By Lisa S Tarno Have you ever felt out of sorts, stuck in a rut, unmotivated and/or discombobulated? Maybe it comes from feeling overwhelmed at the tasks before you and instead of tackling them, you put them off for another day? Maybe something has hindered your regular way of doing things, like an injury or
By Lisa S. Tarno Our family of origin (FOO) shapes us for better or worse in life. What cards have you been dealt? This was a recent conversation with a trusted friend. We both acknowledged that even at this stage of life we still have things that trigger an unwanted nerve that trace all the
“Watch out for the Christian who spends more time telling you what she is against rather than what she is for.” ~ Kristi Mclelland
By Lisa S. Tarno I love to be gobsmacked with revelation in scripture! Author and teacher, Kristi Mclelland pointed out something I have completely overlooked in the Bible. In the book of Luke, chapter 4:14-21 Jesus is reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and recited chapter 61 but left out the latter portion
By Lisa S Tarno I am setting my mind on joyful living! It’s purposeful and the secret sauce to living well. We have the control to choose our thoughts. We can direct our minds and be intentional about what we will think about and what we won’t. The backdrop of joy first needs to come
By Lisa S. Tarno I just heard a great message from our pastor on training the heart. He highlighted two verses that are important to understand why we act the way we act and what to focus on to improve. The situations are when we are provoked what our reactions are and what they say
By Lisa S. Tarno To defend the land you need an army, but to defend freedom you need education”~ Rabbi Jonathan Sacks This statement really resonated with me. Our world is in crisis. In the Bible, Matthew 24 has a lot to say: “Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in
By Lisa S. Tarno I’m reading a great book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear and the information he presents is a new way to look at the things we achieve in our lives. Many of us know about goal setting and having action plans. This author talks more about the action plans or as he
By Lisa S. Tarno So I’m doing the do. I’m getting out there in a new place and meeting people. As well, my husband and my strategy in this new place is the fire-hydrant-approach to meeting people. We are getting involved in a lot of things to put ourselves out there socially, spiritually and athletically.
By Lisa S. Tarno Am I alone in this feeling? I just do not like small talk. It seems forced, fake, and very uncomfortable. It happens at events, dinner parties, corporate parties and social settings where the main event either hasn’t begun or has just finished. Unless you find the right person that you instantly
By Lisa S. Tarno I’m thinking of a recent conversation I had with someone regarding whether or not I would attend an upcoming women’s event at our new church. I love the idea of it, but honestly said that it was intimidating as a new person, because nothing so aptly exploits all that I do not
By Lisa S. Tarno “Get busy living or get busy dying…..” ~ Shawshank Redemption movie “Take the first problem and solve it and then move on to the next…”~The Martian movie These two movies inspired me. They showed the tenacity of the human spirit and the essence of thriving in the midst of adversity. Who
By Lisa S. Tarno I recently shared about a time in my thirties when friends were moving away left and right and even though I had three kids and a husband, I felt the sting of loneliness. I remember as I struggled through that time talking with God about the ridiculousness of the coincidence of
By Lisa S. Tarno I was greeted by a beautiful surprise this morning in my backyard, a blossom on my Argentine Toothpick Cactus. I made sure to take a photo. This picture is one of many that perfectly illustrate resilience. The beautiful blossom bloomed in the very midst of needles on the cactus. I read
By Lisa S. Tarno I love when an author says something that hits me between the eyes. Susie Larson did it again within her book, “Fully Alive”. God had revealed to her in her times of praying for healing that if He healed her today, she’d lose it the next day because as He impressed
By Lisa S. Tarno I’m reading Susie Larson’s “Fully Alive” book/study and in the life reflection part she writes, “What we rehearse we remember, and what we remember we live from. She goes on to ask “What core belief stands in the way of your flourishing?” There are so many directions this answer can take.
