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Tara Johnson

sharing stories through writing, speaking and singing

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God's love

Love and Like: When Agape Love is Hard

April 23, 2018 By Tara Johnson 2 Comments

“Momma, I love you.”  “I love you too, buddy.” “Momma, know what else? I like you.” My sweet boy tells me the same paired sentiments day after day, usually multiple times a day. One day, a friend overheard his loving thoughts. “Why does he say the same thing twice?” I smiled as I ruffled Nate’s dark hair. “He’s not. My little guy is pretty wise. He’s learned there’s a big difference between liking someone and loving them.” It’s true, isn’t it? God told us to Read More

Filed Under: Life from my Kids' Points of View Tagged With: agape love, agape love is hard, God's love, obedience, the difference between love and like, tough stuff

Lessons from the Water Park: What is Agape Love?

August 14, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

I blinked against the bright sunshine as happy children squealed around me. Magic Springs was full this particular afternoon. Full of hyped-up children and exhausted parents. Close to fifty little ankle biters scurried around me at the splash pad. Water sprayed in every direction and the scent of chlorine filled my nose. My own little guy had climbed up the stairs and gleefully gone down the slide at least seventy-two times and showed no signs of wearing out. We were in it for the long Read More

Filed Under: Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: agape love, God's love, humble and kind, Jesus, pushovers, real men, real women, sacrificial love, serving, teaching children to be great adults, teaching kids to love Jesus, What is agape love

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 Seeing Blind

March 20, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

In this present darkness, most of us feel oppressed at every turn. We sense spiritual forces battling it out. Good versus evil. Angels versus demons. Light against shadows. We’ve been taught to be good soldiers for Christ. Take up our cross and fight. Fight for truth. Fight for our children. Fight, well, for everything. Speaking the truth is always the right thing to do. We must speak what God has declared to be true, omitting nothing. But one thing most of us forget is this: Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized Tagged With: broken, Forgiveness, God, God's love, good fight, good news, gospel, healing, hope, hurting, Jesus, Love, Scandalous love, scars, sin, social media, truth, truth and love

The Mean Stepsister

January 23, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

  Redemption is a beautiful thing. There is something so poignant, something almost sweeping and, dare I say, romantic about someone with power and position plucking a nobody from the crowd and claiming them as their own. Perhaps that’s why I’ve so frequently heard the Gospel compared to a fairy tale story. A king sweeping the lonely girl away to a land where all her dreams come true. Not long ago, I heard someone compare what God has done to the story of Cinderella. I Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized Tagged With: broken, cinderella, fairy tale, God's love, good news, gospel, Jesus, redemption, saved, stepsister, unlovable

The Little Girl from the Land of Gray

November 8, 2015 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

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 Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine Tagged With: Adopted, Adopted by God, bought with a price, fairy tale, God's love, God's princess, Heirs of God, Heirs to the throne, redeemed

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Latest Blog Posts

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Reader Reviews:

Robin Lee Hatcher

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Tara Johnson delivers a stirring tale of danger and hope.” Read more “Robin Lee Hatcher”

RITA and Christy Award winner

Jocelyn Green

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Lovers of Civil War fiction will rejoice to add Engraved on the Heart to their collections.” Read more “Jocelyn Green”

Award-winning Author

Laura Frantz

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Johnson weaves a tale of selflessness, and service . . .” Read more “Laura Frantz”

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Sarah Sundin

Engraved on the Heart by Tara Johnson

“Engraved on the Heart brings Savannah, Georgia, during the Civil War to life.” Read more “Sarah Sundin”

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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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