Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 185 | The Robertsons Don't Need a DNA Test to Know That Phyllis Is One of Them

Episode Date: November 23, 2020

Phil's daughter, Phyllis, enters the Unashamed Lair with her artist husband, Tony, and it's clear they fit right in. Tony has a warning about why you have to be careful about what you say in front of Phil, Jase, and Al. Phil shares a lesson he learned about having junk out in his yard. Phyllis and Tony recall the first time they visited West Monroe before Phil knew who they were, and they talk about overcoming hardship and maintaining faith. Tony reveals he went to church for decades without hearing the Gospel and shares a few meaningful pieces he painted. And the Robertsons have plenty of proof that Phyllis is one of them, right down to what she does with her toes! Tony Thomas Art: https://tonythomasart.com/ -- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? We don't look spiritual at all. Yeah, where's your Bible? Never. Look, never go to a confrontation unarmed. Where are we at next? Well, I was just, I was just browsing.

John 18. Yeah, so y'all didn't bring a Bible. They got the little. little set Bible there. Good luck reading that. Can you even see that? I would have to have readers to the power of five to be able to read that. And John chapter what? Like, have you seen that movie? I was actually going to ask you just to kind of get a little heads up. Well, interject. Tony, you can tell based on our pre-filming conversation. We have this, we're actually filming by that. That just happened 60 seconds ago. Yeah. Now that you, now that you,

Now that you've been on air for the last minute. Is this mic on? The plan is there is no plan. There's no plan. And that's one thing I like about this family. There's no rules. No plan and no rules. That's taking some time to get to use to do.

So, Grace. But you always should have yourself armed, especially if you're ever in here. And I meant, you know, with the sword. With the sword. So you guys, this is Phyllis's second time on Unashame. But ironically, you're in the same. the lair for the first time, the new setting, because the old podcast city is now your bedroom. Right.

You know, which we've mentioned that on the podcast. And so there's like a master bathroom just off the bedroom, obviously. And that's where our sound engineer had all this equipment in the bathroom. I was like, we were the only podcast in America where the sound engineer was working out of the bathroom. I mean, I have to think, nobody else has that setup. And you're so fancy now. Well, yeah, look at it now.

We've got our little layer here. Have you thought about knocking out this wall, putting in like a live studio audience out here, putting some chairs in? You know, and we could get off some tickets. We could get some of the meth heads down the street to come and sit in and watch. That'd be really great. Let them sit in a four-wheeler. Yeah. Actually, we could probably sell that experience.

We could probably do pretty well. Distiching. That's an audience to know how to have the people would get turned around before they even got down here. True. And the best of them would probably get shot at. right now so so Tony this is your first time it is Tony the husband of Phil or as well as dad say Phyllis's man Phyllis's man Phyllis's man or when he's talking to you it's your woman right? Right yes that's the reference so so dad you were saying something earlier I want you

to tell the audience that happened this week when Tony came into your house I think it's a good microcosm of our whole growing up situation you remember what you told us when he came in yeah Well, it's, it's, I tried to remember if anyone else had ever done that. I don't remember what. But in my 74 years, I've never had someone walk up and say, today's my birthday. And I'm like, I said, so. But then it occurred to me.

I said, well, you need to ask him how old he is. How old are you? He said, 51. I'm like 51, yep, you're on the top of the mountain. You're going off. Sliding down. You're going down the same age. We are.

We are the same age. Half a century. Yeah. So I thought that was so. What did you say? Judge, you was like, that sums up my whole life. That one conversation is the whole kitten gabboot. It's two families coming together.

Family culture, conversation. It's different. Missy will send me a text when it's my dad's birthday, and she said, it's your dad's birthday today. I said, he don't care. But she always does that. Right. Like, you need to be sure.

Am I going to call him and wish him happy birthday? Because that would get extremely awkward. I said, I'll think of something. But if I said 51 and nine months, that speaks to us. That's more accurate. Yeah. Which is true. Well, that's just never, that doesn't like to celebrate things, anything, really.

I mean, just, you know, I guess Christmas, We liked, because it's Jesus and we get our family together, but dad's just never been much on it. So I know it makes him awkward. Why don't want to make him awkward? Like, because Lisa will say, are you going to say something to your dad about his birthday? I said, he doesn't want to talk about his birthday. Like, especially, I don't know when you passed the year you were like now, it's like, well, you know. Once you hit 74 and you realize that the average age of a male lives to be 77, you're like, let's see, 44, 45, 46.

it's not something I'm jumping up and down about when they say you're another year older that's just one year that's behind you'll confess I've never liked the concept anyway if we if we went back and had conception day maybe that would be better because then it would maybe people wouldn't wouldn't take the life of unborn children but to me you know or the spiritual birthday you know when you're baptized I like I like I like it when people come up to me and they'll say I remember and they'll say a date and I'm looking around like I have a lot of that's your birthday and they're like yeah I and they're like you don't remember you know baptize me or which it's the Korean culture who counts the nine months in utero

yeah I knew there was a culture they did it they do I'm pretty sure I think that's great I like that they count I thought I had come out with something nobody had thought of no but the problem is with your plan jays is that how do you even see that happy consent Day to you, Happy Conception Day to you. Happy Conception Day, dear seedling. No, duh. Older brother.

