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We are so excited to share another example of how Jesus is touching hearts through YOUR MINISTRY. As you know, we facilitated virtual small groups before it was cool. By 2019, your ministry had 9 groups actively meeting on-line every week. By 2022, we had 13 active groups sharing God together. In spring 2023, with a desire to go further, we asked our kids, Luciano & Julia (23 & 24 years old) “How do we meet your generation right where they are?” They responded, “TWITCH & DISCORD.” Maybe you have children or grandchildren who explained Twitch & Discord to you, but it was all new to us and we needed many tutorials. INNOVATIVE TRUTH wanted to get INNOVATIVE. Here’s the Reader’s Digest explanation; TWITCH is an on-line video platform where people set up “channels” to live stream while they play games or talk. Other users set up accounts to join the live feed and watch the streamers broadcast. Each channel has a live chat area where they interact. The streamer also sets up a DISCORD account where they can interact in the DISCORD messaging service when they are not live in their stream. If that sounded like gibberish to you…it did to us too. WHEWWW! It was like learning a whole new language. As St. Paul said, “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22 In November 2023, after joining other chats and sharing Christ, we established the Innovative Truth Discord channel. We invited TWITCH users to join us on our INNOVATIVE TRUTH ADVENT CHALLENGE. Beginning on December 1st, 17 people ranging in age from 14 to 65 joined us to read one chapter per day from the book of Luke. We concluded the challenge on Christmas Eve by completing the entire book of Luke. THIRTEEN of those people shared they had NEVER read the Bible before. We stayed active throughout January with the group and invited them last week to join the INNOVATIVE TRUTH LENTEN JOURNEY. ALL seventeen people are still present in our Discord channel. We started on Monday by talking about what Lent is and how it is another opportunity to deepen their new relationship with Christ. They ask questions and everyone can interact. We share a reflection each day and challenge them to spend time listening to God. How do we see God working through your ministry? Today we challenged them to consider what Ash Wednesday means and how the Cross is visible in their lives. We shared a photo of Luciano and Tonya with the Cross on their foreheads in ash. One of our new friends is currently working remotely in Japan. Aiden, 21 years old, is not yet a believer but was very active in our Advent Challenge. He blew us away with the message he shared with the group today (pictured below).
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 This month we’d like to share some of the beautiful messages straight from Innovative Truth small group partners who have come to know God because of YOU! Like many of us, they are frustrated beyond measure by all we’re seeing and personally experiencing in the world right now. We are suffering with death of family and friends, outrageous inflation, high crime, disease, loss of jobs and income, disenfranchisement, homelessness, depression, open borders, an attack on our children’s innocence, loneliness, addiction, government fraud; the list goes on and on. Yet, because of the foundation of peace and salvation which comes only through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are able to steady our wings and soar. It ultimately does not matter who is in government power, we know unabashedly that our Savior sits on the throne. Our hope and faith lies in Him alone. With that said, here are four messages shared direct from your small groups:
In one of your small groups last week, we prayed fervently for strength to face the trials before us. I was reminded of eagles. As storms approach, most birds hide and nest for protection. Eagles take flight. Using the unique structure of their wings, they lock in facing the storm so they can fly above that which caused others to hide. Eagles know that by fearlessly rising above the storm, they will find calm. One of my favorite hymns based on Psalm 91 expresses that peace that comes only from God: “You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in His shadow for life, Say to the Lord, my refuge, my rock in whom I trust. And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of His hand.” Your partnership with Innovative Truth is making a profound difference in the lives of men and women who have chosen to find salvation in Christ. It has been a financially difficult year as we said good-bye to partners who went home to be with the Lord, some who are battling new diseases, and others who lost their jobs. We have cut expenses to the bare minimum and reduced Tom’s annual salary by $10,000. Please remember us as you prayerfully make decisions about your end of the year giving, special annual gifts, an increase in monthly donations, as well as sharing Innovative Truth with friends and family who will have the eagle’s fortitude and a heart to partner with your ministry.
The old saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plan,” is feeling very apropos.
A year ago we shared our intention to move to OKC so we could better assist Tom’s dad who has been diagnosed with Alzheimers. Our chief desire was to renovate a rental home Tom’s maternal grandfather built in OKC, allowing us to be next to Eddie. To make this happen, we started raising up leaders in San Antonio to facilitate the 12 small groups working with Innovative Truth, as we are charged in scripture (2 Timothy 2:2). You have partnered with Innovative Truth for a very long time. So please know my heart when I say with love, discipleship can be messy. Over the past year, some leaders have jumped in beautifully. Others have struggled. Some directly said, “I’m only doing this while you and Tonya are out of town.” As true with adults, as on college campus; there can be a lot of resistance to accepting God’s call. It was imperative that we never let anyone in San Antonio feel abandoned while we were attempting to build ministry in OKC. God kept His hand right on top of us during the transition. More to come in the next letter, but today we’d like to share the timeline of God’s detour to our plan. Last fall we sold a SA rental home, allowing us to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity to purchase a small house across the street from the home we were renovating in OKC. This was a blessing since the original plan to build on the empty lot (left to Tom after his mother’s passing) suddenly became way too expensive after the new administration entered office in 2021. The house needed a lot of work, which is why we were able to get a deal, but we knew it was mostly work we would do ourselves. That’s right folks, we then found ourselves renovating two houses simultaneously. We do not recommend this type of undertaking and often cannot believe what we have accomplished. In the meantime, we had a buyer for Tonya’s house in San Antonio. After a few months of preparing for that sale, the buyers decided to go in another direction. It was about then we, along with Eddie and his doctors, recognized there had been progression with the Alzheimers that could not be ignored. It became necessary for us to be in San Antonio with Eddie’s doctors. Tonya was still getting treatment there, and we wanted to assist the small groups requesting guidance as well. The sale of Tonya’s home falling through became a gift so we had a place to stay for those months. We realized, Eddie would be best cared for in a retirement community that offers assistance as needed, yet gives him a place of his own with a lively group of residents sharing their days in scripture, games, food and fellowship. Eddie having a routine was a more loving option than awaiting the slow moving train of house renovations. After much searching, God ultimately led us to a lovely community in OKC just six miles from the small house we purchased. With Julia’s help, we were able to get Eddie moved in and assist him in the transition. Sadly, both of Eddie’s surviving brothers have passed in 2022. Yet because we listened to God, Eddie was in the right place to be able to spend time with his family. He continues to visit with his sister. He is doing very well and thriving as he makes new friends and settles into his church. More to come, but for now please love us as we strive to make the main thing the main thing. Tonya and I have witnessed some beautiful conversions over the past few years. This one took our breath away! We know many of you have been praying with us for Tonya’s oncologist, who we lovingly referred to as “Dr. I don’t believe” and “Dr. don’t talk about God.” Receiving his call on Holy Saturday just before Easter Sunday was one of the most profound moments. We’ll let him share in his own words. “Yes, I know her nicknames for me. She was right. I was a confirmed Atheist. I had nicknames for her too; “Patient Irritating”, said with kindness, but it was true, she has been irritating me about her God for 10 years. Her cancer battle has been as unique as she is. Each time we saw good progress, another challenge appeared. She fought me as fiercely as she fights the cancer every step of the way. She dances and sings during appointments, she quotes scripture ad nauseam, telling me, ‘I’m grateful for your advice, but God is my one true physician, and He will lead my treatment decisions.’ I had been hearing it from Tonya for a decade. She married Tom 5 years ago, and then started the monthly letters. It’s a balance to be polite while refusing her attempts to talk about God. Yet there was something about the scriptures she shared with other patients. No one can deny the inexplicable healings she has experienced throughout her journey. So I started reading the ministry’s monthly letters. I certainly did not tell her! Knowing Tonya, she would have started a revival in the waiting room right then. Two years into the letters, I slowly started asking her questions. She answered directly, which I appreciated, and then encouraged me to join a men’s small group. It’s been a road I never expected to be on. The March newsletter resonated when it said it was time to get off the fence. I hesitantly spoke to my wife and children that night. I was unaware they had walked on eggshells in our home because of my denial of God. My daughter shed tears as she shared how she’d been hiding the Bible in our home because of my stern stance. Together, we attended church that week and the weeks after. My big-Grinch heart was pierced. I shared with the pastor after service that I watched Tonya suffer for a decade, yet she continues to have faith in God. I saw her test results with healing I cannot explain, only to have the cancer now return less than a year later. Yet still, she worships and sings God’s name. I don’t know what that is, but I want it. I cannot deny the evil I see happening in the world right now. I do not want to lead my family to hell. I want to be the kind of family leader I see from others in the men’s group. I want a love, trust and relationship with Jesus like Tonya has shown me. I want the peace she says she receives from Him alone. I want to know Jesus! My 16 year old daughter and I were both baptized that night. Tonya told me over the years that many of you were praying for me, ‘Dr. I don’t believe’, and I want to sincerely say, THANK YOU. Tonya says she will continue to irritate me with her dancing and singing. To know her is to love her. I am happy to sign off with a new name she calls me, “BROTHER IN CHRIST.” PRAISE GOD!!!!!
