When God Redirects: Lessons from the Feast Conference
- Tami West, PhD
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
A few months back, Michelle introduced me to Kristi McClellan’s work, and I was immediately hooked. She teaches the Bible through a Middle Eastern lens—history, culture, language—and I had never heard Scripture taught quite that way before. When we found out she was bringing her Feast Conference to Atlanta, Michelle and I grabbed tickets and planned our own little retreat around it.
The “retreat” part didn’t go quite as we envisioned. What should’ve been a four-hour drive turned into six hours of wrecks, traffic, and GPS reroutes. We rolled into Atlanta late, soaked from parking at the far end of the lot in the pouring rain, and freezing cold inside with wet sweaters. Add to that limited food options (Michelle on Weight Watchers, me adjusting to my new Invisalign liners) and we had a very different kind of weekend than we pictured.
But sometimes God does His best work in the interruptions.
The teaching was powerful. The worship was beautiful. The conversations were real. And I came home with two lessons that hit me hard:
1. I don’t have to do everything.
As I watched Kristi speak to thousands of women, I realized—I don’t want that anymore. For years, I thought that was the dream: big stages, big crowds. But I felt a whisper reminding me that when the pandemic shut everything down, I promised God I wouldn’t force doors open again. He brought me back into speaking—this time on mental health, stress, and women’s well-being—and it has been life-giving.
Somewhere along the way, I started saying yes to things outside that calling, pushing myself into places that drained me instead of fueled me. Watching Kristi made me realize: she’s living her calling, and THAT's why she's great at what she does and appears to love It!
The reason I was feeling a lapse in my passion is because I have been saying yes to everything, and it's draining me.
I don’t have to do everything. I don’t have to say yes to everything. And neither do you.
2. Women need rest—real rest.
The conference theme was Sabbath, and one woman asked: “How do you rest when your kids won’t leave you alone?” The room erupted in solidarity—so many moms have felt that. Christy’s worship leader, Laura Cooksey, shared something simple yet profound: when her kids were little, everyone knew that at the end of each day she took a bath. Unless someone was dying, that was her time.
That may not look the same for every mom—especially single moms or women with little support. But it reminded me of the way Sabbath was originally celebrated: families and communities together, many hands sharing the load. What if we reimagined rest not as something we have to wrestle out of thin air, but as something we intentionally build into community? What if women gave each other permission and support to rest, even if just 15 minutes at a time?
Maybe get together with other families or moms? Cook together! Eat together! And maybe even swap keeping each others' kids to have some well-deserved quite time.
I came away reminded that my calling is clear, my boundaries are mine to set, and my rest is worth protecting.
And ladies, so is yours.
Love & Hugs,
Tami
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Love & Hugs,
Tami
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Tami West, PhD
Stress and Mental Health Expert Dr. Tami West uses her entertaining and compelling style to shine a new light on how to transform your life and discover solutions to life’s challenges.
Tami has worked in a variety of industries including healthcare, school nutrition, corporate sales, and 10 years as a public-school teacher. In 2013 she received her PhD in Human Development, studying the connections among stress, emotions, and identity.
Dr. West has spoken in 48 states across the US, as well as the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. In any given year, Tami speaks to groups with audiences consisting of anywhere from 100 to 3,000 people.
Dr. West is the author of several successful publications including three books: The Stress Club, Life Without the Monsters and Thrive. When she's not speaking or writing, you might find her with her traveling with her husband and family, reading historical fiction, or watching Big Bang Theory.
Tami connects with audiences through real experience, cutting edge research, and transparent stories – all sprinkled with humor! She will make you laugh, cry, and shine a refreshingly new light on life's challenges.
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Contact Tami at tamiwest@tamiwest.com
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