You can still say birthday, because it's not the day you were born, sort of. Because you might, I mean, you got out of the womb, which is the only part, we met a guy that used to live, actually lived up where y'all are living, and he says he can remember being in the womb.

Yep. I ask him, I said, when he told me that, I stuttered him for a bit. by the way, he was an artist. Here it comes. We've already started. He was an artist. And I said, so, I said, how was it? And he said, it was dark

and it was warm. I said, dark and warm. I said, well, did you remember coming out of there? He said, I do. He said, it was like the light at the end of a tunnel. And he said, what I didn't realize, He said when I came out, he said, they had these big lights, like a huge light. And he said, I remember looking up at it. He was getting in my eyes. He said, I was squalling.

Well, I think all I remember that story, because I was in the duck line when he shared that story. And I think it was Jay Stone said, well, at least we know what your problem is now. And he said, what? And Jay said, you're a bald-faced liar. Can you imagine Stone saying that? Yeah, yeah. I'd count on that. Yeah.

Well, I can tell you this. The moral of the story here for me is that you've got to be careful what you say in the Robertson's house because it'll end up on a podcast. There's no secrets here. Oh, yeah, there's no secrets. But that's biblical. We talked about that last podcast. Jesus said, I said nothing in secret. Right.

So we've taken that. That's good. Well, we have. And so one of the things I'll tell our audience, because Lisa and I spent a lot of time with Tony and Phyllis is that's one of the things I love the most about Tony is, you know, you can come into this setting and be a little. intimidated, you know, because of the way everybody is and sarcasm and all the stuff we do. But Tony just rolls with it. And I mean, obviously, he's been married to Morrison for 44 years, so I know, I know why. I was going to say, you have no idea. I have every idea. And so, but that's why I love about Tony. I mean, I can throw Tony down to the bus and he's just rolling

right out and we're laughing about it. We've just been preparing you all these years. I tell you, and I told you you have me on here, and I'm going to cost you a fortune in editing. Yeah. It's all right. We got one of the best of it. Editing's about like the plan. It doesn't happen much. We find this better to just leave it all natural.

You know, it's just like Dad's yard. You know? I mean, why do you really need to manicure? Somebody actually has. Why are they picking on your yard? I don't know. Well, he just let. Phil's greatest line of all.

If I had a top 10, Phil lines. And he's had a lot of good. I have one that I'm not sure where it is. I have to put something spiritual. above this. But one of the top five lines that Phil ever said was when someone asked him, they said, how often do you mow your grass?

And Phil said, the frost will get it. I had to stop and think about that. Oh, that's a good line, Phil. That actually could be able to be on a t-shirt there. The problem is when I tried that line with my lovely new wife, Issey, she didn't think that was funny. Because you're living in a subdivision in town. I said the frost will get it.

She's just looking at me. Crickets. Maybe that was a private job. I guess you had to be there to get it. You tried it out. It didn't work. Crickets. It's thinking to have mowing grass invariably.

It's like shaving? You do it. So when others drive by, they will say. Yeah, he's a civilized. That's why I'm saying. There's two things I notice. You're not doing it because you say, I mean, so it's up knee high or it's up this high. Same concept with your hair.

Phil doesn't cut hair or grass. It's identical to the same principle. From time to time, I get the little redneck girl living up the road. They still come down there. If it starts getting in my way, you're hanging up on vines and whatnot. But nobody's noticing. Yeah, it didn't really knows. I'm pretty sure that the same little redneck girl is the one who's cut my hair the couple

times has I been here. Oh yeah. Yeah, we have the same person. Cricket. Cricket. That's the one. Jason's like, he never heard of cricket. But I knew she was a redneck because when she said, I'm cricket.

Okay. She didn't have to say. You're not far from here. She's awesome, by the way. She's really awesome. I love the name. She's great. So tell Tony and Phil's dad,

when you were at Louisiana Tech and you and mom were living in Vettville and you had me and what did the dean of was a dean of housing or something somebody came and paid you a visit I've heard you tell you I've told them it was the dean of men Dean of Men

When somebody says you have to go to the dean of men's office That means There's a problem The Dean of Women? If they said they have a dean of women One of the students at a major university just for men. If you are dictated and told, go to the Dean of Men's office 10 o'clock on Friday morning,

that means there's a problem. So I go in, ready for the problem, and I thought, why would you be wanting to talk to me for? Did they have a Dean of Women? Yeah. Yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah. Remember the street you live on?

