Encourage, Equip, Empower
Each month our very own amazing writers from South Texas publish a series of blog posts written with you in mind. Our desire is to encourage, equip, and empower you through stories, experiences, and insights from our writers and from God’s Word.
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A Father’s Love
Do you think it’s true that most women end up marrying men that share their father’s traits? Well, in my case I believe it. Both my father and husband are funny, always going back and forth with the “dad jokes”. They are both loving and affectionate. I’ve seen my father give a hug and kiss…
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Are You My Mother?
There is an old Dr. Seuss book where a little bird is wandering around asking every different type of animal (most of which are not birds) if they are his mother. As a child, I thought how silly and funny it was that he was asking dogs and elephants if they were his mother when…
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Are You Serving?
by April-Michelle Burkhalter Originally Published in Our Heart His Mission, Volume 2 (2024) The Compassion of Christ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with…
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Are You My Mother?
Photo by KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com There is an old Dr. Seuss book where a little bird is wandering around asking every different type of animal (most of which are not birds) if they are his mother. As a child, I thought how silly and funny it was that he was asking dogs and elephants if they were his mother when they looked nothing like him. As a mother, reading it gave me a little bit of sad anxiety as I waited page after page for this lost little one to find his mom even though I had read it before and knew he would find her in the end.
I remember getting lost as a child; the panic that would rise in my chest as I ran full sprint through a department store calling for my mom but unable to find her. I remember how all of that terror and sadness would give way when I heard her call back and I knew that she was close. I wouldn’t even mind the scolding I would get for wandering off because the relief of being near her again would be so complete. There was safety and familiarity with her.
These days Mother’s Day holds a mixed blessing for me.
As a mother, I have spent years opening the heartfelt presents of my children when they had nothing more to give me than their hugs and whatever they could come up with using the art supplies in the playroom. I still have every painted rock and decorated cut-out of small handprints that they produced through those early years. Now, as young adults I get gift baskets, dinners out, and coffee dates where they tell me all about what is going on in their lives away from my home.
But as a daughter, Mother’s Day is not a time of great celebration. As a daughter, Mother’s Day is a painful reminder of what once was but is no more; or sometimes of what never has been.
We never stop needing our moms. One of the most difficult parts of being an adult (for me) has been navigating difficult times with a terrible longing to just go home, but knowing that the home of my longing is not there anymore because it wasn’t just a place; it was the people there that made it home for me.
Whether you are grieving the loss of a mother that has passed on from this life, an estranged relationship, never having known your mother at all or watching her slip away as the woman you once knew is consumed by an illness-we can find ourselves searching in our own lives asking “Are you my mother?”
How thankful I am continually for the comfort I find in the Word of God. In Psalm 34:18 the psalmist tells us that
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
And again in Psalm 147:3 we are reminded that
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
God knows our needs, sees our searching, and He can provide “mothers” for us when we need them.
No one can ever really replace the mother that you long for, but in the family of God we can find those women who are available, willing to offer the comfort, and Godly guidance that we lack. Much like the bird in the book, the willing mothers we find may look nothing like us, but they will bear a remarkable family resemblance in other ways. They will love with the love of Christ as our mentors, friends and protectors as they journey with us through life.
In the book of Ruth, God provided redemption and provision for Ruth, not just financially, but He also welcomed her into a new family; a place of belonging with the people of God. He gave her a mother figure in Naomi and gave Ruth to Naomi as a daughter.
For your broken heart, God has healing and for the hole that has been left in your life by the absence of your mother; He has provision for that as well. In the body of Christ, we are the hands and feet of Jesus to the lost; but also to each other as we travel in this world toward home. God said, “He would go with us”, but He also said, “we would have a family in those of like precious faith.”
In Mark chapter 3 Jesus said:
33 “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 34 Then he looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. 35 Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”
Jesus directs us to the family of God to find those with whom we can walk through life, even as some of us pray for our mothers to become one of those family members. God does not call for us to forget the mothers that we miss, but rather to build on the lessons they taught us by continuing to grow and by passing on their legacies to others, taking them under our wings as daughters-ourselves becoming mothers to a new generation of Godly women.
