Tanya Ault
Education:
Masters of Arts in Marriage and Family Counseling and a Masters of Arts in Christian Education, both from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Who are your heroes?
"I have many but I would have to say my parents are my biggest heroes; they made countless sacrifices in order for my brother and I to have things. They taught me how to love unconditionally, accept others for who they are, and have courage to face life no matter what it brings."
What are some random facts about you?
"Fighting Texas Aggie Class of ’04. Whoop!
I have two sugar glider’s (flying squirrels) named Paris and Skylar."
If Tanya could spend an evening with anyone who lived within the last 1000 years, she's spend it with Eleanor Roosevelt. "She was an amazing lady with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. She used her status as the First Woman to improve their life. My favorite quote of hers is ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift; that ’s why they call it the present.’"
Favorite Bible verse:
“Therefore humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. ” 1 Peter 5:6-7
Life Story
“I became a Christian the summer before my senior year in high school. I did not know that I was a sinner. I did not know in order to go to heaven I would have to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I just thought that if I was good I would get into heaven. I had an amazing friend in high school who poured into me. Day after day she would invite me to go to church, but I refused many times. Her and several other friends would leave scripture in my locker and little notes saying that they were praying for me. That summer, she invited me to go to the park with her and some of her Young Life friends, and I decided to go. I ended up hanging around this group of girls for the whole summer. My friend taught me many things about the Bible and how it was God’s love letter to me and that God loved me just as I am. She also taught me that He did not want anything more or less than who I was.
As time went on I became more interested and I wanted to find a church home of my own, so after looking at different churches I finally found one that I loved. The cool thing was that when I walked in the door, the youth pastor already knew my name, because my friend had informed him (and most every other church in town) that I might be coming and that I was not a believer. I got involved in a Bible study and Sunday school and started to go to church twice a week (after wrapping my mind around the idea that people went to church more than just on Sundays).
That next summer I went to their church camp and one night as we were worshiping, the band played a song from Mercy Me. As I was listening to the song, the Holy Spirit used the lyrics of the song to convict me that I was not saved. At the end of the song, I walked down the stairs and accepted Jesus into my life.
That night I realized what it meant to pick up my cross and follow Him. I won’t say that from that moment on my life has been perfect. I have definitely fallen short in many areas, but in these areas I have learned what grace is and the unconditional love of the Father.
As a believer, my heart’s desire is, first and foremost, to make certain that my own walk with Jesus Christ is what it needs to be. Only then can I be committed to love God, love His people, and serve the world by building up the Body of Christ and making His name known.”