What's that street called? I said, let's see. Scholar Drive? Scholar Drive. He said, Scholar Drive. He said, the president of the university had some dignitaries over

and we're driving by and we're driving on Scholar Drive. And as we passed each student's house, we were impressed with, you know, their yard work and all. But when we got to your house, he said, Phil, I don't know how to say, this. He said, but it's, it's not a good reflection of Louisiana tech. It's just, I said,

you mean all my equipment? He said, he said, I mean all of that junk. I said, well, what in the world? You want me to do about it? He said, get it out of sight. No junk on Scholar Drive. No junk. So he was trying to get me to, so that's one of the, that was one of the greatest lessons I ever learned while going to college, always have a neat yard or you can't pass this test. And you have two degrees in Louisiana. All he was talking about was decoys, nets, aluminum boats, motors. That needs to be your next book. Look, no junk on Scholar Drive.

That's it. That's a great ring to it. And you learned that lesson because your whole life has never looked like that again. The junkyard on Scholar Drive. Plus, one time the coaches came and paid me a visit. and I'd happen to shot a deer out of season, which I decide out of mine. So when they knock on the door, Mr.

Mr. Lentatization. Well, hey, coach, how are you doing? So two or three coaches walk in there, and then going into the bedroom, I had a hook up in the doorway, and I had the deer hanging there, and I was skinning the deer. With the number three whyshto, by the way.

Of course, it was blood and guts coming out of the deer inside the house. They said, what are you doing? I said, out of side. out of mind, boys. I said sometime you've got to clean them when no one knows you're cleaning them. Until there's a knock on the door. They're still talking about that one. So it's at the risk of sounding like Skip Cuvion.

I can remember that duplex we lived in. And I still remember that thing your time out that was between those two door posts where those deer would hang because that wasn't the only time it ever happened. So it was really interesting because I was there until I was four years old. So I can remember Bradshaw coming by. I mean, you just had those. kind of flashes of memory that happened during that pretty time. It's hard to be a woodsman and receive a college education simultaneously.

And yet you did it. Hey, I pull it off. And a fisherman. Let's take a quick break. What I was going to say, just to supply some spiritual. And the reason I turned to Act 17, I think here, now I have a new sister and her husband, Tony, who is an artist, no problem. Weirdness is in in our family.

You figured that. Which is why we love Tony so much. He just fits right. And when I was doing my research, because it wasn't exciting about my new sister, I'm like, okay, they spent five years in Nicaragua. I had just adopted, well, acquired a Nicaraguan daughter. And you just happened. He didn't buyer people.

He just happened to be in Nicaragua while we were doing our silly show. That God used to plant a seed in over 100 countries that it's okay to pray together to a real God as a family. But it made me think of this verse, here we are today talking about this, in Acts 17, which is probably one of my most used verses, especially when I'm sharing Jesus

with someone for the first time, because they're asking themselves or have thought about many times, how did I get here and why am I here? And when you read Acts 17, I think it just, it makes sense. It brings some clarity to unanswered, questions in our life.

So what he said was, he says, in Acts 1726, he says, from one man, God made every nation of men that they should live on the earth, and he determined the time set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. That's great. It does. It does.

Because a lot of times you say, well, how did this happen? Why did this happen? How did it all end up here? And then you read that and you think, oh, okay. It was God's plan, even though it might look confusing to us along the way. Which is a question I have for both y'all. And that was a perfect segue to it, Jay. So, you know, now that we know each other so well, and I'm still learning history,

every time we're together, we talk about growing up. I meet more Tony's family. this last time so I'll learn more about your childhood. So it seemed like to me God's favor was on both of you and I know you fellas for sure. Again, Jason is right.

Outside of our inability, we don't have the ability to see around time so we can only just do the years as they go along. Obviously God had the whole, he knew everything it was going to happen. But you guys I mean, you really shouldn't be as

I used the word normal with this crowd but you shouldn't be as set as you are, both faithwise and all that, based on how you grew up. I mean, it's just, and we talk about a lot in our family. Dad and I both shared our testimony this week on another podcast. So how did that happen? I mean, where do you think that came from? What was driving you? Because, Phyllis, you literally did it on your own.

I don't know about Tony's beginnings, but I know yours was that way. I just have to, you know, we did find one scripture. I forget where we found that scripture about, generation after generation it seems to me that when you gave your heart to Christ in 75 while I was still

in my mother's womb that that grace that was poured out over you and over your family as the leader of your family it's like God knew that I was there and existed. Somehow extended to you. And it extended to me because otherwise

it doesn't make a whole lot of sense being the way that I was the way that I wanted to go to church, the way that I wanted to serve God, the way that I approached life. And then just some things, we were talking about it yesterday, just how differently I view the world. So some of it I think is just genetics. Some of it I think is God's grace. And I've always known that God had his hand on me. I didn't know why.

I just thought, okay, well, I met Tony, someone who, you know, I wanted to be in missions, met him our first date. He's already been to Japan. He had lived with a pastor. He taught English as a segue to the gospel. So we talked about, hey, wow, met another Christian, met somebody who wants to serve Christ on the mission field. Like, this is looking like, you know, a perfect match. And we did short-term mission trip after short-term mission trip after short-term mission trip. And finally went on the mission field full-time to Nicaragua.