Dear Friend, For those who have had the experience of keeping watch over a sick person through the night, especially a very close loved one, you know what it means to fight off sleep. You do everything in your power to stay awake; using every ounce of strength; you draw on all your resources, but even so we fall asleep, perhaps only brief moments that escape our control. The same happens in life: though we try with all our might to stay alert, sometimes we just fall asleep. We fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, because we are disappointed, or because we don’t want to see the truth of things around us. We fall asleep because we are superficial or because we have lost the courage to hold out a little longer. A favorite passage of mine is Matthew 25:1-13 about the 10 virgins who were waiting eagerly for the groom. In this parable we see all 10 virgins eventually fell asleep waiting for the groom. The implication is that falling asleep is not the costly error of this story. Rather, it is the contrast that while 5 of them were prepared for the groom to take longer than expected, the other 5 were not, and when their lamps ran out of fuel they had no choice but to go into town and buy more, which made them miss the groom and the chance to enter with the wedding party. What does it mean to be prepared for the coming of the Lord? Contextually we see Jesus took great pains to urge us to sell earthly treasure to buy heavenly treasure. The famous quote by Jim Elliot really says it best. “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” We each demonstrate ourselves as wise ones getting prepared as we give our time, treasure and prayers to your ministry, Innovative Truth, and other ministries reaching God’s children. The night is coming… We must strive to shine our light freely. Governments around the world, including our own, are restricting churches’ rights to freely congregate and worship together like NEVER BEFORE! Is it the beginning of the end times? Possibly. Regardless, we must prepare ourselves with the mindset that we cannot compromise or conform to this world. To do so is to lack sufficient lamp oil, or spiritual courage and strength, to stand against evil as we wait patiently for the bridegroom to take us home. Are you prepared? We are grateful for the conversations we have with many of you in emails and texts. We pray for each of you by name and appreciate you telling us what to pray for in your families. Please pray for us as we prepare to answer God’s call to move to OKC over the coming months. For those of you who have moved, you understand the myriad of expenses we face. God has always provided when we have special needs. It was from you, our Innovative Truth Ministry Team, who faithfully and generously have given extra towards those needs. As we come to the end of this calendar year, we find ourselves in need of your generosity, with our normal income not able to fully cover the move and the medical treatment Tonya continues to receive. We are trusting God to provide $5,000 by asking you to prayerfully consider an extra gift this Christmas. Your continued generosity allows us to continue bringing others to Christ as families and couples are restored in their relationships with each other and Jesus Christ. With gratitude and love,
Dear Friend,  This text Tonya received recently touched our hearts, and I thought you’d love hearing just another way your ministry, Innovative Truth, is used by God. In a world filled by constant news of how the enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy, we are reminded, God is still calling His lost sheep to a relationship with Him that restores and liberates those Satan is attempting to capture one hostage, and one family at a time. As we lay in bed about to go to sleep one night this week, Tonya was contacted by someone she’s been helping who was struggling with thoughts of suicide. She spent several hours talking & leading him to God’s peace. She sat compassionately with him in his darkest thoughts until he was able to articulate his pain, and finally surrender it to our Lord. These are the painful examples of what ministry now faces regularly. Ministry calls have become so different now than in my previous two decades. I know you must feel it too. We are facing critical times. Thank you so much for your part in allowing Innovative Truth to be used by God to continue rescuing those who fall victim to the enemies’ lies. For as long as God calls us, we will answer, “Here I am Lord; send me.” With all our love,
P.S. Thank you in advance for your patience as our ability to communicate has become challenging due to our moving not just one, but TWO households at the same time. In anticipation of this we have included an extra return envelope for those who donate by mail.   WITH THEIR NEXT PICK & TRADE, OKLAHOMA CITY ACQUIRES TOM & TONYA FROM SAN ANTONIO After two years of prayer, planning, organizing, adjusting, healing, sacrifice, and more prayer, the move to Oklahoma City is happening!! We prayerfully believe the right choice is to sell rental property in San Antonio and move to land we have in Oklahoma City so we can live side by side with my dad, Eddie Allen. Let me tell you the idea. My maternal grandfather had two homes he built next to each other on NW 53rd St in OKC. Sadly, one of them was demolished after a house fire about 30 years ago. I have continued managing the remaining house as a rental. It will take some serious rehabbing to make a great home for Dad in OKC, where he lived for so long close to family, but we are ready for the challenge. On the empty lot next door, we plan to build a home for ourselves. Last year as several tenants in San Antonio moved away, we found ourselves with an empty rental house. We began the process of preparing to sell it. There was quite a bit of work that needed to happen, but together with Tonya and my dad, we completed the work and listed the house two weeks ago. God blessed us with several offers and we are currently under contract awaiting closing in a few weeks. In the meantime, we are now preparing my dad’s house in San Antonio to sell. It will be officially on the market in a few days. Next steps will include demolition and rehabbing on the house where Dad will reside in OKC, finding a builder for our own house next door, packing in San Antonio, closing on both houses, and continuing to prepare the disciples God has brought to lead Innovative Truth groups in San Antonio in our physical absence. We know God has called the right people and He will lead them. We’re excited to bring Innovative Truth to OKC and pray God will bring fruit to YOUR ministry with the spiritual multiplication of many disciples! In summer 2020 I dreamt my sister, Julie, told me I needed to get Tonya a dog. Seemed odd since Tonya hadn’t spoke of getting a dog. We very casually talked about it. Nothing came of it. Then in May 2021 we met the owners of a rescue home who said we had to meet one of their newest “residents.” We immediately fell in love with him! And just in case we had any hesitancy that it was meant to be, they handed us his legal paperwork which stated his birthdate, 23 December 2017. That’s 22 years to the day since my sister Julie died. We’d like to introduce you to our newest family member, Duke! There are a lot of moving parts to this big step & we must continue to prioritize Tonya’s fight against the reoccurrence of cancer in her spine. So thank you in advance for your prayers in that area. There is still No Evidence of Disease for the throat cancer she battled so ferociously! I love sharing that part! We are grateful for your continued partnership. We can’t do this without you. And as Tonya always says, “We are in ministry WITH YOU & are enormously blessed by your love, prayers and financial generosity!” With all our love,
 Dear Tom, Tonya and Innovative Truth partners,
I remember when Kelly came home from her first small group meeting with Tonya in 2017. We had been fighting for weeks. Kelly’s 4 day silent treatment honestly felt like a gift. The word “divorce” had been screamed by both of us many times that year. She was such a nag and harshly critiqued every move I made. I was done! When Kelly came in after that first meeting, she was quiet. What a nice change, I thought to myself. I pretended to already be asleep to avoid the ritual of nightly fighting when she entered the bedroom later that night. I’m not sure how to describe my feelings when I realized Kelly was kneeling at the foot of the bed praying. I will protect her privacy and not divulge exactly what her conversation with God was, but will share I was shocked at her authenticity, raw pain and deep desire for God to help HER change. Not once did she ask God to change me. I didn’t know what happened in those hours she spent with Tonya & the others, but I knew it was something VERY different than any other group. As I saw Kelly transform over the next weeks and months, I started craving those changes for myself. So I began attending Innovative Truth meetings as well. Guess what? SURPRISE! She wasn’t the only nag and irritating selfish jerk in the house. We had been to many marriage counsellors, but their sugar-coated cotton candy way, led us to give up quickly. The Innovative Truth group wouldn’t let us off the hook. It was work. It was challenging. It was filled with a lot of tears, some honest anger, and a lot of deep introspection with God and His word. We cannot begin to thank you all enough for these nearly 4 years. Everything for us has changed. We grew from near divorce to a covenant marriage Kelly & I didn’t even know was possible. We’ve now both committed our lives to God, been baptized in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and continue to build individual, as well as marital, relationships with God at the center of everything. Probably the most unexpected thing has been Innovative Truth walking beside me as I am called to disciple others. I hear myself now repeating to others so many lessons they taught me. There are too many to mention but Kelly and I want to share 8 of our favorites.
