THE MASTER’S SEMINARY WIVES

The“SHE STRETCHES OUT HER HANDS TO THE DISTAFF”

Proverbs 31:19

“As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:10

Editor: After selling their home in less than two weeks, God graciously provided a rental home in the LA area that exceeded expectations. God also provided a home for their family to stay in free of charge until the move to LA. It was at this home out in the country where their son, five-year-old Austin, fell off his bike into a planter, landing on a tile embedded in the dirt that broke in half deeply cutting Austin’s knee. After a trip to the emergency room and sixteen stitches, they brought Austin back home. The next day Austin’s knee had turned black, his leg was swol-len and red, and he was running a 102 degree fever. The Filbruns headed back to the emergency room. Austin was quickly transferred to a nearby hospital where they started antibiotics. They were amazed and thankful to learn that their medical insurance was still in affect though Aaron’s job was over. Each day, instead of getting better, Austin contin-ued to get worse. He was in excruciating pain and the swell-ing was spreading to his entire body. In God’s providence, Austin was transferred to an Oakland hospital where the top pediatric surgeon was called in to operate on him. After this surgery Austin’s whole body continued to swell and he continued to be in excruciating pain. After a second surgery, and many nights where they feared Austin would lose his leg or even his life, the doctors discovered that Austin had a very rare bacte-rial infection. Once they were able to treat this infec-tion, Austin, by God’s grace began to improve.

Our journey to seminary began the spring of 2014, when my husband, Aaron, called me on his way home from the Shepherd’s Conference, and said that we needed to talk and asked me to pray. As I prayed, God graciously helped me understand that however He was calling my husband, I am to be his helper, and not his hinderer. When Aaron finally ar-rived home, he told me about the TMS informational dinner which he attended the night before, and how all of his excuses for not going to seminary (such as being settled in a home near our families, hav-ing four kids, and an established teaching career at a Christian school where our kids had free tui-tion, etc.) were completely shut down by other sem-inarians who had come out of similar backgrounds.

As we spoke about my husband quit-ting his job, selling our house, and moving to LA, I initially felt a strange excitement, which surprised me. We prayed, sought wise counsel, and when we received only confirmations from the Lord and oth-ers, we made plans to move the following year. We learned that no matter where we live, if we are in God’s will, it is the per-fect place to be. We could have stayed in our home, near our friends and family and everything that was comfortable and famil-iar, and yet our hearts would not have been at peace. How could we rest in knowing we were deliberately disobeying God’s call-ing? The answer was clear… we must go.

By Trishia Filbrun

TRUSTING IN GOD’S PERFECT PLAN

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trishia picks up thE story: Every day brought new challenges and I constantly had to remind myself that God was leading us by His love and grace each and every step of the way. God continued to strengthen us as Aus-tin endured multiple surgeries, was weaned off of strong drugs, and struggled through painful physical therapy. When Austin wouldn’t eat or take his medicine, we told him, “It’s for your best, it’s going to help you get stronger and bet-ter!” As I was saying that, I knew that God was telling me the same thing. We may not always understand why we have to go through such pain and misery, but God’s ways are always higher than our ways. If we put our trust in God and set our hope fully on Him, He will make us much better and stronger than if things were perfect and happy all of the time.

We met a couple in the hospital whose son had arrived in the PICU the same time as Austin. They were also Christians so it was real-ly amazing to be able to pray for and encourage one another. The dad told us about how he was telling his son the story of Abraham’s faith when asked to sacrifice Issac, taking Isaac up to the altar, and his son said to our friend, “so, you mean you’re sacrificing me?”... It was so power-ful for us to realize that it was exactly this point that we had to come to with our own son...

We had to COMPLETELY give Austin to God, ENTIRELY release him into His loving hands, TRUSTING in the Lord’s sovereignty and goodness... no matter

what the outcome.

I cannot put into words that kind of heart-wrenching sacrifice. You cannot know what it is like to let go of the control that you so desperately want to believe you have. I can never describe how it feels to totally release your child over to whatever God’s perfect will is. Only God can teach us this amazingly valuable les-son in our darkest moments of despair... When everything humanly possible has been done, when you reach the end of yourself, when mod-ern medicine and technology just isn’t enough, when all hope seems lost... That is when you look beyond the hospital room to where your hope truly lies...

“IN CHRIST ALONE, I PLACE MY TRUST!”

