Promises

I was talking to my wise friend this morning about the promises of God. Bobbye said to me, “I have learned to look for the promises but not to live for them.” If God gave us a promise, it is His responsibility to fulfill it. Whenever we are given a message from the supernatural, it takes the leading of the Spirit to have it be fulfilled in the natural. Too many times, we take it upon ourselves to complete in the flesh the promises that were given in the Spirit. We look for the promises in the word as well as look for their fulfillment on the earth but in the mean time, we live for the Lord.

Sixth Sense

My house is a bit crazy right now. I have a house full of teenagers and the energy level is very high. The one thing that I have noticed the most about teenagers is their love for stimuli. Everything associated with them is loud and bright and moving very fast. They can text on their cell phone while emailing on facebook while changing the song on the ipod while sorting through a homework schedule and talk to me all at this same time. They are being prepared for a much different life as the world has definitely changed since I was in high school.

My teenage years were very different. Not only because we called the home phone number to talk to a friend but because there were no computers at all! How can you compare the changes that the computer has brought with roll down windows and rotary dial phones? Change has a whole new meaning in today’s world.

But changes in the “things” are not my real concern for the next generation. I am concerned about the many things that compete for their attention. It is exaggerated in the life of a teenager but it affects us all. The world has become so loud in our ears (cell phones, ipods, ichat, music) and so bright in our eyes (facebook, internet videos, television, text messages). These things are not something a teenager will outgrow. This way of life will only increase with advancing technology.  I am NOT against change or technology…I am against constant, continual noise. If we are not proactive in protecting our minds from the noise, we are going to miss out on the things that matter most: a personal, walking talking relationship with the Lord.

I came to know the Lord at 14 years old and heard Him from the first time I read the Bible. I learned quickly that if I was going to seek the Lord, my mind needed to learn to be quiet. I guess it is like developing a sixth sense. When you tone down your other senses, your awareness of God becomes more evident. It is like a blind person who depends more on their sense of hearing and a deaf person who depends more on their sense of sight.  When everything is shaking and moving, it is more difficult to be in tune with your sixth sense of spirituality. If we do not develop ears to hear the Lord and eyes to see Him, we will miss out on the greatest relationship there is on this earth regardless of our age or the stage of life especially since spirituality is not a “sense” but it is a lifestyle.

I know that the employee at the Verizon store told me that the text messaging decreases when your teenager goes to college. And I know that with age brings changes that lead to less noise, however, a lifestyle with the Lord starts by praying to have an eternal perspective. Moses prayed it best in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Moses understood that we live maybe 70 to 80 years on this earth (Psalm 90:10) but eternity is forever. Are we spending our time and giving our attention to what matters for eternity? Are we making a difference here that counts someday up there?

We are going to be teaching the Life in the Spirit study, starting next week. Living a spirit filled life counts for eternity. Too many of us are in habits and patterns that are not good for ourselves or anyone else. We become victims to our own habits because they are familiar. Life in Spirit will give you the ability to change your perspective and adjust your everyday life for eternal purposes. Last night, I read Isaiah 5:13 that says, “but they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands. My people go into exile for lack of understanding.” The Life in the Spirit study is not “one more thing to do.” It is learning to live in a lifestyle that brings you peace and joy while having an eternal impact on others. Don’t you want to know that the Lord is leading you and counseling you in your every day decisions? Don’t you want to see the Lord move in you in such a way that heaven comes down to earth through your prayers and your words?

We are even videotaping the webcast so if you can’t make the Monday night study in Carlsbad or the webcast study at your computer on Tuesday morning, then you can watch the video at your own time. We will send you the study to your email and the link to click for the video.

If you still aren’t sure, then pray about it. See what the Lord thinks about changing your lifestyle for His glory by doing the Life in the Spirit study. To sign up, click here.

And by the way, my teenagers are going to do the Life in the Spirit study. A new lifestyle can start at any time. It is not about the competing stimuli and changing technology. It is about the priority of whom we choose to seek and what we choose to listen to. There is one letter difference in World verses Word. The “L” can stand for lifestyle and Lord.  We need to make sure we are very clear on these two “L”s as we face the stimuli of the world every day. God will not force Himself upon us but greatly rewards those who actively pursue Him.

Changes at Daily Disciples Ministries

Well, it has been an interesting time here in the ministry this summer. Tonilee and I started writing a new Bible study in April/May on the book of Ezra and were planning to start the study in late June. As we were writing the study, my husband, Tom, seemed very interested in its message. We called it “A Time to Rebuild”. Since he is a General Contractor, he liked the title a lot but it was more about the message of Ezra that had his attention. He kept saying that “we men need to get this” and the next thing I knew…he was starting his own men’s study in his shop. And, he used our Bible study as the content. His study started about a week after ours and it kept growing until it ended. It was not about the study…it was about the power of God’s Word impacting their lives. For me and TL, our hearts have always desired to teach the Word of God…write, teach, lead, disciple…whatever God wants us to do. But Daily Disciples has been solely focused on Women because we are two women who have a heart to reach out to women all over the world. It’s been a total girls’ group…the girl team, as we became known.

