Tell us about you.
My name is Sheila McMillan. I am 60 years old and reside with my husband in Nixa, Missouri. I attend Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri and am the founder and trainer at Redemption Ranch Therapy Horses.
How were you first introduced to the Lord?
As long as I can remember, my family and I were in church. My Grandma Scott was the greatest prayer warrior I will ever know, and my Grandma and Pa Bennett always went to church.
How did you know you were lost, and what is your salvation story?
My greatest memory was in Vacation Bible School (VBS) knowing I was a sinner and that I needed a Savior. Jesus met me at the altar where I prayed for forgiveness and salvation. I was 12 years old. I began praying then for the man God had created to be my husband. Comically, years later, an older man at church asked why we always spent so much money on VBS anyway. He didn’t think VBS salvations ‘took.’ I made sure on VBS Sunday to have those saved during VBS in the past stand so he could see those living for and serving the Lord, including myself!
Tell us about the calling(s) God has placed in your path.
In the past, God called me to be part of the following: worship choir, teaching 5th-6th grades in Sunday School, VBS missions, leading deacon wives, and educating pre-mission trip youth through the Experiencing God study. He also called me to serve and/or lead ten different international mission teams and serve as a prayer coordinator for a mission team writing prayer requests and a devotional weekly for five years. I’ve also served in our church nursery and in deacon and elder wives ministries. My current calling is serving as founder, owner, and trainer of the Redemption Ranch Therapy Horses ministry.
How did you know you were being called to do those things?
I learned from an early age that I had been given the gift of discernment. I usually know that God is speaking to me because my ‘gut’ starts hurting, I mean that it just won’t let go of me. Years ago, I asked God, “Why do you keep me up so much at night speaking to me that I lose too much sleep?” His response was, “IF you would listen to me during the daytime, I wouldn’t have to keep you up so much at night.” OUCH! God just told me I was too busy and didn’t make time for him in my days. In other words, He meant that passage in Psalm 46:10, “Be STILL, and know that I am God…”
How have others responded to your calling(s)? How have you been changed through your calling(s)?
I now have practiced LISTENING in my daily walk, and I am CERTAIN when He is speaking. The hardest part of having the gift of discernment is the ‘obedience’ factor. God doesn’t disclose wisdom to you without entrusting your obedience to dealing with the information. I shared with my husband, Rex, that a friend had liver cancer before we knew about it, and he asked me why I would ever say that? I said, “You have to get him to a doctor!” It wasn’t me determining the man had cancer, it was God and in turn He trusted me/Rex to be certain our friend got to a doctor for proper care.
The only disapproval to my callings is when God ‘changed’ the assignment. Some leaders would get upset when I would have to resign from one assignment to begin a different one. However, the verse Galatians 1:10 instructs us NOT to look for the approval of man—that would be kicking God off his throne.
When the Lord led me to build a chapel in our horse pasture, folks thought I was crazy…I mean, really crazy. I remember one day praying and crying; then, I chuckled thinking I guess I may know how Noah felt building the ark. God rarely lays out his entire plan before us. I said we would do whatever God wanted to do with the chapel. He asks us to do it one step at a time, and as we respond faithfully, he will show us the next step.
I have been changed! Hallelujah! Faithfully obeying is like an aerobic workout. While aerobics will make you physically fit, obeying will make you spiritually fit…fit for service. IF you desire to be fit for service to your Lord, you must exercise your obedience muscle. Wear that armor proudly and be ready for service in-season and out-of-season.
What advice would you give other women who want to do more to further God’s kingdom but may not know how to go about it?
PRAY. If you have the desire to serve the Lord and grow His Kingdom, PRAY! If you don’t have the desire to help serve the Lord, PRAY HARDER!
*Ask God to give you the desire to serve him.
*Admit you feel ill-equipped, and He will equip you. It isn’t magic; you learn when you serve!
*Seek out a woman willing to be your mentor. Serve WITH her. Obedience trains confidence.
