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Tara Johnson

sharing stories through writing, speaking and singing

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fear

When Fear Was Shattered

April 10, 2020 By Tara Johnson 2 Comments

What strange times we’re muddling through. Covid-19 has left us all reeling, searching for answers. For normalcy. For an end to the chaos. For hope. I pondered what I should share with you this month. I wondered if you wanted to know how my speaking schedule has come to a grinding halt. (Whose hasn’t?) I could tell you about living out of boxes while in the middle of a move during a global epidemic, or how being a homeschooling mama has saved my sanity during Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine Tagged With: Easter, fear, Jesus, resurrection

Fear is a Liar

May 14, 2018 By Tara Johnson 6 Comments

The opposite of love is not hate. It’s fear.  How many lives have been destroyed because of fear? How many marriages ruined, how many children scarred, how many dreams unfulfilled and how many people chained in the terrifying prison of addiction because of fear? So many of us are experiencing a life half-lived. We cower in the shadows, afraid to confront the wounds we need to expose to God’s light. This hissing snake tells us no one will understand if we share our feelings. It Read More

Filed Under: Blog, satan's lies, Walking with God Tagged With: confronting emotions with God's truth, fear, fear is a liar, Jesus, resist the devil, satan's lies, spiritual warfare, submit to God, the enemy of our souls

What Exactly is “Perfect Love”?

March 11, 2018 By Tara Johnson 40 Comments

Fear is the one thing every human being on the planet shares. We’ve all felt it. We all know that dark, encroaching panic that claws at our hearts. For years I’ve heard the same pat answer, the same verse over and over until I can quote it verbatim. “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18. Okay, so to get rid Read More

Filed Under: Life from my Kids' Points of View, special needs, Walking with God Tagged With: fear, fear cannot exist with praise, Jesus, perfect love, perfect love casts out fear, praise, praising God, the power of worship

When the Wind and Waves Won’t Obey

February 25, 2018 By Tara Johnson 4 Comments

Fear is one thing every human being across the globe has experienced. Whether it’s fear of change, the unexpected diagnosis, family drama, or the monster hiding in the closet, we are people who tremble at the thought of the unknown.  We like what we can control, but when we have no control, fear breathes against our heart like a panting, snarling shadow. Even those who walked, talked and touched Jesus felt this same paralyzing agony. “On that [same] day, when evening had come, He [Jesus] Read More

Filed Under: Walking with God Tagged With: control, fear, illusion of control, peace be still, shaken, trusting God, what ifs, wind and waves

Game-Changing Prayers

August 22, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

What is the most under-utilized arsenal within the armor of God? The Breastplate of Righteousness? The Helmet of Salvation? Shoes of Peace? The Belt of Truth? The Sword of the Spirit or the Shield of Faith? All of these are critically important, and if you lack one you intrinsically hurt the effectiveness of the others. Hang with me, because this is a bit of Taraology here, but I tend to think the piece of equipment we most often dismiss is the one Paul tacks on Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: armor of God, fear, game changing prayers, God, life-changing prayers, prayer, prayers that erase fear, praying

When You Can’t See God

July 30, 2017 By Tara Johnson 2 Comments

Magic Springs wore me out last week. Correction. The heat, combined with my children’s nonstop energy, wore me out. The amusement park nestled in the outskirts of Hot Springs, Arkansas is a popular place to take families for summer fun where they can zoom down water slides, swim, splash in freeze zones, play games like bumper cars or catch a ride on numerous pulse-stopping roller coasters. After hours swimming in the hot sun, the older kids wanted to ride a coaster. My friend offered to Read More

Filed Under: satan's lies, Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: abandonment, anxiety, emotions, fear, God's love, God's word, Grace, Grace moves in, Jesus never leaves, truth, when you can't see God, where is God

The Rodeo Clown: Learning to Be Seen

July 3, 2017 By Tara Johnson 1 Comment

“Tara, why can’t you look me in the eye?” My friend’s question sliced to the quick. We had been chatting for over forty minutes and the topic had drifted from the mundane to more personal waters. Personal makes me uncomfortable. When I know someone is peeling back layers and taking a peek underneath the mask I work so hard to keep fixed in place, the intensity of their stare is too much. I don’t want them to see the trembling mess I am. So I Read More

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: El Roi, embracing grace, fear, God, Insecurity, Jesus, people pleasing, perfectionism, shame, The God Who sees me

Learning Joy in Failure

April 30, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

  The Arkansas State Police is a happening place to be, especially in the motor vehicle office and even more so from one to four when they are administering driving tests. I recently took a family member to fill out some paperwork, which provided me plenty of time to sit in the waiting room and watch people coming and going. Anxious teens milled around, some of whom were too cool to show their jitters. Nervous mothers smacking gum contrasted against parents who rolled their eyes, Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: beauty in mistakes, control, embracing failure, failure, fear, fear of failure, illusion of control, joy in failure, learning from mistakes, Mistakes, perfectionism, success

Rods and Staffs

March 12, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

God’s presence. How I long for it. There are days when I feel nearly desperate for it. For Him. In some ways, it’s an odd longing. Didn’t Jesus already promise He’s with me until the end of the age? (Matt. 28:20) Absolutely. He said His Spirit is living inside me as a deposit of the promises yet to come. (2 Cor. 1:22) Yet, there are days when I don’t always feel Him with me. I’m not alone. When I googled “God’s presence” I racked up a Read More

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: broken pieces, fear, God, God's presence, Good Shepherd, grief, healing, His love abounds, Jesus, loss, pain, presence, psalms, rod and staff, suffering, wounds

Living Like Sugar

February 27, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

Our house was hopping this weekend. Teenage girls and giggling preteens were everywhere. Nate zoomed through the chaos in his normal Hulk-ish style. Movies, candy, tasting challenges, raucous laughter, Youtube videos, card games…there was noise coming from every direction. Most in the house had a blast…with the exception of our dog Sugar. Poor thing. She’s ten years old. Far too elderly for whooping and hollering, high-pitched squeals and pounding feet. She’s suffered enough living with Nate. In the middle of the bedlam, I moved to Read More

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: anxiety, fear, God's peace, hiding, overcome, overcome the world, peace, peace in the middle of hard times, psalm 91, rest, shadow of the almighty, shelter

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Meet Tara

Tara JohnsonTara Johnson is a writer, singer, speaker and passionate lover of stories. Tara uses fiction, nonfiction, song and laughter to share her testimony of how God led her into freedom after spending years living shackled to the expectations of others. She lives in central Arkansas with her husband and children.

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