from people I truly respect. It’s one thing to zip through headlines or pop into a…

  • Fear Not!

    Seeking Counsel and Jumping In

    Earlier this week I left for an appointment wherein I was seeking someone’s counsel. The strange thing was, as I drove closer and closer to the location, I started getting more and more scared. I couldn’t really figure out what was going on at first. I trust this person. I really wanted her advice. So why the fear? Ah. Then I realized it: At some deep level, I thought I had to have it all figured out before I sought her counsel. That I had to go to this appointment with a game plan in hand—and the whole point was, I was stymied. I didn’t have a game plan. I…

  • Uncategorized

    End of School Year Memories

    We officially wrapped our schoolyear today and I can’t really believe that I now have a third grader! That sounds so OLD. I mean, I really remember third grade. Lots of details. How I felt. Third grade is old enough to remember childhood! How grateful I am for God’s grace as a parent. For all of the years we’ve been in co-op, we’ve had two end of year traditions: Beach Day and Bowling. This year was no exception and I really enjoyed mining the photos to see just how much my favorite oldest daughter has changed over the years. Beach Day Playdate (current and circa 2008 ) … Bowling Fun…

  • Hope in Suffering

    Nancy Guthrie: Is Your Church a Safe Place for Sad People?

    I am praying daily for Nancy Guthrie and for all of the speakers at this fall’s Amazing Grace 360 conference. Here is just one example of her excellent, Christ-centered ministry. It seems particularly on-point to my blogs this week: Is Your Church a Safe Place for Sad People? Learning to Walk with Each Other Through Loss How blessed we are to learn from such a gifted and insightful teacher! Hope you have a restful and enjoyable weekend— Yours,  Tara B. PS Nancy is also a keynote speaker at this year’s Peacemaker Conference: Hope in Brokenness. If you have the ability to be in Orlando in September for this conference, I’m…

  • Hope in Suffering

    Wordless

    One of the strangest parts of this (low energy? depressed? just “off”?) season I am currently walking through has been my inability to find words to describe it. Regular readers of this blog have no doubt noticed that because, well, I haven’t had words to blog. Fred has noticed it because I simply cannot describe my experience. I’m there. Present with the children and him. Yet something (difficult? painful? distracting?) is churning away inside of me. In one way, it’s like there is a wall around me and I can see my real life; I’m going through most of the motions of my real life. But there is a disconnect.…