It's usually a surprise to our guests. They come to a TPM session expecting to talk about what they're feeling and how to feel better about their situation. Instead, they discover…
Early in every TPM 301 Immersive, Brooke asks the room to picture a filing cabinet.
Every drawer full — scripture verses, teachings, techniques, the things you've learned to tell…
It’s usually a surprise to our guests. They come to a TPM session expecting to talk about what they’re feeling and how to feel better about their situation. Instead, they discover that they can actually view their painful emotions (fear, anxiety, overwhelm) as “friends,” because we feel what we believe. Those emotions are like a warning light on the car dashboard. When a situation causes you to feel one of those hard emotions, it’s alerting you to “check under the hood.” Something you’re believing isn’t in alignment with God’s Word. Once you identify what that belief is, the Holy Spirit is ready to do His job: persuade you of the truth.
That’s the moment TPM guests describe as the turning point — not when they figure something out, but when Jesus meets them in it and shows them what’s actually true. A married couple from a recent Personal Healing Retreat in Bellville shared what that looked like for them:
”I didn’t understand why I needed to feel my feelings for most of my life. They just get in the way. But with your help, I have experienced that it is the false belief I have that was in my way of transformation, not the feeling itself.” -G.T.
“The belief that I need to act a certain way or nothing gets better really gets me stuck in seeing the belief as true because it feels true. And this is where TPM is different. When I present that belief to the Lord and ask Him what He wants me to know, it may take a while for breakthrough and that can feel discouraging. But the TPM guide [Mentor] just visits that feeling next and we start again. They aren’t there to tell me what to know or do. The breakthrough will come if I keep learning the art of listening for God and testing what I hear against scripture. It’s gotta line up. And that is when breakthrough happens!” – K.T.
Contact Tiffany Pardue to book your own retreat today: [email protected]
Early in every TPM 301 Immersive, Brooke asks the room to picture a filing cabinet.
Every drawer full — scripture verses, teachings, techniques, the things you’ve learned to tell yourself when your heart hurts. It’s a good cabinet. Years of faithful discipleship built it. But when someone arrives with every drawer already packed, there’s nowhere left for anything new to land. They’re so busy matching what they’re hearing to what they already know that they can’t actually receive it.
Then the question is asked that lays the foundation for the weekend: What if God doesn’t want to teach you something new — He wants to give you what you already know, in a fresh way?
Not a Better Immersive. The Same Posture, Still Working.
If you were with us in May, you know that what God did in you then was real, and it was good. This isn’t a post about how July improved on May. It’s a post about what happens when a team — and a room full of people — actually live the thing we teach, rather than just teaching it.
Because here’s what’s true: we could have opened the same folder in July that we used in May. Nothing would have required us not to. But a posture that receives doesn’t stay still. When you’re actually listening for what the Spirit wants to do next, you stay ready to move when He redirects — not because the last thing failed, but because obedience has a next moment, and you’re still paying attention to it. May was faithfulness to what He was doing then. July was faithfulness to what He was doing now. Same posture. Different day.
Here’s the part I almost left out: the coaches’ drawers had to open too. Months and years of our own faith being refined, our own minds being renewed, left room for the Spirit to fill with more than there was before — not new information, just space for something different. What came out the other side wasn’t just fresh content. It was the principles, purpose, and process of TPM finally integrated, instead of taught as isolated talks and exercises the cohort had to piece together on their own. They could see the whole thing work together, not just hear about each piece separately.
That’s true of us as leaders. It turned out to be even more visibly true of the cohort.
Confidence Isn’t Something You Practice Into
Nearly every person in that room walked in Thursday afternoon tentative about the idea of mentoring anyone. Some were openly anxious. By Saturday, those same people could see themselves as mentors, ready to keep building toward it.
Some might think that shift came from repetition — enough practice sessions and eventually the nerves wear off. I don’t think that’s it. What actually happened is closer to what Saturday morning’s teaching named directly: You are not responsible for transforming yourself. You are only responsible for staying close enough to the fire to let Him.
Their confidence wasn’t manufactured. It was overflow. Every person who walked out more ready than they walked in had spent three days being the one who receives — sitting in the mentee’s seat, letting the Spirit persuade them of something true about themselves and about God. Not just hearing that we’re meant to “be transformed by the renewing of our mind” (Romans 12:2) — experiencing it. You don’t stay afraid of holding space for someone else’s process once you’ve encountered the Lord yourself as someone else held space for yours.
That’s not a technique. That’s fruit.
One Room, Every Starting Point
Joel first learned this work years ago under an older name — Theophostic Prayer — and came back to receive it again in its current form. Julia, Sarah, and Debra arrived at three different points in their own training. Kim had already been mentoring faithfully for three years.
None of them were behind. None of them were ahead. Carol has a picture for this: the stakes driven in beside a newly planted tree, holding it steady until its own roots take hold. Nobody’s expected to stand on their own before they’re rooted enough to. You’re not on your own until you’re actually ready to be on your own — progression happens at each person’s pace, because the goal was never to get everyone to the same place at the same time. It was to meet each one where they were.
Kim’s story is the clearest picture of it. A year ago, I asked her to consider co-leading our 201 course. She said no, not now. This week, she called — not because I’d asked again, but because somewhere in this Immersive, God showed her she was ready. I didn’t do that, and neither did our material. Something in her actually received what He was offering – His truth and perspective – and it changed what she believed was possible for her to carry.