God,
In the month of May, I know You see some of our hearts breaking. I know that our broken hearts move You with compassion and that You desire for our healing and wholeness. As we grieve, call to our memories and give us strength in the retelling of happy histories with our moms. Remind us of the lessons she taught us and help us learn to love the likeness of her in our own faces as we get older for You are the God that honors our histories even as You write a new story for our future.
Guide us to women in Your family that would come alongside us to fill the void that we sometimes feel needing a mother and help us to become those women to others in need. Make us into the women who will bear a resemblance to Christ as we “mother” the next generation of Your daughters.
We look forward to the day when we can all gather around Your throne and worship together; mothers and daughters of every season-healed and made whole in You.
In the mighty name of Jesus,
Amen
by Stephanie S.
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Are You Serving?
by April-Michelle Burkhalter
Photo by Yuliya Duzhaya on Pexels.com Originally Published in Our Heart His Mission, Volume 2 (2024)
The Compassion of Christ
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38 (NKJV)
Oh, how my heart breaks when I read this Scripture. How often have I missed a moment where He was tugging at my heart to act, but I refused to hear and obey His voice, because I had let the frustrations of the day make my heart cold, judgemental, or simply disconnected. That is not the woman I want to be at all.
So often I have tried to justify my lack of service by saying things like: “God, I’m too busy with work, family, keeping everyone’s schedules, helping and working in the church, and doing all these things. I can’t do more. I’m just too stressed to help one more person right now” and then I miss out on opportunities to show empathy and compassion in situations where He has needed me to ACT as a witness of Christ! Who am I to be too busy to answer God?! But it happens. I fall short, too, even as a pastor’s wife.
Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.”
We all fall short, so we rely on God’s grace and mercy to build us up, and we try again.
Even still, the call is there. The plea for action by God for laborers to step out in faith is everlasting. God wants us to kick out the worldly thoughts from our minds and really try to see and serve people in the way that Jesus did. As I read Christ’s quote in Matthew chapter 9, I can feel His heart breaking when He sees the condition of the multitudes. These are God’s children, weary and scattered. It should stir our hearts to hear this passage. We have all been those weary and scattered sheep at some point in our lives, and we should never forget how hopeless that time felt for us, or how our gracious Lord brought us through those trials, often by the hands and feet of a laborer that answered the tug on their heart.
The church needs more laborers, and not just inside the four walls of the church building. A plentiful harvest means there are still so many people that need help, the gospel, the love of Christ, and the hope and the joy that comes from having a relationship with Christ Jesus. We need to open our eyes to the hurt, lost, or hopeless people that we run across daily. We need to stop giving all the attention to the sin that people are in and see the soul that needs to be told that there is a real love to be found in Christ.
We should carry that message daily and boldly.
As the body of Christ, we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus and keep God’s commandments. We are commanded to go and reach people for the Kingdom of God. This call is not based on how we feel, nor if we have a million other things on our plates, because that is life. The biggest difference-makers in the lives of others might just listen for a few seconds to someone who is hurting, or even give a simple hug to a stressed-out momma. Remember, we are not called to judge; we are called to love each other.
Ask yourself:
- What more can I do to be a laborer for the Kingdom of God?
- Is it easier to judge or turn a blind eye to strangers than it is to find compassion or empathy for the people I see from day to day?
- Does my witness to the world match the faith in my heart?
- Would someone on the street recognize Christ in me, or would they only see the same old sinful world based on my actions, attitude, and words?
Let’s pray together.
Father God, thank you for working on my heart today. Thank you for your daily mercy and grace. God, I ask that You show me the flaws in my heart, those places where I am lacking empathy or compassion for others. I ask that You help me to walk with humility, knowing that I am not a righteous woman nor am I higher or better than anyone else, but I am saved and redeemed by Your Grace alone. Please help me grow in spiritual maturity so that You may use me as Your hands and feet, as Your witness and laborer, for Your great purpose. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Author’s Bio at the time of publication:
April Burkhalter is a Pastor’s Wife in Channelview. She has 7 children (15-28 years old), works full time as a Project Management Finance Controller, and teaches a Christ-based recovery system. April enjoys singing and reading and loves people where they are in life. She calls Alvin home.
