Interview with Theresa Conbeer

TNG Radio, where today's culture and timeless truths come together. It's reasoned relevant content apologetics, worldview, and answers to the questions that you need to know. From Alex McFarland Ministries, this is Truth for a New Generation Radio. And now the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Welcome to Truth for a New Generation Radio.

Alex McFarland here on the road in Florida, and I'll tell you a little bit about that in a moment, but I welcome you to the program. And I want to begin by talking about the Old Testament story of Job. Everybody I'm sure is familiar with the story of Job, and we've even got sayings like, so-and-so has the patience of Job. Because in the Old Testament, Job went through a number of trials.

Actually, as I count, 17 types of trials. And Job didn't know it, but there was a spiritual battle going on, because Satan had basically said to God, look, Job only follows you because you've blessed him. Job is a successful man, he's prosperous, he's got a great family, and let me hurt him, let me oppress him, and Job will curse you to your face. And God says no. You can do anything, but you can't kill him. And so Job goes through 17 types of trials, unimaginable pain, and really, although he didn't know it at the time, he was, among other things, he was growing in his trust of God, he was growing in his understanding of God, but also, and this may be why we at least in part go through some pains, Job was silencing the accusations of Satan.

Things going on, a battle going on in the unseen realm, and in honoring God, he was really, quite literally, shutting the mouth of Satan, the accuser. And I welcome you to the program, and I'm so excited today, we've got a very special guest. I'm on the road in Florida, and those of you who listen to the program, you know I meet a lot of fascinating people traveling across America, and one such person is with me today. Her name is Teresa Conbier, who is in Florida, although her family, as I understand it, Teresa, you all are from upstate New York, is that right?

That's correct. And whereabouts in New York? We're upstate New York, about an hour west of Albany, in Fonda, a village called Fonda.

Fonda. And your family has a farm, right? We do, yes. It's called Conbier's Farm. Well, I relate to that, having grown up on a farm in North Carolina. What types of farming do you all do? Right now, it's organic produce and berries. We do a lot of organic strawberries, pick your own strawberry fields, and blueberries, raspberries, things like that. We have a canning business, and then my dad sells some hay. We used to do more animals, cows, and then we did agritourism, like pumpkin picking and things like that. Yeah, I hear more and more about agritourism. I think people like the idea of a farm, but maybe not necessarily all the hard work that goes with it, right?

It's more of a vacation or something, to see how it was back in the day. And the Conbiers are a Christian family, right? Right. And you're a believer? I am, yes. At what age did you come to Christ? I came to know Jesus at the age of seven.

My parents had told me about him growing up, and we studied the Bible growing up, but I didn't trust him as my personal Savior until I went to a Christian day camp and just recognized my sin and my need for a Savior. How is the Christian presence in the Upper Northeast now? You know, I read about the Great Awakenings, and where you all live in New York State, at one time in our nation's history was just ablaze with the Gospel. How's the Christian presence up that way now? Hmm, that's a good question. I would say there are many Christians, but the large majority I would say they would answer that they are Christians, but I'm not sure the depth of their relationship with Christ.

So let me share this. I want your response. I travel a lot to universities, and very often I'll meet people who don't believe in God, or they're not Christians, and a lot of times they'll say, well, they've rejected God because of the pain and suffering in the world. If God is real, why are there wars?

Why is there terrorism? Why did Dad abandon us? You know, why did Mom get cancer? What's your opinion on those that maybe reject Jesus and walk away from God because of pain and suffering? I would say my response would be a response of compassion. I think that's the response that I've learned that Jesus would have when people rejected him all throughout Scripture and his life here on earth.

And I actually had the opportunity last year to intern at a women's residential treatment facility where I worked with women struggling with drug and alcohol abuse and self-harm, eating disorders, things like that. And so there was a lot of suffering and pain that I was confronted with, and to hear their stories just is very painful to even sit and listen. And I actually struggled with that same question, why would God allow these things to happen to these young ladies?

