ELCOME! Thank you for clicking on and taking the time to join me as I sit down to talk to the amazing Andrea Rodriguez. She is a wife, mother, author, speaker, and she has such a beautiful, sweet spirit! 

​

Courtnaye – Welcome Andrea, I am so excited to have you with me today! How are you?

​

Andrea – Thank you so much, I am doing well. And I am very excited to be here with you, today! 

​

Courtnaye – Yay! Well, we're going to talk about how to find and use every gift in this segment. But before we get started, tell us a little about your backstory, Andrea.

​

Andrea - Well, I’m a village girl from Bermuda Landing. It's in a tiny little district in Belize (Central America). I grew up with both parents and my siblings right across the street from a Baptist church. I've always loved the Lord and I've always wanted to serve Him. But during my childhood years, it was difficult. My dad had issues with drugs and alcohol, so it was not an easy childhood. Yet, at the age of 17, I actually flew to Texas and spent two years in Bible School, before coming back home and meeting my husband. 

​

Courtnaye - Gotcha. So tell us, what inspired you to help and empower women to flow in their gifts, today?  

​

Andrea - After meeting my husband, I jumped right into ministry. I really started to have this passion to work with women. And because I've gone through a lot of things in my life, I felt that having people support you and walk alongside you is good. I've found that sometimes, as women, we feel like we're in it all by ourselves. We feel like nobody feels what we feel. For me, I wouldn't be who I am today without having mentors, people who have walked alongside me, and God. I have to say, everything in my life, up until this point has been God. He has redeemed and rescued me. I thank Him for that. 

​

Courtnaye -Amen! We can't do anything without Him. I totally believe in strong community, sisterhood, and mentorship. Also, it's truly amazing how the Lord brings us through hard things, but then uses it for His purpose and glory to help others. Amazing! Now, let's talk about how you found your gifts and talents. 

​

Andrea - I guess my journey started about 10 years ago when I was approached by the owner of a local Christian television station. He said, "I want you to do a daytime show for women." And I was like, "No! You've got the wrong person." But he told me, "No, you can do this." So I went home and told my husband. I was literally terrified of cameras and I didn't like taking pictures. I felt very uncomfortable. But anyway, my husband said, "He's right. You need to go for it!" I was like, "Oh my gosh!" 

​

Courtnaye - So what happened?

​

Andrea - Well, I started a show and it was pretty much about telling women that they are valuable, worthy, and that they have all of these gifts and talents inside of them, and that they needed to use them. From there, it was such a blessing because every week I would do a show about encouragement and speaking life (even though I was going through some hard times personally). I felt and still feel like it's important to tell women that God has a plan and a purpose for their lives more now than ever. He's just waiting on them to step into it and do what He has called them to do.    

​

Courtnaye - I love this and your boldness! And I love how God will pull things out of us that we may never have known was inside of us. I believe that is how a lot of us find our gifts and talents. So, back to you. While you were saying, "There is no way that I'm going to do a talk show." God was like, "Oh yes, you are!" Amen! Okay, so what else are you doing to encourage women? 

​

Andrea - Yes, right! (laughing) I've started co-hosting with a friend. We also host retreats once a year where we share the message that God has a plan for women's lives and gifts and talents. We take them away to listen and hear what God is saying to them. We've also written little devotions - just to engage with women. Additionally, we have a special group where we share with them what God is speaking to us, and we just encourage them to really embrace who God has called them to be. 

 

Courtnaye - So good! Can you share with us, how can we cultivate our gifts?

​

Andrea - We need to be sharpening our tools, like an ax. I read a lot. So I think that's important when you can pick up books and read from different perspectives. Also, spending time with the Lord. I believe the Holy Spirit is the greatest teacher that we can ever have. Too many times we miss that. So just being able to sit at Jesus' feet and receive from Him is good. Also, it's good to be open to receiving from others. Surround yourself with accountability groups where people can speak life into you, encourage you, and pray for you. I would also say attend conferences, webinars, and just soak up as much as you can, because all of that helps us to be better.

​

Courtnaye - Yes, agreed. These are some great nuggets on how to find, use, and cultivate our gifts. Thank you so much! You know when Jesus comes back He is going to ask us what did we do with the gifts that were given to us? We need to be ready to give an answer. Thank you, Andrea!

 

Andrea - Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. 

​

There you have it, Sister! Grab Andrea's book, "Words Unfolded" on Amazon/Kindle. Also, to connect with her or to schedule an interview or speaking engagement, please email Andrea directly at andreabz.rodge@gmail.com. Thank you so much for reading my feature story! Use every gift that you've been given, my Sister! Jesus is coming soon, so let's be ready from the inside out!