Like you said, we love Karina, by the way. She's adorable. And we, it's just like I thought God just was preparing me for the life that he had set before me. But it seems like 2020, there's more. there's more maybe here to this story that God wants to do. So there definitely, there were, you know, there have been great people and still are great people in my life who are influencers in my life.

But there was a lot of hardship. There was a lot of hardship. And so, but God just got me through it. God got me through it. You know, somebody, that podcast we did this week, Dad, I thought Ken made an interesting point I'd never thought about it. We talked about who would you say are the greatest men of the Old Testament, you know, and you think, well, if you could pick three.

And so I was like, well, Abraham, Moses, you know, the people, but he, and then he said three, it was, it was Daniel, Job, and somebody else. And he said, Elijah is, and it was people who had been under extreme duress and had had the ability to overcome that and still be faithful, you know, to God. And I thought, man, that's a really interesting point. You know, we look at greatness in different ways. Sometimes greatness is enduring and still having a faith, you know, which is powerful, which is sort of your life.

about you Tony? I mean, because we talk a lot on this last trip about some of the difficulties you have. What about on the face side? Where did that come into place? Growing up, I grew up with a little brother about 20 months younger than me, and mom took us to church every Sunday. And so I grew up with learning a foundation, having a biblical foundation, going to Sunday school, learning all the Bible stories and learning scripture. And I too felt like that somehow, and it was kind of hard to really put it in words, but just felt that God had his hand on my life, just that he was kind of there. And, you know, my late teen years, I kind of got a little restless, and just church just wasn't filling me anymore, just wasn't meeting my need. And so I decided to go to another church.

And there, I heard the, at the age of 19, I heard the gospel for the very first time. So how can you go 19 years in church without hearing the gospel of Jesus? Christ. And you can. You go to church every week and still not really get it. And so I heard it in a very concise, easy to understand way. And so I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And from there, I was involved, active in church. And so we had, you know, different backgrounds. I'm from Iowa, and she's from Louisiana. And I grew up in the same house for 21 years. And it's actually, the house that my mom grew up and lived in. And so it was very stable like that. And we moved every two or three, four, six months from the time I was born.

So when did you know you were artistically inclined? Oh, ever since I could remember, it was I got serious with art at the age of 10 because my parents for my birthday got me a master art studio set. And I still have the picture today of this big box on my lap. So they must have seen something before. Yeah, they had noticed that. Ever since I could remember. You were drawing and stuff.

drawing and painting said of going out and, you know, I went out and played some ball, played in the yard. That's a gift. 100%. It's like playing a guitar, you know, jubles. I was wondering if we were going to get to jubel. Genesis. You need to find the one who was the artist. I know.

And I did. But if you watch artists like you, you're like, how in the world? If you don't have the gift, you have no idea how they do it. That's it. I mean. So that just came to you early. It did. And you know, and we had that.

conversation, the father of musicians today, Jubal, and there is a guy back in, and I didn't prepare for this, you know, so I can't remember his name. We're not prepared. We've been preparing for this a whole lot. We've been preparing for being unprepared. That's what we do. But God actually, gosh, was Genesis or Exodus? God called him out by name and said, you know, you're going to build the tabernacle and, you know, the Ark of the Covenant. I'm going to have Moses, I'm going to have this guy do this. And can help to think that he might be the father of all. artist today. Of the artists, yeah.

Because there was a lot of beautiful stuff that definitely went along with everything that you saw. And you're right, God gave all those instructions. Sometimes we're a little bit harsh on structures and things like that. But, you know, God asked for most of those to be built. There were reasons why, because he was preparing us for what we have now. Now we are the artwork of God. We're the Holy Temple. You know, we're the thing that sings the praises, you know.

It's not just that structure anymore. So it's kind of interesting how he does it. Let's take another. break. So I wanted to, we told the story on the podcast when you were here, Phyllis, I mean, the first go through. But there were a couple of things now that Tony's on here. I wanted to kind of revisit that because I was thinking about it knowing you guys were coming on. I thought, that was only like 10 months ago. I mean, I mean, that seems super weird now. We've only been here three months, three and a half months. Well, what I'm saying. Actually, tomorrow marks the,

tomorrow marks the day that we've been in the year 2020, five years. That's right. I think you're right. So I don't know if it's because of everything we've dealt with this year, that I found that hard to believe that when this year started was when the process started for you to reach out to us. And so I was just, I made a note of this.

So December 29th, 2019, which was a Sunday, dad, you preached at Weiss Fair Road. It was, it was somebody wanted to do a state of the union, Jay's poo-pooh that. So we got... He wasn't even paying attention. Well, I was looking up this verse. You're looking at your...

You're looking at your... You're looking at your stop market. That's what he's got. Exodus 31. Where's the stop market? You up or down? I'm up. I was looking up your verse, which is Exodus 30.

Okay. Oh, it's great. No, it says... Where was it? Just had it. It says... And he is... He has failed.

This is Exodus... Hold on. Is it 31? I'm glad you looked at it. 31 says to make artistic designs for work in gold and silver and in bronze. But 35, actually it's 35, says he has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer in blue and in purple and in scarlet material and fine. And yeah. So I'm like, so that was all the difference.

