Deacon Tera Allen

What a whirlwind this past year has been! It seems just like yesterday that I was living on my own, managing my own finances, making important decisions alone, and learning how to be content with my singleness. But in July of last year, my now husband, Greg, started courting me, followed by his proposal last October, our wedding in February and now the upcoming arrival of our first child this April. As I near my 33rd birthday, I contemplate this amazing journey that God has allowed me to be a part of… and not just this past year!

After living apart from God for the first 27 years of my life, I became a Christian at Mars Hill Church within weeks of first attending. My life then was filled with sin, loneliness and numerous unhealthy relationships. I had a false idea of who God was and what it meant to be a believer. But through God’s grace and His people, I was welcomed into community at MH and was able to learn the truth about Jesus, the gospel, and the bible.

After five years of walking with God and learning who He is and who I am in Him, I continue to be amazed and humbled by His endless love and pursuit of my heart. By God’s grace, I am learning to see my life from the perspective that God intended. Instead of viewing it as my story that I allow God be a part of when and if I choose, it is rather God’s story that He has graciously invited me to be part of for His glory. This concept has opened my eyes to a new way of seeing God and my worship of Him.

For years I would unknowingly choose to worship something or someone other than God, out of a desire for control, comfort, or selfishness. Through God’s work in my own heart and through my involvement in the Redemption Group ministry, God has revealed to me my sinful response and His desire for me to turn to Him in my fear, discomfort or disappointment.

My sins as a single woman have only been magnified now that I’m married, since there is little room for hiding or ignoring them anymore. Going from a woman learning how to be content with her singleness to now learning and trying to live out what it means to be a godly wife and soon-to-be mother has been a transition with many ups and downs. And like every other transition throughout my life (big and small), God has been there every step of the way, sovereign over them all, and inviting me to worship Him whether it’s a time of joy or suffering.

Please join me on my journey as I share how God teaches me more about what it means to be a new wife, new mother, and grateful daughter of the Most High.

Tera became a Christian at Mars Hill|Ballard 5 years ago and is currently a deacon in the Redemption Group ministry where she and her husband, Deacon Greg Allen, serve as group leaders. She is passionate about walking with women through trials and encouraging them to worship Jesus in suffering. She and Greg have been married since February and are expecting their first baby in April.