faith during trials – Serenity Retreat

Collaborating For More: Group Retreats, Now With TPM®!

November 25, 2025 | Tiffany Pardue | Prayer Ministers, Serenity Retreat, Serenity Retreat Center, Transformation Prayer | No Comments

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…

Tag: faith during trials

Experience the Unthinkable

Written by Angela Miller on September 15, 2025. Posted in Serenity Blog, Transformation Prayer. No Comments on Experience the Unthinkable

By Eric Miller

My health had declined in ways that doctors couldn’t explain, then I lost my job, and most painfully, God felt silent.

I was still praying and living for Him, but my daily struggle had somehow drowned out His voice. I was worn out physically and spiritually, and sadly, I had started to believe that maybe God would no longer speak to me.

Then we discovered Transformational Prayer Ministry (TPM) through a Google search. After an orientation, I thought it would be just like any other prayer method I’d tried in the past, but boy, was I wrong. During my very first session, I experienced the unthinkable.

God spoke to me again… for the first time in several years.

Not through someone else and not in vague impressions, but in a crystal clear way that addressed the exact lie I’d been believing: that I was all alone. It was intensely personal, and extremely transforming. It gave me hope. Hearing God speak made my heart feel soft again (It’s amazing how hard my heart had become).

Amazingly, albeit slowly, my circumstances began to shift. Over time, my health began to improve, and eventually, new doors opened for me professionally. One day, I realized that I felt completely stable and perfectly normal. And shortly after that, I realized that the trials I had walked through had served the purpose of teaching me to always trust my Savior in the midst of suffering and pain.

TPM didn’t fix everything, but it definitely made my heart soften enough to hear God speak again, and as a result (it’s been several years since that first session), I am still able to hear my Savior speaking to me daily, and I am walking in continued health, freedom, and hope. All glory to God!

If you find yourself disconnected from God, or in a season of overwhelming trials, I want to encourage you that God is always speaking to you, and that you can always hear Him speaking if your heart is soft enough to listen. And I bet that He’ll use your pain and suffering to break through to you. And TPM.

…cause that’s what He did for me.

To book a TPM Session virtually, in-person, or at our retreat center in Bellville, TX go to: https://serenityretreat.com/book/

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.