More Than Conqueror

Saw this on Justin Taylor's blog and had to post it here because it's so good!!

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

(Romans 8:37)

John Piper asks:

What does “more than conquerors” mean?

How can you be more than a conqueror when you risk for the cause of God and get hurt for it?

Answer:

If you venture some act of obedience that magnifies the supreme value of Jesus Christ and get attacked by one of the enemies mentioned in verse 35, say, famine or sword, what must happen for you to be called simply “a conqueror”? Answer: You must not be separated from the love of Jesus Christ. The aim of the attacker is to destroy you, and cut you off from Christ, and bring you to final ruin without God. You are a conqueror if you defeat this aim and remain in the love of Christ. God has promised that this will happen. Trusting this, we risk.
But what must happen in this conflict with famine and sword if you are to be called more than a conqueror? One biblical answer is that a conqueror defeats his enemy, but one who is more than a conqueror subjugates his enemy. A conqueror nullifies the purpose of his enemy; one who is more than a conqueror makes the enemy serve his own purposes. A conqueror strikes down his foe; one who is more than a conqueror makes his foe his slave.
Practically what does this mean? Let’s use Paul’s own words in 2 Corinthians 4:17: “This slight momentary affliction is preparing [effecting, or working, or bringing about] for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” Here we could say that “affliction” is one of the attacking enemies. What has happened in Paul’s conflict with it? It has certainly not separated him from the love of Christ. But even more, it has been taken captive, so to speak. It has been enslaved and made to serve Paul’s everlasting joy. “Affliction,” the former enemy, is now working for Paul. It is preparing for Paul “an eternal weight of glory.” His enemy is now his slave. He has not only conquered his enemy. He has more than conquered him.
Affliction raised his sword to cut off the head of Paul’s faith. But instead the hand of faith snatched the arm of affliction and forced it to cut off part of Paul’s worldliness. Affliction is made the servant of godliness and humility and love. Satan meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. The enemy became Paul’s slave and worked for him an even greater weight of glory than he would have ever had without the fight. In that way Paul—and every follower of Christ—is more than a conqueror.

—John Piper, Don’t Waste Your Life (Wheaton: Crossway, 2003), pp. 96-97.

Memorial Day Weekend

Our dear friends the Chupps took their family to the Willamette National Cemetery last year on Memorial Day Weekend to honor the men and women who have fought in various wars to secure our freedoms. On a last minute whim, we decided to join them this year. I say 'on a last minute whim', but in reality, I had hoped we would make the effort go up there on Monday to, at the very least, visit the gravesite of George and Ruth Tillinghast, Andrew's grandparents. When our friends informed us after church that they were heading to the cemetery right after lunch, we decided it

would be even more memorable if we tagged along with them. It seemed like the right decision for our crew...only, I hadn't come to church prepared. I had no flowers to adorn the tombstone, no camera to capture our visit, no jackets to keep us warm, no knowledge whatsoever of where exactly Grandpa and Grandma had been buried. That's where three loved ones stepped in--Carole, Lou & Kara pulled it together for us. We managed to keep warm with Kara's extra coats, document the event through Kara's camera lens, get the burial site info from Lou

via our cellphone,  and get bits of stories about Grandpa and Grandma from Carole on the drive up so we could share with the kids and our friends as we visit their gravesite. Even our friends' son Colson picked up a discarded flower to adorn the tombstone.



Kiddos listening to Mr. Chupp as he read the story
of a war hero.



Remembering our servicemen and relatives.

Andrew's grandparents burial site.

George Arthur Tillinghast

(Anyone see Dave in this picture?Amazing!!)

Here's a newspaper clipping of their wedding announcement.





Nuptials.



First Lieutenant George Tillinghast, WWII bomber pilot

In our old Tillinghast Bible, I found several old newspaper clippings that helped fill in the details--and set aright some others--on the story we shared by the gravesite. Here's one of them:

Cape Flier Tracks Down Japanese in Jungle

With the Army on Bougainville (AP) - "This ain't no way to treat a flier," gunts First Lieut. George A.Tillinghast, Cape Cod, Mass., as he toils through Bougainville's hot-box jungle and up Bougainville's roof-steep foothills as an air liaison officer. His job is to arrange air strikes on Japanese positions in the almost inaccessible jungle. He likes the assignment in some ways but not the footwork.

