• Perfectionism & Shame

    The Remnants of Shame

    You know … the longer I live, the more convinced I am that there really is only one battle in all of life. It is the battle; the battle of the ages. And we just live it out over and over again in various contexts—the privacy of our own thinking; our relationships at work and in the home and in the church; when we’re happy and fulfilled; when life kicks us in the gut. Again. Who are we? Who is God? How are we made right with God? What does it mean to be “good”? What does it mean to be “good enough”—worthy. Not rejected. Not despised. Not “bad” or “dirty” or…

  • Uncategorized

    Riverfront Park in Autumn

    We love autumn in Billings—especially Riverfront Park. Even at its low point, the Yellowstone River is beautiful …                                                

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  • Momma Tara~Parenting

    So engrossed in this sermon that I forgot to cross the street …

    Lilikoi and I were enjoying a beautiful, crisp fall day walk this morning when I confused a bunch of drivers (and Lili) by hitting the crosswalk button at our (busy for Billings) corner of Grand and 8th and then forgetting to cross with the light. I was utterly engrossed in Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile’s sermon on biblical manhood (that you can listen to here, at the website for Redeemer Church of Dubai—yes, that Dubai). I still have 15 minutes or so to go of the entire message, but so far it’s the best sermon I’ve ever heard on biblical manhood—and as a mother of girls, yes, this is definitely a topic…

  • Fear Not!

    Nightmares and Nearly Utter Sleeplessness (for 72+ hours now …)

    Whenever I think about it, I chuckle quietly to myself … On Tuesday, a friend asked me how I was sleeping (because I frequently have insomnia and other sleep troubles) and I replied, “Great!” And I was. Up ’til then. For just over two months, I had been delightfully free from fear upon going to bed because (thankfully!), I just fell asleep. Until Tuesday night. And Wednesday night. And oh, how I pray it is NOT true tonight too … If you have never struggled with sleeplessness, I hope that you can truly rejoice because it is a wonderful thing to be an easy, deep sleeper. I know this because…

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  • Relationships & Peacemaking

    With Many Thanks to Ken Sande …

    Fred did a great job on this video and I had a grand time helping him by digging through boxes of 30-year old photographs and finding old VHS tapes and audiocasettes of the first editions of various peacemaking resources. Can you find the 29-year olds Fred and Tara in this montage? We’re only on screen for a blip, but my hair is very big. Apparently I kept my 80’s hair into the 90’s … Enjoy! And thanks again, Ken and Corlette Sande. We appreciate you so very much.     Peacemaker Ministries – 30 Years of Ministry