Imago Voices Q and A

Hi Imago! I am Tara, the new church organizer. I’ve been attending Imago for over a decade. I was really good at sitting in the back and leaving as soon as service was over until I joined the Worship Team a few years ago. Turns out people talk to you if they know you’re there! 

I’m a wife to one (Ryan) and a mom to three (Turner, Autumn, and Ivy). I wish I had a fun hobby, but unless folding laundry or drinking Diet Coke count as hobbies, I come up short in the hobby game. 

If you’re into the Enneagram, I’m a 1w9: the so-called optimist. I don’t 100% agree with that, though I do think everything has potential for improvement.  We’ll call it a practical optimist. Ugh, even found a way to critique the name.

What is one way your view of God has changed?

I grew up in the Pentecostal church (not the friendly, evangelical kind), and I always thought of God as an angry, old man. Every Sunday, our pastor would pace back and forth across the stage, yelling in tongues. Meanwhile, I was also reading about the friendly Jesus in my Precious Moments Bible. It was completely binary but somehow still the Trinity? I was confused to say the least.

Since coming to Imago, I’ve learned to see God in everything - less angry man more surrounding spirit. So much of life is in the grays, but still beautiful and divinely inspired.  

What is something that you find to be spiritual that others might not expect?

Writing. When I worked at Bradley University, I met a great friend and mentor.  She gifted me a prayer journal. I never thought of writing as a legitimate way to pray, but my verbal prayers were also a meandering mess (you get this if you’ve ever heard me try to tell a story).  Writing down my prayers was a game changer. Maybe God was as exasperated as my family with my bouncing thoughts.  

The journal had prompts (what are you grateful for, what do you want to ask God, who needs prayer in your life, etc.). I always felt guilty asking God for anything besides safety. So many people do not have the most basic means to live, so how could I ask for a different job? I was lucky enough to have a job! I thought I was being selfish for wasting God’s time with my superficial wants. In my journal, I was just filling out the form. Whether you call it prayer or manifesting, saying it out loud visually seemed to work.  Four years later I have a beautiful, loving, healthy family and a job I love. 

Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?

I’ve always wanted to write a novel. I have an idea of the story, but actually doing it is a different animal. Have you ever tried to write a book?! It’s not easy! Also, as an Enneagram 1, the prospect of someone else editing and critiquing my book baby is not appealing.

When did I last sing to myself? Someone else?

Since Renae and Gina both answered this one, I will, too.  

Have you ever seen New Girl? Jess (Zooey Deschanel) regularly sings words or sentences in conversation. I do that. I think it’s a side effect of being a theatre kid, and it can’t be helped. A coworker once asked me why I sing all the time, and that was the first time I realized I did it… at age 26.