    The brawny Tillinghast, a B-24 pilot who has three German subs in the Caribbean, quite a bit of Japanese shipping, and three Zeros to his credit, crash-landged off Munda some time ago. He had been on a raid over Rabaul without benefit of fighter escort and en route home a bevy of Zeros attacked, knocking out two engines. In the crash, Tillinghast broke his arm but saved the crew, which drifted in a rubber boat for two days before being picked up. 

Memorial Day proved to be much more meaningful for our little family this year because of this visit. We left the cemetery sobered by the rows upon rows of American flags and the many wars these brave fallen soldiers have had to wage, and at the same time, so thankful for the sacrifices that have preserved our freedoms as Americans (yes, I can say that now =).

 I pray we will not take these freedoms for granted, and that our government will not declare war too hastily or without justifiable reason.

Session 4 of my Sewing Class

I wanted to tie loose ends and say a few words about my last sewing session, even if, in some ways, the class itself ended on a somewhat anti-climatic note. And that's just fine. It's just a sewing class, after all.

But, today I received good news...and so now I feel it's time to tie..oh, wait...maybe a more a propos term would be sew together all the loose ends with this post.

For my last class, I decided to show up with Kara's borrowed sewing machine. She had offered it to me a couple weeks prior since she hadn't used it yet after 8 years of owning it, and couldn't foresee needing it in the next several months. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about using it, especially after Grandma's machine had its last go under my watch. I also knew it might need to be looked at since it had been stored in the garage and there surely would be a build up of dust and 'gunk' in it after all those years. So I didn't dare work on it from home and it was only after the instructor assured me it was safe to 'test' it that I finally threaded it. Under her supervision, I decided to try out the straight stitch on a scrap of fabric. Right away, I noticed something was wrong. The motor sounded fine and responded to my gentle push on the pedal...and the thread was being fed correctly, but the fabric wouldn't budge. All I could accomplish was a bunched up mess of thread. Oh, great! Now what??

It didn't take us long to figure out that the feed dogs--those grooves that go back and forth and make the fabric move forward-- were floating about doing pretty much nothing. I needed to get Kara's machine serviced and so I reluctantly turned it in to the technician. That was a rather unpleasant dejavu for me! I knew my friend wouldn't want me to spend anything on it, but I really, REALLY wanted this machine to be okay. It had to be! It was practically new, right?

Well, with that weighing on me, I proceeded to make a Tidy Tray, the project of the day, on a different machine. I tried to connect with the other gals in the class as best I could, considering this was our last class and thus my last chance to make inroads. As we sewed, we talked about such topics as garage saling, the store SCRAP, Goodwill runs, and places to go to get great deals on fabric. It was fun to see that, although there were stark differences between us-- two girls had body piercings and tattoos all over while two others' demeanor and fabric choices screamed 'simplicity'--- we could carry a conversation that was engaging for all involved.

But then it was all over too soon. Our project for the week wasn't very extensive so that those who didn't have any drama with their machines (ha!) were able to finish early. Once done, they simply wished the rest of us luck and left. I did manage to exchange phone numbers and email addresses with one gal who'd been especially friendly.

As for Kara's machine, I did not get to find out until today what was to be its fate. I called the store after a week of waiting, thinking that they might have written my phone number down incorrectly and did not have a way to get a hold of me. They quickly assured me that they had the correct phone number and would call me when they'd finally take a look at Kara's machine.

They finally did...and it turns out they were able to fix it for a very minimal charge. What a relief! I'll be getting it back tomorrow and will finally be able to start a couple of projects!!
So thankful....

How the Lord Provides

I've been struck lately on how the Lord provides.
And not just how he meets our material needs--

but the spiritual ones.

The emotional ones.

When feeling spent and miles from where I'd like to be,

suddenly, there's a ram in the thicket.

And even when the ram doesn't come,
the Lamb never fails to.
He's always there--
The Lamb,
The Shepherd of our Souls, 
The Lion of Judah. 

Yes, somehow, He can be all three.
He is all three.
For us.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.

Oh, that I would have Abraham's faith when asked--
"The Lord will provide!"
"He who has promised is faithful!"


He will provide, whether I believe it or not.
That's His nature.

It flows out of His love toward for us.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

The Shepherd and Guardian of our souls will not--
adamantly refuses to be put out by our lack of faith.

"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all,
How will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

I do lack faith at times. I admit it.
I'm a slow learner and need to be retaught--
Over and over and over.
But, thanks be to God!
The mustard seed is growing shoots and roots these days.

When Plan B is So Much Better!

