• Redeeming Church Conflicts

    Some pastors are overly concerned about their critics.

    Dave has a great article over at our RedeemingChurchConflicts blog. Here is just a snippet to hopefully tempt you to click through and read it all: “Pastors, just like the rest of us, want to be liked. They desire meaningful friendships and frequently go out of their way to demonstrate hospitality to church members. They also want the admiration of the members of their church because they know the grace-filled message of God’s Word will be more readily accepted if the messenger is appreciated for both his biblical knowledge and consistent Christian character and gentle witness. Most pastors seek to avoid conflict with church members believing that such encounters may…

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  • PCA LiveBlogs

    “Why would you ever do that?” — The Real Source and Strength of Lasting Compassion

    I just learned that my handouts are due soon for the PCA’s upcoming women’s leadership conference: PCA Women’s Ministry Leadership Training Conference: Leading with Compassion–Called to Serve, Equipped to Lead I would appreciate your prayers as I work to finalize my content. The title for my plenary session is: “Why would you ever do that?” — The Real Source and Strength of Lasting Compassion It has already been through one layer of my theology-checkers, so hopefully there is no unintentional heresy in there. (Not being seminary trained, I really rely on the help and oversight of my friends and church leaders.) I’m also doing two workshops: Biblical Peacemaking: As the PCA…

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  • Redeeming Church Conflicts

    How to Preserve Your Pastor (Part 1)

    I always appreciate Cap’n Dave’s careful analysis and writing. Today’s post is no exception: How to Preserve Your Pastor (Part 1) — Lack of Practical Training for Local Church Ministry: The Problem of Misguided and Misstated Expectations (And as a sweet aside—I love that his title barely fits one tweet. And that this is part 1 of 7 in the series. No sentimentality / shallow / non-thinking / fluffy stuff with Dave, thank God.)     

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  • Sin & Repentance,  Singleness & Marriage

    Marring the Landscape with the Grand-Scale Deceit of a Marital Affair

    I very much appreciated Challies‘ link to this sobering, but extremely well-written, honest article on the allure and devastation of marital unfaithfulness: A Roomful of Yearning and Regret (And from the New York Times, too! I was quite surprised.) The author speaks from her own experience of having cheated on her husband and having been cheated on by her husband. She has many beautifully phrased illustrations that help us to picture and experience what she is describing, but here are just a few of my (tragic) favorites: “I’m not saying these feelings aren’t legitimate, just that they don’t legitimize what you’re doing. If you believed they did, your stomach wouldn’t drop on your way…

  • Hope in Suffering

    An Inner Discipline By Which You Drain Yourself of Any Ill-Will Toward That Person

    It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day! Have you watched the speech with your kiddos yet? (Careful, as always, to NEVER scroll down into the comments on YouTube. Talk about depravity and the opposite of the video. Blech!!) I won’t go into my whole (annual) list of things you may want to consider as you talk with your children about evil (especially the evil of racism), but I do want to direct you to an article I read this morning that not only resonated with me deeply, it also reminded me of two of my favorite Timothy Keller sermons (both of which mention Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and one of…

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  • PCA LiveBlogs

    PCA Women’s Leadership Conference LiveBlogs

    I am so honored to have the privilege of LiveBlogging The PCA Women’s Ministry Leadership Training Conference: Leading with Compassion–Called to Serve, Equipped to Lead. Click here to join in the LiveBlogs “on air” February 21-23, 2013 or to read them after the event in “replay mode.” Hope you see you on the LiveBLogs!  Your friend, Tara B. PS If you have no idea what a LiveBlog is, I have a brief summary (and links to my archived LiveBlogs) here. 

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  • Momma Tara~Parenting

    Things People Should Never Say They Never Heard at Your Church

    This list by pastor DeYoung is excellent: Things People Should Never Say They Never Heard at Your Church I’m thinking of it in general, as related to my church; but also with specificity related to the preschoolers, Kindergartners, and elementary-aged children with whom I interact weekly.   Great reminders! 

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  • Grace in Daily Life

    Out Where the People Are

    Today was my first day out of the house since Monday morning. In fact, today was my first day out of bed for more than a few minutes since Monday. It’s a different world out here where all the people are! There are lights and colors and I’ve even been a bit rejuvenated by fresh air. Ahhhhhhhhh. I can always tell when I’m really sick because I don’t mind being in bed hour after hour. Normally, that would drive me absolutely insane. But I know I’m starting to get better when I actually want to be out and about. Clean sheet day! Bleach everything that moves day! Try to find the dining room…

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