We are so grateful for the loving prayer, support and encouragement that surrounded us each day as we spent two weeks in the PICU, and another two weeks in the Pediatric Ward. Austin’s doctors and nurses were exception-ally comforting and encouraging when we felt confused and helpless, even buying Austin gifts and taking me to the cafeteria! There were peo-ple from all over (many of whom we didn’t even know!) constantly sending us kind messages, thoughtful cards, gifts, care packages, and con-tinually praying for Austin. Aaron could not work, so we had no income for over a month, but we were utterly shocked in how many ways God provided for all of our needs and expenses through the kindness and generosity of others! Our generous friends paid for and packed our moving truck, and drove all of our stuff to LA, where more kind friends met them at our new house and unloaded the truck—all while we were still in the hospital! There were also many

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Trishia FilbrunWife of Aaron Filbrun, TMS 2nd year.

See The Distaff, Winter issue, page 5 for another aspect of Trishia’s story.

friends and family members who drove all the way to Oakland just to visit and help us, which brought us so much encouragement. Ultimately, we know that there are many reasons why God allowed us to go through this trial. Medical people are currently processing a case report on Austin, and spoke about doing some research on his lab work. Maybe Austin’s case will help save someone else’s life someday. We were able to share our faith with many people, and when some of Austin’s nurses and doctors commented on how “well” we were handling things, we were able to give God the glory. Another obvious reason for our trial is how much it gave us a heart for other parents going through these same kinds of trials with their children. I know when exactly three years earlier I suddenly lost my dad, the people who brought me the most comfort were those who had also lost a parent. As we walked through this valley, it was other parents who had felt the pain of watching their child suffer, who offered us the most encouragement. We know that we will be able to fully minister to the needs of others in such a deeper way now that we can better understand how it feels to care for a suffering child. Looking back, it is clear to see God’s hand of guidance and provision amidst the storm.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all

comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share

abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salva-tion; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure

“In Christ Alone.” Written by: Andrew Shawn Craig, Donald A. Koch. Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share

in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we

despaired of life itself.

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He

delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us.

On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. You also must help us by prayer, so

that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.” II Corinthians 1:3-11

As we finally made it to the end of our journey to seminary and moved into our new rental home in LA, I tearfully gazed upon these words that had been inscribed upon our master bedroom wall years earlier…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways

acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will bring healing to your

flesh and refreshment to your bones.”Proverbs 3:5-8

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BY KAREN BUSENITZ

Wise

W

ords for Women

[Note: Recently multiple questions were responded to by several ministry wives. Over the next few issues we will include them in The Distaff for your encouragement.]

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tmai*

DISCUSSION for

MINISTRY WIVES

Karen Busenitz responds to a ministry wife’s question regarding what great chal-lenges or trials she faced with her children and what the Lord taught her through it.

My children are grown and have children of their own, but one of the biggest things the Lord taught me with my children was to trust Him, rather than fear or be anxious about their safety or well-being.

After we were married for six years, my husband began to talk about starting a family. He had been a full time student, and I was working full time. I was totally satisfied in my marriage and didn’t really desire to have children. Deep down, I was afraid—afraid to bring kids into a world of unrest and upheav-al; afraid something drastic might happen; afraid that I couldn’t protect them 24/7. I had all these fears which were becoming more evident to me as my husband and I talked about this topic.

One day in reading my Bible, I came across this verse: “Do not fret, it only leads to evil doing.” Ps.37:8b. I thought about that. What was so bad about fretting? It didn’t seem like something that only leads to evil doing!

But the Holy Spirit kept bring-ing it to mind and as I studied His Word, I realized my fears were really all about doubting God! Doubting His Word as well as His power I was actually, by my actions, insinuating He was unfaithful to keep His prom-ises and He was much less than God Almighty. It was the evil sin of unbelief!

Through His Word He showed me my sin and helped me put my confidence in Him. He took away my fears regarding my powerlessness and replaced them with many verses about His goodness, power, presence, and peace.

We had two boys and thankfully, the Lord continued to bless me with promises from His Word. As they went to school, I prayed He would guard their going out and their coming in. And when I heard of terrible things happening to other children, I would again fight fear by focusing on the Lord.

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Trust ...

I learned through His Word the meaning of the Lord’s names such as His Old Testa-ment name, YHWH. It had special meaning to me as it showed me His almighty power, His continual presence—past, present and future, and His faithfulness to keep all of His precious and magnificent promises.

