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Tara Johnson

sharing stories through writing, speaking and singing

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Love

When My Heart Finds Home: A Christmas Story

December 16, 2019 By Tara Johnson 4 Comments

“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to—” Eli punched the scan button of the car radio dial with a little more force than necessary before curling his fingers back around the steering wheel. Static mingled with the broken sounds of passing Christmas tunes, news radio, and twangy country ballads. From the backseat, Joshua sighed. Eli glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “What’re you thinking about, buddy?” “Mom.” Joshua’s eyes listlessly roved over the passing scenery. “She loved Christmas Read More

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Christmas, homeless, homeless camp, loss, Love, love God, Love People

The Power of the Dandelion

August 5, 2018 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

There are a few things that remind me of spring and summer: fireflies, the scent of honeysuckle, and dandelions. Even as a child, I’ve always been fond of those downy domes of fluff. I would clutch a stem in my fingers and blow, watching its feathery wisps dance and scatter through the air. Beauty in one eye is misery in another. My grandmother always wrinkled up her nose at the buttery heads poking up in her flower bed.  “Ugh! Dandelions.” She always mentioned them as Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine Tagged With: dandelions, each life matters, how we live affects others, impact, Love, the power of a single life, the power of dandelions

The Mean Stepsister

July 21, 2018 By Tara Johnson 1 Comment

Redemption is a beautiful thing. There is something, 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 understand the gist of this kind of Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine Tagged With: broken, chosen, cinderella, Jesus, Love, love transforms, Prince, redeemed, redemption, stepsister, transform, Worth

Give Way

September 24, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

While in Great Britain, I noted many peculiarities in speech and customs different from my own—the use of a “water closet” instead of a restroom, tea rooms on every corner instead of Starbucks (although I did find a few of those too), Cornish pasties instead of sandwiches, and my favorite…the moment a bakery worker stared at me in utter confusion when I ordered a “cocoa” instead of a “hot chocolate”. When he finally realized what I meant, he slapped his knee and belted out a Read More

Filed Under: Blog, Walking with God Tagged With: Die to self, give way, God's way, Great Britian, Love, sacrifice, sacrificial love, submitting to God, United Kingdom, Walking with Jesus, yield, yielding to God

What I Carried Back from the United Kingdom: Angeles

September 18, 2017 By Tara Johnson 8 Comments

I spent last week in the beautiful hills and hollows of the United Kingdom. Quaint villages and ocean-side drives by enormous bluffs greeted us at every turn. We visited lovely towns like Lacock, Bath, Cotswold, Lynmoth and Lynton, to name a few. We witnessed stunning vistas where movies like Disney’s Cinderella were filmed, as well as Harry Potter, Downton Abbey and Poldark. There was history and beauty in every moment. However, it was one single soul in the bustling city of Oxford who captured my Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized, Walking with God Tagged With: Christ-like love, Christian living, Christian service, compassion, England, giving, homeless, Love, love the broken, loving like Jesus, Oxford, the least of these, United Kingdom

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

When Your Kid is…Different

January 29, 2017 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

Sometimes, Moms just know. They know when all isn’t as it should be. When the other three year olds are able to count to ten but their child can’t articulate “one”, “two” or “three”. Moms know when it’s strange that their three old son can’t ask for a specific food when he’s hungry, but instead opens his mouth and yells, “Eat!” She knows that something is wrong when her adorable little boy is three and she’s still not heard him say his own name. She Read More

Filed Under: Family Life, Uncategorized Tagged With: children, Christian living, cognitive therapy, delay, God, kids, Love, parenting, special needs, Special needs kids, speech therapy

The Redemption of Kip

July 5, 2016 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

“Runt.” “He’ll never live.” “He’s so scrawny.” I don’t know what I did wrong. I was born, I guess. While all my brothers and sisters were cute, wriggly little pups, I was the outcast. Never expected to do much. To be much. At the pet store, the chubby, groping fingers of girls and boys would rove over all of our heads, scratching our ears, picking us up and snuggling their cheeks next to ours. Such happy feelings filled me, I couldn’t help but lick their Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized Tagged With: broken, compassion, dog, God, hope, Jesus, Love, outcast, redemption, rejection, rescue, salvation, transformed, true love, unwanted

The Fascinating Story of “O Holy Night”

December 14, 2015 By Tara Johnson Leave a Comment

When asked what my favorite Christmas song is, a dozen tunes flicker through my mind—a bubbly, upbeat version of “White Christmas”, “Be Born in Me”, “Winter Wonderland” or my guilty pleasure, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”—all top the list. But the one that never grows old and gives me sweet chills every time I hear it is “O Holy Night”.  The origins of this beloved song are fascinating. The year was 1847 in a French village, and the local priest made an unusual request of the Read More

Filed Under: Beyond What We Can Imagine, Uncategorized Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas carols, Christmas songs, Jesus, Jesus' birth, Love, Love Letters from God, O Holy Night

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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

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”

Award-winning Author

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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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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