Speaking


[PLEASE NOTE: As of 2020, I am beginning to work on new books and speaking events related to helping churches as they serve traumatized members. (A recent sexual assault survivor, my childhood was also an 9/10 on the ACES Scale for Adverse Childhood Experiences.) So please consider the following descriptions of speaking events as being, in general, historical. And please stay in touch via Facebook if you would like to know when the new material is available.

You are still welcome to submit an event inquiry form, of course. But please understand in advance that it would need to be a unique set of circumstances for me to accept. Thanks much! — Tara B.]

From ballrooms filled with hundreds of women, to rugged retreat camps with less than twenty, it is always a privilege to be invited to share fellowship and ministry with God’s people.

Fred and I take all invitations seriously and we are humbled to receive them. We commit all speaking invitations to prayer and also submit them our pastors for their counsel and approval.

If you have any questions about my speaking events after reviewing the following information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Standard Events

I am always open to considering a custom topic for any event—so please be sure to let me know if there is something happening in the life of your church, women’s ministry, mother’s group, or other organization that you would like me to address. However, please note that I accept only a limited number of custom events each year because of the time required for study and preparation.

My schedule more readily accommodates the following standard events—so if you’d like to have me serve at your event in the coming year or two, you may want to stick to one of these:

1. Women and Peacemaking—A Journey of Grace (my standard women’s retreat): Flexible enough to accommodate most one, two, or three-day retreats, my preference is to teach this material in four ninety-minute sessions (but I can do it in as little as three sessions and expand to fill five sessions). The topics covered include: The Gospel—Our Foundation for Peace; Biblical Peacemaking (two sessions); and Lasting Peace Through Heart Change (with an optional “Relationships that Show the World Jesus” session available). Click here to learn more about this standard women’s retreat. And if you would like to preview this retreat, I have a 5-CD audio recording that I would be happy to loan to your event team for their review.

2. Ordering Our Disordered Affections—Turning from our Secret Struggles: It is rightfully sobering and devastatingly tragic to admit—but many Christian women struggle with habitual, hidden sins that spring from hearts filled with disordered affections. We may have great success in leading and serving others, but something is off—we respond to pressure, exhaustion, and disappointment in ways that leave a guilty stain. It could be snapping in anger at our family or coworkers; indulging in hidden escape measures like wasting time online, excessively eating, drinking, taking mood-altering medications, or exercising to excess; racking up credit card debt on purchases we can’t afford in a futile effort to soothe ourselves; or even reading and viewing erotic literature and media and giving in to fantasies and actions we know, deep down, are obviously sinful. (Young women being one of the highest growth demographics for pornography usage and emotionally and physically entangled relationships between Christian women becoming more and more common.)

Do you know how to help the women in your life who are trapped by their disordered affections? Are you frustrated by your own lack of progress in an area of habitual sin? Many of you know, from seeing her at your women’s events, that Tara ballooned up to morbid obesity through a 110+ weight gain over the last few years. (Gluttony being one of those oft’ hidden sins that annoyingly manifests itself publicly.) How did Tara grow—or shrink!—in this difficult area? How do any of us repent of our ruling lusts when it’s so mortifying to even admit they exist, more or less to seek help for them? This retreat will be difficult, but life-giving, as we are honest about our struggles, bring them out into the Light, and see how God gives us everything we need for lasting growth in grace.

3. Fear Not: Finding God’s Comfort for My Fearful Soul – Peace and rest are great concepts in the abstract—biblical, Christ-centered, even pleasant and healthy. But if we are honest, most Christian women do not experience much peace in their day-to-day lives. We often are rushed, stressed, and anxious. God’s Word says He loves us and will provide for us, but we live as though we have to take care of everything ourselves. Our bodies are tense, our hearts are restless, and deep down we are exhausted by our worries. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus understands that we are weary and burdened and He calls us to find rest for our souls in Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Join us and see how common your fears are—you are not alone! Be encouraged by biblical and practical ways to experience God’s rest even in the busyness of your life. Jesus really does give you His peace (John 14:27). God truly invites you to cast all your anxieties on Him (1 Peter 5:7) and to find comfort for your soul (Psalm 94:19).

4. Titus 2 Today: When you think of a “Titus 2 Woman” do the terms doctrine and relationship come to mind? According to Susan Hunt’s (wonderful!) book, True Woman, “Titus 2 Women” are “cultivators of community.” This sounds so good in theory, but many of us struggle daily with loneliness, broken relationships, and deep feelings of isolation—and the impact of technology and social media is only exacerbating this truth. Most Christian women long for intimate relationships and fear intimate relationships—often because we believe the lie that we are the “only ones” with doubts, habitual sins, conflicted relationships, and areas of unbelief. Recognizing that our lives proclaim our theology in vivid color, this retreat focuses on what we believe and how we live concerning God, ourselves, and the world around us—especially how are we to live as women in relationship with other women. This retreat tackles hard topics related to theology and logic … and it’s lots of fun too! (Appropriate for all ages, teenage and young women may be particularly helped and challenged by this retreat—especially if they come with the “Titus 2 Women” in their lives. If your schedule so allows, Tara can do a special “young women” session just for that strategic age group.)

Speaking Fees and Costs

I am blessed to report that Fred and I currently do not require any set fee for an event. Instead, we prayerfully consider each invitation I receive, and to date we have not yet turned down one for financial reasons.

Usually, the event host pays for my travel/meals/lodging costs (I require hotel–not private home–lodging unless the event has a unique need), any costs associated with the training (handouts, Peacemaker brochures, costs of shipping resources if they want a resource table, and provides me with a most welcome honorarium. If it helps you for planning purposes, I am happy to share that unless I am serving in a missionary or inner-city (i.e., financially challenged) context, I am usually paid no less than $1,000 for any event, and multi-day events usually pay more.

Referrals from Previous Events

If you would like to speak with previous event hosts to learn more about how I serve at conferences and retreats, please contact me and I’ll be glad to get you in touch with some recent event hosts.

For quotes from women who have attended my past events, please click here.

Speaking Request Form

If you would like to request that I consider speaking at your event, please complete this online form.