I was making, I was checking you. I was making sure you just wasn't. That's right. I didn't remember. You know, somewhere. in the bow it says how many times if you heard people leave now what is this about the state of the union what are you talking about so i was i was setting the stage to tell a story about the sunday that you guys came with your boys because you were visiting family in louisiana tell me that wasn't

a plan from god oh it has to be and so and of all the days you're talking about i'm pooping on the state of the union i'm giving let me give a PSA no i was saying that in a positive way during the holidays yeah but that was that was i mean i had to fight you for this. At our church for years, they've always had a, here's the state of the church at the end of the year. And so I marched up there as a volunteer member. I don't have any ties there. Nobody's paying me anything. And I said, why do we do this during the holidays of having a state of the church? And they're like, do you have a problem with that? I was like, yeah. And they said, why? I said, nobody cares. I said, all these people from holidays, people, family,

come in from all over the world and they have to sit here and listen to the state of our church. I've never seen him more animated. It will get in time about it. How do you really feel about it, Jays? I said, why don't we have a celebration of Jesus since it's during the holidays and it's the time between Christmas and New Year's so you can focus on Jesus, get fired up, and then make some changes. And they said, fine with us, you do it. But that's the first thing. If you come in with saying, I've got a better idea than as a volunteer. The next thing is going to be at our church is then you do it.

So I call Phil. And we, that's how that happened. But I didn't know God was working kind of from the big picture. Yeah. Well, I did the Lord's Supper and you did the sermon. Jays was in charge. It's the first time in the history of Wavesford Road that Jays has been in charge of a Sunday morning. I was gone.

All the other guys were gone. Trent was gone. Which I figured out why they do the state of the church. Because everybody's done. Because they're all gone. So they don't have to listen to it. I said, it's literally like, I mean, I ripped it. I gave you the clean version, but I was like, have you ever heard dogs howling in the middle of the night?

And I was like, that's how uncomfortable. We have a blue healer. Yeah, I said, what about, so Jason? I'm upset about this. Right before you get to the point, I got to say, when he was going through that whole thing, it reminded me of Steve Martin in planes, trains, and automobiles, when he's just ripping into John Kennedy, he says, you know, when you have your, you tell your little stories. Here's something. Have a point.

It's so much more meaningful to the listener. I should have used that. That was pretty good. All right. So I was setting the stage till Jason goes off on the rant when we woke him up. That Sunday, you were preaching. Jace was running the whole assembly in place of state of the union. I did the Lord's up.

And what neither one of you knew was that in the audience that day was your daughter. who he had no idea about yet and Tony and their two boys. It was just a who I met. It was just y'all. Now, y'all have to talk about that. You know, I've already apologized this. I want to tell the story because we hadn't told that. I had to apologize to y'all because I was, I mean a lot of people everywhere.

And so. You were so friendly. And see, at that point, we didn't have much of a frame of reference for what that probably looks like to you on a normal basis. But start with the part about you not getting out of the car. So we had a letter prepared to bring to you. because I just wanted to protect your privacy and just let you have a chance. You'd already mail two copies. Yes, I sent one to the church.

I sent one to the business and then I wanted to hand deliver one because I wound up. I wound up with both of them, by the way, in a weird turn of events. And not him. That's really, you know, God does what God does. Because the first one I never opened, and so I got a second one. That's why we did three. Would we admit you all sooner if you were there and we handed the letter to you? Yeah, probably.

Maybe. I mean, no offense. Don't put him up on a pet. You did awesome, Jase. You did exactly what you're supposed to do. So we drove down, and it was because we had kind of looked around the White Thayer Road Church Christ website, and we were looking to see, you know, how can we get a letter to you? And when we were doing that, we found that you would be preaching that Sunday.

And I'm like, well, we were coming down anyway to visit an old friend of ours. So we stopped in and we went to church there. We pulled up in the parking lot, though, and I was nervous. And I was just like, do I do this? Like what, you know, this is, I'm looking around and people are walking into church with full beards and camo. And I'm like, these folks are actually coming. They look like Doug Dynasty looking people.

We started a movement. Yeah. I mean, you did. And they knew you were there. And I think you had people come in to visit. A ton. To Jason's point, it's a great day to have that up. By the way.

They were excited. Attendance was way up. I'm sure we'll do it from now on. It was. It was. It was. It was great. but I was still nervous and I'm like,

I don't know if I can do this, take deep breaths. He's the guy who's like, come on, you can do this. So we make it from the car through the parking lot and inside. And then I'm just,

I just feel like exposed. I don't know the better word for it. So when you see me walk out, you knew, did you know or do you just think of some gray beard? Oh, I knew who you were. I knew you were.

You had, also you had armed guards around you. There's a thing on the internet. You can look up images of actual people and it is the exact pictures. All over the internet, they are pictures, so she... Well, I love worship. We've talked about that some.

I love worship. I've led worship, been on a worship team for 20-something years. And so when we got there and we were seated, you all were practicing before service started. So before service ever started, they were going over their song that they were going to, their special song. And I actually was there.

