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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  • Joy Beyond Understanding

    “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 Summertime in the South is not for the faint of heart. Temperatures that soar to unbearable heights, iced tea that can’t seem to stay iced, and leather car interior that is torture whenever you get in…

  • Peace in a Wild Workplace

     I do not work in a church.  I am involved in ministry full-time, but I also work a secular job to provide for my family.  I don’t care where you work, whether it be in a church or out; if you work with people, it can be difficult.   Feeling called to ministry, I have asked…

  • Peace In the Wild

    When I think about the phrase “peace in the wild,” I picture a leopardess in the middle of a jungle. I imagine the sound of monkeys hooting in the background while she cleans her paws. She’s laying down, feeling peaceful, she’s not worried about where her next meal will come from. She’s not anxious about…

  • Finding True Rest: Embracing God’s Presence

    Last week, I went to a ministry meeting with other local church leaders and the question was asked, “What do you do for peace, quiet, and rest?” I knew immediately what I was going to say. Only when it was my turn, I began to feel embarrassed. Perhaps, I misunderstood the question, because my answer was very different from the others. While everyone was talking about being in nature and reading their Bibles, I answered with “Going to the water park.” I know it sounds strange, but I really do find peace, quiet and rest when I’m with my family at the water park.

    Here was my reasoning behind it: as we’ve talked before, family is very important, and God can show you the beauty of life through them. Any time I can get away with my family is (for the most part) restful. My daughter is a water bug and has always been fascinated by the water. Unfortunately, her parents are not, until this summer. We found ourselves attending the water park almost every weekend. Mom and Dad may have even snuck away for a day of water slides and ice coffee alone. Now, even though it can be loud and somewhat crowded, I’m able to focus. I’m making memories with my daughter. We don’t carry around our cellphones, and I don’t wear my watch. I’m only focused on her, and what she wants to do. There’s no agenda.

    Around 9 years ago, my family and I took a trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was about a 17-hour drive with a few stops along the way. We took turns driving and listened to Christian and 90’s country. But nothing compared to the sound of the crashing waves as we pulled up to our beach house for the week. I don’t know about you, but my experience with vacations is that you always have a plan. There’s a set schedule so that you can squeeze in every activity under the sun. This requires an early bedtime, setting alarms and creating itineraries. However, this vacation was different. We decided to make it a time of rest with no bedtime, no alarms, no time stipulations and no itinerary. We just enjoyed every day, whether we wanted to walk the beach, go to Ripley’s Aquarium, go to dinner, or watch a new reality tv show. We did it all and it was amazing! Hands down, this will always be one of my favorite vacations.

    But rest is more than just a vacation or a day of water fun. Rest often involves a deep sense of peace and renewal that comes from spending time in the presence of God. My colleagues understand the importance of stepping away, even if it’s just for a moment.

    Matthew 11:28- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

    There comes a time when we need to slow down and ask God what his will is.

    I found myself in a season of rest a few years ago. I thought I had everything under control, but the truth was, I was struggling. I continued to roll with the punches no matter how burned out I felt. My marriage, parenting, ministry and my own mental health were in trouble. This mostly stemmed from being in work mode all the time and not fully resting in his word or prayer. It wasn’t until I stopped that I realized I needed help.  

    I’m reminded of two sisters in the Bible. Their names were Mary and Martha. One day Jesus was coming to visit them. Naturally, when you know someone is coming to visit, you want to tidy up a bit and maybe make some food. But this wasn’t just any guest. This was Jesus! Martha wanted to be a good hostess and started to prepare for his arrival. Unfortunately, she almost missed Jesus’ visit.

    Luke 10:38-42

    38 “As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ 41 ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[f] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”

    Martha was so busy concentrating on her work that she didn’t realize she needed to slow down and rest at the feet of Jesus.

    Recently, our congregation learned to listen to God and rest. Instead of being worried about the rain, lunch or taking a nap after Sunday service, we took that extra time to soak in his presence. It was a beautiful hour of listening, worshiping and being still. This was something all our souls needed at the time. We were in desperate need of refreshment, and God met us right where we were.

    The world tells us to go faster, do more, push harder. But the gentle whisper of God calls us to pause, breathe and to simply be in his presence. He’s willing to meet you right where you are. You just need to invite him.

    Melinda Brown is a mother, co-pastor, entrepreneur, and now she can add author to her ever growing list of gifts. She and her husband, Jason, pastor Columbus Community Church in South East Texas and now, Melinda has agreed to come on board as one of our newest authors on the STXWM Blog Team. Her heart is to share the love of Jesus through her writing and to tell the world of the healing and comfort that can be found in a relationship with the Lord.

