2007 Newsletter

 
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. Sometime we have trouble figuring out the good in some circumstances, but if we really look for the good, we can find something positive.  

I found a blessing in a broken wrist. It happened in January and I had to be off work for a while. Our youngest daughter, Rachel was expecting her first child and her husband was stationed in Iraq. That can be a scary and difficult time. I was able to go to all the doctor appointments with her and just spend time with her. I was very grateful to be able to do that. When the baby was due, he was turned wrong and there was a possibility of emergency surgery but, Praise The Lord, all went well  and no surgery was needed. Our newest grandson was born May 31. His name is Xavier and he is healthy and beautiful. Xavier's daddy got to be home for the big event which was an answer to our prayers. It was sad to see Jason return to Iraq on father's day but we are very proud of him. You can see a picture in our family photo's page.

In June Mike and I took time off to celebrate our 40th anniversary. We spent some time in Branson and we traveled through Eureka Springs, Ark where we saw the Great Passion Play for the first time. It was awesome. If you get a chance, you should go see it.

Mike had a rough year concerning his health. He had to take a series of epidural shots for neck pain.  The shots did help his pain, but the side effects were not pleasant.

The evening of September 4, I had to take Mike to the emergency room for pain and difficulty breathing. That day, the Lord sent three different people our way to pray for Mike. It was confirmation that yes, God was in control. We had peace through the whole thing. After spending mosts of the night in the E.R., it was determined that he had MULTIPLE  BLOOD  CLOTS in both lungs and his right leg. Apparently, stemming from an old injury combined with our long hours of traveling. We learned that we must make more frequent stops and take walks during travel.

The good news is that Mike is doing great! The blood clots could have killed him, but didn't.  One person asked Mike if he was scared. Mike's answer was "scared of what? dieing and going to heaven.  No, not at all." As Christians, we do not have to fear death.  It is only a step to heaven where we will not have to suffer bodily ailments or any such things again.

Cathy Coleman had open heart surgery this fall. She said it was a hard thing to go through, but she can breath so much better now. She is excited and looking forward to 2008 ministry.

We enjoyed a few days off in December due to the Ice Storm.  Our electricity was out a couple times, but we were prepared. I even cooked dinner in the morning just in case the power went off. Ofcourse, it did.  we dug out the old camp stove and warmed up our food and had a nice candlelight dinner.

We are hearing people say over and over that we should be prepared for the possibility of terrorist attacks, outbreaks of viruses, bird flu etc. by having extra supplies on hand such as non perishable foods, water, batteries and so on. I think we should not live in fear, but it wouldn't hurt anything to have extra on hand. Things that you will eventually use anyway. Afterall, God does give his people wisdom and warning to help us, so just as we would prepare for an ucoming ice storm, let us prepare for an emergency that we hope and pray never happens.

Inspite of some health problems, we still had a great year of ministry across the country.  We saw many  people's heart's touched by the Holy Spirit.

We are excited to tell you that ASCAP notified us that we will receive an ASCAP AWARD for the 2007-2008 year.

In closing,  remember to pray for our troops and their families. Also, our nation and it's leaders along with the upcoming presidential election. May we be informed voters and seek God's guidence and direction.

Until next time,

Carolyn

2006 Newsletter

Hi Friends,

What an exciting year it has been beginning with Mike's song "Someone Stands By Me" reaching number one on the God's Country International Chart for January. We have a beautiful plaque on the wall from Glory Train Records. Praise the Lord!

In June we welcomed a new Son in Law to our family. Rachel married Jason, who is in the army reserves. He is being deployed to Iraq for his second time. Please keep him in your prayers as well as Rachel. We just learned that they are expecting our 11th grandchild. He or She will arrive the last of May or the first of June.

In July our youngest son, Travis and his wife blessed us with our 10th grandchild. Her name is Sadie Marie and she is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

Cathy Coleman has been in the hospital a couple times this year with her heart, but she is doing very well and continues to sing with us. She is always a blessing with her music and sharing.

Our church family welcomed a new pastor and everyone is really excited at what the Lord is doing. The church is growing and planning is underway for a youth conference, a women's conference, marriage classes and parenting classes.

We attended the Country Gospel Awards Show in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. We were honored to be nominated for Trio of the Year.

This year was especially busy. We traveled a lot of miles in our 1995 Astro van, which has over 200,000 miles on it now. Our van has gotten us to every performance this year. However, on the way home from our last out-of-state trip this year it happened... we had about 30 miles under our belt when suddenly we began hearing noises! Thankfully, we were in the town of Ellsworth, Kansas and only about a mile away from a garage. We felt it was a good sign when we saw the garage sitting in between two churches. When we went inside, the first thing we noticed was it was the cleaning garage we'd ever seen. To make a long story short, the transmission had gone out. The folks at Martin's Pro Auto Inc got busy immediately and located another transmission 40 miles away, which had only 36,000 miles on it. They were able to pick it up and replace ours within hours. We were back on the road that evening. Best of all, the Lord had blessed us with far better offering than usual that week. Little did we know He was providing for the need we would have on the way home. We were very thankful for His provision as we travel the roads for Him. If you ever go through Ellsworth, Kansas be sure to stop and say hello to Cliff and Karen at Martin's Pro Auto Inc. They are great people.

Winter is a time we enjoy slowing down a little and spending more time with our family. The holidays are always fun and something we really look forward to.

