Heart to Heart with Bobbye & Tonilee

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Kristi

"The Living Dead"

          Every 15 Minutes is an intense two-day program designed to caution high school juniors and seniors against the dangers of drinking and driving. The program name was conceived from the statistic that every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies in an alcohol related traffic accident. This program was initiated at the high school which my children attend last week. It did not only impact the high school students; however, I was really surprised by how it impacted me.

          A private meeting was called for 25 high school students and their parents.  After arriving and hearing the introductory announcements, the parents were told that our child was chosen to become one of “the living dead.”  Our requirements for participation were to send in baby and current pictures, fill out an obituary, write a goodbye letter to your child, and attend the funeral service.   Seriously, I glared at my son trying to hold myself together and said, “I don’t think I can do this.”  Throughout the entire program, I definitely prayed more about the emotional components than the actual physical participation. 

          Looking back on the 24 hour period, I can tell you that the most challenging part for me was writing my son’s good bye letter. The paper had printed on the top, “Dear _____________, every 15 minutes someone in the United States dies or is seriously injured in an alcohol-related incident. Today your child died.”

          I was restless for quite awhile before I could pick up the pen. I got up to get some coffee and t hen I stood in the back of the room. Finally, I prayed. God did give me the words to write but He also revealed to me many amazing insights.  I realized that God is not the God of the dead, but the living (Matthew 22:32). When we are in Christ, we are always alive, even if physically dead.  Jesus links heaven to earth. I literally saw a mental picture of Jesus with His arms stretched out, one hand was touching heaven and the other was touching earth. He was the bridge that connected the living on earth to the living in heaven. Death had no relevance or significance because of Jesus. The term “living dead” had a whole new meaning. There is hope for the believer as Jesus’ words from John 5:24-25 came back to mind, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” Jesus fills in the great chasm. He continued to say, “I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”    How can the dead “hear?” The answer is “with spiritual ears.” Life on earth is not just about the body but about the Spirit. The Spirit is what lives forever. Our Spirit’s have ears as we have a choice to respond to the call of Jesus.

          It’s ironic that in the Garden of Eden, God only asked Adam and Eve to NOT do ONE thing, eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). Eating from this tree brought death. But since Jesus Christ came to earth, God NOW only asks all of us to do ONE thing to give us eternal life. Jesus says in John 3:18, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is so simple that a child can understand God’s requirements and can respond to His call.

           The program was absolutely great for many reasons. Best of all, the students clearly got the point. We were told that since this program has been initiated in the high schools, the average that someone dies from an alcohol related traffic accident is now “Every 30 Minutes.” Educating our students is necessary as it is physically saving lives. But if we want to face it or not, everyone will physically die some day. So, knowing Jesus is better as He literally came to save lives for eternity.

 

“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

 

 

Tonilee Adamson

Daily Disciples Ministries

www.WebTV4Women.tv

 

 

The Shelter of His Wings

Three summers ago, our family purchased a 6-week old male cockatiel. But it was around a month ago that I started noticing behavioral changes in Mercy as he began to softly sing songs, slowly rocking back and forth, while hiding in dark, quiet and soft places (like our sock drawer). He seemed to be nesting. Was Merc y having an identity crises or was our male bird “a girl”? One day, the mystery was solved as Mercy laid an egg.

 

She actually laid a total of 3 eggs during 1 week period of time. But with the first egg, Mercy took on the role of a mother. She would stay in the corner of the cage to protect the eggs. She did not want to get her eggs dirty so she would not leave any droppings while in the cage. Mercy waited until we lifted her off the eggs and got her out of the cage. She stopped chirping to not give away her position. Our little bird suddenly and instinctively changed. It was amazing.

 

After watching how Mercy sheltered her eggs, I began to understand why God uses a bird’s wings to describe Himself to us. Passages like:

 

            Psalm 17:8   Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings.

 

            Psalm 57:1  Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes   

                 refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. 
 
            Psalm 61:4  I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.

 

Mercy would skillfully gather her rolling eggs and gently sit on them. However, her little body was not big enough to cover all three eggs. So, she would then tilt her body slightly forward and gracefully expand her wings to keep the three eggs protected from injury and to keep the eggs very warm. She was completely determined and resolved to stay in this position to keep the eggs under her wings. Mercy would even sleep in this position as her head would fall forward and rest on the floor of the cage. Only if I lifted her off the eggs to eat, drink and exercise, would Mercy leave her eggs.