  • The Lesson That Changed Everything: Grace

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    Can I be honest? Of course, I can; I’m writing this and don’t have to wait for a response. The question I’m really asking is, will you think less of me when I share what I’m about to share? Even that isn’t entirely fair. How can you possibly answer without knowing what it is that I have to say? I could tell you that black licorice is my favorite candy, and there’s no possible way you couldn’t help but think less of me for that. (Of course, if you’re reading this and your favorite candy IS black licorice, both I and Jesus still love you, I just don’t trust your taste in candy.)

    Back to the matter at hand… What I’m going to share with you this month about what I’ve learned may shock you, and it may, in all actuality, make you think less of me. (However, if there’s one thing I’ve learned in these 41 years that I’ve been roaming the earth, it’s that people don’t think about you nearly as much as you think they do.) My name is Tracie, and I am not always the perfect Christian. Most of the time, I feel like I’m way closer to being a complete mess than a sanctified saint.

    That little confession may not seem like a huge revelation. You may even think that it’s a silly thing to have to “confess”. The problem is, I have a mind that works in absolutes and in black and white. Things are either entirely right or completely wrong. There is no middle ground. No gray area. No room for error. If you can’t do something right, then it’s better not to do it at all. 

    As a child raised in church, this caused quite a big problem. If I did something wrong or potentially sinful, my thoughts would tell me that I might as well give up. I just knew that what I had done (no matter what it was)  had made God absolutely furious with me. Like lightning-bolt-from-the-heavens mad. So, instead of running to Him, I would first try to “fix myself”. Kind of like when Adam and Eve made clothes out of fig leaves to hide their nakedness, I would sing louder, raise my hands higher, volunteer more, and make myself a really good Christian. Spoiler alert: I never managed to fix myself. So when I inevitably couldn’t do it “right,” I would just run from God entirely. Convinced that if I couldn’t be a “good Christian,” then I shouldn’t even bother. The thing was, I loved God, and I wanted a relationship with Him, so I just kept running in messy little circles of guilt, shame, promises to “do better,” and then failing again.

    At some point, I realized that while I knew in my head that God loved me, I was living as if that love was completely transactional. In my mind, His love came with fine print and stipulations. Read my Bible? Approved. Pray for the “right” things for an adequate amount of time? Accepted. Be meek and humble while simultaneously being bold and courageous? Gold star. But miss one of those things? Well, better luck next time, Tracie. You’re officially no longer the apple of His eye and are now the popcorn kernel in His teeth. (not Biblical, but what’s worse than that???) And every time I could picture it: The Father sitting up on his throne, rolling his eyes while sighing in disappointment, with Jesus looking away with secondhand embarrassment. Living that way was exhausting. And honestly, it wasn’t even biblical.

    Here’s the truth: I had grown up not truly understanding the love of God, and so I viewed him as some kind of cosmic dictator who was just waiting for my next mess-up so he could once again erase my name from the Lamb’s Book of Life. I had no grasp of who he really is: a loving Father who would literally give EVERYTHING to be in a relationship with me. Scripture doesn’t say, “For it is by your hard work and your perfection you are saved.” Nope. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

    Somewhere along the way, I forgot that Jesus didn’t just die for my “before I was a Christian” sins. He died for my Tuesday-afternoon bad attitudes, my snapping at my husband for getting the wrong frozen pizza, and even my stubbornness in trying to do it all on my own. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Nowhere does it add, “after you’ve punished yourself for two weeks and read six devotionals.”

    What I’ve learned is that God isn’t after my perfection; He’s after my heart. He’s after my effort, my honesty, my willingness to repent, and my trust in His grace. Like King David prayed in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

    So here’s what I’m sharing that I learned after decades of trying to be a “good Christian”: Grace isn’t just for “getting saved.” It’s for every single day after that, too. God knows I’m a mess (He made me, after all), and He still delights when I come close to Him instead of running away.

    Now, am I still learning this? Absolutely. Sometimes I still try to earn God’s approval, and He gently reminds me, “Daughter, I already love you. Rest in that.”

    So, if you’ve been carrying guilt or trying to perform your way into God’s good graces, perhaps this reminder is for you, too: Jesus has already done the heavy lifting. Our job is to walk with Him, imperfectly but sincerely, trusting His grace to cover every stumble.

    And remember: nothing separates us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39). Not even loving black licorice.