Some of them chose that path, and some of them did not. And so I wrestled with that, but just as I looked more into God's Word and learned more about who God is, he's a God of love, and we blame things that happen often on him because he is sovereign and in control. But we forget that we're at war in this world, and Satan is constantly wanting to attack and destroy everything that Jesus is trying to accomplish. You know, I think about John 10, verse 10, that says, the thief comes to steal, to kill, to destroy. Jesus said, I've come that you might have life and life more abundantly. Just like in the time of Job, that has been Satan's modus operandi, to steal, to kill, to destroy. We're going to continue our conversation with Teresa Conbier, and you're not going to believe what you're about to hear, so I don't want you to miss any of it. Truth for New Generation Radio is going to be back right after this.

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The Bible says, when we seek him, we will find him. Jonah was not perfect. Before the story is over, he will sin again. But let us see that when Jonah turned to God, he was blessed by God. It's a timeless truth we should hold on to today.

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That's liberty.edu backslash explore to learn more. For apologetics resources, books by Alex McFarland, and to find out where Alex is speaking, visit alexmcfarland.com. Welcome back to TNG Radio, and you know, as 2019 draws to a close, I want to thank everybody who's prayed for us this year. We've had an amazing year of ministry. We had our camp, our apologetics camp. Youth from seven states came, and everybody there, literally every teen at the camp made a decision for Christ.

It was just an amazing thing. And we had several Truth for a New Generation conferences. And by the time you're hearing this, we just will have wrapped up in Ohio and Maryland. And to everybody who's prayed for this ministry, and literature distribution, events, broadcasting, publishing, I just want to say thanks. And like us, stay committed to reaching people for the gospel. Stay committed. As the new year dawns, as 2020 comes around, a lot of people make resolutions, and you know, they want to set goals for the new year. Set a goal that in 2020 you'll talk to people about Christ, and set a goal that you'll be, more than ever, more than ever, you'll be a witness for the gospel in the new year. Well, somebody who's doing that, and somebody who shines as brightly for Christ as anybody I've met in a long, long time is Teresa Conbier. And we were talking with her, I met her family down here in Florida, although they actually live in upstate New York. But Teresa, let's pick up on the conversation. Before the break we were talking about pain, and how pain alienates people from Jesus sometimes. You know a little bit about that, don't you? You know a little bit firsthand about choosing to trust God even in the midst of unimaginable pain.

And if you would, tell a little bit about that, how you came to understand choosing God even in the midst of pain. Okay, well, about this time last year, October 20th, 2018, I was living life. I was going for it. I had all kinds of goals. I was helping on my family farm. I had, a few months before, come back from doing my internship at a women's residential facility.

And I've always been very interested in biblical counseling. And so I was continuing to pursue that. And then also, I was possibly going back to work for an attorney. I had done that previously as well. And I was just getting back into life after finishing up my internship.

I was also about to get married, so I thought. And on that day, October 20th, I went out to help my family cut firewood. We have an old farmhouse with a wood burning stove.

Oh, I know how that works. Yeah, and so we try to keep a year ahead with the firewood. And I've always enjoyed that since I was a little girl, splitting and stacking the wood and helping haul it back and forth.

And just a few years ago, my dad let me start using the chainsaw and different things. Well, we had just gotten to the woods and gotten started. I was driving the tractor and pulled up next to a falling tree that was on its way down. And I thought, the last thing I remember thinking was, I think that tree will clear me.

I'll be okay here. So I parked the tractor and that was the last thing I remember. It hit a dead tree that came down and kind of splintered and the pieces fell all over my back instantly. It kind of took the wind out of me and so I don't remember anything, by God's grace.

Sometimes we're designed that way where we don't remember traumatic circumstances. But I broke, I was life flighted to Albany Med Hospital and through an MRI, they found out that I broke two vertebrae and two ribs. And then I also had a spinal cord injury, which paralyzed me from the waist down. And the doctors told my parents and my family that I may never walk again and that was the initial prognosis.