On the evening of April 1, 2026 April and her youngest son, James, were called home to be with the Lord after a tragic car accident. During her tenure of service with South Texas Women’s Ministries she was an active member of the STXWM Core Team and the San Jacinto Women’s Ministries Section Leader. The effects of her ministry and the life that she lived will be felt in eternity.
The South Texas Women’s Ministries Department wants to share April’s words once again so that all that read them will hear the cry of Jesus’ heart for laborers to join the harvest. April’s absence will be felt here but Heaven rings today with her singing as she sits at the feet of her Savior with her sweet son, James. This is not goodbye but rather, see you soon.
We extend our prayers for strength and peace, and our most sincere condolences the Burkharlter family until we all see April and James again.
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In South Texas, As It Is In Heaven
Photo by Umar Faruq on Pexels.com I love this year’s national women’s ministries department theme, As it is in Heaven. I think every Christ follower I know longs for Heaven for many reasons, chief among them, to see and worship our King. Along with seeing Jesus face to face, we will also be free from this world and all that it encompasses-sin, sickness, and death.
Reading through the Lord’s prayer in the Sermon on the Mount has always been comforting to me. Maybe it is my background growing up in a Catholic family where every week at mass we, as a congregation, would recite from memory the Lord’s prayer. Sometimes we would even sing it recitation style and I loved it! Our world today is full of distractions, and our attention spans are showing less and less ability to stay on task. For me this includes when I am praying.
Praying the Lord’s prayer is a great “reset” if you will. When I begin praying for an overwhelmed friend or the war in the Middle East or my daughter’s scoliosis or my son’s attitude or even my lost friends that I so desperately desire to know Jesus—more times than I would like to admit I get distracted and lose track of what I am praying for. I often get frustrated and feelings of guilt begin to rise up and further distract me from the beautiful privilege of communing with the God of the universe. Condemnation is not from the Lord. God convicts us of sin and grants us grace and mercy when we get separated from Him, but immense heavy condemnation and guilt are lies and tricks from the enemy to keep us from praying and doing the Lord’s will.
If you too get distracted or lose your train of thought, reciting the Lord’s prayer is a wonderful way to realign your mind and soul with the Lord and get back to the prayers, thanksgivings, and petitions you were laying before the Lord.
When I think “as it is in Heaven” my mind drifts to a vision God granted me many years ago when I was new to overseas ministry. I felt lost and out of my depth and like the weight of the world was on my shoulders to “save the lost.” Every negative interaction I had with a nonbeliever or language struggle I encountered with a person of peace felt like a failure to make heaven crowded. Now if you just shook your head and wanted to shake me because it is indeed not I who has the power to fill Heaven, then you would be justified. I had a lot to learn about working alongside the Lord and not for my own glory.
In this vision I was kneeling in the throne room of heaven worshiping God and rejoicing. I was overwhelmed with joy and amazement. Then I looked to my left and then my right. All around me were souls from every tribe, speaking every tongue, and representing every nation! It was a powerful vision! The light around us was holy. The angels were shouting their praises and we were among them. We were valuable enough to be before our God and our King. This vision taught me many things including that the weight of eternity was never on my or your shoulders. That burden is placed on the shoulders of the only one strong and wise enough to carry it, Jesus.
I believe that sharing the gospel should be natural and not feel forced. It is only natural to feel nervous or unqualified. But here is the beauty of it, we are unqualified and without the saving blood of Jesus we are unworthy sinners. But for Jesus. Someone loved us and cared for our eternity enough to direct our gaze to Jesus and we have the honor of doing the same for others. In fact, one of my most favorite approximations for sharing the gospel is, “we are all just beggars telling other beggars where to find lifegiving bread.”
Heaven is wonderful for countless reasons and one of those is how incredibly diverse it will be. Not just souls from modern tribes, tongues, and nations will be represented but from every past present and future ones as well. The whole world was created by God and everyone in it, why wouldn’t our eternal home be the same?
This is also a very convicting thought. Does how and who I share the good news of Christ with reflect God’s heart for “as it is in Heaven?” Are we sharing with only people who can completely relate to or who look, sound, think, or act like us? Are we giving everyone we meet the opportunity to encounter Jesus through us?
