(Told ya’ there’d be a lot of blogs generated by CCEF authors Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp’s new book, How People Change. I hope that you get this book!) Profs. Lane and Tripp explain that I live anxiously because I have gospel amnesia. (Isn’t that the best turn of a phrase?! Man, these guys can write.) – I am anxious because I forget my identity is in Christ. – I am anxious because I take on my problems as identities. – I forget that I have everything I need for life and godliness through Christ. Friends, we are called to remember God’s identity, provision, and process for our…

I’m reading Bryan Chapell’s book, Praying Backwards, so I’m thinking a lot about prayer these days. How (rightfully) ashamed I am by my all-too-frequent bouts of prayerlessness. And yet how comforted I am by the patience and kindness of God. Two lines from a recent Andree Seu article, This Body of Death, has also stuck with me: “Remember too, even the friends who like you best spend no more than five minutes a day thinking of you. God thinks of you all the time; talk to Him.”   Thank you, Mrs. Seu, for the wonderful reminder! And thank You, God, for calling us all to pray. “Our hearts are restless…

Each week, when I receive the email prayer requests from our congregation, I am constantly amazed by the prayers of a young (elementary-aged) girl in our church. I’ve begun to capture them in a Word doc. so that I can look over them all at once and see the beautiful, God-centered balance of worship, thanksgiving, intercession, and supplication that this little girl has. I have been so encouraged AND challenged by her prayers. Out of the mouths of babes! (I’ve even wondered if my publisher would ever be interested in putting them in a book form. Who knows?!) In the interim (and with the permission of her mother, but changing…

Earlier this year, one of my all-time favorite theologians and ministers, Ajith Fernando (of Youth for Christ) wrote a wonderful article on Christian leadership and the possibilities of grace. A few paragraphs really struck me personally, because I could SO relate to the “people who society has given up on.” (I’ve had a bunch of people–ostensibly friends who loved me–give up on me without warning.) O, that I would learn to give the kind of grace that Dr. Fernando speaks of in this excerpt! Hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me. God bless you! And G’nite– Your friend, Tara B.   — (An excerpt from LEADERSHIP ISSUES:…

Want to hear a wonderful example of sharing the gospel with preschoolers? I just received this lovely email and thought it might bless you — hope so! Sending you lots of love, t PS I edited it a bit and took out the identifying information too. — Hi Tara, I’ve been thinking about writing to you for a week or so now. I don’t particularly wish to clutter your e-mail box, but have been chatting with my preschoolers and have been blown away by how simple the gospel really is. I thought you might appreciate hearing about some of the conversations we’ve had at our house – they’ve actually been…

How do you respond when you are falsely accused? Incredibly, astoundingly misjudged? Attacked. Belittled. Mocked. Shown no (absolutely NO!) grace. At all. How is it POSSIBLE to respond with grace and care and love and kindness and THE GOSPEL? (When what I REALLY “want” to do is argue. PROVE that this person is wrong. Very, very wrong. Point out how breathtakingly INACCURATE his unkind, unmerciful, and MEAN his words are. Show (with illustration after illustration) how really HE is the one with the problem. He is the one whose faith is immature and has no biblical substance opr wisdom or maturity AT ALL. How HE never (ever!) talks about his…

What is it with nightmares?? I just had one last night and I woke up quite disturbed … Like most of the ones I have experienced, this one had just enough truthful reality to feel very, very real. Sort of like a scary story … you think, “This COULD happen. Maybe this IS real!” (Sort of like “The Da Vinci Code” that I see tucked under arms in airports all the time.) How grateful I am that real Truth is a Person.   And because of His perfect life, atoning death, and saving resurrection — I need not fear. Perfect love casts out all fear, right? (1 John) Thank God…

Almost every time I teach, I have the privilege of sharing fellowship, prayer, and sometimes a few tears with godly, wonderful, loving, beautiful, Spirit-filled, biblical-thinking single women who do not feel a specific calling to singleness, but who are striving to trust in the Lord and rest in His grace whether they are unmarried or married. (I’m picturing three such ladies from my most recent event last weekend in Georgia even as I type this!) If only I had known what I know now! (And if only I could get my act together and put a list of recommended blogs on my blog … it’s on my list of things…

My friend and I were visiting recently about our mutual struggle with self-condemning thoughts. The next day she wrote me this letter and I thought it might bless you (as it blessed me!). Hope so! — Dear Tara, Thank you for opening your home and your heart to us yet again. I know you were weary, beaten down, and discouraged. Please know that your honest and anguished sharing was actually used mightily in my heart. I have been thinking today about the habit of self condemnation. As you say, it is not “Christianly.” We can look to our past and see many reasons why we may have developed the habit.…

Last Sunday was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. What a gift of grace to have this tragic reminder at least once a year–but also many, many other times of course too. But then I went to our Bible study last night. Of all the things I’ve ever heard, read, or discussed about “pro-choice,” “pro-abortion,” or “pro-life,” what one of my friends shared has truly impacted me the most. And just to let you know a little of my background, although I am no expert on the topic, I did volunteer for years at my local Crisis Pregnancy Center where I served not only in an administrative position but I also…