Growing, Maturing & Moving FORWARD!

I was contemplating a change. I knew that something needed to be done because God was challenging my status quo. I was no longer able to bring up the excuses of my past mindset, hurts and resentments. I sensed an urgency to dive right in and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Let’s take a pause to let the suspense build… not really, but I want you to consider all the things that I could have been compromising in my life and then let’s get to what the real issue that what in my heart… I didn’t trust or like women.

Yes, it was true. I was told by a wise man, the thing that God has called you to is likely the thing that the enemy will attack you in. At that time my late husband was referring to children and in this time, 16 years later, the attack was about women. Growing up I was hurt and betrayed by many of my female friends. I was always wanting to connect and have that best friend, but things would not work out that way. This was pretty much how all my friendships and interactions went with most women. I loved all my sisters in Christ but when relationship and friendship got deeper, things would implode. It was me. God had to heal me from my great distrust and resentment of women. I needed to forgive and release women from my own expectations.

The second thing and just as big of an issue to deal with was the fear of man. I grew up in a denomination that emphasized a lot about your outward appearance and I had replaced the fear of the Lord with the fear of man. I was highly aware of people’s perception of me and what they thought I may be doing or how they were seeing my sin. It wasn’t that I was shy or didn’t share my opinion, it was a hiding, and holding back, of my true self. I was compromising myself, not walking in the fullness of my authority, strength and calling because I thought people would think I was too radical; too crazy about Jesus. So here I was, in 2021, and God was pressing on me. I have a moment to turn things around and I don’t want to miss it. My friend Pastor Carina had reached out to me a while before and let me know she had moved to my neck of the woods and Trumpets of Tirzah was being brought to my remembrance.

Trumpets of Tirzah’s Transformational Leadership Course (formerly known as the 9-Month Course) was focus on raising up women leaders and of course it was for women only. This was it. This was my time to go hard or go home! The Lord opened a door, I was accepted into the program and Father provided the resources. Well, as the Lord would have it, the confrontation with the fear of man was amped up to a moment of breaking this fear once and for all during my time in the course! The course was coming to a close and I was prompted to take action - I was led to shave my hair off as a symbolic act of letting go of the fear of man. I spent 9 months in a safe and nurturing environment learning about Godly courageous women in the Bible and what key virtues I could develop or cultivate in my own life. My leadership development was incubating as I fostered the secret place and took time to hear from the Lord for myself about His thoughts and direction for my life. I was able to break down lies and build on truth. I was refined and molded and confronted about the things that could no longer co-habitate with the Almighty God in my life.

We shared laughs, tears and contended for each other’s blessings and destiny to manifest. Upon completion, I could honestly say I was a different person. I felt it and I knew it and I walked and talked as a woman leader! I gained the wisdom and understanding of how to carry myself as a daughter of the King, as royalty to honor and bring the most glory to my Heavenly Father.

An additional blessing to my life was to be invited to join the Tribe in leadership for Trumpets of Tirzah. I have found an accountability and place of encouragement and love within the Tribe. Pastor Carina and Pastor Shanae are truly humble servants, full of love and fiery zeal for the Lord. They exemplify excellence in leadership and have surrounded me with prayer and encouragement. They have embraced me and covered me with prayer encouraging me to flourish in my spiritual walk and in my leadership skills. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to be a writer for the monthly blogs and that has been a refreshing experience for me to express what God has been speaking to me about the themes that Holy Spirit has highlighted. I have beautifully seen the synchronicity of the blogs between all of us writers.

Yes, as I reflect on my time with Trumpets of Tirzah, truly my time was life changing

and course altering. Pastor Carina still laughs when she thinks of my introduction on the first day of class, “Hello I am Thelma, and I don’t like women.” I can still hear her chuckle at all that God has done in my life including making me the Women’s Ministry Leader at my church within months of completing my Tirzah course and to seal the deal, getting invited to join the Tirzah Tribe. The great and wonderful irony of it all is not irony at all, but God’s sovereign hand of grace on a wretched woman needing her sisters and bring her into community.

I will forever be grateful to God for the opportunity to be able to support a vision that our Heavenly Father gave to my dear friend, Pastor Carina and to be a small part of growing His Kingdom in and through women who are a part of Trumpets of Tirzah.

If I can leave these last few words, it would be to step out in faith and with great expectation join the Trumpets of Tirzah Academy!

*** Thelma has faithfully served in the Tirzah Tribe for 2.5 years. The Lord is calling her to finish her Master's degree in nursing so she can continue to serve God's children in her local school district. We will greatly miss Thelma and we bless her as she continues God's work knowing that she will be the Light of Christ to many and a beautiful example of Godly Women Leaders.