What the Pictures Show
At our last gathering, I looked around and saw small clusters of people deep in conversation — two here, three there, four more out on the porch — the easy, unhurried kind of talk that only happens after three days of being honest with each other.
That’s not something you can build into a schedule. It’s what tends to show up on its own, once people have spent a weekend actually receiving from God and from each other instead of performing for one another.
Meeting You Where You Are
Not everyone reading this is ready for a 301 Immersive — and that’s exactly the posture this whole weekend was about. Meeting people where they are, not where we wish they were.
Never experienced TPM? Sign up for a session.
Don’t know what TPM is? Start with TPM 101.
Ready to begin learning TPM for yourself? Start with TPM 201.
Ready for the principles, purpose, and process of TPM to make more sense? Join our 8-week TPM 301 Zoom course.
Curious to experience an immersive for yourself? Fall 2026 and 2027 dates release in September.
What Happened When I Came to Serve—and Found Myself Set Free
About 12 years ago, I was introduced to TPM through a training in Fort Myers with Ed and Josh Smith. Over the years that followed, God continually nudged me back toward this ministry. I read the books (and even had the privilege of helping edit them), but if I’m being honest, I never got very far in applying TPM to my own life.
About three years ago, I knew it was time to fully respond to His invitation. After reaching out to Ed, he directed me to Serenity Retreat for a few TPM sessions by Zoom. The breakthroughs I experienced in just those three sessions were so profound that I immediately enrolled in TPM 101, 201, and 301 (twice!). That journey eventually led to becoming a Mentor in Training and now a Mentor.
Because I live in Florida, my entire TPM journey had taken place over Zoom. Although I had formed deep friendships through a computer screen, it felt like God was inviting me to take another step—to come to Serenity Retreat in person and serve.
My schedule was exactly what I expected: full. Over three days, I would be mentoring and interceding in six sessions. What I didn’t expect was how much I would personally receive during my time there.
The retreat grounds were everything I had imagined—peaceful, beautiful, complete with a stunning lake and even wandering miniature horses that reminded me of home. But what impacted me most weren’t the surroundings. It was the people and the unexpected ways God met me through them.
In a way only God could orchestrate, my rental management business took an absolutely crazy turn just one hour before my very first in-person mentoring session. Feeling overwhelmed and triggered, my friend Barbara gently asked, “How does that make you feel?”
And just like that, we were off.
The Lord graciously revealed a vow I had made years earlier—one I wasn’t even consciously aware of. As a younger version of myself, I had determined that I would always fight so I wouldn’t be taken advantage of. Within minutes, an incredible session unfolded. God replaced old beliefs with His truth, and I walked into my very first mentoring session with greater freedom and a God-given love for the Mentee than I could have imagined.
A couple of evenings later, while having dinner with another Mentor staying at the retreat center, I found myself unexpectedly triggered again. As she shared about the joy and peace she had found in her marriage—even though her husband hadn’t changed one bit—I realized I was feeling anger toward her.
One of the beautiful gifts of TPM is having relationships where you can honestly say, “I’m feeling angry toward you,” knowing that it’s simply the starting point for discovering what God wants to reveal. Through another beautiful session, the Lord uncovered deeper beliefs about my own marriage—areas where I genuinely thought He had already finished His work.
Apparently, He wasn’t finished yet.
On my last full day in Bellville, I was blessed once again by attending my first in-person Community Chat. What a difference it makes to gather around a table, share a meal, and simply be together. Learning while eating, laughing, and sharing life was a completely different experience than gathering over Zoom.
I was deeply touched by the conversations that unfolded so naturally as we shared what God was doing in our own lives and encouraged one another in the work of mentoring. Together, we discussed how to better walk alongside those seeking freedom, so they, too, could encounter His truth and experience the life-changing freedom that comes from believing it.
Before coming to Serenity Retreat, I assumed I was there primarily to give—to mentor, to pray, and to serve others. While that certainly happened, God also lovingly served me.
I don’t believe it’s necessary to have your own sessions while serving at the Retreat Center. But I do believe God delights in arranging just the right circumstances to uncover deeply buried beliefs—not to make us uncomfortable, but to set us free.
That’s exactly what He did for me.
Scripture tells us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I discovered something else as well: when God allows us to do both at the same time, it’s an incredible gift.
Thank you, Serenity Retreat, for allowing me to serve—and for serving me through His love and His Truth.
Three Days. Six Workshops. The Place Where It All Finally Clicks. A reflection on the TPM 301 Immersive at Serenity Retreat’s Bellville Center.
Something shifts when you leave the city behind and drive into the quiet of Bellville.
You don’t always know what it is — not yet. But somewhere between the familiar hum of Houston traffic and the stillness of the retreat center, your shoulders drop. Your grip loosens. And you start to wonder if maybe this is exactly where you were supposed to be.
That’s how the TPM 301 Immersive begins. Not with a syllabus or a schedule — though both exist — but with a charcuterie board, an unhurried meal, and the kind of easy conversation that happens when people who love the same things find each other in the same room.
