Personal Testimony. Relationships. The Word. Inspiration. Transformed Heart. This is what brought Tara to her songwriting, passion for worship, and her vision for her new Blink Twice EP Album coming soon.

As a little girl her perspective of the world was perfect, happy, and untouchable. She loved music and would sing every chance she could, as she would carry her microphone and radio around with her everywhere she went. She was raised in a small town in Indiana where she grew in the ideal picture perfect country church with an incredible family where she was a part of the children’s choir. She was six years old when she asked her mother and father how she could have Christ in her life, and that night she prayed by her bedside to accept Jesus Christ in her heart. She loved Jesus, music, her church, and her family completely.

Tara had never experienced pain or trial until she was in eighth grade and her cousin was in a fatal car accident; she believes that that was the turning point in her life, in beginning to understand that her world was not so perfect after all. Silence grew in her family and in a short couple of years her parent’s marriage was suffering which later ended in divorce. Tara was struggling to love and live for Jesus and she was in a dark place in her life, on the edge of deep depression, which drew her in to the depth of her writing and passion of singing. Her father always pushed her to take singing to the next level and audition for American Idol (which they both endured together at the Louisville audition as well as Disney), and pursue it whole heartedly, but she never felt that inspiration or opportunity was given.

After graduating high school she received a volleyball scholarship to play at a private Christian university, Southeastern, in Florida where she later became the worship leader for Athletic Chapel. She was bitter, angry with God, and alone in her first year, but little did she know that God was about to grab a hold of her life with His amazing love and grace, and sophomore year she rededicated her life to Christ.

Although she experienced such joy and peace in her reborn relationship with Jesus Christ and her new found love and passion to worship and serve God, life at home was a constant struggle. Her father lost his home and a year later became very sick. “It was all like a dream,” Tara states, “one that you can never wake up from.” Her father was rushed to the hospital on her birthday and remained in critical care in the ICU for a month.

“But there was one day that would change my life forever.”

She felt God telling her to go back to her father’s room to see him on one very emotional day. He was in a coma and the doctors had warned her that although his eyes were open he could not see her and that the probability was high that he would not be able to hear her voice either, but she knew that God sent her there with reason. When she went into his room she fell to her knees by his bedside. Tara cried out to God for answers and comfort.

She began singing over him, “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe,” as tears were streaming down her face; she then looked into his hurting yet unseeing eyes and simply asked.

“Daddy, if you want to be healed I need you to blink twice at me.” Nothing happened.

“Daddy, if you want to go to heaven and be with Jesus, blink twice.” He b l i n k e d t w i c e.

She couldn’t believe what she saw so she instantly asks the questions once again. “Daddy, if you want to be healed blink twice at me!” “Okay daddy, if you want to go to heaven BLINK TWICE!” He again

b l i n k e d t w i c e.

Tara’s father went to be with the Lord on May 31, 2012, and this has been the inspiration for her Blink Twice EP Album. The songs in this album are strictly based upon her personal testimony and her story that has been written through her father’s passing as well as Scripture that has been inspired to her and spoken over her from God to put into song. Her song “Blink Twice” is based out of Psalm 62 and it is a cry to find rest and peace in your soul by putting all of your hope and trust in God alone.

She hopes that you will find the Savior through her music and have the same passion for worship and for Him as she has developed. “It sends chills down my spine when I look out into the audience and see people crying and smiling and just chasing after God. And then when the music stops and all you hear are voices in the crowd crying out and singing out in praise to Him, there is nothing better; it brings me to tears everytime!”

But her story does not end there.

After her father passed away she was not expecting to meet the love of her life, literally being her best friend, Stuart Branstetter, as she was at Southeastern. They graduated together in May 2013. And on August 2, 2014 Tara and Stuart Branstetter became one.

They currently live in Alabama where Stuart is the youth pastor and Tara serves as a youth leader and worship leader of their home church, Jasper First United Methodist. She will diligently be working on her Blink Twice EP for the next several months in hopes that you will be able to walk the journey with her through her testimony. Her story is always being written in new ways, through different trials and moments of joy, but for now this is her story and this is her song.