Author: Angela Miller

From Doing an Assignment to Being on Assignment: A Tribute to Emma Alvarez

Written by Angela Miller on August 12, 2025. Posted in Prayer Ministers, Serenity Blog, Spanish Ministry, Transformation Prayer, Transformation Prayer Training. No Comments on From Doing an Assignment to Being on Assignment: A Tribute to Emma Alvarez

By: Angela Miller

This Fall, we celebrate a beautiful transition in the life of one of our beloved team members, Emma Alvarez, who has stepped into a new season from the Lord as a teacher in the public school system. Emma leaves Serenity Retreat not only renewed, but transformed, a living testimony to God’s faithfulness, healing, and commissioning power.

As one of the administrators who had a small hand in Emma’s hiring, I look back now and simply say: Praise You, Jesus. He showed up for Emma in powerful, undeniable ways during her time at Serenity. There were hard days and months of transition that stirred old wounds and brought deep places of the heart into the light. And yet, God used every moment of discomfort, every challenge, to do what He does best: refine, restore, and use ALL things for His good (Rom. 8:28).

Transition often jostles things in our hearts. For Emma, those seasons became sacred spaces where God met her in profound ways. She leaves with blessing and joy from our team and with an eager anticipation for what God is about to do in and through her in this next assignment.

Emma once carried anger, anxiety, and rejection, wounds deeply rooted in childhood trauma. Those burdens shaped how she saw herself, how she related to others, and how she approached God. But in 2022, everything began to shift.

“Through Transformation Prayer Ministry at Serenity Retreat, I encountered a new level of healing. One by one, the lies I had believed for so long began to unravel as God gently replaced them with His truth. He didn’t just touch the surface—He went to the root. And He didn’t just heal me—He transformed me.”

That transformation didn’t stop with her. It began to impact every part of her life, her marriage, her family, her view of the world, and most importantly, her understanding of who she is in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1, and Romans 8).

“For the first time, I believe God can use me in ministry—not because I have it all together, but because He said, ‘You are mine, and I will use you for My glory.’”

For the past two years, Emma has served faithfully and joyfully as an our Ministry Coordinator, then Office Manager and Prayer Minister and recently Bilingual Prayer Minister with Serenity (plus all the other duty as assigned). Her life and leadership have left a mark on many. She walks away from this season not with regret, but with freedom, joy, and a passion to share what God has done and continues to do.

“Serenity Retreat has been a vital part of my journey, and I’m forever grateful. I feel fully alive again and passionate about sharing what God has done.”

And so, with hearts full of gratitude, we bless Emma as she steps into this next chapter. She goes from doing an assignment to being on assignment! No longer striving, but walking in the Spirit’s leading. May every student, coworker, and classroom be touched by the light of Christ in her.

To God be all the glory.

– Angela Miller, Follower of Christ, Wife to Eric, Momma to Samuel, Program Manager & Prayer Minister

When Life Throws You a Curveball (Like Getting Moved to a New School the Day Before Classes Start!)

Written by Angela Miller on August 7, 2025. Posted in Serenity Blog, Transformation Prayer, Transformation Prayer Training. No Comments on When Life Throws You a Curveball (Like Getting Moved to a New School the Day Before Classes Start!)

By: Barbara Rolen, Program Director, Serenity Retreat

What does the beginning of a new school year mean for you? Maybe you’re in the thick of buying school supplies and new shoes, or perhaps you’re watching your own kids navigate those exciting and sometimes overwhelming first days.

As a former elementary school teacher for 18 years, I lived for those countdown moments. The planning, the meetings, the perfectly arranged bulletin boards, all building toward that magical first day when everything would finally come together. (You know that feeling, right? The excitement so intense you can barely sleep?)

But I’ll never forget the year I spent an entire week creating my dream classroom setup, only to get a phone call just hours before the first day: “We’re moving you to a different school.”

