I read a book recently where the author made the point (something to the effect of): I just assume that people will bug me. And I will bug them too. This is just the way relationships are. And I thought, “Boy! She is a wise woman.” Because isn’t it just true that EVERY relationship, at SOME point in life, BUGS US? Even our dearest, most beloved friends can annoy us. Let us down. Mess up. Fail and sin and just blow it. (Just like we do to them!) That’s why we need grace–from God and toward one another.   It was interesting reading her words, though, because I thought about…

I received an email last month and did my best to encourage/help in my reply … and I thought that our exchange might be a blessing to some of you. So, having removed all identifying information and cleaned it up a tad, here it is. (Oh, and I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on these questions too! What would YOU have said to her? How would you have encouraged her?) Joy to you, my friends! — Tara B. ———- Tara, Once again you hit the nail on the head! “Ultimately, we need to remember that our leaders have a right to be wrong.” I certainly am convicted for my…

Happy Mother’s Day! We’re about to head off to church … but I thought you might enjoy reading the article that I recently had published in the Peacemaker Ministries eMagazine (eNews @ Peacemaker Ministries). Hope it blesses you! And that you enjoy a wonderful Sabbath day of worship and rest. Yours, Tara B. Pursuing Peace with Our Parents–Hope for This Mother’s Day (and Every Day) Does Mother’s Day (or Father’s Day) fill you with gratitude for the loving, faithful, and godly parents you have? Praise the Lord! The blessing of true Christian fellowship with our parents cannot be overstated (or over-celebrated). But for many of us, relationships with our parents…

So something really sad happened to me today … a person I consider a friend said something to me that really hurt. Fred is URGING me to let it go. Don’t even think about it. Just cover it with grace. And I’m trying. But I’m still feeling very sad. I will tell you something encouraging, though. A friend wrote me a quick email today on a totally unrelated subject (SHE is actually going through some REALLY hard stuff these days) … and signed it with this line: “Take heart my friend, the Lord is with us!” Ah! What a good reminder. And what a wonderful encouragement too. Isn’t it amazing…

Yesterday, our pastor made a teaching point (about applying the gospel to the heart) by using the illustration of people who say things like: – “That’s JUST the way that I AM!” – “I am just a PLAIN SPOKEN person. I tell it like I see it and if people don’t like it, that’s too bad for them.” – “I just HAVE to say this to you. I KNOW you need to hear this …” His word picture was incredibly vivid. And sad. This is what he described: A person walking through life swinging a verbal machete and then marveling at his (or her!) loneliness and why all of these…

I know a woman who is extremely critical. EXTREMELY SO. But she doesn’t see it. If you were to ask her about her speech (as say, some hypothetical JD/MBA would have GENTLY done in the past), she would say that she is never (or at least RARELY) critical or negative. But if she were to listen to a recording of her typical conversations or read a transcript this is what she would find … – A plethora of information on other people that makes them look bad or points out their struggles, sins, or failures; – Many stories of how a certain person is unwise, foolish, or sinful; and –…

So even my “RATIONALIST HUMANIST” sister (who is also my dearest friend and one of the most loving and merciful people I have EVER met!!) had to use the word MIRACLE to describe my father’s survival. Me too. Hope you enjoy the pics! Sending you love,  Tara B.  

This past weekend, my dear friend’s daughter was married. It was a wonderful, wonderful weekend and I was thrilled just to be invited to attend. But then our family received a double blessing! We were asked to host some of the friends of the bride and groom. What a blast! AND a gentle rebuke too … You see, I just LOVED being around these young people. SO idealistic. SO hopeful. Married for maybe one or two years. Still excited about life, the Lord, their spouses. Working hard. Studying hard. Wondering where the Lord will lead them. Enthusiastic. Energetic. So NOT jaded. So NOT cynical. So amazingly HAPPY. I thoroughly enjoyed…

Here’s a link to an article I wrote for On Mission (the North American Mission Board’s magazine for missions): I Love Short-Term Missions! (But I Can’t STAND My Teammate) Hope it is a blessing to you!   With joy, Tara B.  

Yesterday, I had a challenging, interesting, and fun email exchange with a woman who was trying to reconcile to a good friend. It had been years since they had even spoken with one another and she was feeling convicted about some of the “logs” in her eye and wondering whether she should contact her estranged friend and make an apology. One portion of our email exchange was SUCH a blessing to me that I asked for her permission to share it with you (and she said, “Sure!”) so here it is (edited for confidentiality and clarity): Tara- thanks for writing back- I am very encouraged about things with “Mary”- God…