Thank you Tom, Tonya and all of the Innovative Truth partners for supporting, loving, and helping us to transform our broken lives into full relationships centered on God. Your brother in Christ, Jeff Clark  In our small groups the questions we’re being asked are, “can I trust God? Will He stay with me? Has it gotten too dark?” Our answer is that it's important to wrestle through those questions. Maybe that's the miracle. Maybe that's what it means to be made in the image of our maker; to go right to the edge and know He's still with us. For some of us, it's there on the edge that we finally meet God. There on the edge of ourselves, He sits with us in our darkness and doubt. As we take the first step, being honest about our doubts and fears, we begin to evolve and bloom. In the growth of faith we can no longer deny His presence. We dream, envision and grow as He guides us through our own miracles. Life is a gift that is due our most genuine response of being Christ here on Earth. To be blunt, this country has gone plain crazy. There's so much evil and ugliness. Each day we wake up to some new insanity. Most days it appears we're standing at the edge of complete chaos. Sure, it's painful to watch. We are asked almost daily if this is the end. Who can wash our doubts away and catch us when we fall? It's our Father in heaven who can and does! The question becomes, are we looking at His miracles, or are we looking at the worldly hatefulness? We cannot, and will not, close our eyes to God's miracles! They're all around us! Choose to see Him in everything. We know in Isaiah 66:8-9, ‘He will bring the child to fruition.’ We know He will use even the most chaotic of times for His glory. We cannot stop seeing and believing this truth. The enemy’s goal is to separate us and have us turn against each other and God. Stay strong Brothers and Sisters and do NOT ever give in! Dress in the armor of God daily. Rebuke Satan in the name of Jesus. Stay in His word and the fear falls away. This fight is His and we know God wins. So, as crazy as it all appears, let's remember to rest in His arms because His love is ALWAYS enough, and He will catch us EVERY TIME we fall. With all our love,
 “The first cancer diagnosis in December 2011 was sobering and I knew unequivocally I wanted a Christian physician. I was on a mission to research the backgrounds of oncologists, check their ratings, and even set up consultations so I could pray for guidance as to who was the strong Christian believer God wanted for me. But as is often the case, if you want to make God laugh, just tell Him your plans.” I’ve heard Tonya share this many times as she explains her more than 9 year association with Dr. K. (He has agreed to our sharing the journey provided we did not use his full name or photo.) After initial consultations that included very direct questions with many oncologists, Tonya removed Dr. K, a devout atheist, as an option. She narrowed her choices down to 3 others and began praying. God placed Dr K on her heart repeatedly. No matter how many times Tonya tried to shake it off, God persisted. She admits she did not answer with an enthusiastic “YES” to God, but she did move forward with Dr. K. “That first year of treatment was a lot of finding my feet in turbulent waters. As we beat the first diagnosis I was glad God led me to a smart, albeit very direct physician with a rough bedside manner. Truth is, we kinda matched. Then I received the 2nd, and then 3rd & 4th diagnosis’. It felt never-ending. I was frustrated because I’d said I wanted a Christian oncologist and now here I was in this nightmare of cancer with a non-believer. My direct nature began clashing with his. I was mad and wanted someone I could share it with. My mom died in 2015 and I felt very alone. I couldn’t understand why God would lead me to a physician who didn’t believe in Him! I would say Jesus was carrying me, Dr. K would smirk. I’d say how grateful I was for God’s tender hand, Dr. K would shrug. I wasn’t expecting Dr. K to be a pastor, but it would’ve been great if my doc didn’t roll his eyes when I mentioned needing God. I asked God if I could switch doctors. Ok, maybe I didn’t ask, more like I begged God to relieve me of His call to choose Dr. K. We butt heads so often I thought he’d kick me to the curb. I beat that diagnosis, and was ready to be done!” That was mid-2016 and coincided with my meeting Tonya. The following year was cancer-free, yet Tonya continued to attend group meetings in Dr. K’s office with other patients. Dr. K didn’t participate but he mentioned a few times how Tonya helped other patients who were struggling. He scoffed whenever she referred to the group as “ministry,” yet there was something undeniable in his continued requests for her to speak to patients. Then came the next diagnosis. None are easy but that one was particularly difficult as my mom had just been diagnosed with cancer as well. It was a very rough time, yet Tonya served our family, the ministry, and endured some of the most grueling treatment Dr. K said he’d ever put anyone through. Mom’s own oncologist described Tonya’s treatment in terms making it clear I hadn’t understood the severity of what she was going through. Still we watched her hold the hands of other cancer patients as if she wasn’t crumbling herself. I saw Dr. K watching too. Tonya offered comfort when Mom died and stood with love supporting us at Mom’s funeral, never letting on to others how severe her own pain and treatment was that week. Dr. K never missed an opportunity to remind us he was an atheist, and while he said he admired Tonya as a person for her strength, he adamantly said Christians “use their so-called God as a crutch.” Tonya never let his comments deter her from sharing her faith with him. She found ways in EVERY appointment to bring laughter. Then she’d slip in a bible verse. He’d roll his eyes, but she never gave up. She believed there must be a reason he was her doctor. She repeatedly told me she just knew God was whispering in Dr. K’s heart. Then we saw a crack in the armor! A situation happened while in the treatment room with another patient who was feeling particularly low. Tonya had just been disconnected from her chemo lines. She moved near the woman, bent down and quietly began talking to her. There were lots of tears and eventually even some laughter. As Tonya was leaving, Dr. K stopped her in the hall asking what had happened. Tonya recounted the story when Dr. K interrupted asking, “Remember that verse you told me? Did you tell her about God’s manna? That may have helped given what she shared with you.” You could have knocked Tonya over with a feather! She stood there stunned and speechless staring at this man who had spent years rolling his eyes at even the mention of God, always repeating, “I don’t believe.” “Controlling the enthusiasm that was ready to erupt from my soul, I agreed, saying I would be sure to share that verse with her. Then I suggested he could share it with her if he saw her first. And there was the eye roll. But I knew God was working! As we drove home, I felt such gratitude for our Father’s patience. God hadn’t just been patient with Dr. K, but more so, the Lord was patient with me. I’d wanted to quit and switch doctors to make my path easier. I often became frustrated with Dr. K’s arrogance, not recognizing God chose specifically to put these two stubborn-headed people together. God didn’t give me cancer, but we know our Heavenly Father will stay right beside us as we carry our own crosses, and He will find a way to use it for His glory. God will even use 2020 and all her insanity to rock a spiritual awakening!” Dr. K and Tonya continued their dance, two steps forward, one back, a few side steps, another step forward. Dr. K continued to claim atheism, she continued as a conduit showing him God’s miracles. We saw changes. He stopped calling God her crutch, and began using verbiage like, “Tonya displays healing which cannot be explained by science.” She continued to share God’s message of love. She asked others to pray for him. Innovative Truth partners referred to him as “Dr I don’t believe” as they prayed for him. Tonya shared bible verses with him. She never backed down when he asked the tough questions about faith. She invited him to church, he laughed. Two steps forward, one to the side; their dance continued. In December she invited him to one of our Bible study groups. He responded, “No thanks.” At a follow-up appointment in January he said he started a bible study with a fellow physician who is a former atheist. Tonya stood up and danced! He laughed, responding, “Calm down, I didn’t say I was attending church.” And then it happened. Two weeks ago she received a rare Sunday morning text from Dr. K saying he was attending church with a friend that day. Ministry is a long haul. The dance is often clumsy. Though we can become impatient, we must remember God’s patience with us. We should lose our vision for speed, and stay focused that it is about the condition of the soul upon arrival. With all our love,
