by Tara Johnson Have you seen the "Stop It" sketch starring Bob Newhart? A friend recently showed it to me on Youtube and I confess, it left me in stitches. Let me give you the quick run-down: Bob Newhart is playing a therapist and a woman enters his office as a first time patient. He tells her he only charges five dollars for a five minute therapy session. She looks baffled but pleased. How often can you get a deal like that? He listens to her confess her terrifying phobia of being trapped in a box, a debilitating neurosis that…

There it was. The screaming. The wailing. The crying. Audible proof that my two girls had engaged in another battle of wills as they cleaned their room. I braced myself for the onslaught of "she said"s and "It's all her faults"s as I climbed the stairs to their room. Sure enough, one was accused of pushing her work off on the other. The pushee called the pusher a creep. The pusher called the pushee a jerk...you get the idea.  As I listened to their wails of injustice, I groaned in spirit. I know I'm not alone. Moms all over the…

by Tara Johnson Push ups. Pull ups. Sit ups. Juice fasts. No carbs. All carbs. Cellulite. Lipsuction. Tummy tucks. Botox. Lunges. Slimming pants. Spanx. Colon cleanse. Burn, sweat and you'll be ripped, finally attaining physical perfection and the fulfillment of your dreams. Sound familiar?   Our culture is inundated with the strive for the perfect body. Whether it's diets, workout plans, skin imperfections or the like, we have become a people obsessed. Just look at all the controversy that popped up weeks ago when a photo of Cindy Crawford hit the internet---a photo void of airbrushing and computer tricks. The…

by Tara Johnson We've looked at the ups and downs of PK life, as well as the lasting scars inflicted by cruel people in many churches. But don't throw out your fish food yet. Some guppies have tried to swim through turbulent waters and floundered. Others have thrived, even in a tiny fish bowl with hundreds of eyes on them, just waiting for them to go belly up. Tired of the fish puns? Me too. Let's swim away and take a look at what we can do to help the preacher's kids thrive. I should add that this advice doesn't…

by Tara Johnson I was surprised seeing all the hands raised in the room. A room filled with inmates. I was surprised but not shocked. When I asked the inmates at Tucker prison if there were any preacher's kids in the audience, at least one sixth of those in attendance raised their hands, sheepish smiles ghosting their faces. From PK to inmate. How does it happen? And why are preacher's kids, those who have been raised in the faith, leaving their churches as adults? Let's review Part 1 of this blog series, The Fishbowl, The Glass House and Other Annoyingly Transparent…

by Tara Johnson My car is stuck in second gear. True story.   Actually, it's my husband's car but I had the distinct displeasure of driving 'the turtle', as I call it, yesterday while taking my middle child to Speech so my hubby could use our good vehicle for a short road trip. I'd totally forgotten his car had seen better days until I slipped behind the wheel. Not just better days. Faster days. Cooler days. Did I mention the air conditioning doesn't work either? Oh, and some of the windows won't roll down. Limited ventilation. No air. In Arkansas.…