by Tara Johnson When planning a wedding, expect that something on your big day will go wrong. After all, that's the advice everyone gave me when I was planning mine. I, however, wasn't prepared for the fact that everything would go wrong. Instead of white lace and rice, the wedding resembled more of a scene from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. May 31, 1997 arrived. Our wedding day and despite everyone's continual advice to expect a hitch somewhere in the program, I was determined our day would be memorable. Boy, was it memorable. Our two year old ring bearer who…

by Tara Johnson "You need to wear your son out." I blinked slowly, trying to understand what the older woman who had approached me had said, a task made difficult by my son's screams of temper and my own strangled nerves. I felt frayed. Exhausted. At the end of my rope. The excursion into Walmart was not going well.  I'd had high hopes for the grocery store run. After all, my son's terrible two fits were getting better. I had been diligent with him at home. He seemed to be comprehending that life wasn't just about him. We were making…

Yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in front of my computer, clacking away on some writing projects when I heard the familiar scratching of a bluebird trapped inside my fireplace. My poor little, clueless bluebirds. They seem to make a daily habit of curiously exploring our chimney, only to fall into the fireplace looking dazed and confused.  Seeing the brilliant sapphire feathers, it was easy to tell this was a male. My first thought was "Why don't males ever ask for directions?" But I digress... Usually, this dilemma is easy enough to solve. I usher my little dogs out the front door,…

The other day I had my youngest daughter in Walmart and as soon as she saw the toy section glowing like a beacon to the mother ship, she began tugging my hand and running up ahead of me, dragging me like an anchor behind her. In her eagerness to find the Barbies, she pulled me so hard I was afraid she would trip and get hurt. Do you ever try to run ahead of God? I know I have. I prayed for years that God would reveal His plan for my life. When He finally did, I got so excited…

I love my Daddy. He's my hero and has taught me so much about what it means to have courage, patience and a heart that beats for Jesus. He's a caring pastor, husband, father, son, friend and Papa. When he smiles, with his blue eyes twinkling, I catch glimpses of my Heavenly Father. It's easy to grasp God's love for me because it was so beautifully modeled by my own Dad. Some of you may have a broken relationship with your earthly father. Some of you may not have been hoisted on his strong shoulders or been treated with tender affection.…

I'm a lot more spiritual after I've had caffeine. I know it's sad but true. I've lost count of how many times I've joked about it. It usually gets a laugh because we all know what it's like to stumble out of bed, hair tangled and blinking through puffy eyes, unready and unprepared to face another day. Sunlight seems like an offense. We mumble and grumble through our morning routine, grouching at loud noises or quick tempers. We snap for others to leave us alone until we've had our coffee, our Mountain Dew or whatever our stimulant of choice may…