But now, God is raising up a men’s group who want to continue doing the Bible studies. We are very excited to be able to offer to our ladies a chance for their husbands to attend the same study with a group of men. My husband, Tom, is still leading and teaching, with the support of several men who share the same heart to further the gospel and reach men all over the world through the study of the Word, prayer, worship and fellowship.  TL and I are excited to see Daily Disciples truly be filled with Jesus’ disciples who are going out and teaching, training, equipping and leading others, whether women, men, teenagers, couples, groups…whatever the Lord wants.

So, check out the new Fall Bible Studies and join us. We will be online webcasting the studies as well. If you would like to host, teach or facitlitate a Bible study, please let us know. We offer Leadership Training seminars on a regular basis.  For more information, visit us at www.dailydisciples.org.

Caution: My Opinion Might Offend Christians

I have waited a week before writing my personal insights into last weekend’s event that we hosted, “Real Issues-Real Answers” or as some preferred to call it, “The 4 Deadly D’s”. In case you have not heard of it, we (Bobbye & Tonilee) held a one-day event just for women. The goal was to bring hope, encouragement and an opportunity for help in one or more of the following areas: Debt, Death, Divorce and Depression. We invited experts in the specific fields including financial advisors, certified counselors, therapists, debt management specialists and a Christian family practice law office. Various other resources were also available onsite including our ministry team, a group of Godly women who have served alongside us at many women’s events and Bible studies. The number one goal: offer HOPE to hurting women; not just the right or righteous answers, but real, honest, open, and maybe not so righteous answers. The second goal: offer this event to women who may not know the Lord personally; in other words, make it an outreach to the community. Ah…the second goal seemed so simple, yet has shown itself not so simple at all. Why? Because some of us Christians really do not understand what an outreach to the “world” actually looks like.

Dare I say that some of our Christian friends just could not understand how we could host an event and not say that the answer is always…”Jesus is all you need.” You see, this event was not about the Christian-ese, pat answers to all of life’s problems, such as “just pray harder,” “have more faith,” or “join a small group.” This event was about real life issues that quite frankly do not fall into perfect lines of Christian doctrine. How many of us have tried to righteously work out our problems and still wonder where God is? Why not be honest from the start? Why not go out and try to help people first and then tell them that there is a God who loves them? Why not be an example of the love of Christ, instead of the one preaching about love, yet condemning your brothers and sisters? Who are we kidding as Christians? Where is our true witness in the world? My opinion…we only want to witness within the comforts of our own churches, groups or circles. And, what effect does that have? We all make each other feel good. We are supposed to edify the Body of Christ, so that we can go out and be a light in this dark world. We had Christians at this event who thought we should have been more “Christian-ese”…I think we offended some of them. We had some Christians who sat on the sidelines while the room had women in it who did not know the Lord, but we were the ones expected to preach from the platform.

The event itself was hugely successful and the women who came have more than expressed their appreciation. There are requests for future events that started almost immediately. Why? Because we need HOPE. We need encouragement. We need HELP. Jesus came and He fed the hungry, healed the sick and set the captives free…then, He offered them everlasting life. That is our heart in doing this type of event on the 4 D’s and we will continue to pray that we can help make a difference in the lives of hurting women…and ultimately lead them to the everlasting answer in Jesus Christ.

-Bobbye

God Got Divorced

Our Real Issues Real Answers Event was last Saturday. Every single response card came back positive. Yet, despite all the advertising, the event caught people off guard. Common words on the response cards were “thank you for being so honest” and “I appreciated hearing from women dealing with real life.” Our objective was definitely accomplished.

The topic that brought the most conversation and awakening was “divorce.”  We did not talk about marriage. We spoke on divorce. Many times in a Christian event, the emphasis is on marriage. Not this time. There are too many of us who are divorced, were divorced or contemplating a divorce. We can hear sermons all day long on why to stay in a marriage so we addressed divorce.

I heard a common statement after the divorce talk as women said, “I am standing for my marriage.”  In other words, regardless of how the relationship is or the choices of their husbands, these women took a stand to remain committed to their marriage. Well, that is great when two people decide to make a commitment to do that.  But I couldn’t believe the stories that I heard about women standing for their marriage when their husbands have left them years ago. One woman told me with tears in her eyes that she was “standing for her marriage” to a man who left her years ago and he has remarried and now has other children.  I looked at her and said, “That’s delusional. That is total bondage.” When is enough…enough. At what point do we get a clue and move on in our lives. Aren’t there other things to pray about and cry over that God will bless than the things that God is not blessing?