Last Sunday, we had made plans to go hiking and everyone, including Jason, seemed great with the idea.  So it took me a bit by surprise when Andrew suddenly announced that we'd be staying home.

A bit later, I understood why.
 My guess is that, during lunch, he took one too many glances at our tall plum tree in the backyard and decided there and then he couldn't wait one more moment to climb it and prune off its suckers and unruly branches.  He'd borrowed the tools from his dad and so he knew he was all ready to go.

The truth is, he was more than eager to get going. One thing I've learned over the years is that Andrew gets a lot of satisfaction from pruning trees. He always has. And he always seems to know how to make it look right. And of course, he's doubly-motivated when the tree in question has been shedding leaves on our pool and giving our yard too much shade.

Once I knew the reason, I was happy with plan B. I actually think the kids benefited more from the work it provided them than a hike could have done for them. They spent a good chunk of the afternoon picking up sticks and learning how to turn work into fun.  In case you are wondering what I was doing while this was going on, I was definitely praying. I think you'll understand why after the video below.





You might not be able to tell, but he's REALLY enjoying himself!




They couldn't believe how much he'd cut off...and he wasn't done...not even close!




The work begins!





Are you sure about this, Andrew?



Our pile is growing and growing....



Looking better and better!



Sewing Class Part Two & Three: Fun Projects!

As I wrote  in an earlier post, I am taking sewing classes on Mondays, and except for a tragic start (my sewing machine bit the dust..sniff, sniff), I'm LOVING it!!

Unlike what I'd imagined in my mind when I signed up for these classes, Mondays have not been all about sewing for me. There always seems to be some kind of drama before, during, and/or after my 2-hour class.  For instance, I blogged here about how one of those Mondays had been really exciting...and never mentioned anything about my sewing class and how it went. 

But now I will mention something about it. =)
 It was my second sewing class and it went rather smoothly, except for the fact that I pulled a muscle in my calf earlier that morning and could barely put any weight on my leg. I thought to myself, "Oh, no big deal. I can still sit and sew, right?"  Well, it was not going to be a sit-and-sew day for me...but a cut-and-iron-and-cut-and-iron-and-sew-and-iron-and-sew-and-iron kind of session. Without exaggerating,  I probably hopped around the classroom for the equivalent of a walk around the block. I was exhausted after that...but ever so happy to have made this pillow case for Miss Sunshine:

She picked out these fabrics, after changing her mind 3-4 times.

She can't wait to put things in it for our next car trip.

I thought it was cool that they showed us how to sew clean seams.

Feeling great about how the pillow case turned out, I was looking forward to the next class when we'd tackle the next project: a zippered bag! But in usual fashion, this last Monday turned out to be less about sewing then expected. My kids' principal called me Sunday night to see if I could sub in for one of the teachers and I agreed to take on three of her classes (7-9th graders). It was soooo much fun to get back in the classroom! It gave me a little taste of how it'll be for me to teach Spanish next year and gave me great motivation to get ready for that. So, with that all that excitement... and the fact that I'd have to pick up Jason and rush to Isaiah's fake birthday celebration with his classmates right after sewing class, I felt a bit rushed angst throughout the duration of the class. Thankfully, I was able to focus...and well, I'm happy with how my bag turned out!

While sewing this, I decided it would become my pencil case/carry bag for Spanish supplies.

I love bags with a different fabric on the inside..so was so glad to learn how to do this!

It was fun to learn how and when to add a tab like this one.

After all is said and done, I'm actually grateful that this learning of a new skill is not overtaking my  Mondays...or my life, for that matter... and that it's not leaving me out of balance. Yes, I'm blogging about it...and yes, I'm definitely enjoying it....but there's so much more going on besides learning how to sew these days that it's not become the highlight...just a bonus!  I love how God helps me out by giving me the right perspective through the things He allows in my life. He's sooo good!

Anyway...stay tuned for the last sewing post where I hope to write a little about my sewing teachers and my fellow learners. =)

Basketball Days

We've found a new place for our outdoors basketball hoop...

...although I'm not sure I love the idea of my kids playing ball in the street. We live in a fine neighborhood...but well, it still doesn't feel 'safe' to see our 6.5 year old and almost 9-year-old shooting hoops from the middle of the very same street that used to be a 'no-no' to them. As you can imagine, Andrew and I try to be out there as much as possible and the kids are constantly on 'car alert'. Isaiah and Brielle have even made it great fun to 'beat' the cars to their spot on the sidewalk where they sit on their balls and wait for the road to be 'all clear'. 

