Hello Friends!

I’m very excited about bringing back the Titus Two Tuesday blog series! Every other month, on the 3rd Tuesday, we will be hearing from a different lady who shares some Titus Two encouragement with all of us!

Today, I would like to introduce you to Brettnay Brazzell, a fellow church-planting/missionary wife. I’ve been encouraged by Brettnay already (through her podcast and instagram) and I know you will also be encouraged by what she has to share with us today!

Let’s jump right in!

Titus Two Tuesday with Brittany Brazzell

Meet Brettnay

I am Brettnay Brazzell. I have been married to Simeon, the only guy I’ve ever said “I love you” to, for 7 years. God has blessed us with three children, a baby in Heaven, and a baby on the way! The Lord has called us to be church planting missionaries to the greater Sydney area of Australia.

The Lord has given me a passion for motherhood and homemaking. That passion led to me starting No Higher Calling, a podcast, blog and social media account to encourage women to pursue biblical womanhood and Christlikeness. I believe there is no higher calling on my life than to be wife to Simeon and mama to my littles. Out of the overflow of all that God is teaching me, He’s given me the privilege of speaking truth into the lives of other women.

A few of my other passions include reading, homeschooling and natural living. My days are filled with many read-alouds, messy art projects, and usually a loaf or two of homemade bread. It has been the joy of my life cultivating a home where our hearts are centered on Christ and rooted in His Word.

What is your favorite passage of Scripture and why?

I have many favorite passages and verses. Choosing one was very difficult, but there is a portion of a verse that has captivated my heart this year. One of the first church services of 2021, a preacher spoke from Deuteronomy 33:25 which ends with, “and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” God has used this phrase in my life again and again throughout this year. Knowing that God has promised to give me the strength I need for each day gives me comfort and peace when things spiral out of control. This passage reflects truths the Israelites learned through God’s provision of manna. They had to trust God for daily provision. Each day, He proved faithful to supply them with the strength needed for their day. In the same way, we can trust God. I don’t know what I’ll face in this new year, or even tomorrow, but I can trust that God has promised to give me the strength to face each new day as I walk in His way.

What does your typical “quiet time” or Bible study look like?

My daily Bible study time has changed quite a bit since having children. It has not been practical for me to do it first thing in the morning. Instead, nap time has given me a good opportunity to spend time in God’s Word. My youngest two nap, and I have worked hard to train my oldest to do a quiet activity, read a book, etc so that mommy can have her time with Jesus. I’m currently studying through Titus. I’ll spend some time reading and studying through the passage, taking notes of what God is showing to me or truth He’s teaching me. I also am reading through Erin Paine’s Scripture Promise Cards. Each day, I read one card which has an attribute of God and a corresponding Scripture verse.

I also try to take a 30 minute prayer walk each day. This provides exercise for my body and for my soul. I love this time with the Lord! I spend the first 10 minutes or so just praising God. I praise Him for who He is and how He’s working in my life. I then transition to going through my prayer list. I use the PrayerMate app to keep a running list of requests. It gives me one entry from each of my categories to pray over each day.

What piece of advice or encouragement would you like to share with single young women?

Don’t waste your single years! God has a perfect design for every season of life. I wish I would’ve realized that during my single years. Instead, I pined away for love that I thought would be the answer to all my loneliness and the fulfillment of all my dreams. As wonderful as love and marriage is, it will never fill the deepest longings of your heart. Those were created to only be filled by Jesus Christ. That was a lesson I failed to learn and embrace in my single years, which has made it more difficult to put that into practice as a married woman.

God doesn’t want you to be miserable. He desires that you have life abundant! (Jn. 10:10) If you are single, there is something very special He has for you in this season. Give Him all of your heart! Serve Him. Love Him with reckless abandon. Trust that He knows what chapters to put into your life’s story for your good and for His glory.

How would you encourage wives to “love their husbands”?

When my husband and I were dating, we determined to only grow closer together as we grew closer to the Lord. It hasn’t always been the case throughout our 10 years together, but that is what we strive for. I’ve found that the more I draw closer to the Lord, the better I am able to love my husband. While marriage is beautiful and an amazing gift from God, it is a union of two imperfect people. I love my husband with all of my heart. We often talk about how we felt the day we got married. We couldn’t have imagined loving each other any more than we did that day. Now 10 years later, we laugh. We were so young then! We did love each other, but our love has matured throughout the years. As we’ve grown in our individual walks with the Lord and in our relationship with each other, our marriage has gotten sweeter and sweeter.

