It really is sunny in Philadelphia!

Good morning blogverse. This morning I'm in Philadelphia and it is sunny and a warm 70 degrees. How nice for the town to welcome me in such a temperate way.



For the next five days I will be taking part in the Youth Ministry Institute at Princeton Seminary. This weekend is the beginning of a two-year masters level certificate program. I'm so excited as to what I will learn and experience in the next few days, and a little nervous too. My family is great and supportive of all this, but I will miss them so much in the next week.

So in line with a prayer exercise what my friend Marlaena used when on her last mission team trip, I'd like to ask you to pray for me and my family in a specific manner over the next few days. This is a great opportunity, and I want to make the most of it. I know your prayer support will assist me in that goal greatly!

So here's the outline:

Saturday April 24:

Pray for Tara's heart. As today she will meet many new people and her cohort members, pray for God to give her eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to respond to all that God will reveal to them this week. And pray that God shapes and forms her attitudes, actions and words.

Sunday April 25:

Pray for Tara's home church as they take this day to lead Sunday school & worship.

Monday April 26:

Pray for Tara and her family's emotions. Pray for those with whom they will come into contact. Pray that they may give and receive the love of Jesus. Pray for unity and peace among the new cohort members.

Tuesday April 27:

Pray for mental focus and energy for Tara as she continues to study and take intensive classes.Pray for discernment as she reflects upon all that God is revealing.

Wednesday April 28:
Pray for the physical strength of Tara and her family. As her family shares extra duties in her absence, may they find support with each other. Pray for Tara as she transitions from student life and begins to think about the trip home.

Thursday April 29:

Pray for Tara and family generally, trusting that God knows all that is going on in their hearts, their minds, their souls, their bodies. Pray for Tara, Ian, Heather and Nigel specifically and what God is speaking into their life through this experience. Pray for Tara as she flies home at 5pm and arrives in Buffalo at 11pm. Pray for Ian as he drives to Buffalo to pick her up. Pray God give them traveling mercies as they make the way home together late Thursday night.

Friday April 30:

Pray for Tara and her family as they are reunited and have some time to share and rest before the return to work and ministry schedules on Sunday. Pray for Tara as she works to implement what she has learned and continues to learn with the Princeton YMI Cohort.


Thank you for your prayers and support during this time. I find it a little funny that me, a woman from a small town in western Ny, is having this opportunity to learn and grow! It is one more step in the adventure that God is leading. Please let me know if you have any specific prayer requests this week. You can leave them in the comment section and I will pray for you too!

I'd like to confess that...

Another thought on confession that I picked up on on page 80 of the text of Holy Conversations:

"We also need to confess that we have come to Jesus. Confessing sin is the negative side of confession ( saying no). Confessing Christ is the positive side (saying yes). Both confessing sin and confessing Jesus are necessary for new life in Christ."

When I think of the word confession, I tend to frame it in a primarily negative context. I think what is freeing about the above explanation is that it give a person a place to let go of what inhibits and then take up the thing that uplifts.

Jeff (from our facebook group) commented above on how "Confession is good for the soul" - I'd like to suggest that this entails both sides of confession, the - and the +. If the christian community were more likely to live out this way of confessional living, I believe it would breathe life into our communities.

Confession: Getting by with some help from my friends...and God too!

Image from the blog "A view from the balcony."
Confession is a key step in conversion. Confession is repentance actualized.

How do you talk about confession? Clearly it isn't your place to say to a friend,"Here are the issues I see in your life. You need to name these issues, offer then to God in repentance and ask for forgiveness." Your friend would say rightly, "Who are you to tell me what is wrong in my life?"
In fact, you probably don't want to talk about confession directly at all. What is helpful is simply to talk about the issues in your own life and the power of confession for you. In other words you model confession instead of talking about it. The response of your friend is up to him or her, but by your openness you have given your friend the option and the right to be open with you.

