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Only One Thing

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” Reflecting on the challenges of the modern-day Parenting Juggling Act, the assault of the entertainment and marketing industries, and the slipping-sliding-ever-changing landscape of the institutional church, this blog journeys through the headlines, the hurry and headaches to re-discover the ‘one thing’ of which our Saviour speaks.

Posts now on MinistryMatters

The Community has closed, but you can still read updates from this blog at our new online home. See the latest posts from Martha Tatarnic on Medium.com and MinistryMatters.

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The bishop ballot

There is a saying that God has a million Plan As – so choose Plan A. Continue reading

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A sidewalk birth

Just as the 911 dispatcher was saying those words nobody ever wants to hear (“I am now going to walk you through how to deliver this baby”), my phone froze, cutting off any further guidance that could have been offered. […] It took a few hours (maybe a few days) for my heart to stop racing and to realize that I had indeed been part of a miracle. Continue reading

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Beyond the gossip and glitter: What Katy Perry and Jesus teach us about performing and keeping it real

I am a far cry from celebrity or Saviour, yet I also face the possibility of having my life reduced to mere performance. Continue reading

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Lessons in humility from the bike saddle

God reveals and promises the possibility of extraordinary change: replacing our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh, transforming our instinct for self-preservation with an instinct instead for God’s love. Continue reading

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Lord, don’t give me strength

In juggling a life full of responsibilities, as in facing illness, the only way out of the circles is in realizing that being stronger isn’t going to get me through. I need to figure out the hope inherent in being weak. Continue reading

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Princess Diana: icon?

In the Christian faith, an icon is understood as a window to God. Icons aren’t painted, they are written by the prayer of the iconographer, the icon then becoming an invitation to those who see it to draw closer to God. Continue reading

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Puppies, anniversaries, and the thread of life

“To everything there is a season,” goes the well-worn wisdom of Scripture, “and a time and a purpose for everything under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) These words ring as comforting and true in the liminal times, when we are crossing a threshold from one part of our lives to an obviously different part. Continue reading

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When in Rome

Travel is a recurring theme in the holy stories of our tradition. Jesus intuitively understood that the ministry to which God was calling him required that he give up the comfort and security of a home base to live as a nomadic teacher. Continue reading

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Not here to have fun

The more I say the words, “I’m not here to have fun,” the freer I feel. Continue reading

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