My poor husband was on the receiving end of that frantic, tearful call. I was devastated. All that work, all those plans—gone in an instant.

Here’s what I wish I had known then: those overwhelming emotions didn’t have to derail me. What if, instead of spiraling into panic and frustration, I could have used those very feelings as a pathway to encounter Jesus right in the middle of my crisis?

That’s exactly what Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM) offers, a way to cooperate with God each time life throws you a curveball.

Think about it: How would life be different for you and your family if you had a reliable way to meet with Jesus in your moments of greatest need? What if, instead of just gritting your teeth and pushing through trials, you could actually be transformed by them?

(I bet you’re thinking of a recent situation right now where this would have made all the difference.)

Your Turn to Experience Transformation

Here’s your invitation to discover what it’s like to walk through a simple prayer process and potentially walk away transformed—all because you gained God’s perspective where you once held faulty or limiting beliefs.

With the new school year beginning, we’re forming new classes at Serenity Retreat. If you’re ready to learn how to come through trials transformed instead of just weathering the storm, now is your perfect time to start.

Ready to dip your toes in the water? Join us for TPM 101, a free 2-hour introductory class that gives you a welcoming overview of Serenity Retreat and Transformation Prayer Ministry, along with a gentle walk-through of what a prayer session actually looks like.”

When: Tuesday, September 23 @ 6:30 pm
Cost: Absolutely free
What to expect: A safe space to discover how connecting with God in this new way could change everything

After TPM 101, you’ll be ready to dive deeper into our 6-week interactive class, where you’ll learn the principles, purpose, and process of TPM and begin your own journey of meeting Jesus in completely new ways.

Because here’s the truth: God doesn’t want you to just survive your trials. He wants to use them to transform you.

Ready to say yes to transformation? Register today.

Breakthrough Has a Sound

Written by Angela Miller on August 1, 2025. Posted in 25 Anniversary - Ring The Bell, Serenity Blog, Serenity Retreat Center, Transformation Prayer. No Comments on Breakthrough Has a Sound

By Interim CEO & Board Member, Cynthia Wenz

Part One: When Breakthrough Rings Like a Bell

I still remember the first time I encountered Serenity Retreat. It wasn’t at a gala or a board meeting. It was at a memorial service, a sacred gathering for mothers like me who had experienced the deep grief of abortion.

I had just completed my very first post-abortion healing class, and Serenity was still in its infancy, meeting in an Upper Room in Garden Oaks. I can still see Kathryn Eason, our gracious host, leading us as we gathered to grieve, to pray, and to lay down the burden that had weighed on our hearts for so long. That day I wept freely.

Tears seemed to ring through my heart like a bell. It was a holy sound, the sound of grief colliding with hope, the sound of a heart breaking open so healing could begin.

That healing became a turning point in my life. Soon after, my simple volunteer role at a local pregnancy center became a full calling. I found myself stepping into the CEO role at a pregnancy center just 10.4 miles away from the massive 78,000 square foot Planned Parenthood facility that was being built—the largest in the western hemisphere at the time.

As that building rose, my heart rose in response. World Magazine even featured my reflections in an article called Taking on Goliath. That season was my personal battle with Goliath. But like David, my weapon wasn’t a sword, it was prayer. My heart’s cry to the Lord became my sling and stone.

We served women and families with the hope of life in Christ. We educated. We prayed. We adjusted our business hours to match the rhythms of the abortion industry. And behind every act of service was a tear-stained prayer that Goliath would fall.

And now, 15 years later, that Goliath has fallen.

The massive facility that once cast its shadow over our city is finally closing its doors. Even still, I’ve learned through the years that while laws can change, doors can close, and buildings can be torn down, there yet remains the battle for hearts.

Now in my service as Interim CEO of Serenity Retreat, I can see clearly why the Lord has brought me back to this sacred space. Because breakthrough has a sound—and that sound is incepted in the prayers of God’s people.