    It honestly took a great deal of audacious faith for me to let God completely transform the way I understood my relationship with Him. I had to allow the Holy Spirit to carefully untangle years of man-made misunderstandings about what God really wanted and expected from me. It wasn’t about rule-keeping, checklists, or proving my worth; it was about surrendering my heart. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 3:17, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” That freedom is real, but sometimes it requires us to lay down the version of God we’ve been taught by people and let Him show us who He truly is. I had to let Him remake me into someone who lives in His love rather than fear, and maybe that’s the same challenge for you, too: to allow God to undo the man-made misunderstandings and lead you into the freedom only His Spirit brings.

    So if you find yourself dealing with this, feeling like God’s love is something you have to earn or that His grace comes with fine print, I encourage you to pause and let the Holy Spirit rewrite that story in your heart. Lean into His Word, ask Him to reveal the truth, and dare to believe that His love really is absolute. It’s not about getting it all right; it’s about letting Him have your heart, your effort, and your repentance. Grace isn’t a “one-and-done” gift; it’s the ongoing invitation to live loved, to be forgiven, and to be continually transformed.

    Tracie Tevault is a recent addition to the STXWM blog team. Married for 15 years to her best friend, Tracie is raising one awesome son and three spoiled cats. With a heart for ministry, Tracie has served in many areas, but her true passion lies in reaching those who might not fit the traditional church mold. She’s all about showing people they are loved, valued, and created with a purpose.

  • Pouring From an Empty Jar

    Photo by Eva Bronzini on Pexels.com

    In 1 Kings 17, the prophet Elijah was sent by God to tell King Ahab that there would be a drought.  This was obviously unpopular news so then God told Elijah to go hide by a brook where God would allow him to drink from the brook and eat food brought to him by birds.  

    The man of God was obedient and then he was miraculously provided for! Praise the Lord!  But soon, as a result of the drought, the brook dried up.  The miraculous provision of God did what?! It dried up?!

    When I’m reading the Bible (and often while I’m living my life) I will tell God, “I don’t like how You did that.”  I have a stubborn hubris that likes to lead me to think that I have the right solutions to most situations if God would just listen to me and do it my way.  I have to slay it daily but, to be honest, some days I’m more successful than others.  This tends to be a by-product of a hyper independent life.  

    As a single mom (who has been single for more of my adult life than I was ever coupled) I make decisions for my family everyday with no input from any other adults except for the input that I get in prayer.  As a result, I understand that my decisions (right or wrong) are mine alone to answer for.  Another result is that I am fairly confident in my ability to make those decisions alone.  This is an area in which the Holy Spirit is still working on me.

    Bringing it back to Elijah’s story, he may have felt like I did when he was watching the brook dry up.  “God, this is working.  Right here where I’m at, You are providing exactly what I need and You are hiding me from harm.  Why does the brook have to dry up at all?  Surely, You can keep this brook running even in the drought!  Why not just keep doing it this way?”

    The answer was simple.  By the brook, Elijah was comfortable and had everything he needed but God needed him to move because the story wasn’t only about Elijah.  God’s story never is only about us.

    When God brings me to a place in my life and family where I am comfortable and God is providing for all my needs, I am tempted to just beg God to be able to stay there even if I know He is asking me to move.  When the drought is looming, it’s hard to walk away from a source of provision that is right beside me.  

    God needed Elijah to move.  God’s provision would go with him and Elijah never seemed to doubt it.  How different a response that is to the one I often have in similar situations.  How do I manage to simultaneously doubt that God will care for me while I’m still eating the last bits of bread that the ravens brought me?  

    I do not have a very cooperative relationship with change.  I will sit by my dry brook and ask God to fill it again rather than getting up and following the provision to His next destination for me.  I have obviously moved when He has asked me to in the past and will again in the future but it continues to be a struggle for me.  Why?  Because I struggle to trust Him like I know I should.  I have so much evidence for the fact that God will take care of me but I still allow myself to fear first rather than trust Him immediately.

    Elijah left the brook and went to a town where he met a woman, a single mom (widow) in a town called Zarapheth.  He asked her for food and she told him that she didn’t have much and he asked her to trust his word that God would provide.

    When I imagine myself in this woman’s place, being asked to make food for a stranger before she fed herself and her son what she believed would be their last meal before they died of starvation, I think of what I would do.  “What could it hurt?  Maybe God will provide.  Instead of making something for me and my son, I’ll give this man my portion with the hope that his God will provide like he says.”  It is easy for me to understand trust when I have nowhere else to turn.  Trust in the face of desperation and giving out of my need feels easy when compared to being asked to walk away from plenty into an unknown future.

    The Bible says that when she obeyed then there was “always enough flour and oil left in the containers until the Lord sent rain on the land.”  There was enough.  She and her son lived because God provided.  She didn’t get rich but they had food and maybe, they even had enough to bless others who were in need during that time.  God was faithful to bless her and her son and to care for them.