These are a few practical things that have helped me to love my man…

1. Express affection often– verbally and physically: I often tell him “I love you”, “I’m thankful for you”, “I’m so blessed to be your wife.” We hug, kiss and hold hands every chance we get. In the midst of a busy life, being intentional about doing these things gives little breaths of fresh air and rekindles the spark of romance, reminding us that we love and cherish one another.

2. Forgive and forget– In our relationship, I am usually the first one to try to mend things when we’ve argued. I don’t like being at odds. I am quick to say I’m sorry. It takes Simeon a bit longer to gather his thoughts and cool down, but he is quick to forget! Once we make amends, the offense is out of his mind. Forgetting is what I struggle with, and that is a sign that I really haven’t forgiven him. If I say “I’m sorry”, but I add it to my mental tally of things he’s done to hurt me, is that true forgiveness? When God forgives us, He also chooses to forget the offense. This is an area I’m working on, but an area that I believe helps me to love my husband better.

3. Pray for your man– These are not listed in order of importance, or this one would be first! Ladies, pray for your husbands! Don’t just pray, “God bless my man”, intercede on his behalf. Be his prayer warrior. You know him unlike any other person. You know his passions, his struggles, his besetting sins, his needs. Be faithful to regularly pray for him. Pray the very words of Scripture over your husband. Prayer can accomplish things in my husband’s life that my nagging or “suggestions” never can. I have seen this first hand in our marriage! Ask God to make your husband the husband, the father, and the spiritual leader that He created him to be. God wants to answer this prayer! You will literally watch God transform your marriage and your home when you commit to battling in prayer for your husband.

How would you encourage moms to “love their children”?

I often say that the greatest thing I can do for my children is to love the Lord with all of my heart and to love their daddy. When Christ has His rightful place in our lives, everything else will be in its proper place. I want my children to know without a shadow of a doubt that mommy is in love with Jesus and that mommy is in love with daddy. This will give them a firm foundation, a model of a real faith, a pattern of marriage as God intended, a secure home, and a childhood anchored in God’s truth. I cannot love my children (or my husband) as I ought on my own. Though I love them more than anything in this world, my love alone is a human love. I need the love of Christ poured into my heart through an intimate relationship with Him. Then, the love of Christ in me can spill over into my children. When I love them with Christ’s love, my love for them can be at its fullest. As much as I love them, Christ will always love them more. I want my earthly love perfected by His heavenly, eternal love. (No, I will never attain perfection on this side of heaven, but we can always be striving more towards Christ-likeness!)

What is your best homemaking or time management tip?

The first thing that popped into my head was to use grocery pickup! It saves SO much time, money and sanity. I couldn’t imagine doing all of my shopping in the store anymore. I don’t think I need to explain how it saves me time. That is pretty self-explanatory. How does it save me money? First, I am only buying what I need. It always amazes me that when I run into the store for an item or two, I leave with way more than I set out to purchase. This doesn’t happen when I order online. Second, I’m buying specifically for my meal plan. I usually sit down one night each week to write out my meal plan for the next week and to add the groceries I need to my grocery order. This holds me accountable to following my meal plan and eliminates a lot of waste! Another money saving benefit that goes with this point is that because I have on hand exactly what I need to make the meals I have planned, we tend to not eat out as much. It’s when I don’t have a plan, or the food to make the plan work, that we are quick to eat out.

Tell us something the Lord has been teaching you lately:

I have been studying through the book of Titus recently, and my heart has been captivated and challenged by it’s truth. God chose for Titus to minister in Crete which was a city filled with wickedness, perversion, and a culture that was living in direct opposition to God’s way. It was so bad that Titus 1:12 says that one of the Cretian prophets said of his own people, “… the Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.” Paul follows up this description of Crete by confirming to Titus that this is a true witness! In the midst of discussing the depravity that had consumed Crete, Paul gives Titus the reminder that God had tasked him to stay in Crete and set things in order. So, as wicked as Crete was, God knew that TItus would be able to set things in order- maybe not in every home in Crete, but in enough homes to make a difference in this city.