More Than a Course — It’s an Experience
If you’ve already completed the TPM 301 online, you know the framework. You’ve learned the MAP. You understand the boxes. You’ve watched the teaching, taken notes, maybe even practiced a session or two on your own.
The Immersive is something different.
One participant put it this way: “There’s another depth that comes from in-person training that is kind of hard to put into words — but it makes going in person worth it.” That depth is what we’re after. Not just knowing the process, but being inside it — as a student mentor, a student observer, or as a mentee doing the meaningful internal work.
The 301 Immersive is our third of its kind this year — following successful Immersives for TPM 101 and 201 earlier in 2026. What started as an experiment has become a clear pattern: something happens in person that simply can’t be replicated on a screen.
Over three packed days, you’ll move through six workshops and six practice sessions, with meals and margin woven in between. It’s a full immersion in the truest sense — purpose, principles, and process held together in a rhythm that works even better when you’re all in the same space, breathing the same air.
The People in the Room
One of the things that makes the 301 Immersive distinctly Serenity is the coaching team.
Brooke Wallace brings a grounded, well-thought-out teaching style and Keever Wallace leans into interactive teaching, which one participant confessed was “a bit stressful” — and also deeply effective. “Even though it’s a bit more stressful as a participant, it also is very helpful for both focusing and learning.” Carol Schwartz brings the personal touch — teaching from her own story in a way that reminds you this isn’t just methodology, it’s a lived journey.
And together? One participant said simply: “They came together really well. The overall experience works.”
This is equipping, not just instruction. These coaches aren’t walking you through material — they’re walking with you through it and giving you opportunities for application.
What the Practice Sessions Actually Teach You
Here’s what no one tells you before you arrive: the practice sessions might be where the most significant learning happens.
Not because they’re polished — they rarely are. That’s the point. You’ll sit in the mentor seat and feel the weight of following the process in real time. You’ll make a call, get stuck, wonder what box you’re in. And then a coach will pull alongside you — not to take over, but to help you see what you almost missed.
Cheryl described an aha moment that came mid-session when Keever stopped and coached her in real time. “I got a new and important insight regarding solution indicators” — the kind of insight that doesn’t come from a video, no matter how many times you watch it.
Another participant noted something just as instructive: watching other cohorts run their sessions. “I learned a lot — most perhaps — from that.” There’s something irreplaceable about seeing someone else navigate the exact moment you’ve been afraid of.
Margin, Meals, and That Impromptu Worship Moment
Let’s talk about the other part — the part that doesn’t show up on the outline.
One evening, dinner moved outside to the pavilion. Open air, green fields, good food, easy laughter around the table. It’s the kind of meal and setting that also feeds the soul.
The meals throughout the weekend were genuinely good. Tiffany and her team pour themselves into the hospitality, and it shows in every detail — the plentiful snacks, the inviting spaces, the care that makes you feel less like a student and more like a guest. And if your room doesn’t have Wi-Fi? One participant was openly grateful for that.
“Loved the meals and the impromptu worship session,” wrote one participant. “The experience works as it is.”
That spontaneous worship moment — unplanned, unhurried — is a good picture of what happens when you put a group of people together who are seeking the Lord and give them a little breathing room. The schedule is full, yes. But there’s something underneath the schedule that the Spirit tends to fill.
A Word to the Mentor Who’s Been Away
Maybe you completed your TPM training a few years ago and life just happened. Ministry got heavy, or a season came that required a different kind of attention, or you simply needed to step back and let yourself be a recipient for a while.
This part is for you.
The 301 Immersive isn’t a re-certification. It’s a re-immersion. You don’t have to have it all together to come. One participant arrived carrying what she described as significant internal chaos. She said she found everyone “generous to give time to my healing.”
That’s the culture here. You can be a learner and a leader in the same weekend. And sometimes — often, actually — the most important thing that happens in Bellville isn’t what you learn about the process. It’s what the process does in you.
What Happens When You Show Up
Here’s the simplest version of what we can tell you:
Show up. Even if you didn’t get a chance to finish all the precourse work. Even if you feel rusty, uncertain, or like everyone else is further along than you. Show up, participate, and let the process do what it does.
One of our participants completed TPM 201 and 301 last year. She could have kept learning from her living room in California. Instead, she was so intrigued by the great deal that she booked a flight to experience it in person.
“It is worth the time and expense,” Jana said, “because so much more just clicks and falls into place.”
When asked what could be improved for the next immersive, Taylor said, “I honestly can’t think of anything, I had such a great experience. The affordability was key for me. Price point was right sized and very reasonable. I was really moved by the whole weekend. Brooke, Keever, Carol, Barb (and Daniela who led that spontaneous worship moment) all did fantastic. It was very meaningful.”
Three Immersives in. Three times we’ve watched people walk in carrying questions and walk out carrying something they couldn’t have found on a screen. We’re not stopping here.
The next TPM 301 Immersive is coming — July 30–August 1, 2026.
This Immersive is designed for students who have completed prerequisite training. Not sure if you qualify? Reach out — we’d love to help you figure out your next right step. Ready to jump in? Click below.
“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24
In the dark days of marriage, abuse, divorce, and motherhood through it all, I can now see that even when I felt completely alone, God was moving — putting people, resources, and invitations in my path. This is an excerpt from my life’s story, one in which Serenity Retreat has provided hope and a safe place to heal for me and for my most cherished gift — my daughter.
