Past stars and galaxies, the glittering lights of mysteries beyond I flew. I was not alone. No, an entire heavenly congregation soared with me. We danced past shimmering hosts and luminescent wonders, winging and dancing, spiraling and speeding past the diamonds of the Holy One's masterpiece until we pushed past the transparent glass of the blue marbled planet's firmament. I breathed in the frigid air, peering through the night sky, to look down on this strange place...the King's new home. Humble. Broken. Needy. Such a startling contrast from the glory of whence He had come. Indeed, the raw starkness of it swirled…

This past week I was making my usual 'it's about to storm so I must stock up on bread, milk and eggs' run...oh yes, and chocolate. (Don't judge me.) As I perused through the shoe aisle (did I mention shoes?), I suddenly became aware of a burst of Christmas cheer coming from the aisle next to mine. A group of female voices were singing "Deck the Halls" with giggling abandon. They weren't quiet about it. Oh no. They were downright jubilant! They finished their concert and then burst into song again when "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" came over the…

This is my girls' attitude of gratitude board. Every month we have a new theme and each day they put a new sticky note on the board. November's theme is, you guessed it, thankfulness. Their first sticky notes were broad things, like their gratitude for God, family and friends. Lately though, they are starting to get a little more specific...hair, turkey, movies. My two-year old said, "Buzz." (As in Buzz Lightyear.) Several days ago, I polled my Facebook friends, asking them what they were thankful for. (If you aren't part of our Facebook group, hop on over! www.facebook.com/tara.johnson.1401) Most gave…

I recently heard this funny little story at an event where I was singing: There was a little old lady who woke up one morning to realize she only had three hairs left on her head. She looked in the mirror, smiled and said, "Lord, I thank you because I can braid my hair today." So she did. The next day she woke up and only two hairs remained. She looked in the mirror, smiled and said, "Lord, I thank you because today I can part my hair.'" And she did. The third morning she awoke and looked in the…

Once upon a time, a sad girl lived in a dark, dreary land. As far as the eye could see, the land was gray. No colorful flowers danced in the breeze. There were no trees or sunshine, just bleak gray clouds and barren fields of dirt. There were many people but no one was happy.  The mean ruler of the Land of Darkness kept all the people chained in irons, wrist to wrist and foot to foot. If anyone tried to escape, they would only fall, entangled in the shackles binding them. The sad girl always wondered what was just…

Today I'm going to ask the BIG question...the question that plagues every single human the world over. What do you think happens when you die?  Some confess they have no idea. Some might say, "Well, I'm basically a good person, so I guess I'll go to heaven." Let's look at that for a moment. Let's go through the Ten Commandments and see how good you are. (Exodus 20) Have you ever told a lie? If the answer is yes, that means you are a liar. I know, I know...putting it so bluntly hurts. But we are trying to be honest…