By Lisa S. Tarno Moving to a new city is exciting and daunting. I have left behind dear friends that have shared life with me and know me (and still like me…ha ha). While the prospect of anything new can be thrilling, with the case of moving it is tethered to the realization of being
By Lisa S. Tarno In my faith we are metaphorically encouraged to find refuge under God’s wings. (Psalm 36:7) What this looks like actually is a hush over my whirling mind and thoughts that are counter productive and a settling of my spirit to really take it in that…in this frenzied, scary moment…God is control.
By Lisa S. Tarno Sadly, I have met too many people who are dissatisfied or uninterested in the Christian church experience. I hear the all too familiar statement that the church is full of hypocrites, to others who have been hurt and scarred by their experience. All I can say is that, unfortunately, I understand.
By Lisa S. Tarno I relate quite keenly to the fable of the scorpion and the frog. It basically goes like this: There once was a frog on a lily pad and a scorpion on the riverbank wanting to get to the other side. The scorpion asks the frog to let him jump on his
By Lisa S. Tarno I think I have a new revelation on managing expectations in life better so as to also manage disappointments in kind. Expectations or anticipations set us up for something hopeful and good, but when they are not met as we perceive them in our mind’s eye, disappointment invariably occurs. Instead I
By Lisa S. Tarno To be quite honest, I have overlooked this phenomenal fact before today. It literally gave me pause to comprehend it. I researched it some more and found in commentaries like Matthew Henry, “Here is a multitude engaged against Christ – a band of men, a regiment, a Roman band, which some
By Lisa S. Tarno A simple yet very effective relational tool was impressed upon my heart. I call it the conflict conversation equation. It is simply asking myself before having a crucial conversation with someone three things: There are many things we can say to point out truth to another but not all people can
By Lisa S. Tarno I am overwhelmed! I tried to cry out, “Uncle” to tap out of the events of my life that seem to swirl around me like a tempest,…but God didn’t honor my concession but rather for me to cry out to “Abba, Father” instead. Glaring signs of confirmation of the original stirring
By Lisa S. Tarno Shepherds have commonly employed a method of applying oil to a sheep’s head for the reason of protection and healing. Oil would repel insects, especially flies laying eggs in the nostrils that would form worms that would torment the sheep. Oil would also heal their heads from injuries as well. Psalm
To Compartmentalize Or Not To Compartmentalize? That Is The Question… By Lisa S. Tarno To compartmentalize is the ability to mentally separate or set aside one’s negative emotions. It’s a strategy that I currently am employing. If you have read my other blog articles, there is a reoccurring theme of family discord that elicits sadness and
By Lisa S. Tarno Do you ever hear how you are answering someone’s question and think even as you are speaking, “I’m depressing myself over this answer!” ? How do we script our lives better to answer questions about things we’d rather not talk about? I mean, we do want to be honest, but honestly,
By Lisa S. Tarno I am reading now about the life of Job. What’s amazing about this God fearing man is found in the very first chapter when calamity is thrust upon him with his first four messengers of doom, Job’s response was to still praise God and have the wherewithal to keep a good
By Lisa S. Tarno I’m reading the fascinating story of Genesis again. My favorite out of the book is Joseph’s story. I’m drawn to the stories of people with great resilience and overcoming ridiculous odds. Joseph was one such story! It’s coming to a close and I was focusing on his relationship with his father,
By Lisa S. Tarno Are we curious enough to inquire, “What am I to learn from THIS?” Are we bold enough to insist on getting a blessing from the tough things we must endure? My inspiration for today’s article came from a bizarre passage in the Bible (see Genesis 32:24-32). The patriarch, Jacob, wrestled with a
By Lisa S. Tarno I have written about waiting rooms before. It seems that most of our lives in totality are in waiting rooms when it comes right down to it. We’d best be getting good at learning to wait well. Waiting is challenging when we are expecting something good, bad or unknown. I’ve experienced
By Lisa S. Tarno It’s been a year! How do I mean that? Good? Bad? In totality both. I have been hyper focused on health and injury stuff because I’ve had to be. Normally, I am a go-to-the-doctor-once-a-year for the free physical but this year has been excessive for me with alarm bells going off
A GLIMPSE OF ME
A Write Way to Think 