An email/blog/becoming “real life” friend signed off a recent email with this line: “Remember that God delights in you, is the one who fights your battles, and to speak kindly to yourself in the midst of this difficult time …” Good advice, eh? To speak kindly to myself. ‘Twould be a grace.  (Thanks, friend.) Yours, Tara B. 

In yet another reminder of His loving care, God has provided for our need of ours before we even asked Him about it! It has to do with the light fixture above our dining room table. For some inexplicable reason, the glass just started breaking, shattering, and dropping big pieces to the ground. (Not a great situation, especially with small children and Goldens running around.) My next plan was just to remove it and have a bare bulb until our finances turned around a bit and we could afford a new light fixture, but then this weekend, friends from church (out of the blue) just gave us their old one:…

Oh! Please do not miss this astounding article in World Magazine by Marvin Olasky: Communion with St. Paul–That God might be glorified in Addis Abba I sat on an airplane last week and WEPT as I read of the ministry of Dr. and Mrs. Paul Lim. Dr. Lim left his profitable plastic surgery practice and comfortable life in the United States to minister to the poorest of the poor; the most rejected people in society. There was story after story of grace in action! Consider just a few: “A teenage mom walked in holding a 1-month-old with a completely cleft lip. She sat, gazed at her baby, and smiled—no, glowed:…

I had a LONG flight to Florida on Thursday and a LONG flight home today. But it wasn’t as long as a certain father-son duo who happened to be on the exact same flights as me … The son must be very, very sick. I assume he is dying–although I am no medical expert. He was just barely skin and bones. Unable to move his own arms, legs, or even hold his head upright. So his father held his head for him. Both flights. The entire 3.5 and 4 hours respectively. The dad stretched his sons arms and legs. Lovingly held his head. Whispered in his ear. Obviously loved him…

I listen to the news; I read news magazines and websites … so why do I hear/read every nuance of every ridiculous thing a (potential!) candidate says; every result of every (ridiculous!) poll … But, until I check in with MilitaryMotivator, I hear NOTHING of the bravery of this great man? Medal of Honor Awarded to Michael Monsoor Only weeks to go until his deployment ended. Having already been awarded the Silver Star for bravery I can’t even imagine (during the FIRST month of his FIRST deployment). Only 25 years old. “‘He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it,’ said a 28-year-old lieutenant…

A good read over at Pastor JollyBlogger. (Sounds like Mr. Mann and my “Grandpa Bernie” would be buds, doesn’t it?) Grace grace grace! And the legacy of a life well lived. Thanks, Pastor JollyBlogger!  (And thank You, God, for men like Mr. Mann. Please comfort his family as they grieve their loss.) Yours, Tara B.  

I’ve shared this story at my alumni/advanced women’s retreat (when we talk about adoption), but it’s SO AMAZING and it was JUST printed in our local paper, so I thought I’d share it again: Chance Meeting on Airplane Leads to Teen’s Adoption (Don’t forget the tissues if you take two minutes to read this.) Grace grace grace.  Wow. (Oh–and we are in the same church as this family. The parents are on staff at Peacemaker Ministries.)  

Today during our Bible reading, as she looked at the edges of the pages of my study Bible, Sophia said: “Momma? Don’t you think that the pages of our Bible are shiny Gold because Jesus is the Light of the World?” And I said, “Sure!”   😉  

I’m working through the DVD’s and study guide (again) and OH MAN! I am totally cracking up at two incredibly humbling things: 1. One of my eagle-eye proofers made the gentle observation that I tend to “overuse” quotation marks to set apart “colloquial” phrases. I thought, “Hmmmmm? I do?” So I did a little “search” in “Word” and “YUP!” There were, oh, say, “A FEW HUNDRED” sets of “completely unnecessary” and quite “distracting” quotation marks around various “words.” Hah. I never would’ve known that about my writing. I never would’ve seen it. Thank God for the Body of Christ! In the counsel of many, there really is great wisdom. 2.…

One of my “buttons” in life … (You know, the kind of thing that really TICKS ME OFF and brings out some definitely UNATTRACTIVE, totally NOT-GOD-HONORING, absolutely 100% areas in NEED OF FURTHER SANCTIFICATION in me …) … is when I am working, working, working, working, WORKING like a mad woman and then either: 1. I realize that there is NO WAY I’m going to get everything done; and/or 2. Something happens to disrupt my crazy-freaking-out-busy-accomplishing-so-much Tara-To-Do-ness. (You know, like a husband not reading my mind and not doing something “just so.” A daughter needing, oh, I don’t know … food, water, love, attention.) Well … having JUST proofed the…