How has God used this truth to speak to me? You can look at our current culture and quickly draw parallels between America and ancient Crete. It can be discouraging for a Christian, especially a young mom who is trying to raise her littles for Christ. Satan is constantly trying to capture our minds and hearts. He is constantly vying for our children. I’ve told my husband multiple times that I’d love for our family to move to a remote island where we can be safe and sound from the craziness of the world we live in. Not only is that completely unrealistic (and unaffordable!), but also it isn’t what God has asked of His people. He has placed us in this world for such a time as this. He desires that we “stay in Crete” and “set things in order.” Remember, that means we can do it! We can be a light and make a difference in our community, in our country! We can raise children to be warriors for Christ! Will it happen by accident? Absolutely not! The more intense the spiritual battle, the more we have to be intentional about planting seeds of truth in the hearts of our children. Titus gives me a determination to persevere and be steadfast in training my children according to God’s Word and in getting to work sharing the light of the Gospel with those God brings across my path. My challenge to you: study through this book and ask God to reveal ways that you can “set in order” things in your life and the lives of those you influence.

Are there any books that have had a big impact on your life?

I am an avid reader! Books are a huge part of our home. While there are many books that have impacted me, the first that comes to mind is the book What Do I Know About My God? by Mardi Collier. I have read this book so many times throughout the past 10 years, and studying the Bible as presented in this book has changed my life. Mardi encourages you to categorize Scripture verses by what you learn about God. For example- My God is With Me (Deut 31:6,8, Is 41:10; Matt 28:20; Jn 14:16-18; Heb 13:5; Rev 21:3) I will choose different character traits or attributes about God, find supporting Scriptures, and write the verses out. This has given me such a depth to my knowledge of God, my relationship with Him, and my love for Him. It also helps me see myself as I really am- a sinner in desperate need of the power and mercy of almighty God. Studying the character of God has radically impacted every aspect of my life. God has chosen for my story to include some very difficult trials over the past 5 years, but having these truths of God’s nature concrete in my heart have provided an anchor to the Rock that never wavers.

Any final piece of advice you would like to share with us?

Live a life infused with Christ! To infuse means to permeate. Just as dye permeates into every molecule of water, coloring all the water in your glass, we should allow Christ to permeate into every aspect of life. Don’t allow Christ to be something on your to-do list. He is to supersede our lists. He is to be preeminent over every relationship, activity, and appointment. Wash your heart in His Word. Spend time talking with Him through prayer. Allow Him to renew your mind and conform you into His image. We need a generation of women who are living lives infused with Christ. These are women who are so consumed with Christ that He is seen in every aspect of who they are and what they do. This is the kind of woman I want to be, and the one I pray you’ll be. She is a woman who points others to Christ.

There is no time to sit on the sidelines with our heads down until Jesus comes. We must equip ourselves to battle for Jesus! We need to fight for our marriages, our children, our ministries. While it may not feel that we are doing world-changing work, it was the “unfeigned faith”, the real faith, of Lois and Eunice that so greatly impacted Timothy. Let’s determine to have a real faith. Let’s fall deeper in love with Jesus. Be bold to share your faith with others. If God has given you life today, He has a purpose for you to fulfill. Find it and obey. Do that again tomorrow and the next day. Determine to obey and follow wherever He leads. He is worthy!

Final Thoughts (From Rebekah)

I hope this post was an encouragement to you as a fellow lady, wife, mama, and child of God! Each time I read through Brettnay’s answers while preparing this post for publishing, I felt encouraged and inspired. Brettnay is a woman who is not sitting idling by while time passes, but is intentionally living for the Lord while serving Him, her family, and others. I hope you and I will catch a bit of Brettnay’s passion as we also seek to serve the Lord and the people God has placed in our lives!

If you would like to learn more from Brettnay be sure to check out her podcast and social media. The No Higher Calling podcast can be found on all major podcast platforms. You can find more information about Brettnay, her blog, and other resources on the website www.nohighercalling.org. You can also find her on Instagram and Facebook.

Please leave a comment below to thank Brettnay for her time and to share what you learned from her today!

Until Next Time,