 “Other than the assassination, how did you enjoy the play Mrs. Lincoln?” With no disrespect to our 16th president, the question represents how many of us see the current blindness in our country. The absurdity of ignoring facts has become common-place in our media and government, thus trickling into our neighborhoods and families. Like many of you, Tom & I could write a book on the hypocrisy we’ve experienced this past year. None more so than what we saw and experienced on 6 Jan 2021 in Washington DC. I still cannot even type that sentence without tears. We will answer in depth any questions y’all want to ask about the days we spent there, but it’s not the intent of this letter, so we will simply state a few facts 1) We did not go on behalf of, or financially supported by, Innovative Truth 2) We attended because we believe the Nov election lacked integrity, we seek the truth, and the decision was made in love 3) Hundreds of thousands of Americans came together to peacefully gather, share our experiences and pray. For a day and a half we saw people from all backgrounds peacefully hold nothing short of a Godly revival 4) Upon arrival to the Capitol grounds we immediately recognized a very different group taking over. It was highly organized, planned and instigated. We saw it so clearly that we began photographing after a flare was shot and we watched groups move into swift action 5) We spoke directly to the police and learned a great deal that is only now slowly being made public 6) We did NOT enter the Capitol building 7) We shared our images with government officials 8) We were mercilessly slandered for simply being present and attempting to share our experience which differed greatly from the media’s rhetoric. Thank you to the many of you who stood by us and reached out in the days after. It was very painful and difficult to navigate. Tom recognized this was bigger than us and we needed to spend a few days resting with our Heavenly Father. In those quiet days, we were prayerfully led to 2 intentional decisions; we removed mainstream media from our home, and removed ‘Fakebook’ and other social media from our phones. We still have our accounts and can access them on desktop computers, but as you may have noticed, thats been once a week or less. These intentional decisions are incredibly freeing of our minds and hearts! God leading these actions has been an absolute gift! Any thought this will distance us from friends is untrue. Our communication has become more personal and intentional. Our connections feel more intimate. Sure, communication may not be daily, yet the connections feel more authentic. Those deeper connections are no more obvious than in our small groups. Over 100 people in 12 Innovative Truth groups meeting weekly to connect, share, learn, pray and walk together just as Jesus instructed His disciples. It often feels like the Twilight Zone in the secular world. Yet, we hear weekly from the groups, the more they walk away from the secular, the closer they feel to God. That’s been the goal in ministry all along. As awful as it has felt this past year, it is creating a revival! More group members have accepted Jesus as their Savior, and re-committed to Him, than in any other year. BE NOT DISMAYED. THE BATTLE BELONGS TO OUR LORD, AND HE IS WINNING! With all our love,
 Like all endeavors into the unknown, we experienced mixtures of anxiousness, concern, excitement, joy, gratitude and deep awe in how our Lord Jesus used YOUR MINISTRY, Innovative Truth, for His purposes. And all that was just Monday! It feels like a lifetime ago that Tom & I were planning my funeral as my liver began failing. Remembering the hospice providers giving instruction on how Tom will help me should I pass while visiting the Redwoods, is surreal as I sit here eight months later without any pain, fully functioning organs, and officially NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE! As most of you know, my oncologist stated he was not a believer when he and I started this journey together 9 years ago. Choosing just the right physician is really important. I had originally searched for a believer, and had consults with many very capable oncologists. I knew God would show me who He wanted for me. My shock was no small thing when God clearly said He wanted me with Dr. K, who was a non-Christian. Lucky for me God didn’t ‘Zechariah-mute’ me for having questioned Him. My Lord was clear. So I obeyed despite my confusion. Dr. K is more than competent, has a VERY direct approach, and a sharp tongue, and OH HOW I DRIVE THAT MAN BATTY! Not a visit would pass that I didn’t find a way to bring God into our conversation. I would get the typical assortment of eye-rolls and mumbled responses. As time passed and we became more comfortable, he would tell me, ‘your God-stuff isn’t for me,’ yet slowly began asking me to sit with other patients who were struggling. In 2018 when 7 of my 9 tumors simply disappeared, he admitted he had “no medical explanation.” Dr. K and I had several instances where he would simply say, “I cannot explain this with any scientific certainty.” After telling us in January 2020 I had entered the hospice stage and that my organs began failing, no one seemed more surprised by my condition than Dr. K upon our return from the Redwoods. When I showed him I could stand, walk, & jump without pain, and I adamantly said it was because of God’s healing hand, he sat quietly. This time he did not roll his eyes. I felt God moving. At the next appointment, my non-Christian doctor of 9 years, asked me questions for the very first time about Innovative Truth. He then asked, “How does God lead your ministry to people who are so firmly non-believers and get them to start wondering if they’ve been wrong? And why have you never stopped talking to me about God over all these years?” Fireworks started going off in my head and I wanted to get up and dance like I’d never danced before, but I held myself in that chair knowing my exuberance would ruin it. I closed my eyes and prayed, asking the Holy Spirit to answer through me instead. Our great country has been inundated with scenes of violence, anger and division. It is overwhelming! We have lost friends to suicide during this time, and Tom & I are meeting with people weekly who are hurting in ways we’ve never been called to minister to before. That ‘“innovative” part of your ministry has been full-steam these past 6 months. Our country is in “lock-down” but GOD’S POWER ISN’T! We’ve ventured into places for His ministry we never expected. YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT SUSTAIN US as venom and rage is fired our way. Satan the accuser, isn’t even subtle anymore. He is blatant in his control over so many lost and deceived people. So the question persists, how do we, God’s church, answer non-believers when they are vomiting back the lies the enemy has fed them? For me, I submit my tongue to God and let Him speak His perfect words through me, just as with Dr. K that day. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:15, “Instead by speaking the truth with love, let’s grow in every way into Christ . . .” We never give up no matter how many years it takes. If God calls us to someone, we obey. We fervently pray for them. Even when the hate in their words is painful and feels personal, and our desire to launch a serious tongue lashing might make us feel better, we remember Jesus died for them on the same cross He died for us. They may be lost and broken right now, but Jesus said they too, are worthy of His sacrifice. So we hang in there with love, support, prayers, and understanding for all the people to whom God calls us. Hey, it’s all the same qualities we display for each other in your ministry! It’s a pretty cool thought to be cognizant of spreading INNOVATIVE TRUTH LOVE to everyone by sharing HIS unconditional love. Thank you for continuing to be salt and light in a dark world where we are in a battle of good vs evil. Your partnership, prayers and financial generosity are greatly needed and deeply appreciated! With all our love,
 This letter has caused countless sleepless nights! Each time I believed I had a clear thought process of how to write this, I felt God emphatically say, “No, not yet.” Listening to HIS direction has been the overwhelming thread throughout our journey, so while I truly felt great guilt not putting onto paper the letters in my head, I knew I could not move forward until God said, “Yes. Now write.” The early letters written in my head were filled with just expressions of deep gratitude for how you supported Tom’s financial request to send us on our mission. I wanted to tell you we felt your continual prayers as we ventured to the Redwoods. We absolutely could never have fulfilled this call without you! Your love and prayers carried us as if we were flying on angel’s wings. Thank you! As the days and weeks passed on our trip, we wanted to tell you every miracle experienced. I longed to share the daily interactions we had with people as God brought them to us in the most unusual ways. We shared Christ’s love over and over with people in meetings only God could have arranged. I wanted to admit to you that as we shared Christ with countless strangers, I came to believe those interactions were the sole reason for the trip. As God so often does, He revealed His perfect plan is so much bigger than we could ever imagine. The next letters I wrote you were a complete disaster! WHY? Because there are no words in any language to describe how, just as he foretold, we met God in the forest. Now I sit with fingers perched on an anxious keyboard desperate to pour everything out to you. Yet there are no words. I could share the facts of the encounter, but that would be a disservice to God’s power that lifted me. I could clumsily try to recount the feeling, but I would not have words for God’s might and presence. I could try to walk you through the experience, but it cannot be captured with mere words. As all these emotions cascade on me, for hours I am lost in tears of love for God who is so great and so beyond our comprehension. So here we are. The cursor on my computer has been blinking right here on this paragraph for three months. I keep waiting for God’s direction to move this letter forward. How can I share the intensity with you when I am still trying to wrap my head around it all??? Tom and I sat in a motel room looking at the ocean and listening to the seals bark at us for three days because we couldn’t find words to talk to each other about what we’d just experienced. I was flooded with so many questions I wanted answered, while simultaneously wanting to do nothing but sit in God’s love and be grateful. I begged Tom to do what he does best; lead us to God’s word. I wanted him to show me in scripture what it all means! As the days passed, I didn’t know how to keep the world out of my head. The questions started innocently. I know I drove sweet Tom batty asking him if people in the Bible who received miracles ever had them reversed? “Honey, the blind man who could see after Jesus healed him; was he ever blind again? The leper Jesus healed; was his leprosy gone permanently or was it just for that day? How long did their miracles last? What did their family say? Did the community accept them? TOM, I NEED THEIR BACKSTORY! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM AFTER THE MIRACLES????” The progression of anxiety in my questions confused even me! “I am a God-centered woman. Why am I bouncing all over the place??” I chastised myself relentlessly asking, “WHY ARE YOU AFRAID TO EMBRACE A MIRACLE?” The answers to that question are not easy to share. These may not make sense to those who haven’t fought a long-term disease, yet they are INCREDIBLY real. Here are just a few:
