Grace for the Pace: Finding Strength + Peace Through Life's Transitions

In this conversation-style episode of From My Father podcast, host Tangie Callahan sits down with Pastor Stacy Fretz to discuss navigating the many transitions life brings. Drawing from her own decade of rapid, consecutive life changes, Stacy shares how her greatest challenge was not the circumstances themselves but her own mindset toward them. She candidly reflects on how she made herself a victim to change, allowed social media to shape her perspective + unknowingly became a discouraging voice to her husband rather than an encouraging one. The conversation points listeners toward the renewing of the mind as described in Romans, the joy found in trials as referenced in James + the practical disciplines of daily faith-building through the Word. Central to the discussion is the truth that God uses every season of transition to grow, mature + prepare believers for what He has called them to accomplish. The episode encourages wives, mothers + women in ministry to pursue unity in marriage, guard their words toward their husbands + anchor themselves in Scripture as their ultimate playbook for every season.

Key Points:

- Every season of transition requires grace, and a healthy mindset is essential to navigating change well

- Allowing social media to define your experience of a season can lead to a victim mentality and unnecessary discouragement

- The renewing of the mind, as taught in Romans, is a daily and intentional discipline that transforms how believers perceive and respond to change

- Trials and testing, as referenced in James, produce perseverance and spiritual growth when approached with the right perspective

- Starting each day with a faith-building message, even for just 20 minutes while getting ready, deposits the Word into your spirit and sets the tone for the day

- Wives play a critical role in being a voice of encouragement to their husbands, particularly in ministry, rather than echoing the discouragement the enemy already brings

- Unity in marriage, including shared vision, aligned goals, and regular prayer together, is foundational to moving forward in the same direction

- God uses seasons of consistent, intentional prayer to plant seeds that bear fruit in future seasons

- Capacity grows through experience, and what once felt overwhelming becomes manageable as God matures and stretches the believer

- Getting into the Word of God is the foundational solution to every emotional and circumstantial challenge a believer faces

Scripture Reference:

- Romans 12:2, which speaks to not being conformed to the patterns of this world but being transformed through the renewing of the mind

- James 1, which addresses considering it joy when facing trials, understanding that the testing of faith produces perseverance

Stories:

- Stacy recounts the rapid succession of major life changes she and her husband Eric experienced over ten years, including marriage, home ownership, children, entering full-time ministry, joining Bridge Church staff, relocating to North Carolina, launching a campus, and having a third child, illustrating how God used each transition to grow her

- Tangie shares a memory of her grandmother, a longtime pastor's wife, who warned her over tomato sandwiches to be careful how she spoke to her preacher husband, explaining that he would already face the enemy's critique after leaving the platform and that a wife must be a voice of encouragement rather than criticism

- Stacy describes the launch Sunday of Bridge North Carolina, when the team ran out of chairs because attendance exceeded all expectations, marking a moment of awe at God's provision and faithfulness

- Stacy shares how she and Eric set a nightly 9 p.m. phone reminder to pray together, holding hands and praying over one another, and how those prayers appear to have carried them into the fruitful season they are now experiencing

- Stacy recalls sitting on the newly purchased 16.6 acres of land with Eric in chairs, praying over the land, their family, and their church as an act of faith and dedication

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