 

If this little bird would do all this for empty, unfertilized eggs, how much more does our Heavenly Father protect and comfort us? The Lord’s biggest difficulty with us must be that His little eggs have feet to get up and leave the nest! When Jesus said in Matthew 23:37, “"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing,” I suddenly realized that He honors our unwillingness to not stay under the shelter of His wings. It is not best for us but we have a choice.

 

How many of us need to return to His nest? Do you need to find a place of rest and warmth by the counsel and comfort of His Spirit? God is faithful and during this difficult season in our economy, know that He never leaves you nor forsakes you. Rest in His nest as you open His Word and seek Him for wisdom and discernment. He will provide for us and protect us. It is God’s heart desire to gather us as chicks. He longs to cover us with His feathers and allow us to find shelter and refuge under His wings. (Psalm 91:4) Obviously, our God is not a bird but I am very thankful that He uses all things, even my little Mercy bird, to help me understand Him better.

         

Giving and Receiving

WebTV4Women.tv is going places, not only through the internet but also in person. While Shell was busy with computer design at home, Bobbye and I accompanied a woman to Edmonton, Canada to have a booth at the North American Mission Fest. Maralee Dawn (from Passionate Women Ministries) and WebTV4Women shared the booth. There were an estimated 20,000 attendees at this Mission Fest. I have to say that every woman who stopped by the booth caught the vision of passionate women for WebTV. Praise God!

However, there was an incident that has left a lasting impression on me. Maralee Dawn had just returned from a mission trip in Thailand. She had told a group of women from Thailand that she would take their handmade bookmarks, stationary cards, and gift bags to the Mission Fest to raise donations for them. These women are ex-prostitutes who are now trying to support their children through a different means since they have come to know Christ personally. Maralee asked for a minimum donation of $3.00 for the gift bags and $2.00 for the cards. This amount was very reasonable.

Well, a woman came up to the booth with two young girls. They all had heard of the story behind the cards and bags. I watched as this woman made no eye contact with me and hurriedly but carefully picked out 12 items, meeting the requests of each child. She then handed me $20. Maybe that was all she had, but as I looked at her  I thought to myself, "Haven't these ex-prostitutes been treated unfairly enough? Do we, as Christians, have to use them and abuse them in this venue too?" As she walked away, I felt so badly as I so clearly understood that I have sinned in the same way. Sometimes you see sin better on others than yourself. How many times have we taken from others to benefit ourselves?  

Next, an elderly man with a thick unkempt white beard and mustache walked up to me. I noticed that he was wearing a biking helmet and jeans. It was obvious that he biked in 2 degree weather to come to the Mission's Fest and had not thawed out yet.  He said with an intense look on his face, "Do you help women on the streets? What do you do to help women?"

After attempting to answer his question, I found out that this man has been helping street women (the homeless woman to the prostitute) for years. He gives them rides, he feeds them, he brings them to his home if they are sick. He continually opens his hand to help as he shares the love of Christ with each one. His eyes filled up with tears as he told me how He has led many women to Christ by just being nice to them. He went on the say that never had anyone accused him of inappropriate behavior and the women have been surprised that he would freely give help to them without asking for anything in return. His sincerity and compassion were overwhelming as my heart embraced the outreach this one man had on numerous helpless and hopeless women. 

The contrast between the two encounters was glaringly bright. What was the Lord trying to show me as these incidences happened simultaneously? A comment that Jesus made came right to mind, "It is better to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35) The first woman took a lot of items but was a taker as she did not do so to help the women in trouble. Spiritually her "purchase" did not impact her heart or  do her any good personally. She will move on to the next best deal. The man, however, gave fully of himself to help others. He was full of joy and compassion as his face shone with a glow that reflected his heart. By freely giving, this gave him a freedom to express his heart which in turn changed many lives for the good (including his own).  That is what Jesus has asked us to do. We are to be discerning and to be wise in the way that we give but it is far better to err on the side of giving, rather than by receiving. I had never looked at the receiving side as being close to "stealing." I guess it comes back to the thoughts and motives of your heart which only God can judge. But I can clearly tell you that there was a huge difference in the attitudes, actions and love of these two people. And those outward behaviors also stem from each of their hearts. God has given us a LOT. He wants us to be like Him. He is asking us to give. And after living through this incidence, I can personally testify that it is more blessed to give than receive as I witnessed the fruits of both on each face.

