"SURPRISE! She wasn’t the only selfish jerk in the house."

We apologize for being MIA last month. Some troubling symptoms led us back to Dr. K’s office. Good news first: Tonya’s very troubling stage 4 malignant throat tumors are still gone. The bummer: painful new spinal tumors are present. After eight previous cancer battles, Tonya is fantastic at listening to her body, and because of that, I am so glad she jumped on this right away. Tonya wants everyone to know, “I am tired and in physical pain, but am at peace and READY TO FIGHT WITH GOD IN MY CORNER.” 
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A HUGE thanks to Innovative Truth partners, Randy Lee in Midwest City, and Jim & Marsha  Humphries in San Antonio. 

Your love, guidance, availability, knowledge and faith as she heads into the ninth battle have been limitless and appreciated beyond words!

We received a message from Innovative Truth partner, Jeff Clark this week. With his permission, we share his words below so you can read for yourself exactly what your partnership is doing in the lives of those we meet with weekly. His testimony, and others, don’t happen without YOU answering God’s call!
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                                       With all our love,

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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.

1. Your relationship with God sets the tone for all other relationships in your life. Fix your relationship with Him first.
2. That which you focus on, you empower; both good and bad.
3. Don’t let sin against you create sin within you.
4. You can never force someone to hear a message they are not ready to receive. But never underestimate the power of planting a seed.
5. Stop shrinking yourself to fit places God already delivered you from. 
6. God doesn’t ask you to figure it all out. He’s asking you to trust that He already has.
7. You are not saved because of your good works. You are zealous for good works because you are saved.
8. On the night He was betrayed, Jesus broke bread and gave thanks. Read that again, then ask yourself how you behave when you feel betrayed by those you love.

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,
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Jeff Clark

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