What role, if any, did confession (of sin, need or longing) play a part in your own coming to be a follower of Christ?
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The more I think about confession, the more I think it is or should be the hinging characteristic in the christian life. When I was an enthusiastic teenager, I somehow ended up thinking that as I matured in my faith that I would become more and more independent. I used to tell my Mom from a very young age, "No Mom I'd rather do it myself!" Somehow along the way, I'm better gaining the understanding that as people mature in faith in Christ, they become more dependent or close to Jesus - not less.
Today I think I'd be more likely to say, "I might rather try to do things myself, but now I know I can't - so will you help me?"

Confession is something that falls in the category of humility. Not confessing our sin comes from a place of avoidance, pride and self-reliance. In western society epically, I think that it is difficult to foster an attitude of community because of this fact. People function in a place of individual focus and maintainability, so that the sharing of life can become difficult to accomplish.

The truth of the matter is that we all need each other - even though many times our lives don't reflect that fact. Through confession, I think relationships can thrive and true christian community can be fostered. Without confession to God and others the attempt at living a christian life would be fruitless.
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This discussion is an extension of an small group ministry of First Lutheran Church of Jamestown, NY. We are reading and discussing the book Holy Conversations face-to-face each Wednesday at noon and on Facebook throughout the week. Please feel free to join in on the conversation each week!

Love letters

Image from Phil Mack Irish Country Music.

My husband Ian and I have old photos from when we first started dating, also in that box are the letters and cards we sent to each other when we lived a town away from each other. While we will have been married for eighteen years in June and have accumulated many things in that time, my favorite possessions are contained in that cardboard box.

There are so many things available in the world for us to own. So often, we begin to believe that things are the key to happiness. However,the most precious possessions for most people are not things that are found at the mall. The old treasure boxes of our lives bring back the memories and relationships represented by the contents in that box of old photos. I think I love my old box of photo's, because it helps bring those memories back to life.

I love the way the mind can recall things so vividly with the help of a photo, a familiar smell or an old letter. Letters epically have a way of cutting to the quick of what is most important to our hearts. Recently, I had the honor of receiving a letter from a dear friend of mine. Her words reminded me of all the fun we've had together over the years and were filled with encouragement for me in all I hope and dream for my life. Her letter to me helped me to call into reality, in black and white, what was before then only and idea. Letters from loved ones have a way of helping us to stay at the tasks at hand and not let go of our dreams.

There is another letter that means a great deal to me. It is full of hope, promises, wisdom, and love. This "letter" is printed on tissues paper lined in silver trim and held together in a bright red leather cover. This other "letter" that I cherish is my Bible. Sometimes I forget that the Bible really is a love letter, and it sits too long and acquires a layer of dust. Just like my old box of love letters sitting in the closet, I can forget about God's love letter to me too.

It's a part of being human, or being too busy that we get away from the practice of reading our love letters. Yet, God is waiting for us. Maybe we recall a memory of when we experienced God's grace or forgiveness, received an answer to a prayer, or were in need of some direction and then we pick up that book of love letter from God once again.

Thankfully, God is patient. The Bible is a book of love letters that will help us to grow in faith, learn how to live in a way more like Jesus and provides us a natural means of sharing God's love with others. The Bible is not just a letter to one individual, but a letter to all of humanity. When God's word becomes something that we regularly read and study, we are better equipped to love those around us. In a way, we become walking and talking love letters for God to the world around us. I'd like to think that God feels the love we have for him when we read and then live out the love letters he's given to us through the Bible.

Encouragement and love are commodities that are in great demand, but sometimes are lacking in practice. When we allow God's word to fill our hearts, we are better able to be encouraged as well as be an encouragement to others.

When is the last time that you either received or gave a love letter to someone in your life? Since I received that letter from my friend, I was reminded how important it was to let people know how I love them. I know after receiving that letter and experiencing that love for myself, that I'd love to give others that same experience. I need to be a love letter writer in my words, deeds and actions.

Dear Reader:

Thank you for reading this article. How are you doing today? I want you to know that whomever you are, I appreciate the time and energy you took to read the words on this page. I hope these words encourage you to write a "love letter" to someone in your life. Remember that God loves you and has given an entire book of love letters for you to read. May your mind be flooded with the reality of God's love for you as you open the Bible and may you have the courage to share it with someone else.

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Many thanks and love,

Tara