Tag: serenityretreat

Welcoming Carol Schwartz and Angela Miller to the CORE Team

Written by Angela Miller on February 9, 2026. Posted in Prayer Ministers, Serenity Blog, Transformation Prayer Training. No Comments on Welcoming Carol Schwartz and Angela Miller to the CORE Team

by Barbara Rolen, Program Director at Serenity Retreat

The C.O.R.E. Team—which stands for “Clarification of Refinements”—was established by Kathryn Eason prior to her retirement in 2019. The team serves as a group of seasoned TPM mentors who provide guidance, training, and leadership development for our ministry. These are the women and men you can turn to with questions about TPM Principles, Purpose, and Process. They coach our mentors, lead training courses, facilitate community discussions, and help shape the ongoing development of how we equip others in Transformation Prayer Ministry. It’s a significant commitment, but also a meaningful opportunity to multiply impact and help ensure that all guests experience the same high quality TPM in their prayer sessions and our training remains faithful to the model established by Ed and Joshua Smith at TransformationPrayer.org.

Welcoming Carol Schwartz and Angela Miller to the C.O.R.E. Team

*Barbara Rolen, Angela Miller, Kathy Zimmerman, Keever & Brooke Wallace, Carol Schwartz,* *Becky Moorman.*

There’s something sacred about watching the Lord raise up the right people at exactly the right time. As we continue growing and refining what TPM looks like at Serenity Retreat, we’re celebrating two extraordinary women who are stepping into this expanded leadership role—Carol Schwartz and Angela Miller.

If you’ve been part of our Serenity family for any length of time, you probably already know these women. You’ve experienced their warmth, their wisdom, and their genuine heart for seeing others encounter freedom in Christ. Now, they’re bringing those same gifts to a new level of mentoring and equipping. Their addition to the team was unanimous—every current C.O.R.E. Team member recognized what the Lord is doing in and through Carol and Angela.

Meet Carol

Carol’s journey with TPM has been one of profound personal transformation—and she’s the first to tell you about it. “The prayer process has helped me experience the love of God in a deeper and broader way,” she shares. “It has allowed me to accept myself as God made me—especially being emotional—and to see that this is not a flaw but a gift.”

That kind of honesty? That’s exactly what makes Carol such a natural fit for the C.O.R.E. Team.

When we asked what unique gifts she brings, Carol didn’t hesitate: “Openness to God’s voice, encouragement, joy of working together.” And when it comes to her calling to teach and equip others, she lights up. The Lord spoke clearly to her: “I will one day teach you to ‘coach’ people with my Holy Spirit.” She senses this is that season—God’s way of preparing her for what would eventually happen.

Carol brings a beautiful combination of strength and tenderness to the team. She’s confident in TPM principles and comfortable answering most questions, yet she’s also refreshingly humble about her growth process. “I do have some concern about making mistakes as I continue to grow in the process,” she acknowledges. “I am learning to trust the Holy Spirit to guide me. I also want to be open to correction and see it as a natural part of learning.”

That kind of teachable spirit—paired with her natural gift for encouragement—makes Carol invaluable as we mentor the next generation of prayer ministers.

Meet Angela

Angela G. Miller

Angela serves in a dual role at Serenity Retreat—she’s both a prayer minister and our Program Manager, working closely with me in the day-to-day rhythms of ministry. Her attention to detail, administrative gifts, and heart for the mission make her an anchor for so much of what happens behind the scenes.

But what truly sets Angela apart is how she brings both administrative excellence and deep spiritual sensitivity to everything she touches.

When asked about her TPM journey, Angela shares: “It has been life changing. I didn’t realize I had believed so many lies. TPM helped me let go of those lies and has helped me step into greater freedom and live more fully in God’s grace. This is available to everyone! Praise God.”

That passion—this is available to everyone—is what drives her heart to serve on the C.O.R.E. Team.

Angela brings unique gifts to our team: a calling to teach and equip others in TPM, and a special sensitivity to how people learn and grow. She has a remarkable ability to sense what’s needed in the moment—whether that’s a word of encouragement, a clarifying question, or a gentle redirection.

Her natural strengths shine in one-on-one coaching and mentoring, small group facilitation, training course leadership, and the immersive experiences we’re developing. She’s also gifted at evaluating current mentors and curating TPM resources—skills that help us continually improve what we offer.