Our Thanks to the Canadian Hospitality at Missions Fest

As many of you know, TL and I spent last weekend in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada) attending the North America Missions Fest. It was a great event and the folks we met there were super nice. For me and TL, it was a wee bit cold for our California blood types. We kept seeing the temperature readings of -5 to -10, which seemed about right, until we found out that it was celcius, not farehheit. It was still in the teens and twenties before the wind chill...we were such wimps. But we survived. LOL

 We were blessed to present WebTV4Women.tv to many of the attendees, as well as share ministry information about Daily Disciples. Our friend, Maralee Dawn, was one of the keynote speakers and our boothmate in the exhibit hall. She is an amazing ventriloquist, speaker and television host...it was great to spend time with her as well. She interviewed us on CTS, one of Canada's television stations, and it was such fun to share our passions for the Lord and His people with her.

To our new Canadian friends, "thank you" for extending your hospitality and making us feel very welcome. To all of our prayer warriors, "thank you" for lifting us up in prayer. God is moving across the nations and we must continue to look up and seek His face, His guidance and His will in all of our lives. May God continue to bless and keep you! Bobbye

Much fruit accompanies Many frustrations

I can't write a blog on all the blessings of the National WCM Conference without sharing some of struggles that accompanied those blessings. I truly believe that some ministry-minded people share all the amazing aspects of the hand of God but leave out their personal tests, trials and struggles during that same period of time. This leaves a false impression of the work of God. Yes, we want to concentrate on the good but many Christians quit too early in God-ordained tasks because they haven't been instructed on the reality of warfare. Blessings come with burdens to bring balance to our lives.

Bobbye and I had made our plane reservations for the Nashville Women in Christian Media Conference before Bobbye was asked to be the Conference director. As a result, we had to change our tickets to make the WCM Board meeting. Our original tickets were purchased online through Expedia.com. Icalled them for a ticket change.Someone instructed us over the phone that it was less expensive to buy a one way ticket than to change our existing reservation. So, while on the phone with Expedia, we purchased another one-way ticket online, planning on using our existing ticket to get back home.

The Conference was absolutely wonderful and if you haven't read the previous post, please take the time to read it. But traveling home was a whole another story.

When we got to the airport, the Nashville agents at Continental Airlines told us that we did not have reservations to fly home. Our names were listed on the register but because we didn't fly out with Continental, our tickets were forfeited to fly home. That did not make sense to me since Expedia frequently books a different airline for your destination with a different airline home. I was surprised that the Continental agents were not willing to explain this to us. There was no wait but they continued to make us wait as if we were burdening them to find out why we didn't have a reservation for something we paid for. Next I called Expedia.com. We remained on hold or reexplaining the situation to 4 different Expedia representatives for an hour and a half. By this time, we already missed the flight we originally paid for and was booked on. 

My frustration was at an all time high as Bobbye and I next needed to walk to the other ticket counters to find a flight home at the full purchase price. We ended up flying home on American for $400 with suitcase charges and a later arrival time. 

I was completely frustrated and angry. I knew that we had been given the wrong information but was now stuck without any support from Expedia or even given a kind, timely explanation from Continental. But I also knew that I had a choice to make. Was God's hand so evident at the National Women in Christian Media Conference but not at the airport? Are we willing to accept the total blessing of having a one-on-one lunch date with Kay Arthur 2 days earlier but not accept the cold, harsh challenges of the airline world today? Can God not redeem the money and time? Does my attitude and heart matter more right now to the Lord during this terrible circumstance than all the blessings of the last few days?

I am sure you get the point. Christianity is not about blessings only. God wants to build character. Many times, we claim the peace that surpasses understanding but it is in the difficult circumstances that we learn to maintain that peace while enduring in self control. It is not easy but it is the truth.