I wasn't, because I was in charge of that, Missy and I. Yeah. So that was why we were there. It was very settling. It was very calming. You know, you just have that atmosphere, begin to have that atmosphere of worship.

And so I really think that helped just to kind of settle my nerves a little bit. But then when it was time, you did come in. I'm like, there's these guys around him. I'm not thinking I'm just going to walk up and hand you a letter. Especially right before he speaks. So anyway, the service goes on. And at one point, Tony's like, are you going to go give the letter? And then the service is over.

And then you were out. She was. And I was like, you know, I think. That doesn't hang around to chit-chat. I'm like, what am I? And I guess I just kind of took one of those big, deep breaths and pulled up my britches and said, I'm going to go give the letter to you. I'm like, I'm just doing it.

And I got up and I walked and just kind of like blinders on. Yeah. I got out of her way and she's just making a beeline for the front. So you were super friendly. I said, hey, I have this letter for your dad. It's really important to me. Could you make sure he gets it? Sure, sure.

And you kind of patted Tony on the shoulder. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like we're so glad you came down. Where are you folks from? You know, we're from Missouri. And okay, great.

We're so glad to have. you're thinking, man, this is, this was a success, what you decided to do. So hang up, let's take a break. And so just so you know, which now we know we're all family, but so hundreds of people have done what you just said. That's why I don't remember. I have no idea. I mean, zero memory.

I mean, zero. Can you get this to Ms. Kay? I'm the biggest fan. So I'm from Wisconsin. I'm really, I mean, it's just. More than hundreds. More than hundreds. Probably thousands.

So just so you know. See, and I had, I just really didn't realize that. I think that's common. I mean, because you don't. Because you know, a day in the life is that every day. I don't think I've gone a day without signing something or in my life in the last 10 years. So it just, it all rose together. When did anyone get around to reading the note?

Not too long after that. That particular copy I never read. I have no memory of where it's at. You put it in a bag. There's a bag that you had sitting on the bag. You're going to find it somewhere. there. If you find it, you can totally disregard it.

Thank you. We've worked it out. I never. Oh, we got in touch. So here's his. Who had it and gave it to me? So here's what I happened. Then there was another copy that served.

See, we made multiple copies. And then I had a copy. When I was coming down to do the podcast, maybe a couple weeks later. It was two weeks later. I stopped in to the commander to get something because I occasionally stopped there. Well, they handed me. your mail and said, can you give this to Phil?

Which they shouldn't have gave it to me because when I got down here and saw, I forgot about that. And we're back again. So we did the podcast, you left. And when I walked back out of my truck, I thought, oh, I got Phil's mail. And back then we didn't meet where we do now.

We were at a different location. So I got it and handed it to Al. And Al started, he opened it and started reading it No, I had actually already opened the copies into the church. When you brought the mail in, I was reading it. And you said, here's the same letter. Oh, that's what happened. Yeah.

So we both had a copy. So I look at it, and I'm just kind of like, there's DNA. Oh, yeah, these people think they're related to us. Then I looked down and I was like, I just set it aside and I started looking through some more stuff. So then Jay's was reading it. He said, they're saying more than they're related to us. this person says she's Phil's daughter.

Then I look back at it and I'm saying, and I skim to the picture though and I said, I think you are to look into this. So I look back at it. So here's what, so I said,

oh no, Jace, this is, it says, it says 1975. That's what it's so funny. I said 75. He was a Christian in 75.

This wouldn't have happened after he came to the Lord and I said, these people, you know, and that was it. And so like, remember, I started doing the math.

I said, I don't know, that would work. I said there was a few months in the transition. Because I was remembering, it wasn't like when you came to the Lord, all the mischief stopped. It was a little bumpy, I think was my phrase. What did you say, Dad, you did?

You zigzag a little bit. I said, it was bumpy. And I said, I'm telling you, that picture, just something is telling me. So I was like, okay. I felt strongly about it. So I didn't throw it away, thank the Lord. I just left it laying right there on this table in your bedroom now. And so the next week we came back to do the podcast.

I picked it up again, and Jason decided, so I said, Jason, after dad, before dad got there that time, and I said, I'm going to look into this and see you. Maybe I can figure something out. So that's where the process started. It was another week before I talked to Zach, and we tried to figure out how to do it and all that. I want to say this, I honestly think me meeting y'all indirectly,

because I didn't know, because you didn't tell me that's who you were. But I think when I saw the picture. Oh, maybe it did. I didn't thought about that. I just think there was something, because I thought at the time, I guess God just was like telling me, because I remember having that feeling that day when I read that and looked and I said, Ow, I think you're going to look into this. So maybe it was since I had just met you when you look at it all like that.