In the months spent waiting and listening for God to lead how and when it is appropriate to share details of our encounter with Him, our country has spiraled into what we believe is an intense war between GOOD & EVIL. As a result of renewed strength God has given me, INNOVATIVE TRUTH jumped in where led. With your continued love, financial support and prayers, we have met non-stop with people feeling lost and broken by the evil fighting so hard to steal and destroy. There is a lot to say about how God is leading YOUR MINISTRY onto the battlegrounds to redeem HIS children from evil! Without shame we admit to you, it has at times been frightening, and exhausting. Yet, God renews our spirits daily, we rise grateful and are made ready for the on-going challenge. HAND IN HAND WE WALK WITH YOU into this battle, ready to re-write the headlines with what we unequivocally know, “GOD LOVES BIG!” In His immovable, unshakeable, steady strength, He loves YOU! We are siblings interconnected by our Father’s fierce love no matter our individual sin-laced journey; as He offers forgiveness like NO OTHER HAS OR WILL. He uses it all to weave His masterpiece. We close for now by sharing one of the things GOD told us that day in the forest, “BE BRAVE. YOUR STORY IS FOR MY GLORY.” In the palm of His hands,
 While in treatment, Marie, a woman sitting beside me, asked if I would write a letter as she dictated. She wanted to send a letter to a friend who had been encouraging her during her cancer battle, but because of the grueling nature of our illness she had failed to respond to her kind friend. Thinking of all of you, I cried as she spoke. I could relate so deeply as she recounted how the weeks are filled with treatments and painful side effects, staying on top of all the supplements, researching the latest treatment options; all while attempting to balance healing sleep with work, family and friends. As I wrote the words she spoke, I was overwhelmed with sadness that two months have flown by without sending you a letter. Tom & I made a commitment to keep you updated with all God is shaking up in your ministry. Regardless of how fighting with my illness has engulfed our lives, we sincerely ask your forgiveness for our silence these last months. Innovative Truth is God, you, us, our family and friends. God continues to use Innovative Truth for His mission, and He calls us all to serve. Thank you for your commitment to saying YES to God’s call. As we served these months, our communications with you were sacrificed due to our imbalance during this challenging time. Please accept our heartfelt apology, and our commitment to asking God to help us. After much prayer, I ceased traditional treatments last November upon receiving a terminal prognosis. Tom and I sought counsel and researched more alternative treatments than imaginable. In the spring of 2019, I began a 4 day/week course of treatment we prayerfully felt led to try. It is painful, debilitating, and considered a “last chance” option. The side effects are severe and highly concerning with their own consequences. Chemo and radiation were far easier to endure. Our life has changed drastically, and I am sure Tom never thought he would be assisting me to walk, and all the other nurse duties he does. Just about the time last month I thought I couldn’t take anymore, the doctors saw evidence of some small success, as there had not been any new growth. As you all flooded Heaven with prayers, I rested in God’s arms and trusted that if it was His will, He would carry me through. YOUR PRAYERS HAVE BEEN HEARD AGAIN! TODAY, RECEIVING THE LATEST SCAN RESULTS, WE LEARNED ONE OF THE TUMORS HAS SHRUNK! This is not a “cured” announcement by any stretch; but is incredibly exciting and hopeful progress. I will continue this difficult course until God reveals His will for me is elsewhere. Meanwhile back at the ranch… It has been indescribable how God uses our circumstances to reach people in your ministry! This journey is affecting EVERYTHING! As you may remember, Innovative Truth was called to a new ministry path three years ago. It all began with two women requesting help. Our small group quickly grew to 22 women meeting weekly to study God’s word. That initial Innovative Truth women’s group expanded to 12 weekly groups; including men’s groups, a married group, college students, a millennial group, and a singles group; from all walks of life, and spiritual (or lack of spiritual) backgrounds. More than 100 participants! As healthy discipleship should, we focused all of last year and 2019 on raising up new leaders in every group. Yes, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Tom and I alone to weekly work with over 100 people, AND we never wanted any group to become T’nT (Tom & Tonya) followers. We never wanted to fall into the mistake some ministries make where the members are overly dependent on a particular leader or pastor. In 1 Corinthians Paul says it best in his letter to the people of Corinth, “…you say, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos”… is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?…” In chapter 2 Paul continues, “…I was with you in weakness and in much fear and trembling… that your faith may not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God….What then is Apollos? What is Paul? We are servants through whom you learned as the Lord assigned. I, Paul, planted, and Apollos watered, but it is God who gave you the growth… we are God’s fellow workers, you are God’s field.” The power of God continues to be evidenced in YOUR MINISTRY and in YOUR CONTINUED “YES” TO GOD! These past three years YOU supported, encouraged and prayed as we planted and watered those initial 22 women. As of three weeks ago ALL TWENTY-TWO WOMEN HAVE SUBMITTED THEIR LIVES TO JESUS AND HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED IN HIS NAME!!!!! In June, we had another exciting baptism. Our sweet Julia called Tom on Father’s Day and told him she wanted to give her life to God. She proceeded to ask her earthly father to baptize her in the name of her heavenly father on Father’s Day. After Tom stopped crying, we shared a Father’s Day beyond any we could have ever imagined!! We sincerely thank you for your continued prayers, support and encouragement. Your messages, texts, and sweet notes have meant the world to us! God isn’t done with us! We close this letter in the same words Marie asked me to write to her friend that day in treatment… Wishing my hand wrote to you as often as my heart, 
Greetings! We’ve shared with you the excitement about our collaboration with Christian Unity Ministries for the past year as we introduced Five Conversations For Healthy Relationships all over San Antonio. We’ve had more than 130 people in small groups meeting each week. The changes in the participants lives has been astounding! Your love, prayers and financial support of Innovative Truth has made our participation possible. NOW WE WANT TO INTRODUCE THE CURRICULUM TO YOU! SO WE ARE HITTING THE ROAD! Oklahoma is our first stop the week of March 10th. We would love the opportunity to share the details of this life transforming program WITH YOU! Who is this for? ANYONE BREATHING! Want stronger and healthier relationships with family, friends, co-workers & neighbors based on biblical wisdom? Then this is for YOU! Want to heal pain & brokenness? Then this is for YOU! The cost? NOTHING. Your partnership with us has helped build this, and we cannot wait to show you! Are you in Oklahoma or North Texas? CALL, TEXT, OR EMAIL TO LET US KNOW WHEN WE CAN MEET WITH YOU, YOUR FAMILY, YOUR BIBLE STUDY, YOUR TEAM AT WORK, OR YOUR GROUP OF FRIENDS. Two hours of your time will pay dividends for life. YOU ARE WORTH IT! Still not sure? Check out the testimony below. With love, Tom and Tonya Allen
Dear Tom & Tonya,