In 1 Corinthians 7:15-16, Paul tells us that if the unbeliever leaves you, let him go. Why? Because Paul continues to say that God has called us to peace. If someone leaves you, he suddenly does not believe in you or your marital commitment you both made before man, the State and God. Move on, especially if he is remarried. Be set free. There is liberty with the Lord.

If marriage was that spiritual in nature, why would the Lord tell us that we are freed to marry someone else if our present spouse dies? (Romans 7:3) Marriage is bound on earth. There is no eternal ramification associated with marriage. Jesus told us that we will be like the angels in heaven. (Matthew 22:30)

I don’t understand why we won’t allow the dead to bury the dead. We are carrying around dead relationships and expecting God to resurrect them. He did not promise to resurrect circumstances, titles, marital status or relationships; He promised to be faithful to You as a person for eternity. God is not going to ask you, “What have you done with your marriage?” You stand before God some day alone.

In marriage, there are two wills. God does not hold you responsible for your husband’s will or ways. Our prayers cannot control any other person and our scripture verses cannot control God. How are you living for Him personally and individually?  We are wasting precious time by having an earthly perspective and not an eternal Kingdom perspective. It is time to be forgiven, set free and time to walk in the liberty that the Lord has promised you…on earth as it is in heaven.

Let me tell you… God never answered one of my prayers for my marriage but He answered multiple other prayers that I was praying at the same time. No one was more submissive, prayerful, honoring, respectful and willing to be obedient to the Lord and to my husband than me in that marriage. I was convinced that a miracle would happen because I prayed the right prayers and quoted the right verses. I was convinced that a miracle would happen because God answered all of my other prayers. I prayed for people to get saved, they got saved. I prayed for promotions I did not deserve, I got the promotions. I prayed for resolution in conflicts. Guess what? Resolved the next day. I prayed for my husband to want to eat dinner with me…. Nope!  Nada, Zilch. When my husband left me, God was not surprised which is why I believe He never gave me one promise or answered one prayer.

God loves You. He hates divorce because of what it does to the people involved and knows all about it because He got a divorce (Jeremiah 3:8).  Did you know that God wrote His people a certificate of divorce when they turned their backs on Him? If God did not change the heart of His beloved (the nation, Israel), why do we think that God will heal all our marriages?   He understands your hurt and He knows your pain. God knows you by name and He wants to be your first love and the lover of your soul. Are you willing to lay down your desires and be about God’s desire? He came to set the captives free. You are no longer in bondage. Get out, lift your eyes up and see your God reaching out to you. He is willing to help you get through this. Are you willing to let it go?

Please…if you are reading this blog and know of someone making these kinds of choices, please support them. They are going through a lot and need your encouragement and your kindness to get them through. God has blessed us all! Let’s start living like we believe it.

—TL

Fall Announcements for Daily Disciples

1. Bible Study: REGISTER at http://fallbiblestudies.eventbrite.com/

Life in the Spirit – Starts September 14

Practicing the Presence of God – Starts October 19th

2. Leadership Workshop

If you are interested, e-mail Tonilee at info@dailydisciples.org

3.  Annual Women’s Conference on FRIENDSHIP – Sat Jan 30th

Point Loma Nazerene; WOMEN’S ONLY Event!! (sorry men!)

4.  Daily Disciples Retreat – March 19th-21, 2010

Located at: Forest Home –

Are you interested in going?  Or your church is interested in attending?  Call 888.727.7206, or e-mail at info@dailydisciples.org to REGISTER! :)

All of this information & MORE at

www.dailydisciples.org

THIS SATURDAY!!! :)

We are getting ready for this Saturday’s (August 22nd) event and want to make sure that you have all of the information you may need. Here’s a quick review of pertinent information.

Please forward to your guest(s) or other invitees.

1. Please try to arrive by 8:30 am for check in.  Coffee and continental breakfast will be served.

2. No need to bring any extra items with you, maybe a pen for taking notes.

3. We will start at 9am, with special guest Carol LeBeau kicking off the morning.

4. Walk-ups are welcome and can register onsite.

5. Lunch locations are within 1-2 blocks walking distance. Coupons are available for special discounts. (Water available on site throughout the event.)

