Selah Creek: A Place to Pause, Breathe, and Start Over

There is a word in the book of Psalms that shows up 74 times. Smart people do not know for sure what it means. But Ashley Potts likes one way to say it: a pause. It is a time to stop, take a breath, and just be. When she and her husband Kevin were building their maternity home, she kept thinking of that word. It is called Selah. It was just right. The women they help need a pause more than anything else.

Selah Creek is a home for moms right here in Rockwall. It is for pregnant women who have no safe place to stay. Some are running away from bad homes where they were hurt. Some are trying to stop using drugs. Others are just alone, scared, and have nowhere else to go. At Selah Creek, they get something most of them never had. They get a real home and a real family that will not give up on them.

"Selah Creek is more than shelter. It is a place of rest and restoration — a space where women can begin healing from their past, rediscover their worth, and build a foundation for lasting life change."

— Ashley Potts, Founder

Their Story Is Really Her Story

Ashley Potts did not just start Selah Creek from far away. She started it because of her own life.

She and Kevin met when they were teens. They were young and messy and did not always make the best choices. They dated for a long time, then stopped. Soon after, Ashley found out she was pregnant. She was 19 years old.

"I was 19 and had never felt so afraid," she wrote. "Would I mess my kid up? Could I even be a good mom? And how could I parent without a boyfriend?" She was worried, but things changed. She says God was there for her. He gave her the strength to have her baby. That baby saved her life.

It was not a program that saved her. It was people. Her family and Kevin's family helped them. They taught them how to calm a crying baby and how to love well. "Without them," she wrote, "I don't know where we would be today."

Kevin and Ashley got back together. They got married and had more kids. They started to ask a big question: What happens to the moms who do not have a family to help them?

That question turned into Selah Creek.

A Full, Beautiful, Busy Life

If you ask the team at Selah Creek what a normal week is like, they will laugh. There is no such thing as a quiet week.

They have doctor visits, Bible study, and school work. They do things like learn about money, learn how to be a parent, and buy groceries. They have family dinners, too. The days are very full. Babies get snuggled, and women study hard to become the mothers they want to be.

There are also things not on the schedule. They have movie nights and talk over coffee. These quiet times build a real family. The team says these times are just as important as the classes. The women are learning how a healthy community works by living it every day.

The Story That Never Leaves You

Ashly McCabe is the boss there. When asked for one success story, she stopped for a minute. "My goodness," she said. "How do I tell just one?"

One story comes back to her a lot. Four years ago, a woman came to Selah Creek from a hospital. She was four months pregnant. She had used heroin for a long time and lost almost everything. Trying to get better was scary, but she really wanted to be a good mom to her baby.

Ashly said she was unstoppable.

She did everything the program asked. She showed up and did the work. When she moved out, she used what she learned to keep going.

Now, she is a mom to two of her three kids. She has a job and her own place. She is still clean, even though it was a hard road.

"Why do we do this? For her. For every woman before her. And every woman after her. And what a blessing it is to watch God MOVE in someone's life."

— Ashly McCabe, Executive Director

What Nobody Warns You About

Running a place like this is hard work. Ashly McCabe said the hardest part is something she did not expect.

"The hardest part was actually a beautiful surprise," she said. "I wasn't warned about how quickly these women and their babies would become like family to me."

You start out thinking it is just a job. But your heart grows. Watching them take a step or pass a test makes you realize that these are your people.

"I didn't realize," she said, "that in the process of building a home for them, they would end up building so much more joy and purpose into my own life."

Who These Women Really Are

The team at Selah Creek does not call these women victims or broken.

They call them: Overcomers.

These women have been through very hard things. But the team wants Rockwall to know who they are now.

"They lead with conviction, empathy, generosity, and a drive to pursue a different path for their children. They are overcomers."

— Selah Creek Team

The need for homes like this is growing. Changes in laws, higher prices for things, and the struggle of being a single mom mean more women need help. Selah Creek is seeing more women come for help, and Ashly says it will take "an army of people."

What Rockwall Has Built Here

Something special happened in Rockwall.

The people here did not just give money. They acted like good neighbors and family. They created "a culture of caring for others". They help these moms even though they do not know them personally.

When the women leave, they take that kindness with them. Because they were loved, they start to love others the same way.

The People Doing the Work

A small team works here every day. It is led by Ashly McCabe, Kiley Parish, and Kevin Potts.

• Ashly McCabe, Executive Director
• Kiley Parish, Program Director
• Kevin Potts, Development Director

What's Next — If the Lord Wills It

The team trusts God for their future plans.

In the next five years, they hope to help 15 to 20 mothers at a time. They want a two-year program to support women after they move out. They also want a permanent building in Rockwall for these moms.

It is a big dream. But look at what this community built already.

How You Can Help

Follow Selah Creek on Facebook and Instagram. Visit selahcreek.org to give or learn more. You can also email them at info@selahcreek.org. Any help you give makes a better future for a family.

Be Part of the Village

Selah Creek's mamas did not have a tribe. Rockwall became one. You can be part of what happens next.

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