We pray your family has a very Merry Christmas and may you have many blessings in the New Year!

Love, Carolyn & Mike

2005 Newsletter 

We have certainly enjoyed the fantastic summer weather in Missouri this year. It has been the coolest that we remember. There has also been lots of rain, which provided an excellent grass and hay year. We are grateful for God's blessing.

We are proud of Missourians for voting in the marriage amendment and voting down gambling in the Branson area. Let's keep alert to action we can take to protect the morals of our nation from further decline and also to protect her Godly heritage. In Nov. please vote the way God would direct you. I believe we should be more concerned with moral issues than money issues in this election.

Prov 29:2 says "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn".

In July we were blessed to attend part of the Country Gospel Music Association Convention in Lee Summit, Mo. We received several nominations for awards, which was just the icing on the cake of a fantastic time listening to anointed gospel music artists from around the country. Lord willing, we will attend their international convention at Branson in October.

If you receive the US Gospel News Magazine, you've noticed that The Toneys are once again nominated for Trio of the year. We consider all these nominations an honor and THANK YOU to all who voted for us.

This year Tessa has been taking a break and staying close to her family. Her three oldest children have become teenagers and the two little girls are ages 4 and 5. There are so many demands on a mother as all you moms know. Cathy Coleman has been filling in for Tessa and she adds her own style to this ministy. We hope Tessa will be able to travel with us again soon, but until then, we know that her first responsiblility is to her family. By the way, I believe a Mother job is an extremely important position to have. I don't like to hear a mother say "i'm just a mom", when in fact she has one of the most important jobs on earth. Training up the next generation.

Several of you have asked when we are going to record another album. Well, Mike has written several new songs and we do have enough material for another project. Now we are waiting on the Lord to provide the means to make it happen. All in His time.

I hear a lot of people say they can't find anything worth watching on televison anymore. If that is what you've been saying, maybe you need what we have. Sky Angel Televison Network. It is family friendly televison that comes via a small satellite dish and is far less expensive than dish or cable.($11.99 per month to subscribe)It carries a variety of programs for the whole family. There is a 24 hour Gospel Music Television channel. There are craft programs, hunting and fishing programs, garden programs, old movies, newer movies, childrens programs, teen programs. There is something for everyone. I like Sky Angel so much that I became an authorized sales representative. So, if you'd like a free phamplet that will tell you all about sky angel, just contact me and I will send one right out to you.

Time rolls by so quickly these days so we are beginning booking for 2005. If your church would like to have The Toneys for a concert please phone or emails us right away.

In closing, KEEP LOOKING UP! For your redemption draweth nigh.

Rev 21:1-7 kjv

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Heaven!.....Think about it...... What a glorious day it will be when we get there!

1 Cor 2:9 says: Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. WOW!

Until next time

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn

September, 2004

It's been another busy year. We'll give you some of the highlights.

We released a song to Christian radio in January that was written by a friend of ours, Roy Duncan. The song was inspired by his life experiences. The message is one that many can relate to. The title is "Now I Am A Christian" and it talks about how just going to church does not make a person a Christian.

Mike wrote our second release for 2005 and it has become a very special song to us. Mike never imagined it would mean so much to our youngest daughter Rachel. She served in Iraq with the army reserve for most of 2005. While Spc Toney was preparing for deployment, she told us how much the song meant to her. When she asked if there was any way we could record it so that she could take it with her to Iraq, we knew we had to GET IT DONE!

We didn't have much time to complete the project before she would be leaving, but it just happened that we were scheduled to be in Nashville, and while there we shared Rachel's desire with long time friend Steve Bivins, who immediately went to work charting the song. God's hand was apparently on the project because everything fell in place quickly. We ended up in Larry Maars studio the same day. Larry and the musicians did an outstanding job and "Someone Stands By Me' was finished just in time. The recording turned out so well that we made extra copies for Rachel to share with others in her unit. Later, we felt lead to release it to radio hoping that the message might encourage others.

Whatever we face in his life, we must remember that if we have confessed our sins and asked Jesus into our hearts, we then have a friend that sticketh closer than a brother, one who will never leave us nor forsake us. We can gratefully say, "Someone stands By Me"

In November we attended the United States Assoc of Gospel Entertainers and Musicians convention in Nashville, Tenn. Jimmy Snow, son of famous Hank Snow began this organization in 2003. The Toneys are proud to be charter members. While attended Jimmy's TV Program taping, we had the opportunity to tape our two newest songs. Be sure to watch for Jimmy's program. Who knows, maybe you'll see some familiar faces.

Cathy Coleman suffered a heart attack in October. She testifies to the power of God who gave her supernatural Peace and Joy in the midst of the doctors report. She is recouping very well and is planning to continue on in the ministry. Cathy has great faith and trusts that God is in Control.

THANKSGIVING was very special for us this year. The whole family was back together once again as Rachel safely returned from her deployment. I couldn't help but think of all the other soldiers who are still serving in foreign lands and the families at home missing them so much nor those who mourn the loss of a loved one.

The last year has had its concerns but we are counting our blessings. I think we all appreciate America a little more and those from the past, present and future who defend her. We are thankful for the freedoms in our land and the people who sacrificed so that this Godly Nation could be founded. Let us not forget what they have done and let us not allow anyone to steal away what they and God have provided for us. America may not be perfect, but she is still the greatest country in the world. May God continue to Bless America, and may America Bless God.

Carolyn