A Dear Friend, Stephen Ministry, and Serenity Retreat
In the last months of 2024, God sent me a new friend, Ava Foster, a lifelong Episcopalian, who became a lifeline. She listened, believed me and in me, and served as my Stephen Minister — a trained lay caregiver who walked beside me through my pain and acrimonious divorce. She sat with me, prayed with me, and gently reminded me that God’s heart was for my freedom, not my bondage. Through Ava, God gently and persistently called me to come into the light. It was she who opened the door to Serenity Retreat and to Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM).
“For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8
Serenity Retreat Bellville is a place set apart — quiet, beautiful, and saturated with prayer and the grace and glory of God and His son, Jesus Christ. It is a place where God speaks and transforms through TPM. TPM is Serenity’s gentle, Spirit-led process that helps uncover the lies we come to believe and hold about ourselves, others, and God, and invites Jesus to speak His truth into those very places.
As I began TPM, God’s light started to shine into places I had kept in shadow for years. Bit by bit, the fog lifted, truth was revealed, and clarity grew. What I had been living through was not “normal conflict”; it was calculated and deeply harmful—and God’s heart was not in it.
Even after my first experience with TPM, which was at The Preserve, Serenity’s Houston location, I knew something profound had shifted. I heard God’s truth and felt the power of His love and light in a way I had not in years, so I went back a second time.
I shared with Barbara Rolen, Program Director of Serenity Retreat, how I felt transformed by hearing God’s truth and feeling His love. I thirsted to learn more. She told stories of people of all ages—including teens—who had experienced the healing work of TPM. In that moment, I then knew Serenity Retreat was not just for me. It was also for my daughter, Wren.
A Mother–Daughter Retreat
“Mothers pass down faith, strength, and love.” (2 Timothy 1:5)
As a deeply spiritual mother, one of my deepest wounds was seeing someone diminish God and His glory in my child’s eyes.
I wanted her to experience something completely different: a place where God’s presence felt gentle and safe, where questions were welcome, where tears were honored, and where truth and faith did not come with fear of punishment or manipulation.
So I invited Wren to come with me to Serenity Retreat Bellville. Like many teenage girls, she gave me a bit of an eye roll and wasn’t thrilled about being away from friends and missing dance, but after thinking it over, she agreed.
At Serenity Retreat, I stepped back, focused on my own healing and relationship with God, and gave her space to have her personal experience. Just being there — in the natural beauty of the property, the thoughtful spaces, and the presence of warm, Godly people, there seemed to be an instant sense of peace about her. A peace and perhaps serenity, that I had not seen in years.
In the stillness of that private place, during TPM, she had space to be her authentic, vulnerable, whole self. She could bring her fears, hurt, confusion, and questions — everything she carried on her heart — to the Lord. She didn’t have to perform or be “the kid in the middle.” She was allowed, and in fact encouraged, to be simply Wren, deeply loved by God through and through.
True to her nature, afterwards, she didn’t share in detail with me, but I could easily see that God was whispering His truth into her heart. I imagined His words:
You are not the problem…
You are not too much…
You are enough and perfect as you are…
I, your Father, am not like the version of Me you’ve been shown — I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. (Matthew 11:29)
As a Christian mother, there is nothing more sacred than watching your child encounter the true Jesus — the One who protects, heals, and restores — who never condemns and controls.
This is where — in this still, divine, appropriately-named place — God whispered His truth into both of our souls. As His daughter, and especially as a mother, I am deeply grateful for the sanctuary we have found in Serenity Retreat.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
To every woman and mother who needs encouraged today — He is faithful. If you need space and a place to connect with Him — consider Serenity. May God bless you and your precious children.
Happy Mother’s Day!
A Mother’s Day Blessing
To every woman who has ever mothered a child, a friend, a dream, or a hurting heart, including her own,
To the mothers who are joyful and the mothers who are exhausted,
To grandmothers, spiritual mothers, stepmothers, foster and adoptive mothers,
To the women who long to be mothers, and the women who have lost children,
To the women quietly holding families together in the shadows of confusion, conflict, or hidden abuse.
May you hear this: God see you. God hears you. God values and loves you.
by Barbara Rolen, Program Director at Serenity Retreat
“The role-plays and the live demonstration minimized the mountain I had made of TPM.”
When one member of the cohort shared this insight after our first TPM 201 Immersive in Bellville, it reminded me of the way we humans many times approach new experiences, me included. We build up these mountains in our minds—mountains of complexity, mountains of fear, mountains of “I could never do that”—and then the Holy Spirit gently shows us that what looked insurmountable was actually an invitation to step forward.
On Jan 29 – 31, 2026 (with several of us lingering through Sunday morning), we gathered in Bellville for something that was just an idea from the Lord last fall: a condensed, intensive format for TPM 201 that would allow people to grow in their understanding of TPM and have multiple encounters with the Lord in practice sessions, without the challenge of sustaining momentum across six weekly classes. What unfolded was a community of believers sharing life together: lots of laughter and tears as we witnessed and experienced encounters with the Lord leading to transformation again and again.
