Heart to Heart with Bobbye & Tonilee

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