    Are you struggling to move when you know God is asking you to?  Do you struggle to trust Him sometimes even though you know He can and He will take care of you.  

    If you are in either of these places, can I ask you one question?  Do you know how much He loves you?  That is where my brain tries to get in the way of my faith many times.  Because I struggle to love myself well and to see myself through God’s eyes, I struggle to understand how anyone else could love me well either, even God.

    I do not say this for sympathy.  I believe many more people struggle with understanding God’s love than will readily admit it in the church and in the world in general.  Hyperindependence is a necessary reality for some, like our friend in Zarepheth, but when living a life in relationship with God it can hinder us from being willing to depend on Him.  He wants to care for us and hold us but when you have been alone for a long time that concept feels foreign and strange.  Alone doesn’t just have to be unmarried.  It can be a state of mind where you only know how to depend on yourself because you are the only person you have learned to trust.

    Please hear me as I preach to myself at the same time as I remind you that He loves you so much and He wants the best in the world for you and He wants you to trust Him so He can give you the best He has to offer.  He can be trusted.  You can be soft with Him.  You can be held and it’s ok for you to want that for yourself again.  You don’t have to do it alone.

    Stephanie Sharp is a teacher, a writer, a musician and an ordained minister.  She is also a divorced, single mother of 3 teenagers.  She writes for the South Texas Women’s Ministries Blog and founded a ministry for ladies walking through divorce and single motherhood called The Well.  You can contact Stephanie at thewellwm@gmail.com.

  • Pivoting 101

    One of my favorite things about having a pet is knowing they’ll always be there for you. The excitement they show when they first see you and how the stress of your day just melts away. Yeah, that’s my favorite. Dogs were a very important part of my childhood. My cousins had dogs, my grandma had a dog (not a very nice one), and I had the pleasure of having two precious pups. One named Casey and the other was Sheba. But to be honest this entry is not about either of them. No, this was later in my life, when I was told that I would never be able to conceive a child on my own account. Two years into my husband and I’s infertility journey, the Lord opened a door— a doggy door.

    Through the help of a friend, we were able to adopt a cute little white apple-headed chihuahua with a torn ear, snaggle tooth, and brown spots on her back. Since we were both nerds, we decided that her new name needed to be cute but tough like a superhero. After going through a few heroines’ names, we both looked at each other and said the name, “Bubbles”. On February 20, 2016, we brought home our first dog. She quickly became our first baby (even though she was well out of her puppy years). We cared for her for 8 years before she crossed that rainbow bridge in the sky.

    In the last year, I had to learn to be flexible and know when to pivot. Go ahead and laugh as a certain paleontologist’s voice inflexion echoes in your head. Haha. However, I had to learn to pivot through my disappointments. As far as I was concerned, my life did not look like I had imagined: my husband had broken his ankle, we were unemployed, we only had one child, and our dog just passed away. Suddenly all our summer plans of travels and transfers flew out the window and my summer felt bleak. God, what is happening?

    Proverbs 19:21- “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

    The summer we lost Bubbles, God stretched us in our faith. The night she passed was the day before my husband would have his cast removed. It was also the summer where the Lord called us to pastor Columbus Community. God was showing us how to pivot and trust him in the process.

    Ultimately, God’s plans will always override our own and in that moment, this was what the Lord was teaching me. He showed me that it is okay to pivot and make a new plan. The word pivot is not just a fun word to quote or a fancy dance move. It can also be a way of life.

    So how does one pivot, you may ask? The art of pivoting is not something you wake up with one day. It must be taught. It’s about changing your mindset and actions based on the situations you can’t change. Here’s the key: change what you can! One of the ways we can change our mindset is through prayer. Taking that time to ask the Holy Spirit, “How can I make the most of this situation?” Begin to seek his comfort, wisdom and joy for your life. Scripture tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Nehemiah told his people this because they were saddened by their actions. However, Nehemiah told them this was a time of celebration and to rejoice. God brings us forgiveness, renewal, and he refreshes our minds and our hearts. What should have been a time of mourning became a time of celebration.

    I remember back in February when it was cold. Very cold. It was so cold that our pipes froze at our new home. What should have been a quiet morning at home became a frustrating one. Do you know how hard it is to explain to a 5-year-old that she can’t flush the toilet? We decided that it would be hard to live in this environment, so we pivoted our day. Our new plan started with a quick phone call to the in-loves, packing, and heading to one of our favorite coffee spots for hot coffees and a sour cream donut. We were on a road trip to Grammy’s and Ashlynn was so excited. I however was not excited. It probably took me most of that car ride to accept the fact that I would not be spending the day in my pajamas, I would not be sitting at my desk writing, and I would not be taking a shower at my house. No, my morning was looking very different. And to top it all off, it was the 9th anniversary of our Bubble’s Celebration Day. We were supposed to be celebrating 9 years with our Boo-Bear. This was a hard day to say the least, but I decided to make the most of a situation I could not change.