But the journey didn’t begin when we arrived Thursday evening. It started weeks earlier, when participants began their pre-coursework…
Part One: Laying the Foundation—Weeks of Intentional Preparation
The journey to Bellville didn’t begin with packing bags or making travel arrangements. It began weeks earlier, when each participant received access to their pre-coursework—a carefully designed progression through seven modules that would prepare their hearts and minds for the intensive weekend ahead.
Over those weeks, participants were reading key chapters from The Principles, Purpose, and Process by Ed Smith and Joshua Smith, watching key teaching videos, and engaging with the content through Discovery Guides. They were learning the core TPM principles—we perceive what we believe, we feel what we believe, we do what we believe, we believe what we are persuaded to believe—and beginning to recognize patterns in their own lives. We also asked each person to complete three TPM sessions before arriving, giving them hands-on experience with the process they’d be learning to use.
Some engaged deeply with the pre-work, joining us for our three Zoom check-ins to discuss what they were learning and to experience the prayer process of TPM. Others did what they could, showing up with just enough foundation to begin. And that was okay—because what we discovered is that the immersive format has room for people to enter at different levels of preparation.
The pre-work served its purpose: everyone arrived with at least a basic shared vocabulary and some personal experience of TPM. But the real breakthroughs? Those would come during our time together, when teaching met practice, when understanding became experience, and when the Holy Spirit showed up in ways none of us could orchestrate.
Part Two: Three Days of Deep Transformation
Thursday: Setting the Atmosphere
We gathered around the table over a charcuterie dinner while sharing what brought us to this immersive experience. The honesty in the room was palpable—some eager, some nervous, all expectant. The discussion continued as we dove into the first component of the Purpose of TPM: faith-refinement.
After a brief orientation, focusing specifically on the Emotion Box, where every TPM session begins, everyone enjoyed a live demonstration. Watching someone demonstrate self-TPM made it feel… possible. Approachable. Real.
Angela Miller, one of our coaches, later reflected: “The TPM 201 Immersive reminded me how powerful it is when people gather together in-person, sharing meals, engaging in meaningful conversation, and learning about a prayer process that has lasting effects on our spiritual life. We create space to go deeper into our own stories while also bearing witness to what God is doing in the lives of others.”
Friday: The Rhythm of Breakthrough
Each workshop began with a playful or meaningful warm-up exercise designed to focus on an aspect of TPM. The first workshop of the day was focused on the Memory Box and Belief Box, exploring why it matters where our beliefs are stored (head versus heart) and how the Holy Spirit works to renew our minds.
The teaching sessions weren’t just lectures. We broke into small groups with coaches for role plays, working through scenarios like “Sarah’s Stressful Situation” and “Angie’s Anger.” These weren’t theoretical exercises—they were practice runs for the real sessions happening between workshops.
One participant captured it perfectly: “I loved the community that formed in the 36 hours we were together. I love how knowing the Lord and knowing others know the Lord gives us a strong kinship. I loved that people were serious about learning TPM and their hearts were really engaged in it.”
By Friday afternoon, we were tackling the Anger Box—learning to recognize anger in all its disguises and understanding that our anger always is fueled by a belief underneath. Friday evening brought us face-to-face with Solution Indicators—those protective behaviors we’ve developed to avoid pain, the ones that feel so right but keep us stuck.
And between every workshop? Practice sessions. Real prayer ministry. Real breakthroughs.
“I had a great prayer session when one of the participants prayed for me,” one attendee shared. “The most impactful time is watching the Holy Spirit breakthrough in someone’s life and givethem a new truth.”
Saturday: Integration and Transformation
Saturday morning we explored the Solution Box more deeply. This is where many participants had their biggest “aha” moments. One person wrote in her survey: “I realized I have spent my life in the solution box, thinking it was a good answer, thinking these behaviors were the right and logical truths. And my mind has been renewed. My beliefs are not correct, God’s truth is the right solution. I’m on a new path now in my thinking and how I perceive and believe. It feels like freedom and I actually felt lighter and dizzy, something left.”
Another shared: “I’ve spent most of my life thinking I am alone and isolated, and in my TPM session I realized that was a self-protection tool, and that I can depend on God in those places around me and feel safe and loved and cared for.”
Carol Schwartz, another coach, observed: “Being part of TPM 201 team was such a gift. The immersive setting gave us the chance to really slow down and walk with people as they practiced, asked questions, and grew in confidence. It was powerful to watch the material click in real time and to see the personal growth happening right alongside their hands-on learning.”
Saturday afternoon brought us full circle with a “Coaches Panel”—a time for participants to ask any lingering questions. Then came our closing ceremony: the Transformation Commemoration. Each person wrote on a river rock one lie they’d believed when they arrived—something Jesus had replaced with truth over these three days. One by one, they threw their rocks into the water, releasing what God had set them free from. Then they received cards to write down the truth God had given them in place of the lie or anything else the Lord wanted them to walk away with. It was a genuine celebration of what we’d witnessed God do.
A few of us lingered into Sunday for additional fellowship and reflection time. There’s something sacred about those unhurried morning hours after an intensive experience—time to let it all settle.
Part Three: What We’re Learning About This Format
The survey responses are still coming in, but certain themes are already clear:
The immersive format works differently than weekly classes. The concentrated time, the meals together, the ability to have multiple practice sessions in a short span—it accelerates both learning and transformation. Angela, who helped facilitate this intensive, put it simply: “I genuinely love this model and cannot recommend an immersive highly enough. Even if you have participated in a six- or eight-week training, there is something uniquely rich about the immersive experience that is well worth stepping into.”
