Don’t miss this rich post by Tim Chester: Creating Communities of Grace Let me tempt you with just a snippet: “(1) Make the connections … (2) Welcome the mess: Welcome messy communities. Welcome messy people. Obviously you’ll want them to change, to become more like Jesus, to be set free from their slaveries. But don’t make your welcome dependent on change. Don’t suppress conflict. Don’t hide problems. (3) Stop pretending … (4) Stop performing … (5) Eat and drink with broken people …   (6) Give people time to change: I think there are some tensions and questions here, but we need to give people time to change. How long…

Please take a minute to read a great post by Tim  Chester: Communities of Performance vs Communities of Grace (HT: TakeYourVitaminZ)  

I’ve had a mini-run of people asking me for advice on how to “get into” the field of Christian conciliation. Since I thought the topic might be of interest to the 1,000 or so of you who regularly read this blog every week, here are my recommendations: 1. Live the gospel / breathe grace / be a peacemaker in your own relationships. You can’t help someone else if you are not first internalizing these truths and (imperfectly of course!) faithfully striving to obey all that God requires re: loving your neighbor. 2. Serve within your local church. Even if you’re just at the initial stage of “Oh wow! I read…

Still mulling a bit on this topic of harsh criticism/feedback … It hit me last night that (maybe?) some people use particularly strong (harsh) words in their feedback of others because they think that their hearers can “TAKE IT.” Maybe the person comes across as “strong” and/or “together.” Maybe she’s a size 00 shirt-tucker and her eleven children always are in clean, pressed, matching clothes with happy/cheerful/obedient dispositions. Maybe he has all of the position, power, prestige, and wealth. And so it can be tempting to “let ’em have it” because OBVIOUSLY, they’re strong and they can take it. Really? Don’t be too sure … Maybe she’s just been so…

At friend-prayer group this morning, I was reflecting on how blessed our family is to have pastors/church leaders who a) understand what the Bible says about their duties to shepherd their sheep; and b) try hard. Are they perfect? Nope. (And they would be the first ones to admit that, I am sure.) But they take their ordination vows seriously. And they work very hard. Plus? Sometimes they excel at shepherding by: – Counseling well: They know the Scripture and use it wisely to encourage, rebuke, exhort, and comfort – Loving well: taking the time to reach out and listen; demonstrating genuine care and concern – Living well: valiantly fighting…

Couldn’t get back to sleep after 3AM or so. Fred is restless with his fever/getting meds. And I have way too much swimming through my brain re: my workshops for next weekend. Mostly, I’m wondering WHY, O WHY I ever consented to teaching so many! A) I can’t believe I really have anything that interesting/helpful to say; and B) I’m old and tired! 🙂 Please remind me next year–if I receive the privilege of an opportunity to serve again–to only teach, you know, ONE workshop. Or maybe two. BUT NOT FIVE. Anyway … one of them is on relationships among women especially when we disagree on important topics–and around 5AM…

Oh, that PastorJollyBlogger! Always pointing us to something important (and helpful!). Today it was a link to the CGO Forum on Denominational Renewal. The speakers look amazing and I am particularly interested in catching the dialogue that will follow in the weeks to come. Hope to see you there!   Blessings, Tara B.  

One of my favorite people in the world is Ajith Fernando. This quiet, gentle, giant of a man of faith serves Youth for Christ with passion, brilliance, and faithful, humble, love. I never fail to learn when I read anything he writes–and I am always drawn to worship Christ. I think I may have posted this essay he wrote on “Leaders as In-House Peacemakers” a few years back (can you believe I’ve blogged over 1,200 posts?!)–but it’s so good that I wanted to share it again. (Please note that the bolded sections are my emphases, not Pastor Fernando’s.) Hope your weekend is restful and enjoyable! Yours, Tara B. LEADERS AS…

I just pitched a potentially new topic to Peacemaker Ministries for their conference next month and I’d LOVE to know whether you think it sounds interesting/helpful/etc: How to Grow Redemptive (and Enjoyable!) Relationships among Our Women—Especially When We Disagree: Do you have a hard time even imagining what it would be like for the relationships among your women to be united, mutually-encouraging, and overflowing with grace—especially when you disagree on important topics? In this workshop, we will discuss some of the most  commonly-divisive topics among women (working outside of the home, children and childrearing, domestic duties, educational choices, money, sex, in-laws, etc.) and prayerfully consider some biblical and practical ways…

My darling Fred just posted a funny video over at the Peacemaker Ministries blog. You can even see his (messy!) office in it … I hope you enjoy! And I also hope that you will give serious consideration to attending the Peacemaker Conference next month in Orlando. I’m already scheduling visits during the conference with online and “real life” (and online who’ve become real life) friends. Hope to see you there!   Yours, Tara B.