    After arriving at my in-loves, we were greeted with warm hellos, hugs, and big smiles. They were so happy to see us, and we were happy to see them too. Ashlynn was able to spend time with her grandparents, Jason played some of his vintage video games, we celebrated the wonderful memories of our precious puppy, and I was able to relax and get some work done. We concluded the night with a delicious meal and showers.

    As I reflect on these moments, I realize that life rarely goes according to our plans. But it’s in the unexpected twists and turns that we often find the greatest lessons and blessings. When life has got you down, don’t give up. Remember that God is always there guiding you. So, keep going. Embracing change, even when it’s difficult, allows growth, gratitude, and the support of loved ones (don’t do it alone). Whether it’s the loss of a beloved pet, unexpected challenges, or changes in our daily routines, choose to pivot with audacious faith. 

    Melinda Brown is a mother, co-pastor, entrepreneur, and now she can add author to her ever growing list of gifts. She and her husband, Jason, pastor Columbus Community Church in South East Texas and now, Melinda has agreed to come on board as one of our newest authors on the STXWM Blog Team. Her heart is to share the love of Jesus through her writing and to tell the world of the healing and comfort that can be found in a relationship with the Lord.

  • Freedom from Striving

    “Imagine Jesus was sitting right here in this room with us. Imagine Him hearing you talk about the pressure you feel to do everything; your worry that everyone will be disappointed in you if you stopped. What do you think He would say to you?”

    The therapist’s words stirred emotion deep within me as I contemplated my precious Jesus’s response to the striving and performing that had led me to the brink of burnout. I had been carrying the weight of work and family and ministry for so long that my value had become intertwined with my productivity and had stolen the joy of serving Jesus, not out of obligation, but out of freedom. In that little room of the counseling center, my eyes filled with tears as I sensed Christ’s gentle presence reminding me of what I knew, but desperately needed to be reminded of.

    ”I think He would tell me that He loves me, and He doesn’t love me any less when I’m less productive. He doesn’t love me based on what I do for Him. He loves me because I am His.”

    ”Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28

    I’ve known those truths for a long time. I’ve known that my worth isn’t in what I can do for the Lord. But somehow the pressure to strive for success in ministry—because of the pressure of others or my own internal narrative—tangled me up in a web of “good works” that I knew wouldn’t save me but seemed to define me. Who was I if I wasn’t what I did?

    We often say, “You are not loved for what you do, you are loved for who you are.” And although that helps to untangled our belovedness from our doing, it still puts the emphasis on us and who we are (or are not) when it comes to being loved. The reality is, our belovedness isn’t based on us at all, but on God.

    We are loved because of who God is.

    ”See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

    ”This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:10

    When I am wrong, sinful, and utterly unlovely, He loves me because He is love. What I do isn’t even in the equation. 

    Almost every woman I meet is TIRED. The pressures of life, the pace we run at, the belief that if we stop, it will all fall apart keeps us running on fumes and hoping we can make it another day. Friends, this isn’t the abundant life Jesus invites us to! Why do so many of us get caught up in striving and push ourselves at an unhealthy pace? 

    We often encourage people to “just do your best,” but sometimes our best costs us too much and we end up burned out because we never learned how to put boundaries around our ”best” and accept the fact that:

    Not everything and everyone demands or deserves our all, and sometimes it’s ok to just do what we can, even if it’s not our best.

    We would never look at a field, barren after the harvest and say, “Why aren’t you doing your best? Why aren’t you producing something?” We know that there are natural seasons of sowing and reaping and rest. Why do we not give ourselves the same grace?

    So, if doing your best is leaving you with a broken and burned-out spirit, I want you to know—it’s ok to stop. It’s ok to do nothing for a while and let your soul breathe. It’s ok if all you can do right now is not your best, but your bare minimum. There is grace for you, friend, to remember that you are not more loved by God when you do your best than when you do your least. There is freedom from striving in the fullness of God’s love.

    -by Heather F.

    Jesus isn’t looking for our striving, He’s looking for our surrender. Let’s have audacious faith to embrace our limitations, and be ok with doing less than the best for the things that don’t require our best (which is often more than we realize) so we can walk in joy and freedom being the limited beings that we are, knowing we don’t have to be excellent to be enough.

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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