And that's just been one year ago, a year and a month. So you're cutting wood, a tree falls on you and your back is broken and suddenly you're not walking anymore. At the moment of impact, you were unconscious then, right? And you woke up in a hospital. What was it like when the realization came over you that, okay, I'm not at the farm, I'm in the hospital and oh, by the way, from the waist down, I'm not moving. What were your thoughts and emotions at that point? Well, you know, I was actually in a lot of pain. And so the doctors, I thank the Lord for them, they were trying to monitor that so I had a lot of medication. So I don't remember a lot for another week or two.

I don't remember being told that necessarily. I think I slowly came to the realization of what had happened and what was going on. I think I probably had quite a bit of emotional pain and things to sort through, just trying to understand what had transpired.

A week after my accident, my boyfriend ended up leaving my life, deciding to leave, which is fine. I've worked through a lot of that and just forgiveness and all of those kinds of things associated with that. But that was probably the biggest thing on my mind for a long time. And then as I realized that I may never walk again, it was hard to think through. Yeah.

Wow. You know, I can let me say this, having counseled a lot of people and done a few weddings over the course of 25 years of ministry, you know, if this accident was something that he just couldn't deal with, you know, in a way it's probably a blessing. But I'm just thinking of the pain that you've gone through.

This accident, you're new, at least in this season of your life, the recovery from the accident. And then that, you know, there are a lot of people that would have gone through less and turned bitter. And yet when I met your mother and you, you're just joyful, you're smiling, you're praising God, you're talking about the goodness of God. How did you, in the midst of this, make a decision to go through this? How did you this maintain such joy and such radiance for your Savior?

It was not an option to blame God because God chose Himself through His Word as a God of love. And we're in a real war with Satan. And so just having an understanding of that, that this is a spiritual battle, and there's an enemy that's real, and how I can respond to this tragedy in a way that's pleasing to Him.

We've got a break. Folks, we're talking with Teresa Conbier, and Truth For A New Generation Radio is back after this. Alex has written many books to help you defend your faith. One of them answers questions from skeptics.

It's cleverly titled, Ten Answers for Skeptics. Today's skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity, and straightforward truth. And in the book, Alex McFarland identifies the ten most common types of skepticism that plague doubters' minds and offers believers proven strategies for connecting intellectually and spiritually with those who are skeptical about the claims of Christianity. Learn how to answer intimidating questions. Identify the root issue behind those questions and dismantle the spiritual bombshells dropped by atheists.

Plus find encouragement to face hostility by persevering in love. The ultimate apologetic Christians can offer as a witness to our loving God. Check out Ten Answers for Skeptics when you visit alexmcfarland.com. 1 Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have. We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like is there a God?

Is the Bible true? What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers Team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come.

864-977-2008 and always be ready. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to Truth for a New Generation Radio. Welcome back to TNG Radio. You know, before the break, Teresa was speaking with us, sharing about her accident, cutting wood on a farm in New York.

A tree fell on her, instantly paralyzed from the waist down. Now for a year and a month, living life in a wheelchair. And I know you've come to Florida to a neurological hospital. I want to talk about that in a minute.

But speak a minute, if you would, to the person out there who's struggling. And you know, the devil is a liar. And we tell ourselves, oh, I'm no good.

I've blown it. God doesn't still love me because I'm, you know, I'm not this. I'm not that. And speak to the person who's struggling to believe in their identity in Christ. And maybe give them self-permission to be at peace in Christ, that he loves us unconditionally. And our circumstances, which are always changing, they really don't define our identity in Jesus, which never changes. Speak to that, if you would.

Wow. That's a great thought, because I have been working through this this past week, so it's fresh on my mind. But I have decided to write down truths about who I am in Christ on index cards. And I wrote down one truth on each one, and I just laid them all out on my bed, and I said, well, if anyone ever asks to see my ID, they can take their pick. And these are things that I try to go through on a daily basis, even first thing when I start my day, just remind myself of who I am, because the enemy does lie.

