The pastor walked back down the dirt trail etched in the side of the Arkansas mountains, his heart heavy. The new visitor at church had begged and pleaded. “Please, sir. Please visit my family. They live up in the mountains just outside of town. I’ve been telling them about Jesus, about how he changed me but I don’t think they’re listening.” The young man’s ears reddened. “My family is a mite…peculiar. Superstitious. They think I’m confused but I believe they might listen to you.” He could never deny such a request. After work and supper the following day, he’d set…

I can't wait to introduce you to a dear friend and fellow Southerner...my buddy Ane Mulligan! Ane is one of those special people who is bursting with sunshine. She has a brand new story out entitled In High Cotton and I invited her here to tell you all about it. (And she's brought a yummy recipe with her.) So without further ado...here's Ane! Thank you, Tara, for allowing me to meet your readers. A big Georgia “hey” to all y’all. (That’s hello in Georgian). When people learn I’m an author, they want to know what kind of books I write.…

"Runt." "He'll never live." "He's so scrawny." I don't know what I did wrong. I was born, I guess. While all my brothers and sisters were cute, wriggly little pups, I was the outcast. Never expected to do much. To be much. At the pet store, the chubby, groping fingers of girls and boys would rove over all of our heads, scratching our ears, picking us up and snuggling their cheeks next to ours. Such happy feelings filled me, I couldn't help but lick their giggling faces with big swipes of my tongue. But eventually those happy feelings died as…

You’re living in trying times, my friend. Trust me, I have an inkling of the discomfort you bear. Instability and chaos on every side, opinions being flung about with startling force, political upheaval, food shortages, and financial distress. It’s difficult to sleep some nights, isn’t it? But take heart. I survived and so will you. By the grace of the Almighty, you will come through this trying season stronger and wiser. But if you care to receive some prodigious advice from one who has battled through one of our nation’s most difficult hours, I would be so inclined to lend…

The year 2020 was supposed mean vision. 20/20 laser focus on what's important. At least, that's what a friend recently told me. She scratched her head. "This was supposed to be the year for clarity. Why does it feel more like I should be watching for a plague of locusts on the horizon?" It's been rough. COVID-19, riots, murder hornets, food shortages, natural disasters, and economic instability has left the world reeling with anxiety. To be honest, I took most of the upheaval in stride. Kids doing school from home? No problem. I homeschooled for years. It was like slipping…

During this tumultuous season in our nation, its easy to raise our voices, to shout our opinions, our convictions, and our testimonies. In all honesty, I feel that social media can become a riot of its own...a mob of anger, name-calling, opportunities to be 'seen', and pointing fingers. Little of it is effective. Some of it causes the wounds to deepen. We live in a sin-sick world, filled with broken people who have been grieved and hurt by other wounded people. The ripple effects of these decisions cascade down through generations. That's what sin does. It kills. It destroys. It…