What excites Angela most about joining the C.O.R.E Team? “I love being part of a team and moving together as God leads us. I also love seeing others grow in their walk with Jesus, to be a part of that in this way would be a blessing. It’s answered prayer. I pray often to love God and others.”

What This Means for You

Both Carol and Angela participated in our inaugural TPM 201 Immersive retreat in Bellville recently. Their contributions to workshop discussions and practice sessions enriched the experience for everyone in the cohort. They’re already making suggestions that will enhance how we train prayer ministers going forward and deepen the experience for each guest who comes through our doors. You can read their reflections in the post, “When the Mountain Becomes a Molehill: Reflections on TPM 201 Immersive”

Their addition to the C.O.R.E Team was unanimous—every current team member recognized what the Lord is doing in and through these two women. We couldn’t be more grateful.

As we move forward, you’ll see Carol and Angela serving in various capacities: leading training sessions, coaching mentors, facilitating small groups, and helping shape the future of TPM at Serenity Retreat. They bring fresh perspectives, deep experience, and most importantly, hearts fully surrendered to where the Holy Spirit is leading.

We’re so excited about this season of growth. The Lord continues to raise up the right people at the right time, and we’re honored to walk alongside Carol and Angela as they step more fully into this calling.

Please join us in celebrating these remarkable women and the ways God is expanding our capacity to serve, train, and equip others in Transformation Prayer Ministry.

Blessings,

Barbara

When the Mountain Becomes a Molehill: Reflections on Our First TPM 201 Immersive

Written by Angela Miller on February 9, 2026. Posted in Serenity Blog, Serenity Retreat Center, TPM 201, Transformation Prayer Training. No Comments on When the Mountain Becomes a Molehill: Reflections on Our First TPM 201 Immersive

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!

The Book I Wish I’d Had: Why It Took Me Ten Years to Write Raising Truth Seekers

Written by Angela Miller on October 14, 2025. Posted in 25 Anniversary - Ring The Bell, Serenity Blog, Serenity Retreat Center, TPM 101, Transformation Prayer, Transformation Prayer Training. No Comments on The Book I Wish I’d Had: Why It Took Me Ten Years to Write Raising Truth Seekers

by Barbara Rolen, Program Director, Serenity Retreat

Ten years ago, God gave me a dream.

He wanted me to help parents weave Transformation Prayer Ministry, this beautiful process we use at Serenity Retreat, into their everyday parenting and family rhythms. To show them how running to Jesus with struggles could become as natural as breathing in their homes.

But here’s the thing: I wasn’t ready yet.

I was still holding onto way too many lies.

The Lies I Didn’t Know I Believed

For decades, anxiety and fear plagued me. They colored everything: my relationships, my parenting, my view of God Himself. What I didn’t realize was that I’d picked up lies as a child. Lies like “I’m worthless.” “I’m unlovable.” “I’m defective.”

The really insidious part? I had no idea these lies were running my life. I didn’t even know I believed I couldn’t trust God.

But when I finally got to the end of myself—when I cried out to Him that I was just done with this way of living—He met me there. And He brought Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM) into my life.

One by one, He’s been replacing those lies with His truth—His perspective.

That’s what TPM is, really. It’s a process where we meet God in our pain, and He brings truth that sets us free as it says in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” TPM is simply a very effective way to cooperate with God and receive His truth—the kind that reaches down into the hidden places where we’ve been believing things that aren’t true, but we’ve been living life as if they were true.

Imagine growing up believing you’re unlovable. You might spend your life jumping through hoops so others will love you and not reject you. Maybe you can see how it would be extremely hard to believe that God loves you, if in the core of your being, you believe the totally opposite?

Even my husband’s death became part of this transformation journey. God used everything in my TPM sessions—the grief, the questions, the wrestling—to help me see things through His eyes instead of through the filter of my lies or limited perspective.

All of that has led to the birth of Raising Truth Seekers.

The Moments I Couldn’t Help My Kids

You know what I remember most about parenting young children? The helplessness.

When my kids were fighting or melting down, I didn’t know how to help them process what they were really feeling. I’d try to fix it, manage it, redirect it, but I couldn’t actually help them get to the root of what was happening inside.

And the reason was painfully simple: I didn’t know how to do it myself.