One thing's for sure, the McNally's old hoop is getting a lot more use these days.
These definitely have been Basketball Days for the Wachsmuth kids, especially Brielle as she sees her skills improving steadily (and her deck of Pokemon cards growing from making more and more shots).

One minor drawback from this is that my plants have seen better days...

...but I don't care. I'd rather see my kids grow up. Besides, I still get to enjoy the view below as I sit on a rock near the hoop and watch my two seedlings become oak trees before my very own eyes.

   

So thankful for the approaching summer...and for the joys of parenthood!!

Gone Fishin' and Tooth Not Gone Missin'

Andrew took Monday off --his one personal day of the school year-- to go fishing with Isaiah and to go to the airport to see his sister Melody off. Isaiah had school but skipped it, knowing he could just double up on the work on Tuesday for a rather long homeschool day. And it was.

But the fishing trip was worth it. He's hooked! And he says he's soooo ready for summer. Aren't we all?!?

The trouts they caught at Hagg Lake on Monday.



Meanwhile, the good little school girl who wouldn't skip school for anything in the whole world lost a tooth while in class. It was actually her second tooth, but the first one that did not end up as part of her dinner. She told us proudly that she pulled it out herself, and after catching her biting on a vice grip in our garage a few days earlier trying to pry the barely loose tooth off, we had no trouble believing her! She wore her tooth around her neck in a special necklace for the rest of the day. She only parted with it when told about the tooth fairy.



Clearly enjoying this 'magical' moment!



Trying to show me the gap left by the tooth she pulled out herself!

80 years old today!!

It's hard to believe it, but my father turned 80 today!!
80 and in good health...80 and still in good spirits.

"As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,

Of if due to strength, eighty years." Psalm 90:10

Due to strength.
That's it.
That's mon papa.

Strong.
Strong-willed.
Strong-armed.

Armed with joy, yes, the strengthening joy of the Lord. (Nehemiah 8:10)
Always joyful. (Philippians 4:4) 
No matter if betrayed, used, or abused.
Remaining joyful.
Not letting bitterness set foot in his heart.
Forgiving, and remaining strong.

Always teaching joy.
With that infectious laugh,
Always bearing gifts of joy.

Oh, the memories of laughter at dinner!
The countless stories that would have to
Come out in spurts between teary, cackling bouts.
The stories that would have us all in stitches
Merely because he was.

Oh, the scares!
The stories that would make my head reel.
How could he! Why would he!

Oh, the joyful songs!
The singing of happy jibberish that
Accompanied us whenever on our way.
Dee-bee-doo-bee-dah...

Oh, the big dreams!
The need to conquer the world.
The 10 children, the buildings, the restaurant,
The bowling alley, the motel, the train.

Oh, the prayers!
The praying when the dream became
A challenge too overwhelming for him.
The calling on the Holy Spirit for help.
The trusting in the everlasting arm.

Oh, Daddy!
Just watching you live has taught me so much.
I pray I'll be able to receive many more memorable lessons from you!
I pray strength and joy will also be my trademarks when I'm your age.
Comme je t'aime, cher papa!!


  

Dad in December with his youngest (my only younger sibling, Myriam)









Sewing Class Part One: A Bumpy Start

A few months ago, it dawned on me that it would do me so much good to learn a new skill. I blogged about it here and since have decided to sign up for sewing classes. I figured it is a good skill to have and one that I can pass on to my daughter someday.  It also made sense for me to choose sewing because I had recently inherited Andrew's grandma's old sewing machine and supplies, and Rosalie, my sister-in-law, had gifted me a neat sewing book with trendy patterns included. If I'm honest, there was something satisfying about learning on Grandma's old burgundy machine. Often believed to lack sentiment, I felt smug that I would be proving 'them' wrong.

 I was undaunted by the fact that it might end up being more difficult to use this Viking machine than the newer computerized  machines on the market these days. I had visions of myself bent over little Brielle working it, fashioning useful and not-so-useful things out of beautiful fabrics.

So I signed up for a four-session class through a local college at a sewing shop nearby. This past Monday was my first 2-hour session, and well...let's just say that at the top of the second hour, things started not going so well for me. By then, I'd become more familiar with my little machine as the teacher had gone over all the different parts and their functions. Grandma had taken great care of keeping all the paraphernalia that came with the machine, including the manual. With my manual in hand, I could follow the teacher's general overview of our machines and add my own observations as I compared her information with my Viking. I had gotten many compliments on my piece of machinery and everyone was amazed at the 'great shape' it appeared to be in. I was quite elated and couldn't wait to actually start sewing.