6. Parking is free.

7. Please call 888-727-7206 if have any questions or need sponsorships.

8. Directions: Click Here

9. Dress casual and comfortably.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Event: Real Issues-Real Answers with Bobbye & Tonilee

Date: Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM (PT)

Location: McMillin Event Center-Liberty Station 2875 Dewey Road San Diego, CA 92106

For more information go to www.realissues-realanswers.com

Suicide: Not an Option

In two days, we are having our Real Issues – Real Answers Event. We had trouble knowing how to describe it. Is it a seminar or a workshop or an event?  We knew it was not a conference. Our conferences are intended to empower the women to go the next step, regardless of where they are presently. This event is more about helping the woman get out of bed in the morning. Our desire is to encourage the women attending and to let them know there is hope for their todays and tomorrows.

I keep thinking that for some of these women, it might be the only time in a long time that they talked to someone else or had the energy to meet a stranger. We had to really consider the type of music, the videos, and the personalities of the speakers for each topic as we do not want to drag anyone lower than they already feel.

But in all the praying and planning, there has been one area I did not expect the Lord to go out of His way to highlight to me.  It is not light or cheery or even hopeful. I told the staff that I was going to write a blog on it and they laughed and said, “Can you make it light?”  NO… why? because the topic is suicide.

From our radio show to our speakers and two friends who do not know each other, all have brought up the topic of suicide. Each of them has been personally affected by it lately. I was the listening ear to some of them as they tried to put in words their guilt and confusion in their present circumstance.

In each conversation though, I noticed a very similar trait: the selfishness of suicide. That was the hardest thing to hear or accept. It is much easier to concentrate on the sickness of the person who committed the suicide than the selfishness of the decision. My concern is not so much about enabling the suicide victim because that person was very sick who could take their life into their own hands. But my greater concern is for the living family members who try to rationalize or justify the action. Why? Because it seems like those justifications leave the door open for themselves to follow down that path too. When suicide has been an option in a family, you start seeing that the other family members think about it as an option too. If that door to your mind is not closed down, others look at it as a viable option. I believe that is why the Catholic church and so many other faiths preach that suicide is unforgiveable. Jesus didn’t say that but Christian culture does.  As a result, no one talks about it and it is kept secret which makes it a quiet and very deadly (no pun intended) option.

Jesus is into life and having it abundantly. He is also into light and exposing darkness and dark thoughts. Demons flee like cockroaches when the light is turned on. This weekend at Real Issues-Real Answers, we are going to turn the light on to help women be set free. It is time to be released from the bondage of bad habits and patterns as well as poor role models.

We are looking forward to meeting a whole bunch of new friends who are coming because they want help or they want to help. God is good and we plan on having a really good day. If you can’t come, we would appreciate your prayers.                  www.realissues-realanswers.com Saturday, August 22 from 9-5    –TL

Tonilee’s Devotional

Check out TL’s new Devotional

Subscribe to Daily Devotionals at www.dailydisciples.org

 

Preparing for August 22nd

As we are preparing for the upcoming “Real Issues Real Answers” event on August 22^nd, I have been more acutely aware of the Deadly D’s that we will be discussing than ever before.  One of the D’s is death and I have been personally touched by death this 

summer, as my most precious Buddy died on July 1^st. He was diagnosed with 

cancer on June 5^th and the prognosis by this point was terminal. As with pets and sickness, we as owners must take on responsibilities that test us in difficult ways. For me, I had to know when to end Buddy’s life. 

I had to make a decision that would take him away from me, all because I loved him too much to see him suffer. His cancer had spread throughout his body and though I wanted to keep him as long as I could, I also knew that I could not stand to see him suffer in pain. Death has impacted me greatly and his absence has been deafening at times. By God’s grace, I have grown stronger each day and I know that the Lord has plans beyond what I can see. This is the hope and encouragement that I personally bring to others. In death, there is resurrection and life. Jesus promises us that He is the Resurrection and the Life.

 

  << (Buddy and his classic “Elvis Impression”)

 

 

 

 

 

Another “D” that has impacted me personally is “debt.” I have dealt with financial issues in so many ways this past year, including with my family. My sister has struggled greatly this summer and we have talked and prayed regularly about her situation. My mother lost most of her retirement when the market collapsed and is moving into a subsidized retirement community. On and on it goes but again, I find strength in God’s grace. I find hope in places that I cannot always understand. I have seen the Lord’s faithfulness in all of these situations and I know that He has a plan. I look forward to much more than what I see today.

Does all of this sound Depressing…another Deadly D that will be discussed at the event on August 22nd? Most of us recognize the symptoms of depression but how many of us really talk about it honestly?  I know that for myself, it is not easy to just share that openly but it is comforting when I hear others share their struggles, as we are comforted together. I feel very strongly about this event because I believe we, as women, need each other and need to be able to share openly together. Somehow, there is healing in being able to come together and feel safe in an environment that cares, not condemns. Where are those places today? I hope we can provide those opportunities more and more in the future. HOPE is what we all need.