The journey started as my husband & I wanted to heal our brokenness. We relearned communication using Five Conversations For Healthy Relationships you taught us. First you showed us biblically that God has called us to be in COMMUNITY. Then building each other up with encouragement in WHAT IS GOOD(Conversation 1) and caring enough to discuss WHAT COULD BE (Conversation 2). We learned those conversations must start with GRACE. Pouring into each other with words like, "I see this...” instead of "you need to...” We learned, TRUTH WITHOUT GRACE IS JUST MEAN, and GRACE WITHOUT TRUTH IS MEANINGLESS. For me, giving up was never an option! I love my husband and our blended family so much that as I realigned my thinking, and learned how to meet my family right where they were, they saw me transform. Seeing and feeling me transform & knowing that I genuinely wanted to change, my husband easily jumped on board. I use the term "easily" very lightly, but at least I didn't have to drag him. He still attends with me and actually looks forward to these meetings (and here I thought I would have to hit him over the head the old Flintstone way and drag him). Together we have two daughters and two sons ranging in age from 21 to 11 years old. Believe me, we are never prepared for every single scenario, but we are no longer hopeless and dysfunctional with a capital “D”. We are now equipped with tools to heal our brokenness starting with one sentence you taught us, "This relationship matters to me.” I have stocked up on tissue supply in our home, and together we are learning how to reestablish the framework for dealing with hurt in our family. Allowing each other to have the opportunity to talk about WHAT HURT THEM (Conversation 3), while just listening, taking in their pain, and saying, "I am sorry I made you feel that way” with no excuses or justification. This is mind blowing to my children........'wait, Mom & Dad are LISTENING to me!’ We do not always agree, but we are trying out this thing called "listening". By listening we find it easier to talk about WHAT HURT ME (Conversation 4). It opened our hearts to exploring WHERE OUR HOPE IS (Conversation 5). I asked if you offered meetings for young adults, and you said you did. When I gave you their names and numbers I was very skeptical about the older ones responding. Low and behold, all 3 responded and are really giving Five Conversations a try! We look forward to working through this together. I am more hopeful now than I could have ever imagined. I do not think I could ever fully express to you what this means for my family. This journey is just the beginning for all of us. I know it won't be easy, I know it will get harder at times. We are learning to break the cycle of hurt and dysfunction. I know I learned my past communication skills from my parents, and they learned it from their parents, and so on. I feel like we now hold the keys to unlock meaningful conversations and healthy relationships for our future family generations. This is such a soul awakening experience and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity. I want to get it right. I want to teach my children how to get it right for their children and grandchildren. I put my hope, faith, and trust in the Lord to lead me no matter how hard it may be as He transforms us. It is worth it! My family is learning how to heal. Thank you Tom & Tonya for always pressing on. Thank you for teaching and equipping us with conversations to learn, practice, master, and keep pressing on with healing. May God bless you and your Ministry! All my Love and Blessings, Marisa This month’s letter is emotional and difficult for Tom & I. So those who know me should expect I’m going to first share something I saw from a Christian comedian the other day because laughter is still the way to go!  Ha!Ha! It’s so true! And it fit well with the Bible study we recently had studying the lives of King Saul and David. To share a little context, David had been anointed by God, while Saul was being “transitioned.” (See what I did there? wink wink) Jonathan was King Saul’s son. Their friendship was true, and godly. Upon meeting David, Jonathan literally felt the covenant of their friendship sealed in his heart. The years passed, and King Saul’s jealousy grew as David continued to be anointed by God, and loved by the people. Jonathan time and time again stood up to his father proving his friendship with David was genuine. King Saul repeatedly tried to have David killed. Yet it was the kings own son, Jonathan, who helped his dear friend David escape. After King Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, David rose to his rightful place as the anointed king. When news of King Saul and Jonathan’s death reached Israel, the nurse for Mephibosheth, (Jonathan’s 5 year old son) was terrified the child would be killed so she whisked him away to hide. Back then they didn’t have election run-offs. Any possible lingering heirs were killed to avoid claims to the throne. Years later, when Mephibosheth was found living in obscurity in a little village called Lo-debar, King David summoned him. Mephibosheth must have feared his impending execution as he came before David. The conversation begins in 2 Samuel 9:6, “Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.” Mephibosheth was overwhelmed! He responds to David in astonishment in verse 8 “Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?” Even more amazing, as the story goes, when the young Mephibosheth’s nurse rushed to hide him, she either dropped him or somehow injured his feet while desperately fleeing. Mephibosheth was not only hiding in the small village of Lo-debar afraid of execution but he was also lame, unable to walk since childhood from the injury! The handicapped were certainly not a protected or exalted class of citizens at that time. Yet David only seemed to look upon his dear friend’s son with love as we hear him continue in verse 11 to declare that ‘Mephibosheth shall eat bread at my table always.’ David goes on to say, “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.” So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.” WOW! The covenant of friendship was unbreakable between David and Jonathan. David made a commitment to stand by his friend, and neither death nor possible claims to the throne, nor prejudice of the lame could sway David from removing his beloved friend’s son from the table. Likewise, there are broken, hurting, marginalized people in every city across our nation. They are often ignored, overlooked, despised and abused. Some are there due to their own decisions and mistakes, others, like Mephibosheth, have been dropped by another person who was supposed to take care of them. Jesus sees the broken and He calls us, His followers, to “go to Lo-debar.” Our Savior calls us to bring a message of hope to the darkest corners of our communities where the sick and broken are in hiding. The Lord invites “whosoever will” into His Kingdom, not as peasants to be exploited but as children to be adopted and given a forever seat at the table. Tom and I are grateful for God’s unyielding love. We stand faithfully in His word. Here’s the tough news; we have learned that the cancer in my throat has returned and metastasized to my back, and is diagnosed as stage 4. The prognosis is less than 20% survival. At this time traditional treatments are complete. After much prayer and consultation, I have peacefully chosen once again to surrender this to God giving Him all the room to move in my life. Cancer is a strong beast. I’ve been asked if I’m afraid of a battle against such a strong foe. As a sweet friend and ministry partner in OKC reminded me, “David never really knew the strength of Goliath. He was too focused on the strength of God.” AMEN!!! Tom and I are forever humbled you have chosen to join us sitting at the Innovative Truth table. I know you will ask what you can do to help. That’s easy. WE SINCERELY ASK YOU TO STAY AT THE TABLE WITH US! Please stay at the table with us in prayer as God guides every step for your ministry. Please stay at the table in thanksgiving for all the lives your ministry has changed as they deepen their relationships with God. Please stay at the table with your financial gifts of love so we may continue to follow His will. Please invite others to join us at the table so they too may rejoice in the miracles of healing God is doing through your ministry. Please stay at the table with us as we find our way to Lo-debar and continue to courageously battle any foe, rising each day to say to the Lord, “I will answer your call Lord! I will find your children in need and I will go to Lo-debar!” Thank your for your ongoing support of Innovative Truth. YOU are changing lives. With Love,
 I recently introduced Tom to the song, Christmas With A Capital “C” by GO FISH. Are you familiar with the song released in 2010? I should clarify, when I say I introduced the song to him, what I mean is that I started singing it in a Chili’s restaurant when our waitress said, “Happy Holidays” as we were getting ready to leave. I’m not opposed to hearing “happy holidays.” Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are also celebrated during this season, so I understand. In fact, I initially just smiled and responded, “Merry Christmas!” It was upon the waitress sharing with us that corporate headquarters sent out a memo telling staff they could ONLY say “happy holidays” that I decided to joyfully break into song. I certainly cannot carry a tune, but I am happy to report the waitress, other staff and those sitting near us chimed in with a Merry Christmas chorus of their own. It was a fun moment bringing us together. Yet make no mistake, we are in a culture war! Charlie Brown, Baby It’s Cold Outside, Rudolph, Frosty, public restrooms, the American flag, and even how many genders exist are all under scrutiny. The list of what is now offensive is so long, I’m not sure how the offended keep it all straight! I was recently suspended from Twitter for saying there were only two genders. That’s right. You read that correctly. I received a message saying my comment that there were only two genders, male and female, was “hate speech” and violated Twitters policy. By stating the science of XX and XY, I had offended the Twitter community. Wow! In I Peter 3:15, St. Peter says, ‘with gentleness and respect, always be ready to give reason for the hope within you.’ Always be ready to lovingly proclaim the truth of Christ! Between unkind words thrown at us, and our reaction, lies our greatest power, CHOICE. We have the choice whether or not to be offended. In the current climate of ‘fear of offending,’ remember the example Jesus lived loving the sinner while never compromising His truth. An inoffensive gospel is no gospel at all. Standing on God’s word is not always popular. We need be less concerned with how many followers we have and more concerned that we are worth following. So when someone says ‘happy holidays,’ there is an opportunity for evangelism. Share a sincere, loving “Merry Christmas,” or break into song if the mood strikes you. (Hopefully more in tune than I.) “Keeping Christ in Christmas” is OUR calling as believers. It’s not the call of the non-believer. They may not know what that means. Our behavior should demonstrate a loving relationship with God. Your continued love, support, trust and partnership with Innovative Truth is the reassurance of Emmanuel in our world. Never forget OURS may be the word or action introducing others to Jesus. Will we frighten or invite them into a relationship with Him? MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