If you are clearly being blessed by the hand of God in one aspect of life but then confused by conflicting thoughts and circumstances in other aspects of life, be strong and take heart. God is with you. I love the verse quoted by Job that says, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God and not trouble?" And the verse continues to say, "In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." (Job 2:10) If God entrusted Job with 42 chapters in His Book that He says will not pass away, then I want to learn from Job because I want God to entrust me with eternal things too.

With much fruit comes many frustrating and irritating weeds. The wheat grows with the tares. The sheep live with the goats. The blessings are accompanied with burdens. Keep looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your faith. If you are still walking this earth, He is not finished yet. And by keeping our gaze fixed on Him regardless of the circumstance He will make the yoke easy and the burden light. Amen to that. I hope that this helped you even though the Truth even hurts me at times!     --TL

National Women in Christian Media Conference

Our  beloved Daily Disciples team, Bobbye and I just got back from the National Women in Christian Media Conference held in Nashville. We knew that God had amazing things planned but to be able to participate in those things and to be personally blessed by them was absolutely wonderful. At the opening fellowship dinner, we met our www.WebTV4Women.tv gals finally face to face. Personally, I wish I had more time to meet with each one. They are definitely a lively group of women! The goal was to share in the same conference for knitted hearts. We received so much more though as Kay Arthur opened up the conference sharing from a passage in Leviticus 10  on Holiness. She walks the room, teaching the Scriptures with grace and ease. Her words were powerful as well as convicting. Thelma Wells followed Kay as she shared on God's desire for us to live a life that pleases Him. She is such a pleasure to listen to as she boldly and honestly shared her personal convictions and relationship with God. We then broke off to attend different workshops and roundtables, learning from women who are working in different media fields. The evening speaker was Ann Graham Lotz who spoke on personal revival as we each seek to see the Lord. Her message was strong and powerful, filled with passion as her words touched each heart.

I love the Women in Christian Media organization because the desire of the group is revival.  It is great to able to share with a group of women who desire to honor God's heart in the variety of platforms He has placed us. Radio, television, publishing, internet and musicians are all represented in this organization. This is no casual church group meeting. We each know that "for such a time as this" we are to be about the Lord's work.

I have to admit that I loved the morning prayer time as women from all over the world came together at 7:30am to pray on their knees in one accord. Total strangers were knitted together with a common purpose and vision as we lifted up our voices in prayer. What a great way to begin the conference day.

If you are interested in being a part of this group, let me know. We know that God is raising up women and giving many of us a desire to do something beyond ourselves but obviously, not beyond His plans and purposes for us. God is good and it is a privilege to see Him on the faces of others who are also called to represent Him throughout the world in the same room. It is very comforting as well as empowering to be a part of a group that is likeminded, helping each other and encouraging each other to keep going and to keep growing. Feel free to check it out at www.womeninchristianmedia.org.

Love is the Answer Event

Last weekend, we spent the day with an amazing group of women from all parts of San Diego County with many others that traveled as far as Ventura County. Well over 600 women came out to spend the day seeking God and hearing about His love. We worshiped together, open the Scriptures together, ate together, cried and laughed together and even hugged strangers. The presence of the Lord was evident as over 75 women raised their hands to come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord for the first time. Many of us received a clear confirmation that the Lord was leading us to step out in to our communities to make a difference for the Kingdom.  The power of the Lord was also evident as we closed the day with an altar call to give our lives for the Lord's purposes. Bobbye and I were greatly humbled and blessed by all who attended. Thank you! We can't wait to do it again. See you next year.

Tonilee

a God-thing

My oldest two children are teenagers. My son will be 17 this month which is hard to believe. As a mom, you have so many dreams and of course, unrealistic expectations for your infant. As they grow, we are able to get a glimpse of the things God really did place on your heart for your child versus your own desires. Prayer works like that. We are told to pray about everything and then as God answers some things, He leads you further into what He wants you to really pray about as He blesses those things.

Well, Rob (my husband) and I have prayed for our children to have a musical talent for the Lord.Throughout the years, we have signed them up for a variety of lessons. Nothing really stuck and it was a challenge to even get them to practice.