I didn’t know how to name my own emotions, trace them back to the beliefs driving them, or run to Jesus for His perspective in those moments. So how could I possibly teach my children to do it?

This is the book I wish I’d had as a young mom.

Not another book telling me what I should be doing, but one that showed me how transformation actually works—in me first, and then in my family. Because here’s what I’ve learned: we can’t give our children what we don’t have ourselves.

What We’re Really After

What we’re really after as parents is raising kids with deeply rooted faith—the kind that holds when life gets hard. The kind that doesn’t crumble when they face disappointment, rejection, or suffering. The kind of faith that is actually strengthened in the hard times each time the Lord persuades a family member’s heart of His truth.

And that can happen when we create a family culture where running to Jesus with struggles is just part of how we do life.

Not someday. Not when they’re older. Not when we finally get our act together.

Right now, in the carpool line, in the meltdowns and the middle-of-the-night worries.

TPM can happen anywhere: in traffic, before a hard conversation, in the moment your teenager slams the door. It’s like getting in the express lane with God. It takes you straight to the root of what’s really going on, instead of just managing the surface symptoms.

When Kids See It Work

I love what a dad in West Virginia shared with me. His teenage daughter was skeptical at first about this whole TPM thing. (Teenagers, right?) But after receiving truth from God in a TPM session with her dad, she yelled through the house: “Hey sis, Dad’s not crazy! This thing really works!”

That’s the dream, isn’t it? Raising kids who actually want to bring their struggles to God; who know how to meet Him in their pain instead of numbing it, fixing it, or running from it.

Esa and Conor George are a young Canadian couple I interviewed for my book. I recall Esa as a student in our training course asking questions about how to use TPM with children. I was delighted to discover that they are figuring it out in real time. Esa told me that they don’t typically sit down for a formal prayer session in their home. It happens right in the middle of the kitchen with the family all around. What a way to model running to Jesus when your emotions reveal you are not seeing things the way God sees them.

Conor said that TPM has made him more curious in the moment. Now he asks himself, “Why am I so upset right now? What’s really behind this feeling?” He’s even learned to name what’s happening inside, saying to his family, “I’m feeling this right now. It’s not anyone’s fault—I just want to be honest.” That awareness helps him pause before reacting. He recognizes that his emotions might not reflect the full truth. Instead of rushing to fix things, he makes space for God to bring His perspective. What a beautiful way Conor is learning to shepherd his family so that his children grow up knowing there is only one thing to do when life gets hard: run to Jesus.

This is generational transformation.

It Starts With Us

Here’s what I know after years of doing this work: the fruit of TPM is real, lasting transformation.

As prayer ministers at Serenity, we get a front-row seat to these stories. We watch someone walk into a prayer session carrying years of anxiety or depression—and then watch them leave with a different countenance. One hour with the Lord brings more breakthrough than years of trying to fix themselves.

But it starts with us experiencing it first.

Our kids won’t learn to run to God with their struggles if they never see us do it. They won’t know how to receive truth from Him if we’re not modeling what that looks like. They won’t develop the habit of bringing their emotions to Jesus if home isn’t a safe place to name what they’re really feeling.

Raising Truth Seekers is not a how-to book of Transformation Prayer Ministry but rather my invitation for you to prayerfully consider creating a family culture where meeting Jesus in the hard moments, for the purpose of gaining His perspective, becomes just part of how you do life together. You’ll read testimonies of parents and grandparents who have learned to incorporate TPM as a lifestyle in their families.

Your Turn

What lies might you be believing right now—about yourself, about God? What would it look like to run to Him with those struggles instead of trying to manage them on your own?

At Serenity Retreat we’d love to walk with you on that journey. Because the truth really does set us free and that freedom is the greatest inheritance we can pass on to our children.

Want to be the first to hear when Barbara’s new book Raising Truth Seekers releases? Grab your free Family Faith Talk at PursueAbundantLife.com, you’ll be added to her list for early updates, sneak peeks, and more!

At SerenityRetreat.com you can schedule a prayer session, request information about a retreat in Bellville, TX, or register for TPM 101, the first step in our TPM training.

Raising Truth Seekers will be released this fall in its entirety. For anyone who commits to a monthly pledge in October 2025, you can request a copy of the 25^th Anniversary Special Release (limited quantity).