Skip to main content

Recent Posts

Honoring New Leaders As We Welcome the New Year

| Tiffany Pardue | | No Comments on Honoring New Leaders As We Welcome the New Year
by Cynthia Wenz, Board Member and Interim CEO One of the greatest gifts of a healthy ministry is the people God brings to steward it. Board members play a vital role in the life and ministry of S…
Read more

An Ordinary Morning, Sacred Ground

| Angela Miller | , , , | No Comments on An Ordinary Morning, Sacred Ground
by Angela Miller | Program Manager at Serenity Retreat Some of the most important moments of transformation don’t happen in prayer rooms or retreats; they happen in kitchens, laundry rooms, and…
Read more

Author: Angela Miller

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

Written by Angela Miller on . 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 . 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.