Satan does tell us little lies, and there are things that we believe and even dwell on. And I have to fight them on a daily basis. And so I understand exactly how that feels. I have to fight things like, I will never amount to anything.

I can't do things by myself. Things like that, those are lies. And just being able to recognize them as lies, the Lord gives us the ability and the strength to recognize that and then to replace them with his truth. And sometimes we don't want to do that. And so we have to fight to believe what is true. And the cool thing is that I've noticed, even on those days and in those moments when I don't want to believe what is true, I'd rather stay a victim to the lies.

It's easier. On those days and in those moments, God's grace is sufficient for that, and he loves us anyway. Those things remain true. The fact that I've been forgiven and chosen and redeemed and accepted in the Beloved, all those things remain true no matter if I'm ready to believe it right now or not. And that just gives just a solid foundation that, okay, I can feel the pain. I can cry right now and in my sinfulness choose to be a victim, but that doesn't change what's true, and what's true today will still be true tomorrow and will never change until I go to eternity to be with him. I think about the solid scriptural foundation you've got that sounds like it's been a real key part of your wonderful outlook. Everything I'm hearing resonates with God's Word.

How important is it that we really build our outlook on the Word of God? So important. I've made a lot of friends with other people. I can't believe the other people that are living with this type of injury. As a family, we've met so many other people dealing with spinal cord injuries, and it teaches you a lot of gratefulness because our injuries are all different. They're all unique, and some of us have more abilities than others.

Some people are paralyzed from the neck down, say, instead of the waist down. And lots of my new friends from this season of life have asked, how do I cope? And I was pondering that question as I hit the one-year mark this past month, and I realized, you know, I really don't because there's no need to just try to survive and make it through because Jesus died on the cross. He was beaten and hung on the cross so that we could be free. And the Bible says, whom the Son sets free will be free indeed. That's free from sin. That's free from suffering.

That's free from pain. And so we're given the victory because Jesus is a victor. We are victors, and I don't have to remain a victim to my pain, to my physical pain, to my emotional pain, to my wheelchair even, and the limitations.

And I confess some days I do live like that, like a victim, but I need to remind myself that I don't need to, that Christ has already paid the price so that I can go free. How can people be praying for you? Because I know your story is going to inspire so many people. Your story inspires me. And I know folks are going to want to be lifting you up in prayer. What would you ask people to pray for, Teresa?

Oh, wow. Well, I'm in the middle of making a transition right now back to my hometown in Fonda, New York. I've been here in Florida since January of this year, so almost a year at the Center for Neurorecovery, and they have helped me come so far. My initial prognosis of having a complete injury we have since found out is not true, and I have a lot going. There's a lot of signals going through my spinal cord and some muscles that have turned on, and we believe Jesus to be a healer.

So we're going home to raise some more funds, and we'll be continuing my exercises there at home. So just praying for peace and wisdom in that whole transition, and that God would continue to prepare the way and help us to trust Him as we go through each step going forward. That would be, I would say, the biggest thing, continued trust in Him and healing for our hearts. And we will pray, and I want to encourage people to pray. And if you want to reach Teresa, you can just write to us at Truth For A New Generation. But Matthew 6, verse 8 says, The Father knows your need even before you ask.

And if Jesus would give His life to address the biggest need, salvation, He does care about the minutia of your life. So turn to Christ. We hope you know the Lord. We hope that you're helping make Him known, and any way that Truth For A New Generation can help you in your walk and witness. We're honored to do that. May God bless you, and thank you for listening. Call us at 877-Yes-God-1.

That's 877-Yes-God and the number 1. Or give online at AlexMcFarland.com. While you're there, listen to program archives, read Alex's blog, invite Alex to speak at your event, or contact Alex with a question or comment. AlexMcFarland.com. Thanks for listening today, and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG Radio.