It could have been or just like I said, God orchestrates. Yeah. We're supposed to live. We're supposed to be providential. So it took a few weeks to make it all happen. But then when we finally got the DNA test and that obviously confirmed it. But it was funny because Jace can tell you this too, by our conversations before. before we met you, both I text you and I text each other pretty much every day, and then even

our phone conversations. I mean, I just, I knew then. Like, it was never a question of not knowing, even before we got the test result. And so I feel like it's the strangest thing because there is DNA. There is all that there. And once you can get, you know, once you accept that truth, that it really is true, then it's like it's natural. And I tell people all the time that the weirdest thing for me is that, you know, you know,

We've never had an awkward moment. Not when we met you. Not when we were talking, setting up the time. I mean, it just, to me, it always felt right once we established the connection. So it's just something about that. I don't know when I called you in the Batten order. It was after the worship conference. You were on your way home.

You had been on a worship conference. But I didn't know how much of the family you had met. I think you may have been the last one. Willie sent me a text. Jep called with a group of people that called. But I'm saying I called you. just in i don't know if you had talked to anybody like without text or whatever but i remember we talked for like an hour right and uh i was like i felt like i was like oh she's my sister i remember

telling missy i was like if i'd had that conversation first i was like i could have saved him some money on a dna test because it was just i just knew which is to me what i try to share the same principle about jesus it's like when i first was looking into following jesus i hope that you it was true. I was trying to prove it wrong where I was, but once I experienced, you know, being in Jesus, I'm like, oh, I know he's from God. It was like, because people say, how do you have that confidence? But it's the same thing. That's why this is relationship oriented. Once you get to know somebody, it kind of clears up all the loose ends. I think you're right. And, you know, it's funny. So we went on a trip with Phyllis and Tony fairly early.

Well, it was right before COVID, right before the country shut down. and we were in Branson together. And Phyllis, you know how Willie takes his toes and puts them overlaps them all of his toes? Because he's been doing it since he was a kid. Anything will show up on the podcast. That was one of the many reasons that started many fights. So listen to this, you haven't heard this story.

So Lisa looks over it and she looks at him and she says, look at Phyllis's toes. Phyllis has overlapped all of her toes. And they're sitting on the coffee table. And she takes a picture of it, sends it to Willie. and Willie says, well, if you'd have sent me this back before the DNA, we'd have to say it just says a lot of trouble. Same thing.

It was so funny. It was like, I've never seen anybody do that but Willie. So there must have been something in there. It's crazy. Let's take one last break. Just our last segment, I want to talk about your art, Tony. I want to let our folks know about it because the opportunity, because of you guys moving here now, the opportunity we've been able to have

is that you've been able to really kind of dive into your artwork and really focus on it, you know, which has been great. Of course, you had two sons that got married. Now, this is the, I think we've talked about the print before. Can we get a good look? Yeah, there it is. Awesome. For those of you watching it, tell us first this particular painting,

why you painted it and who you gave it to. Sure. Well, we knew that we were going to meet you all for the first time. Back in, it was February 21st. So we decided that, you know, we want to bring a gift, bring something upon the first time meeting. So I painted this oil. painting here of a wood duck and presented it to fill in Miss Kay as a gift. And so it hangs now in

Ms. Kay's private collection, which is a... Boy, I do that was good at. Which is, which means it's hanging on her wall in a living room. Right behind her chair. Right. And I've had a lot of people comment on it. So I thought, you know what, I'm going to make some prints of this. And so... And I was unsure about that at first. I'm like, that's special. That's just for them. And he's like, but people really love that. So he asked her, and of course, you know, Ms. Kay's like, oh, sure, make copies. So you got a limited edition. You're doing 500 of it. 500. 500. Limited edition. And then mom and dad are going to sign every print. Every one of them. It's not a digital portrait of a wood duck that I've ever seen.

It's just like one. I hope you're watching. And he's got a little reflection of him down down the water which was a nice little touch. As an art connoissell? That would be hard to do. Listen to this, yeah. So they're not digital signatures, the actual signatures, Phil and Ms. K. and myself as the artist, and each one is signed and numbered. Limited edition 500.

So tell folks how they can get them. Sure. If you go to tonythomasart.com and it's right there on the website, you click on it, you buy it, and after you click on checkout, just add fill, fill in the discount code and I'm offering 20% off. There you are. And ashamed listeners, you've got a good deal on top of that, which is awesome. And I wanted to be sure and tell folks about it before Christmas because it'd be a great, it'd be a great gift to somebody. I mean, artists are weird, but you have to have them.

I mean, you need them. And obviously, we've established from Exodus that God is the one who invented. Hey, right? I had to let it up. It's foundation. I don't. You know, well, first, you know. You know, God created the heavens and the earth.

So he's a creator. It's beautiful. He is the greatest artist of all time. I like where you're going. That's what I was doing. But we don't have enough time for all of that. No, you're right on target. Yeah, he is the greatest artist of all time.

And, you know, where we get the elements and the principles of design, the elements of art today comes from God's creation. Correct. You know, line, color, shape, form, and all those things. That's face it, James. It's foundation is in God. Yeah. Salt water could not have

What department in saltwater Put that kind of color on a bird A duck? That's just one of many. That would be the department in salt water. And what department in saltwater then Gave the guy the ability to then paint it Where it looked exactly like the actual bird?