When our oldest son was 20, he had a bad car accident that he should not have lived through. And even if he lived, he should have been paralyzed from the neck down. His upper neck was cracked. Fortunately it fractured diagonally and didn’t slip and cut the spinal cord. He had a five hour surgery and today no one can tell it ever happened.

But the Lord had given me 20 years to learn who He was and what He is able to do. When the accident happened and we were on our way to the emergency room to see him, the Lord very kindly gave me a verse that brought peace to my heart. Col 3:3, “your life is hidden with Christ in God.” I knew our son was a believer, and even if the worst happened, I knew his life was “hidden with Christ in God.” I knew he was safe.

Ps. 27:13,14, “I would have despaired unless I believed in the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living….take courage, wait on the Lord.” These verses also came alive to me at this time. I learned that waiting on the Lord is waiting with expectation of His abundant goodness.

One major lesson the Lord has taught me through motherhood is that He is trustworthy. As mothers we need not fear today or the future. As we trust and grow in our knowledge of the Lord we can truly enjoy our children. And as we lean on and learn from the Lord, we can teach our children to do the same.

Karen is the wife of Irv Busenitz, VP of Academics and Faculty Dean at TMS, and she has been a co-leader of our Seminary Wives Discipleship for over thirty-five years, as well as mother of two sons who with their wives have added six grandchildren to the family.

**The Masters Academy International -- http://tmai.org/

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“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yes-terday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:7-8) Noel Piper writes, “That’s why I read biography. To remember people who’ve led the way on the path with God, to consider their lives, and to imitate their faith. Because we have the same God, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (p. 13)

In Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God, Noel Piper, wife of John Piper, details the lives of five women highlighted below who faithfully served the Lord, repeatedly reminding the reader of the character and providence of God. In response, wives, mothers, unmarried women, women headed for the mission field, and wom-en faithfully serving the Lord in their homeland will desire to be faithful in prayer, tireless service, and persecution.

Reading about the lives of ordinary people who have accomplished great things or survived difficult circumstances can be intriguing and fascinating. Reading biographies, however, which point to our powerful, compassionate God who is the Rock of these individuals, can encourage us exponentially in our own spiritual walks with the Lord.

The reader will easily identify with the prayers (and be amazed by God’s answers), emotions, desires, weaknesses, and sins of these women. In addition, Noel ends each biographical sketch with a personal application of the spiritual practices and principles gleaned from each woman.

I have read this book twice, and would read it a third time. Aside from a few instances of looking for signs from God and using random verses to decide God’s leading, the examples of these women remind me to pray faithfully and trust God in the smallest details of life, living a life fully given to Him no matter the phase of life or location He has placed me. Their God is our God!

FAITHFUL WOMEN and THEIREXTRAORDINARY GOD

By Noel Piper

Helen Roseveare, missionary doctor to the Congo

Sarah Edwards, wife of Jonathan Edwards and mother to eleven children

“…was the supporter and protector and homebuilder for Jonathan Edwards…the godly mother and example to eleven children…hostess and comforter and encourager…a godly wife.” p. 38

“Throughout her story, the pendulum in Ei Sook’s life sweeps wide, from cowering fear and almost giving up on one side, to bold, fearless words and acts on the other side… We mustn’t overlook the amaz-ing weapon she wielded in this battle for faith, the amount of Scripture she obviously already had memorized.” pp. 133-134

Esther Ahn Kim, a Korean imprisoned by Japan during World War II

Gladys Aylward, missionary in rural China“…had every reason to say she couldn’t go to China. She could not have afforded it. She could not have survived the trip through Russia. She could not have led 100 children safely across the mountains and the Yellow

River. No, she couldn’t. But God could.” p. 102

Lilias Trotter, missionary to the Arab women of Algeria

“…by human standards, should have been a famous, but frail, artist. She was certainly not healthy enough to be a missionary in such a demand-ing climate and culture as Algeria. And yet, as she affirmed, her God is the God of the impossible.” p. 67

In utter exhaustion, “She felt like a spiritual fail-ure. And in some sense she was. She dragged herself to her Bible reading and prayer. There seemed to be no point in talking about Christ. She probably felt like a hypocrite when she did… It’s a humbling thing to have other people point out our weaknesses, our sins. My incli-nation is to justify myself, thinking they just don’t know all the factors that made me do or speak as I did.” p. 171

Reviewed by Tanya Hauser, wife of TMS alumni Greg HauserPiper, Noel. Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005. 174pp.