Role plays and demonstrations demystify the process. That participant who felt the mountain become a molehill? She wasn’t alone. Watching real demonstrations and doing hands-on practice made TPM feel accessible rather than overwhelming.
Community matters. Being together in person, sharing meals, laughing over icebreakers, witnessing each other’s breakthroughs—it creates bonds that go beyond typical classroom learning.
The Lord shows up. One participant noted simply: “Still digesting everything, the skits, the workshop discussions were fantastic.” But beneath that digest-time is the reality that minds were renewed, lies were replaced with truth, and people encountered Jesus in tangible ways.
Part Four: Your Invitation
We’re offering more TPM 201 Immersive opportunities in 2026, and after experiencing this first one, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Whether you’ve never taken TPM training before, or you completed a weekly format years ago and want to go deeper, this condensed format offers something special.
You’ll arrive with some pre-work under your belt. You’ll spend three days learning principles, practicing skills, and experiencing personal ministry. You’ll leave with new tools, new freedom, and new friends who’ve walked this journey with you.
And maybe, like our participants, you’ll discover that the mountain you imagined was really just an invitation to step forward and watch what God can do.
If you’re interested in a future TPM 201 Immersive, reach out to us at Serenity Retreat [email protected]. We’d love to have you join us for the next one!
We are grateful to share that Tiffany Pardue has stepped into a new leadership role at Serenity Retreat as our Retreats Director and Community Partnership Liaison. This transition marks a meaningful new season for Serenity Retreat Bellville, and one we are entering with deep gratitude and confidence.
In these past months, as Tiffany has stepped more fully into this role, we have already seen the fruit of her leadership. She has helped maintain, develop, and strengthen the rhythm of retreats and ministry respites on the land, while also collaborating closely with the broader team to imagine what could be next. With creativity and wisdom, Tiffany has brought fresh insight into how our retreats and hospitality team can continue to serve individuals, ministries, and communities with care, depth, and intentionality. We’ve already seen the collaboration in action with our training team in our recent TPM 201 Immersive and how the Lord is positioning Serenity Retreat for the new wine to come!
Tiffany carries both a reverence for what God has already established at Serenity Retreat and a thoughtful openness to innovation, holding the mission steady while helping us grow with clarity and purpose. Her leadership helps ensure that the retreats, gatherings, and trainings hosted in Bellville continue to be places where people can encounter God in safety, truth, and love.
As Serenity Retreat Bellville continues to grow as a place of rest, prayer, and restoration, this role helps cultivate an atmosphere where Transformation Prayer Ministry can flourish and where individuals and groups can step away from the noise to listen, heal, and be renewed in God’s presence. The land in Bellville remains a place set apart, a place to come away, to be still, and to receive.
As Scripture reminds us: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)
If you are sensing an invitation to step away for rest, prayer, or healing, we would be honored to host you at Serenity Retreat Bellville. To inquire about a personal retreat, group retreat, or ministry respite, please email [email protected] or fill out our Retreat Information Request Form.
We are deeply thankful for the way God is assembling leaders for this next season at Serenity Retreat. Please join us in welcoming Tiffany and praying for her as she continues to serve with humility, wisdom, and a heart fully yielded to the work God is doing here.
by Tiffany Pardue and Barbara Rolen, Retreats and Program Directors
While Christian groups have gathered to experience the Lord at Serenity Retreat Bellville for years, God is doing is something new and exciting with Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM).
Here’s What’s New
This fall, in planning meetings with group retreat leaders, discussions about what it might look like to incorporate TPM sessions increased. Leaders began showing an interest in our prayer ministers providing TPM to their groups—from 10, to 15, even 17 at a time! With our typical Personal Healing Retreat format, that’s just not feasible.
So, we sought the Lord and began to book group retreats that include one TPM session per participant. The response has been extraordinary—Serenity Retreat partnered with church small groups and ministry teams to provide TPM during group retreats is a Kingdom match made in heaven!
The Experiment
Our first group, Dream Makers, had ten participants, seven of whom received prayer. We scheduled two prayer minister teams to serve them, and when illness hit mid-retreat—we didn’t cancel, we pivoted. Four sessions were provided via Zoom to the group gathered at Bellville. Thank God that the Holy Spirit is not constrained by space or screens!
Then came our second group, Restored Wives with 17 ladies. We brought in three all-star prayer minister and intercessor teams to provide TPM to 16 young mommas and wives over the course of 24 hours. You should have seen it!
By the end of the retreat, they stood facing the pond, hands clasped and lifted high in celebration of Jesus and what He had done among them—collectively and in each of their hearts. So much restoration and love.
The Lord has moved in ways we’ve never experienced through these group retreat collaborations. With all our hearts turned to the Lord for wisdom and guidance, 23 women have experienced TPM through this new format, almost all of them for the first time. That’s 23 women who have given the opportunity to have an encounter with the Lord resulting in more freedom and transformation.
Why This Matters
Here’s what we’re discovering: this format makes TPM accessible to groups who might not otherwise experience it.