I think that would also be in the luck Department. I mean, come on. It's just too much, right? I was trying to think of a department that I no longer used. You know, the longer I've been in Jesus than unless I use the word luck.

But if you were saying that it was built from saltwater, well, that would be a major department luck. I mean. So you also did, which I was able to observe, both your painting of it and then you're giving it. You did portraits. Your two sons got married this year. Those were amazing.

When I saw that, I thought it was somebody had taken a picture, and I thought, well, that's neat. He's like, oh, he painted that? Because you had never believed someone actually painted that. So if it's okay with you, we'll show a picture of that to our audience. Tell them how long it took you to paint it. So about each one took me about five or six weeks. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

Painting almost every day. You don't just, oh, let me knock this one out for you. But those are of some size. Those are like 24 by 30. Those take a while. Really impressive. Well, it was such a beautiful, to me, such a beautiful wedding gift to your kids because, you know, both the pictures that you used

to then do the painting, it captured them so brilliantly, like their personalities. I mean, it was just, it was really well done. And I mean, what, what better thing could you give them than your ability and your art? And as an artist, that's what you try to do. You're not just trying to, you know, I work off of photographs. People ask me that all the time. Well, can I send you a photo and do a painting? And so, yeah, there's a place on my website. You can click on on custom painting, submit a photo, and I'll give you a quote. But I try to go beyond that to capture their personality, who they are, try to capture the essence of what's going on.

The type of event, is it romantic or is it lively or whatever? And I think that's the difference, for me, I mean, I'm no art person. But when I saw it, like, you painted one of an older gentleman, and he had like one of those either World War II or Korean War. Korean veteran. Korean veteran hats. Yeah. And, you know, it was somebody commissioned.

You did it as her dad or whatever. But when you were working on it, and when you finished out, I looked at that, and it was interesting because I could just look at a picture and think, hey, that's an old guy was a Korean vet. But when I saw your painting, it felt more connected to who this person was. You used to look at you think, man, this old guy, he was probably patriot through and through somebody's grandpa. I mean, like it brings out more to life in a painting, you know.

And think about it. were around obviously way longer than photographs right I mean in the day that's how you knew so and you're trying to capture what's important for that for that painting maybe his hat was important because that says who he is right if I did a portrait of Jace maybe it's his beard maybe it's his hat or something about it or maybe it's someone's hands that that says a lot about them and that's what you're wanting to capture oh yeah which is right and so and you don't really nobody taught you that right I mean that just was that

there, right? And it's just developed as you've gotten older. You know, people say all the time, oh, you're so talented and everything, but I just have to say it is 100% a gift from God. Right. I mean, you have to work, you have to work in that process, and you have to develop it, but it is a God thing. So I'm very thankful for that. I remember this story popped into my head, but I remember Cy telling the story about he had a, he was dating some girl, and he brought her to meet the family and one of his aunts. that I don't think we never got to know. She would always just say something nice about everything.

And sigh was like, but I'm going to tell you, I like this girl, but she's ugly. And he said, I was wondering, what is she going to say? I mean, because she's just, you know, sigh telling the story. He was probably embellishing on how ugly she was. And I was like, well, Sa, why were you with her? He's like, that's not the point. So he gets there with her. And he said, here she came with the aunt.

She said, you have such a beautiful. and so I was on the edge of my seats and what is he going to say? You have a beautiful neck. He said, I knew right there. You can find something nice to say. You can find something positive. That's the artist.

See, was highlighting the neck. What's important? He's skilled at that, by the way. He can actually say something positive about something. The rest of us are like going, he's like, oh, but this is wonderful. He can do that pretty quickly. Tony, anything else?

Yeah, I was going to say, going back to the wood duck print, we get a lot of emails, a lot of letters coming in talking about how meaningful it is, which I didn't think that would even happen. Someone would write in and send us an email and say, hey, I heard your wife's story. I found my dad too, and I really want to buy that wood duck print because it's a symbol of that event, reconnection, that's a good word, of redemption. forgiveness. And I had another person write in and said that her and her husband was going through a rough patch. And she referred to it, she says, I want to buy your wood duck print, referred to it

as a beacon of hope. And she wanted it in her home because it was a symbol that God's not finished yet. And so that's really, I mean, that's more than art, you know, to me. That's meaningful. It is. That's not. And ministry. And so I'm very thankful for that. I think that's the whole reason God decided to put Jesus on a cross because when you see a cross now, it's symbolic. Yeah, it goes to. Which is interesting because you're right from a Christian's view, I mean, that's a torturous, terrible. It would be like an electric chair if you just looked at it for what it does. But when you think about what it held, that's why it's been such, how much artwork includes

crosses now for the last 2,000 years? He's taking me to Italy and I can tell you. More than you want to say in a trip, right? A thousand paintings with crosses in it. Well, you know, that went by fast. I'm glad y'all came. We'll just have to update. Glad you got to see me.

I'm glad I got to see you too. So check out tonythomasart.com. So check it out and get one of those prints if you'd like for Christmas. Yeah, thank you. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes.

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