I always had the desire to serve on a dental mission team. Every single time, I was on a different team. I thought that because I was a dental assistant that was how God would use me on the mission field. WRONG! God often called me to teach students and large groups of women—in preparing to present those messages, that’s when I learned! Never start any ministry without listening & praying to God first; otherwise, it’s a service project by man.
What has been your biggest struggle in your walk with Christ, and how have you dealt with that?
My biggest struggle by far is honoring that quiet time in the Word daily. I walk and talk and listen to the Lord faithfully on a daily basis, but daily in-depth study is difficult for me. Psalm 46:10 applies here again. My reluctance to application as a student back in high school still haunts me. I have verses that are written on my heart that I reflect on because many are the foundation to what the Lord has called me to. 1 Peter 5:10 is the foundation of the ministry of Redemption Ranch. 2 Timothy 1:7 is a verse that has helped me calm my anxiety and many fears.
If you could describe your walk with God in 3 words, what would they be?
(Confidently) Trusting, Faithful, Obedient. God has proven over and over I don’t want to follow anyone or anything else.
As a Christian woman, what has been your greatest accomplishment?
Hmmm, I’m not sure on this earth, but my greatest accomplishment in the future will be seeing those that the Lord has allowed me to have a tiny influence on their walk with Christ-seeing them once we all get to Heaven.
Is there a particular sin that is most difficult for you to overcome, and if so, how do you tackle that?
I have been guilty of saying awful and ugly things, including cursing. In James 3:1-12 we learn that the tongue “is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” It can spread sweet words of the Lord and build up or, if left to the undisciplined man, “can set a forest afire.” It can be deadly. It is a daily surrender to the Lord. While on my first mission trip to Africa, my constant prayer was that I would do no harm to the mission, the missionaries’ work, or to the church there.
What is your favorite verse or passage from the Bible and why?
Mark 5:24-34. I have a spinal cord injury. Once the surgical repair had been done, my body reacted with debilitating pain daily for more than five years. I would not wish those five years on anyone! Suffering can turn the sweetest soul to an empty dead vessel. How does one come back from death to become useful to the kingdom? See below.
Who is your favorite biblical woman and why?
My favorite lady in the Bible is the lady with the issue of bleeding. She was so empty and in her community was as good as dead. Her health issue made her an unclean person not to be seen out in the community. Her FAITH was the key to her new life, her re-birth. Mark 5:30 is a key verse that I think too many pass over. “And Jesus, perceived in himself that power had left him.” Jesus did not initiate this healing. “Daughter, your faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:34)
Culturally, Jesus gave this woman worth by calling her Daughter. He further instructed the community to leave her alone as she had been healed and was no longer to be rejected by them. I relate to this lady, perhaps more than all other women in the Bible. This passage is perhaps the most in-depth study I have done in years, or at least the one I have felt driven to the most. I have prayed for so many who have suffered like this lady as I have, friends with multiple sclerosis, those with depression, friends with cancer. There is much to learn from this lady’s circumstances.
Is there any other advice you would like to give to God’s feminine faithful?
More encouragement: do your exercise! Remain physically fit for service, but also remain spiritually fit for service. Don’t allow the calendar of the world to be more worthy of your time with the Lord. Remember as you serve man within the PTA, as a classroom mom, or as part of other school or social committees, make God the purpose of serving. Pray before you go serve that He would lead. Pray that your words and actions would make Him known to those you serve. You don’t have to beat folks over the head with a Bible to get them to hear the gospel message. As John 13:35 reveals, “They will know Him by your love.”
Contact:
Redemption Ranch is in Nixa, Missouri. It is a (free) visitation ministry that utilizes rescued miniature horses and is open to groups by appointment. You can learn more by visiting the Redemption Ranch Therapy Horses Facebook page, (1) Redemption Ranch Therapy Horses | Facebook. To make reservations, contact Sheila at [email protected].