Two years ago, however, my son ended up in a terrible ATV accident that could have crippled him for life. He went through 2 major surgeries and was on bedrest for 2 months. Of course, as a mother, I dealt with many struggles in prayers concerning his leg. However, deep within my heart, I knew that in some strange way, God was answering my prayers and He would bring about His glory through this accident. I actually had more of a peace through the accident process than the direction he was going before the accident.

During this time, Robby started playing the drums...then the guitar...then the piano. He next started writing music on his own and recording different songs. No lessons, just self motivated.

Well, music was definitely one of the prayers that the Lord really did place on our hearts for our son. This past weekend, Robby (our son) led worship (piano and singing) for his junior class at a retreat in  Forest Home. There are some amazing things about it: firstly, it is the same exact weekend that he had the accident two years ago and secondly, he led worship in the same room that my husband and I have led worship for Medical Evangelism Training for 5 years. 

I am amazed and humbled by it all. You never know as a mother the directions your kids will take. You pray for good choices and wise decisions but it is up to them. It is so nice when you actually see the Lord intervene through your prayers and words to fulfill your hearts desires for another. Robby has a long way to go and many more choices to make, but today, I praise God for the fruit of the weekend.

Believe me when I say...It was definitely a God-thing.

Lots to report...

Hello everyone! I am vowing to blog more this year. If I could get my cohort to do this with me, you know the "Tonilee" part of the duo, then we could keep you all more updated...but she is busy, busy...writing devotionals and bible studies...the important stuff. Just kidding...we both need to blog more that is for sure.

So, here are some updates for you. TL and I are busy working on TWO major events. Our local women's event here in San Diego is set for Saturday, January 31 (http://www.dailydisciples.org) and we are extremely busy with this event. Wow...this is our 5th annual women's event at Point Loma Nazarene University and it is going to be a BLAST. Tickets are a great deal at $20 (pre registered) and that includes lunch, and we will give away several as well. We just want women to come and be blessed. So much pain and hurt right now....we need the Lord to fill us and help us...we need His LOVE. We have some great sponsors helping us this year and the San Diego Rescue Mission is our featured guest...attendees have the opportunity to bring much needed items that will be given to the Mission's women. (tolietries, socks, blankets, undergarments, etc.)

We are also working on the National conference for Women in Christian Media, which is less than a week after our San Diego event...in Nashville, Tennessee. It is going to be an amazing event with Anne Graham Lotz, Kay Arthur, Thelma Wells and many other awesome women coming and speaking. TL and I have recently been honored with the invitation to sit on their Advisory Board. We are so blessed to have met and have gotten to know some of the greatest women in ministry and media this past year. (http://www.womeninchristianmedia.org)

We are running 2 other companies as extensions of our ministry and they are fun, exciting and overwhelmingly a blessing to us and our staff. WebTV4Women.tv is heading into full speed production and will be ready for the next phase within the next 30 days. Wow...such an amazing journey this has been and we still have so much to do. The response to this website was so beyond what we expected that me, TL and Shell were taken aback for awhile. We had to change some original ideas pretty quickly... and things are still changing. The interest has been a bit surprising but great to be a part of.

Our newest "baby" is Faith Talk TV and this business is possibly the most exciting of all. Our partner in Tennessee, Shell Washam, has been working with webcasting for many years now. Plus, her knowledge of website design, development and coding is a package of gifts and talents that allow us as women to offer other women a chance to do things that might not be possible otherwise. Between the Tennessee and California offices, we have assembled an experienced and talented group of people who are behind the scenes working on several projects from websites to webcasting to eBooks to video production. Here in San Diego, we are producing videos in our own studio. It is simply...the Lord who has made this possible. Why? Because our ministry desires to give others the opportunity to have their voice heard. Christians must have their voice heard, but how many women can truly work within the Internet, websites, webcasting, videos, etc and all of today's new technologies. It is costly, time consuming and may not produce any results, unless their is a clear plan. We are working with women and helping them develop a plan before proposing what steps to take next. We are already seeing positive results...but we are just getting started.

I will write more later and maybe get my silent partner to tell you a few things as well, like the great time we had on Thursday the 8th at the Women in Christian Media event in San Diego. I absolutely loved it! I think it topped the one in October. It was a blessed evening.

More soon...until then...we hope to see you on Saturday the 31st.

Bobbye