We finally got to that part of the first lesson...the part where you actually get to sew something, and that's when things went south for me. The teacher handed us each 2 square pieces of batique fabric that we would use to make pin cushions. Before I worked with the batique, I had to make sure my machine was dialed to sew a straight stitch and so I tried it out on a scrap of fabric and found out that it was set on the zigzag stitch. I tried to turn the dial and set it on a straight stitch, but it wouldn't budge. The teachers tried and couldn't make it turn either. They declared my little machine 'jammed' but were hopeful that they would be able to service it and get it back in working order by the following session. They set the heirloom aside and told me to quickly get acquainted with one of their class machines. I missed most of the instructions that followed as I played catch up trying to thread this new machine. Thankfully, one of the teachers noticed and got me 'caught up'. We made simple pin cushions and mine turned out looking like this.

Honestly, it wasn't the same not to be able to work on Grandma's Viking. And although I didn't want to give up hope yet, I couldn't shake this premonition I had that I'd be doing more of that...working on other machines. There was a sense of loss even before I got the call a couple of hours later to confirm what I'd been anticipating. The dear lady had to tell me the sad news that a cam gear was cracked on the Viking, which would cost $295 to replace. She told me it wasn't worth repairing, which I knew already. We'd talked about the prices of machines in class so I knew she'd counsel me against getting it fixed. I reluctantly agreed to let them have it for parts...and called some family members to tell them that grandma's sewing machine was basically beyond repair.

So, yes, quite the bumpy start for me...but I'm happy to know that I can be sentimental about things like Grandma's old sewing machine (no longer having the I'll-show-them-attitude but genuinely feeling the loss). It's also been fun to see how learning a new skill awakens my crafty side in a big way. Over the last week, I've made a necklace and earrings, silhouettes of 3 kids (my own two are shown below), tissue paper puff balls for a going-away party, and cards to go with the homemade gifts. My creativity is spilling out all over right now and I feel quite alive because of it!!

I have my next sewing class tomorrow and we'll be making pillow cases. Brielle helped me pick out the fabric this week since I'm making the pillow case for her. It'll be her 'travel bag' for all our car trips coming up this summer. With it, she'll have easy access to the toys and belongings she wants with her in the back seat, and a good place to put them back into when she's done with them. Just knowing I'll be making useful and fun things like that keeps me excited to be learning how to sew. I will obviously no longer have my own machine to work on (at least for a while), but my sweet friend Kara lent me hers so I can continue sewing and practicing after I'm through with the classes.

So anyway, that's how my first sewing lesson went.
Wondering what's awaiting me tomorrow. I'm a bit apprehensive..but also anxious to put together Brielle's pillow case.

Beacon Rock, Baby!

Andrew's been itching to go hiking and he's had his eye on Beacon Rock for a while. This last Sunday offered us favorable weather so that we could finally make the trek.

Here are some of the sights we encountered, starting with a poor roadside shot of Beacon Rock:



 Here are some of the appearances we made:

Here's where we stopped on the way home:

Checked out Bonneville Dam on the Washington side.

Couldn't capture it, but a seal was fishing right in those waters.

Watched the salmon swim up the fish ladder.

Marveled at this mini alien-ish lamprey.

Now that we've got our first hike of the year under our belts, we are anxious to get out there again and tackle another hike. We really enjoyed the sights, the exercise, and the picnic lunch and snacks. It was great family time and it was great to watch our kids appreciate God's creation. I was reminded of the first part of Psalm 19, the psalm that speaks of God revealing Himself through His works first and then through His Word. Here's the first part:

 Psalm 19:1-6

 ¹The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
         And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
    ²Day to day pours forth speech,
         And night to night reveals knowledge.
    ³There is no speech, nor are there words;
         Their voice is not heard.
    ⁴Their line has gone out through all the earth,
         And their utterances to the end of the world
         In them He has placed a tent for the sun,
    ⁵Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber;
         It rejoices as a strong man to run his course.
    ⁶Its rising is from one end of the heavens,
         And its circuit to the other end of them;
         And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

My friend Kara shared with me the following quote that helps capture what I think the psalmist is saying:

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone,

but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.”

~Martin Luther