Every soul is valuable to God and He desires, “That none shall perish.” 2 Peter 3:9. We are not responsible for the decisions that others make regarding their faith choices, however, we are responsible for the knowledge that God has given us. If we know that Jesus is the son of God born of a virgin. He died and was buried and rose again for our sins in fulfillment of the scriptures, then we are responsible for sharing that great news!
To live here right now in 2026 as it is in Heaven we need to begin opening ourselves and our comfort zones up to all that Heaven has to offer. We serve a God of miracles and if we allow Him to use us, the ways in which He does will surprise and delight us!
I pray the gifts God has blessed you with will be magnified in your obedience to Him. I pray that all our eyes will be opened and we will step out in faith believing that God can and will use us to do mighty things in His name!
Lord, we come to you today as your children. We seek the love and comfort that only you, our awesome Father can give. Teach us to pray and move our feet and open our mouths to spread your word all around us so that not only can more people know of your love for them, but also for us to experience a little bit of Heaven here on earth. May it be in South Texas as it is in Heaven! May it be in our homes as it is in Heaven! May it be in our circles of influence as it is in Heaven! Amen.
by MaKenzie V.
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Worship As They Do In Heaven
Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com “May your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:10
This year the national women’s ministries department has chosen these words as our theme for 2026: As It Is In Heaven.
Looking around our world today, it is difficult to imagine this being anything like what we have learned to expect in heaven. It is hard to even imagine how it could ever be so. How could we bring ourselves (or this world) to a place where God’s will is done here as it is in heaven especially when there is so much of it that is out of our control?
I once had a conversation with a friend who, by the way, is a gifted and anointed singer, about our callings in ministry. She confessed to me that even though God had given her a gift to sing and she would use it where He opened the door, she felt a stronger pull towards pulpit ministry and the study of the Word that it entails. She said “I feel closest to God when I am studying and delivering His Word to His people.” As we spoke she helped me to see that worship is where I feel closest to the Lord and where I feel the greatest draw toward ministry.
For me, in worship I am most at peace and the least alone. In worship, my heart can say all the things that my mind and heart can find no words to express to the only One who can affect real change. I often find it difficult to tarry in long periods of intense prayer but that is never the case with worship. It pours out of me almost unbidden no matter how burdened my soul is at the time. It is a release. In worship all worry and fear are forced out like a long held breath in the light of the glory of God.
For me worship is the most vulnerable place. It is where I bring all my burdens to release them, not because I work through them, but instead because I cannot hold them when my hands are out stretched to God. Worship is complete surrender to God that abandons all else at the feet of the King of the Universe. Before God is the only place on earth I am not embarrassed or fearful to weep openly. In worship my heart is free because in worship my heart is not my own.
When Jesus prayed, “May your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven,” He was calling us to bring heaven to earth. His will is for His creation to worship Him with abandon. We have the power to bring that worship to earth rather than waiting until we get to heaven to do it.
We might not have the power to redirect governments and stop evil overnight but we can invite God’s presence into our homes and our workplaces today in worship. Picture the scene described in Revelation chapter 5:
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”This is within our grasp today. We can start the culture of worship in our own lives. We can see His will being done on earth as it is in heaven today in our worship.
As you walk through your day today, do it in an attitude of worship. Invite God’s presence to walk with you and to go before you. Worship is the same no matter your circumstance in life at the moment because God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Bring all that you have been carrying and lay it at His feet. Lose the fear and worry as you extol the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb. Cast your anxieties and your achievements and all the things that have seemed so important before Him and surrender. This is how we can bring God’s will to earth. He is coming back and there will come a day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Let’s prepare the way.
Below is a link to a song I have not been able to get out of my mind and heart for about a week. It’s an old song and the words are not complicated. If you need a place to start today, this is a good one.
by Stephanie S.
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Drawing from the Well: Sharing Kindness with Others
February is known as the month of love. We celebrate Valentine’s Day and Galentine’s with our gal pals. There’s even a day to show love to our pets. Not only that but February is American Heart month. Do you see where I’m going with this? But perhaps you didn’t know there’s another national day in February known as, “Random Acts of Kindness Day”. Which is kind of funny because if there’s a whole day dedicated to doing kind things for others, then is it still considered random? Yeah, that one will keep me up at night. Regardless, the Bible reminds us that love is kind (1 Cor. 13:4). It’s also a fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22). Kindness is something we should be exercising every day.