Let’s say your men or women’s ministry wants to introduce TPM to your leaders, but asking everyone to commit to a full individual retreat isn’t realistic. Maybe your small group has been walking through increasingly difficult circumstances and you know you need to create space for everyone to lean in together—a space where all can gather, and also experience quiet, sacred moments with the Lord, including a TPM session—you’re wondering how you can make this work for a larger group? Or perhaps the Lord is inviting your group of friends or ministry team to go deeper together in Him—and one TPM session per person feels like the perfect starting point.
This new option? It’s opening doors and so many possibilities.
It Takes a Small Army (of Prayer Ministers)
I need to tell you something: this only works because of our prayer ministers’ hearts for this ministry. They want as many people as possible to encounter the Lord and walk in freedom! When we asked prayer ministers to serve these two groups—first two teams for the group of ten, then three teams for the group of 17—many said yes without hesitation. They all agreed it was such a joy to come together and serve so many women at once. Their willingness to serve, their hunger to see people set free, their faithfulness to show up—that’s what makes this kind of multiplication possible.
Is This for Your Group?
If you’ve been thinking about how and when you can bring your ministry team, small group, even family or friends to Bellville, and what it might look like to receive ministry together—this might be exactly what you’re looking for.
We are thrilled to collaborate with you to create a Group Retreat experience tailored to your needs, with or without our new one-session-per-participant option. Email [email protected] to start the conversation and see what the Lord has in store for you and your people in2026!
Grateful for All That God Is Doing
This Thanksgiving, as we think of these 23 women, many whose lives have been deeply impacted and changed, we say THANK YOU.
Thank you to our powerful, big-hearted prayer ministers, and thank you to every person who makes the space, investing time and resources to step out in faith, believing that God will encounter you with His truth. Thank you to all who are praying for Serenity Retreat, supporting this work, or cheering us on—thank you for being part of what God is multiplying here. And thank you, Jesus, for doing what only You can do!
We have so many reasons to be grateful and so many to whom we give our thanks. God has been good to Serenity Retreat this year, and we are excited and expectant to see how He leads us through the holidays and into the new year, together. Happy Thanksgiving, Family!
PRAYER MINISTERS – One prayer minister was so inspired by reading this post that she is ready to sign up to join the TPM explosion happening in Bellville. Anybody else want to join? Don’t let 16 sessions scare you, or even 5 sessions for one team. Prayer teams are not always compiled of the same ministers. Mentors and Intercessors serve as they’re available and then tag the next team.
Contact [email protected] to be added to the “Ready Retreat Team”. When the need arises, you’ll be contacted. If you can serve, great—if not, we’ll call you the next time. Thanks and we hope to hear from you soon!
By Barbara Rolen, Program Director, Serenity Retreat
You know that feeling when you can sense God’s up to something, but you’re not quite sure what it is yet? That’s been me—and honestly, all of us here at Serenity Retreat—for the better part of this year. Collectively, we sense the Lord forming new wine skins—new rhythms and new structures so we are ready for what’s to come.
I am proud of the effective training courses we offer at Serenity Retreat, from intro to internship. Since there’s always room for improvement, each of the courses is undergoing refinement this year and next to improve the effectiveness and experience for participants.
And now God is also stretching us to expand our training to include TPM 201 Immersive for those looking for the convenience of a self-paced on-demand course, culminating with a dynamic, immersive experience at our Bellville Retreat Center.
The Real Heart of TPM 201: You First
Both our six-week TPM 201 course and the new Immersive format are designed to help you tend to your own heart first—before you even think about helping anyone else.
Here’s what I mean: you learn to recognize what’s actually happening inside you when thoughts like these won’t quit plaguing you:
“Where did that explosion of anger come from? I hate hurting my family like this.”
“I know God’s Word says that He’ll never leave you or forsake you, but it sure feels like I’m all alone, even abandoned.”
“I’m sick and tired of fear running my life.”
“God, make it stop! It’s just too much!”
“When will my life ever change? Will I always feel like there is something wrong with me?”
Whether you choose the six-week TPM 201 course or the TPM 201 Immersive, the goal is the same: learn how to use TPM as a lifestyle so you can gain God’s perspective any time of day, anywhere—even 3AM lying in your bed, or in your office, or while mowing your lawn or folding clothes.
Introducing the TPM 201 Immersive: A Whole New Way to Learn
Let me explain how TPM 201 Immersive is different from our standard six-week course.
The traditional TPM 201 is six weeks of live classes—one session per week, everyone moving through the material together on the same schedule. The first hour each week is spent discussing the homework questions and chapters read. During the second hour, students get to experience TPM in small groups in breakout rooms with a coach mentoring the sessions.
The Immersive? It’s designed for people who need more flexibility and want the in-person experience in Bellville. Here’s how it works:
On-demand course—Complete the core teaching modules at your own pace, covering the same content as our six-week TPM 201 course
Three Connect Points—Join your classmates for Saturday Zoom calls where you’ll share insights and get questions answered. (We keep it real with optional breakout rooms for your own TPM sessions—so you can experience what you’re learning, not just talk about it!)
Your own TPM sessions (at least 3 before the gathering)—Experience the transforming work of the Holy Spirit for yourself with a trained mentor, so you arrive at the weekend gathering having already experienced the process of TPM multiple times to prepare you to use TPM on yourself.