  Greetings!, Yesterday we received a letter addressed to you and copied below from participants in your Innovative Truth ministry. We are sincerely touched and feel great humility to be part of this journey with you. Thank you for your unending partnership and commitment. YOU ARE CHANGING LIVES! With love and respect,  Dear Innovative Truth Partners,
My name is Kathryn. I am one of the women attending the weekly Innovative Truth meetings. Writing directly to you may be unorthodox but many of us have been talking about wanting to speak to you and I was elected to put this letter together on behalf of the groups. So while I am the one typing, there are several of us sitting together choosing the words. This letter will come as a surprise to Tom & Tonya and we hope they will share it with you immediately. We became an Innovative Truth small group nearly two years ago. The meetings started with Tonya and just two women. As she and Tom prayerfully invested their love and dedication into helping us grow as Christians, the two women began inviting friends because they felt something very different from the Innovative Truth meetings. Within three months there were regularly over 30 of us. Tom and Tonya (T’nT as we call them) suggested splitting into smaller groups so we could continue to receive individual attention. Now, if you have ever spent time with Tonya you know she has a very particular way. We tell new people to our groups, “If you need things sugar-coated, you should stop by a bakery on your way to the meetings because you won’t get sugar-coating here.” We say it with love but it’s 100% accurate. She never makes us feel unloved or stupid but she also does not hesitate to ‘say it how it is.’ Some of us had been in small groups before, but the leaders were so worried about being politically correct that they wouldn’t even tell us when we were wrong. That’s not the case with T’nT! The reality is our ways of living weren’t working. We needed someone to really see us for who we are, warts and all, and still love us. She did that for us. We wanted to learn about Jesus and live better lives, but life often got in the way. (Or as Tonya would lovingly say, “those are excuses and justification for bad choices.” As usual, she is right.) Many of us have “colorful” pasts and we needed strong leadership teaching us how to have a relationship with a God few of us knew anything about. We didn’t need teachers who placated to us. We could write a book about T’nT “truthisms” we’ve heard, but the reason we’re writing now is to say directly to you, THANK YOU! Any time we try to thank T’nT for their love, guidance and commitment to transforming our lives, we are stopped mid-sentence. We hear the same thing from them every time; “Innovative Truth is not Tom & Tonya. Innovative Truth is God first, then all the amazing IT Partners who support the ministry with continual prayers, financial support and unending love. Without Innovative Truth Partners, there is no Innovative Truth.” We heard it so often but we never really understood what it meant. You, the IT Ministry Partner, were a figurative being in our minds. We didn’t understand how the ministry worked financially. All we knew was that for 2 years a Christian group called Innovative Truth sent two ministers to love US! We are a rag-tag group of ex-convicts, former addicts and deeply flawed sinful men and women. Can you imagine? We couldn’t! They never asked for money. They asked only for us to be open to the call of Jesus. And one by one as we have heard that call, they walked us into the arms of God who welcomed us in and loves us unconditionally. We weren’t Christians. We had no relationship with God. Jesus was not a friend we knew, let alone our chosen Savior. And then we met Innovative Truth. We met the power of your prayers for us. We are strangers to you, yet Tonya tells us every week how you pray for us. They told us you were praying when we started meeting as a defiant, often rude group who like broken children tried to push T’nT away. We were like teenagers testing their love. We wondered if they would really be committed to us for the long haul. They never left us. We grew from just two women to 8 groups of nearly 100 people with very difficult pasts, and they never left us. They taught us about having personal relationships with God but also the importance of knowing He calls us to be a community. And they showed us what that looked like. They attended our meetings with love, passion and silence when needed. They were always there, sometimes by video so they wouldn’t miss, even while they battled Tonya’s cancer, her surgeries, hurricane relief efforts, Tom’s moms cancer, Ms. Betty’s death, even having a video meeting the week of the funeral because one of us was dealing with a painful situation! They take calls at all hours to listen, guide, love, laugh or cry with us. Each time reminding us that you, the IT Partners, are with us and praying for us too. They told us you rejoiced with us as we were getting to know Jesus. They told us you were reading the Bible in the same way they were introducing His word to us. They said you prayed for us as we were healing our brokenness, reconciling our hearts with God, speaking our sins and thanking Jesus for washing us clean through His death and resurrection. They said you stayed deep in prayer when Tonya took a group of us on a retreat last summer and we gave our lives to Jesus. And while I know they used a false name in a prayer letter to protect my identity, I want to personally thank you for praying for my broken heart as my son Gabriel died last year. Tonya never left my side from the moment I began bleeding, all the way through the labor and death of my precious son. I didn’t know until months later that she had endured her own full-term child’s death during labor many years earlier. I cannot imagine the pain she felt reliving her worst nightmare just so I would not be alone. I asked her recently how she got through it with me and her response was that Tom had gathered more people than we could count to pray us through those two dark days. She said, “the IT Partners were lifting us to God and even though Gabriel died, I am certain their love and prayers lined Gabriel’s path straight home to our loving God.” How can I repay the peace your love brought me? I wonder if you will ever know what it all has meant to us. Will you ever know the difference you made in our lives? We want to be sure you know at least this; because of your love, prayers and financial support, just like it says on your Innovative Truth website, ‘SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO LIFE AND WE HAVE BEEN TAUGHT, TRAINED AND TRANSFORMED!’ WE ARE DISCIPLES OF CHRIST! WE ARE CHRISTIANS! WE ARE SAVED! AND WE WANT TO JOIN YOU AND REACH OTHERS FOR CHRIST! Simply saying “thank you’ feels so inadequate. You have changed our lives forever. It felt like your ministry showed up in our lives unexpectedly. Now we know it was ordained by God. What we really want you to know is we are eternally grateful for your prayers and we are praying for each of you now as well! We are no longer pushing our Christian brother and sisters away and we are learning to embrace community. (But no, Tom, I still do not want to be in a video testimonial.) :) To Tom & Tonya (the dynamic duo of T’nT) ~ We do not know how you do all you do. Yes, we know, you always say, “it’s not us, it’s God.” Well then on behalf of God, we have a message for you. We know you had some IT Partners who died, lost jobs, or stopped giving in 2018 because of financial hardships, and that your income dropped dramatically putting Innovative Truth in a critical state for 2019. We know you have been praying about what the future in or out of ministry may look like for one or both of you. Well we’ve all been praying about it too, and either of you out of ministry is NOT the message we are hearing from God. You told us God always provides. You told us He will lead you if you are submissive to Him. Well as Tonya famously does to us, we’re going to hold up a mirror to you now. God does not lead a ministry to have the unbelievable two years we’ve all just had bringing our group of misfits into relationships with God, only to pull the rug out. You said He provided manna daily. Hear us now, HE WILL PROVIDE! You both need to stay the course He is leading. We believe He is always faithful. We believe He will touch the right hearts and speak to the right people for the ministry. We believe the current IT Partners will pray for God’s hand to