I remember almost 3 years ago, I was headed to Walmart with my daughter in tow. It had just started raining as we pulled into the parking lot. She was about 3 years old at this point. The rain was getting heavy as I parked the car. I quickly pulled her out along with her backpack, my purse, and an umbrella. I was holding her on my hip, while I carried the backpack on my back, purse across my chest and held the umbrella in my opposite hand, all while trying to get out of the rain. In my failed attempt, I slipped and fell right in front of the sliding doors. As we were crashing to the concrete, I began to feel helpless. I fell to my knees, because I didn’t want to risk dropping her. Once I realized she was okay, and the only damage was a few cuts and bruises on my knees, we both began to cry. I think it was just the initial shock of it all. But I remember looking up as people walked by. Didn’t they see what had happened? Couldn’t they see I needed their help? I started to pick us up from the floor, when an elderly woman came by to ask if we were alright. She helped me to my feet, still holding my precious girl. I graciously tell the woman, “Thank you.” Her kindness was appreciated more than she knows. I had been having a rough morning, and slipping and falling while holding my daughter, in pouring rain, was not on my bingo card. I didn’t even know this woman. She could have just walked by and ignored us like everyone else. But she didn’t do that. She was very sweet and encouraged me that day. If she hadn’t shown up, I’m not sure what the rest of my day would have looked like. Would I have even gone into the store? Or would I have gone home, drenched and feeling defeated? But that’s not my story. She was there to lend a hand when I desperately needed it.
There was another woman, who had been ostracized from her friends. She had no children and was living with a man who was not her husband. But she found the kindness of a stranger, and so much more. We read in John 4:1-14, that Jesus traveled through Samaria and he was very tired from his journey. So, he rested by a nearby well. While he was there, he saw a Samaritan woman, by herself, filling up her water jar. This was peculiar because most townswomen would choose to fill up their water jar in the coolness of morning or in the evening as the sun was setting. But this was in the middle of the day, when it was hot. Jesus asked the woman for a drink. She was startled by this interaction because:
1) Jesus was a Jew, and they were not meant to associate with Samaritans.
2) Jesus was a man, speaking to a woman in public.
However, none of these things mattered to Him, because at that moment he cared about her and her needs. He really didn’t need a drink. He wanted to show her kindness and hope.
John 4:9-14
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
You see, Jesus knew her story. He knew she was weary, broken and dying of thirst. He never questioned whether he should talk to her or not. He just did it.
This is the type of boldness I want. I want to be able to reach out to someone and share the love of Jesus without a care. Everyone needs kindness and everyone needs Jesus.
A few months ago, our church was challenged to share Jesus with someone, a literal Jesus. Have you seen those cute little Jesus figures? They fit easily in your pocket or purse, making it convenient to take him everywhere you go. We gave each person in our church two little Jesuses: one to keep and one to give away. Some of the figurines have “Jesus loves you” written across his sash. While these are adorable, they remind us that someone is always there for us even when we feel alone.
The world has taught us to only be aware of ourselves and our needs, that we should only be concerned with getting from Point A to Point B with no distractions. But I want to encourage you to take a moment and look at your surroundings. Ask the Lord how you can reach out to someone because there’s always a person in need. It can be as simple as making a casserole, gifting them their favorite stuffed animal, throwing a surprise party, or just saying, “hi” to someone new. A little bit of kindness can go a long way.
After Jesus met the woman and told her who he was, it changed her life. She felt so blessed to have been in the presence of the Lord, that she couldn’t contain her excitement. She began to share with others all that the Lord had told her. She found peace and hope that day because of Jesus’ kindness towards her (John 9:15-30).
One of my favorite radio DJs has a saying: “The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.” Who’s to say that you can’t be that one? Let’s spread a little more kindness to this wild world we live in.
By: Melinda B.
About STX Women
We are the Women’s Ministries branch of the South Texas Assemblies of God.
Women across South Texas desire a community where we celebrate each other and share each other’s burdens.
Together, we walk out our God-given purpose in our family, church, and community!
Our passion and love for Christ unite us to reach the lost at home and across the world.
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