Community digital platform— Connect with your cohort and coaches between sessions, ask questions, and share insights as you go deeper with the material.
A multi-day, hands-on gathering at the Serenity Retreat Center in Bellville, Texas—This is where it all comes together. You’ll deepen your understanding of TPM’s purpose and principles, practice in small groups, and experience the gift of a like-minded community all moving toward the same goal: using TPM as a lifestyle. (Jan 29 – 31)
Is This For You?
Maybe you’ve been feeling that tug—that there’s got to be more than this feeling when it comes to your relationship with God.
Maybe you’ve wondered if God might be calling you toward prayer ministry, but you weren’t sure how to take the next step.
Or maybe you know someone in your life—someone with a heart for listening, for caring, for shepherding others—who would thrive in this kind of formation.
If any of that resonates? We’d love to have you join us.
Grateful for This Season
As we head into Thanksgiving, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for what God is cultivating here at Serenity Retreat. He’s building something steady and lasting—deepening and expanding what’salready been rooted in His presence.
Thank you for walking with us. For praying. For supporting. For listening to what God is stirring in your own heart.
And thank you for being part of what He’s forming here.
May your Thanksgiving be full of rest, warmth, and the quiet awareness that God is preparing you—and this ministry—for good things ahead.
By Angela Miller, Program Manager at Serenity Retreat
As I sat in the audience that morning, I found myself quietly in awe. Serenity Retreat was celebrating 25 years of God’s faithfulness, and story after story testified to His transforming power. When Mary Whitehurst, CEO of The Source, took the stage, something in her words spoke to me. It wasn’t just what she said, or how she said it, but what she chose to do.
Before Mary spoke, our Interim CEO Cynthia Wenz introduced her with such tenderness. Cynthia shared how she once sat in Mary’s role as The Source CEO and testified how God had redefined her identity, not through title or position, but through intimacy with Him.
Then Cynthia looked toward Mary with genuine admiration and said,
“Ladies and gentlemen, I couldn’t be more honored to stand beside the torchbearer, the carrier of a ministry that healed me. So I give you, Mary Whitehurst.”
When Healing Becomes Leadership
Mary began to share her story with honesty and grace. She told us about the season when her marriage was unraveling, and her heart was weary.
“My husband and I were separated,” she said quietly. “I needed a place to heal. I needed to hear God’s voice again.”
In her search, she found Serenity Retreat in Bellville, Texas not by recommendation or by coincidence, but through a simple Google search that led her straight to a divine appointment.
“I came just needing rest,” she said. “But through Transformation Prayer Ministry, the Lord revealed parts of my heart that were broken far beyond my marriage. I left completely changed.”
Later, her husband joined her for his own retreat, and together they experienced reconciliation and restoration. Praise the Lord for what He does and how He has helped Serenity Retreat steward the land, of Bellville, to offer these places of rest to individuals!
As I listened, I could feel the entire room exhale, that deep kind of sigh that comes when you realize you’re hearing not just a story, but a testimony. And this wasn’t even the main story she was going to share. There was more!
Grace Built Into the Budget
What moved me most was what came next. Mary didn’t stop at her personal transformation; she turned it into an act of stewardship.
“We have twelve directors across our Houston and Austin clinics,” she said. “Each of them now comes to Serenity Retreat every year for time with the Lord. It’s become a sacred rhythm a time to rest, reflect, and remember God’s grace.”
She went on to share that her team’s retreats are now built into the annual budget. Wow!
That statement caught my breath.
As someone who has served in ministry spaces and higher education, I know how rare and how holy it is when leadership intentionally makes room for soul care! To see a leader not only recognize the need for spiritual renewal but build it into the annual budget and rhythm of care for staff is truly, servant-hearted leadership.
“It’s transformational for our team,” she said. “If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the investment, I’d ask, why not? Why wouldn’t you invest in the spiritual health and well-being of your people and yourself?”
In that moment there was a deep agreement in my own soul, and a hope that more leaders will rise to invest in the soul care of their staff. A prayer for a generation of leaders like Mary who are not only leading with vision, but with wisdom, compassion and action.
The Torch That Keeps Burning
As I reflect on that morning, “passing the torch” took on a deeper meaning for me.
Cynthia passed the torch of leadership, honoring Mary with grace and humility. Mary carries her torch of leadership, illuminating others with the same light that once healed her. The leaders at The Source carry their own torches every day, inviting still more to experience and share the hope of Christ through their life-affirming reproductive healthcare. And all of us sitting there, we were invited to take up our own flame of faithfulness, to consider how, where, and to Whom we guide others.
This is what legacy looks like: lives transformed by Christ, leadership marked by rest and renewal, and a commitment to help others hear God’s voice for themselves.
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” — Ephesians 3:20
My Heartfelt Thanks
So, thank you, Mary Whitehurst, for being an example to the next generation of leaders.
Thank you for showing that building time for renewal and spiritual rest into the rhythm of the year is an act of grace toward those you lead. It’s a gift, a covering, that reminds them, “Your soul matters too.”
In a world where ministry can often mean pouring out until you’re empty, your leadership models something rare and beautiful: that caring for others includes caring for those who serve beside you.
You’ve reminded us that care can be part of the plan, and that grace flows strongest when it’s lived out intentionally. May the torch you carry continue to light the way for many more to come.