make up the financial need. They are powerful prayer warriors! Their prayers have been heard for us, for Tonya’s cancer as she continues to courageously fight, and for so many others. We don’t know how, but we know God will give the IT Partners an answer. Maybe in increased giving, or introducing the ministry to other new partners. God’s call for the sustained life of Innovative Truth is true! So let me be the first to answer His call. With this letter I am including my first monthly donation. It’s not a lot and I know it will not make up the $2900 per month shortfall, but you showed us that standing on God’s promise is the only place to stand. With Tonya’s help on my resume and her community connections, I am employed now. I want to be an Innovative Truth Partner. I proudly want to be counted amongst the other IT Partners as we together stay the course and “BRING SCRIPTURE TO LIFE” for more lost sheep, as we once were. Thank you Tom & Tonya! Thank you Innovative Truth Partners! All Glory to God! Love, Kathryn & the rest of the lost sheep you would not stop seeking The dictionary defines SUCCESS as, “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” This seems easy enough to understand; yet measuring success is not nearly as simple. Businesses generally measure success in terms of revenue. In sports, we keep score. In ministry, the desire to measure success gets a bit complicated. To measure the success of Innovative Truth we first must know our mission and then boldly state our uncompromising commitments. Innovative Truth remains firm in our mission to bringing scripture to life by teaching, training and transforming the lives of those who have otherwise been forgotten. We are uncompromising in the good stewardship of financial gifts YOU faithfully give. And we are committed to obediently handing the compass to God should He want to lead us to new paths for His purpose. Given this mandate, how do we as a ministry measure success in our current endeavor of healing broken relationships? In our collaboration with Christian Unity Ministries to build the 5 Conversations for Healthy Relationships project, we wanted a measuring stick to know if participants were growing from their involvement. We will spare you the head-spinning complications of building a survey, and God bless the folks developing surveys as a career because it is mind-numbing! Thanks to some incredibly smart folks in this collaboration, survey questions measuring the “success” of the program in five areas of personal transformation were created. At the very first gathering participants anonymously take a survey about relationships in their life. Eight weeks later we conduct the same survey. Comparing the answers you can assess growth and transformation in areas chosen for our definition of success. While we NEVER want a person to be defined only by a number, it is these very numbers which help tell the emerging story of how lives were transformed during their journey with us. This month we wanted to highlight four key areas your faithfulness to Innovative Truth has encouraged healing in relationships. Without YOU these relationships continue the cycle of perpetuating brokeness and separation from God. Thank you for your financial gifts, prayers, and for sharing your ministry with those you care about. Are you ready to join an established 5 Conversations for Healthy Relationships group or start your own? Contact us!! With Much Love,
  It wasn’t just the 105* weather that was scorching hot that Sunday afternoon. The tension between mother and son had been building for over a month and was ready to erupt like a volcano. Joey and Sara (names changed for anonymity) had always had a strong mother-son relationship. Joey, now 20, was home for the summer from college and was staying with Sara and her new husband. They were aware this new dynamic could pose difficulties, and so they joined one of our 5 Conversations for Healthy Relationships small groups to prepare themselves. Generally people join after issues are already present, so Tom and I were thrilled to see a proactive stance. Boy, did that decision pay off! Using the techniques and verbiage he had learned and role-played during small group, Joey approached Sara. “Mom, I know there’s a lot of tension between us right now, so I am asking you to know my heart first and foremost. I feel we need to have a ‘conversation 3 and 4’ which can be very intense, yet I feel without confronting the situation we are not going to have an opportunity to reach a resolution.” Sara recognized immediately the verbiage Joey was using came from the small group. That recognition softened Sara’s frustration and opened her to hearing what her son was saying. Like Joey, she too had learned, and even role-played, how to have tough conversations. She knew being willing to have ‘conversations 3 and 4’ tells the other person, ‘You and this relationship matter enough to me that even if it’s uncomfortable, I am willing to dive into this with you.’ That’s how healing happens! Later, Joey shared with Tom and I, “Instead of embracing frustration and hurt, 5 Conversations for Healthy Relationships offered my mom and I an opportunity to drop the weapons of hurt and really hear each other.” Sara added, “Growing up I could never have had a healing conversation like this with my parents. Joey and I trusted God as we dove into the deep end of the pool. We didn’t drown, and we actually ended up sharing a life preserver for our relationship. It was really neat to go back and share the experience with our group.” WOW! Innovative Truth Partners you have done it again! This is just one example of your support saving a Godly relationship! A Young Singles small group is starting soon. The Seniors Group is open to new participants. And college groups are preparing as well. Interested in forming your own group or joining an established group, call us! With love,
“Truth is I’m weak, no strength to fight, no tears to cry even if I tried. But still my soul refuses to die, one touch will change my life…” I hope y’all had a chance to read May’s prayer letter as we introduced our collaboration with Christian Unity Ministries and the work with their first initiative for One Another Project. We are so excited to be part of this groundbreaking mission! As we shared last month, Five Conversations for Healthy Relationships is curriculum built on Christian principles, seeking to equip individuals wanting to repair or build enduring relationships. In small group settings we reach into the lives of hurting people to focus on five conversations aimed at changing our perspective and healing hearts. There are currently 8 groups with nearly 60 participants meeting weekly to courageously open their hearts to each other, themselves and God. It has been nothing short of extraordinary to witness the transformation in lives. The group members cross all lines of race, age, marital status, education, religious denomination, and socio-economic status. Some live in mansions, another is homeless. Regardless of each participants’ status, we all have one thing in common; we yearn to heal our brokenness. Allow us to introduce you to Hank, one member of our small group for paroled felons: “Truth is I’m tired, options are few, I’m trying to pray, but where are you? I’m all churched out, hurt and abused, I can’t fake it, what’s left to do? Truth is I’m weak, no strength to fight, no tears to cry even if I tried. But still my soul refuses to die, one touch will change my life… Take me to the King. I don’t have much to bring. My heart’s torn to pieces, it’s my offering. Lay me at the throne, leave me there alone to gaze upon your glory and sing to you this song… Take me to the King.” ~ Written by Kirk Franklin and sung by Tamela Mann Hank brought these heart-wrenching and vulnerable lyrics to us this month with the following testimony. “In those lyrics, it says, “one touch will change my life.” And that’s exactly what happened. I was feeling so empty. I’d worked for a good company owned by honest people, but when business slowed they started cutting hours of employees. Each paycheck got smaller and smaller until I could no longer afford rent. I stayed in a shelter and then on park benches. I helped at the Catholic Charity House and was given breakfast and lunch. I searched daily for a job willing to hire a hard worker with a felony conviction. It’s not easy, yet I was certain I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my freedom. I tried to keep talking to God, but without encouragement it gets very lonely and the devil loves to talk to you when you’re alone. In the dark of the night, feeling lost and defeated, I asked God for help. And then the touch I needed happened. Tonya reached out to me THAT VERY NIGHT and invited me to a meeting the next evening. Now our Five Convo group weekly meetings have become my family; encouraging me, speaking truth to me, and helping me push Satan out. My relationship with God is back on track! My eyes are re-opened remembering that if you believe in God you better be aware of Satan and how cunning he is when you feel weak. The group helped me to muster the fuel to be rejuvenated. Tonya and the others reminded me of the words to the heart-song God sings just for me when I had forgotten the words. It is no exaggeration to say this has saved my life.” GLORY TO GOD!!! Thank YOU for giving Hank the opportunity to hear God sing his heart-song again through your prayers and financial support to Innovative Truth! For more information about how to join an established group, or to use the curriculum for Five Conversations for Healthy Relationships in your own group, visit oneanotherproject.com, or call Tonya at 210.865.8800. With love,
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