• Fear Not!

    Crying in Public (The Power of Adrenaline)

    I had two bad (understatement) experiences flying home on Sunday. The first started out fairly low-level … an oversized man was pouring over the armrest between us on a tiny airplane. I tried my best to lean way out into the aisle to avoid having his body pressed up against mine, but it was to no avail. Plus, he wasn’t even trying to stay in his own space AND he was eating some huge, meaty, onion-y sandwich while drinking a soda while eating Cheetos. It was extremely gross and violating and I thought about trying to get the flight attendant to make an announcement to see if anyone would change…

  • Uncategorized

    Might Be The Funniest Feedback I Have EVER Received

    I am always amazed and humbled every single time I am invited to serve in any teaching/speaking capacity. What a blessing it is to get to spend time with God’s people, enjoying His Word and the fellowship of the saints! Even ol’ introverted me finds it all to be a great joy. And truly, women are wonderful. I love to observe and enjoy their spiritual gifts, intelligence, compassion, creativity, wisdom (I could go on and on …). But I have to say … two aspects of this particular event are going to stick out in my mind as statistical outliers in the realm of Lori J./Joe A. creating Living the…

  • Uncategorized

    Orthodox Presbyterian Church of Rio Rancho & Desert Springs Church

    I simply cannot imagine a more hospitable, genuinely friendly, warm welcome than the one I just received from the ladies of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) of Rio Rancho and Desert Springs Church. There are two churches working so hard to serve the women at this event because when the OPC’s planned (tiny!) women’s event jumped from “35 or 50” registrants to 250+, the women of Desert Springs Church said, “Have the event here! Our facility can hold that many people and our men and women can help with all of the logistics of serving a bigger event.” Can you say gracious, servant-oriented, people? I just LOVED watching them happily…

  • Grace in Daily Life

    Two Reasons (Really Just One) to End a Conversation

    If I were being honest, I would have to say that when I first picked up my friend’s book, Tools for Young Philosophers: The Elements of Philosophy by Dr. Paul T. Jensen, I was a little disappointed. It is TINY in stature—small pages in size, only 129 in total. Was it really worth the $18 I shelled out for it? (I wanted to support my friend, but really? Was it worth it?) Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes. If you have always wanted to understand logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and analytic philosophy, but you never knew where to start, then this is the book for you. Every word is essential.…

  • Fear Not!

    Peace and Optimism and Hope

    In John 14:27, Jesus says: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 1 Peter 1:3 says: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead … Dave Edling says: The biblical term ‘hope’ is NOT the ‘wishful thinking’ of the world. Hope is the confident expectation of future blessing based on the facts and promises of God’s Word. The…

  • Fear Not!

    What we fear …

    Just when I’m tempted to think I’m alone in my fears, I stumble onto just a few of the things women shared with me in 2011 at my “Fear Not” retreats. I summarize all of the feedback cards that I receive at each event. Listen to the content of just one sticky note summary: – I’m afraid of being alone. – I’m afraid of never being married. – I’m afraid of what people think of me. I’m so lonely. – I fear rejection. – I fear loneliness. – I fear I will fail my friends and family and they will reject me.  – I fear reaching out to people and…

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    Hooray for Valentine’s Day!

    We’re on Winter break this week, so in addition to a super fun Valentine’s Day morning: We’ve had the joy of hosting five of our friends (all of whom are cousins to one another) for a playdate day and a slumber party night: And we got to sing happy birthday to Lilikoi because she is five years old today:   Hope you had a great day too! Love and g’nite, Tara B.  

  • Perfectionism & Shame

    Not Just an Intellectual Exercise …

    Just like when I first read Ed Welch’s When People are Big and God is Small, I was tempted to power through the manuscript for his forthcoming book, Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection, as a sort of quick intellectual exercise. Three line endorsement written? Check! Evaluated for potential inclusion on my event resource table? Check! Ready to recommend it to others because it will be SO helpful to THEM? Check check! But then (just like years ago re: “When People are Big and God is Small”), I was sorely convicted that I needed to slow down and read it carefully for me. Myself. The…