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RESPECTABLE SINS: CONFRONTING the SINS we TOLERATE

By Jerry Bridges This past year I had the privilege of going through this book, Respectable Sins, once a month with the ladies in my Bible study. Our times together were so encouraging and convicting that I thought it would be a great book to share with other ladies.

Addressing conservative evangelicals, the author encourages his readers to examine their lives, and deal with those weed-like sins that slowly take a “respectable” position in our hearts. We are in danger of not dealing with such sins because we consider them “minor” compared to the major sins of the society around us. This might sound overwhelming but Mr. Bridges does not leave out hope, inviting us to remember the glorious message of the Gospel in which God has dealt with both the guilt of sin and its dominion over us.

I love how he opens the book by reminding us that we are called to be saints, or in Bridges’ words, “one who is set apart by God for God” (p.12), called to glorify God as our lives are affected by His trans-forming power. “We don’t become saints by our actions. We are made saints by the immediate supernat-ural action of the Holy Spirit, who alone works this change deep with-in our inner being, so that we do, in fact, become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).” (p.14)

The author shares from his own experiences and struggles of dealing with such sins through the light of Scripture. He puts himself in the spotlight, opening his heart to the reader as he narrates how the Holy Spirit transformed his sinful attitudes and thoughts through the Word of God.

Any of the chapters in this book are a great starting point for the believer who wants to take his sanctification process seriously. The book includes sins like: ungodliness, anxiety, frustration, discontentment, unthankfulness, pride, selfishness, lack of self-control, impatience, irritability, anger, judgmentalism, envy, jealousy, sins of the tongue, and worldliness.

When I first started reading this book I remember thinking “Oh! This would be great for so-and-so to read” but on page 30 I found my first personal challenge in the following words: “Do you find yourself wishing that a certain other per-son would read this chapter? Or does this view of our sin cause you to want to fall on your knees before God in repentance and contrition over the sins you have tolerated in your life? If the latter is true, then you are ready for the good news, and it really is really, really good.” This reminded me I need to look at my own heart first and truly trea-

sure the work God is doing in me. The danger of falling into the pride of living a “godly life” just because I am a future pastor’s wife, and not for God’s glory is real and very subtle. Yet God’s mercy is new every morning and His steadfast love is everlasting. This is a book I hope to revisit many times in life, to humbly and prayerfully let God examine me and let Him open my eyes to the sins I have tolerated in my life.

If you embark on this jour-ney with Mr Bridges, remember this is a book to encourage you in your personal growth, and his advice is sound, but don’t forget to go to the source—God’s Word. Be prepared to humbly and honestly let God’s care-ful hands pull the root of the weeds of the tolerable sins in your life.

The author’s closing words should encourage us on this journey: “Remember that our progressive sanctification—that is, our put-ting off sin and putting on Christlikeness—rests on two foundation stones: the righteousness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Always look to Christ and His perfect righteousness for your standing and your acceptableness to God. Remember, if you are united with Christ, God sees you clothed in His perfect righteousness. And always look to the Holy Spirit to enable you to deal with sin in your life and to produce in you the fruit of the Spirit.” (p.181)

Reviewed by Nataly Coates Rodriguez, wife of TMS student, Leon Coates.Briges, Jerry. Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. Navpress, 2007. 192pp.

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STEP 1: Saute olive oil and onions using a low flame until the onions turn golden brown. Add the bell peppers, cover and let it cook on low. STEP 2: When the bell pepper is soft, add the tomato sauce and salt.STEP 3: Cook for 30/45 minutes still keeping the flame low. At this point your sauce is ready, but when cooled I use a hand mixer to blend all the veg-

etables since our kids don’t like chunks in their sauce. STEP 4: I just cook some pasta and then mix the sauce with the pasta and serve it with a good sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.STEP 5: Enjoy it!

NOTE: Sometimes when I am pressed for time or when the fresh bell pep-pers are too expensive, I use the frozen bell pep-pers from Trader Joe’s.

IngredIents:

Bell Pepper SauceCarmela Daugereau

Recipes

Once a friend asked me what kind of spaghetti sauce I use. I explained that in Italy we don’t have just one spaghetti sauce, but we have a variety of sauces and this sauce which I am sharing with you is one of them. It also happens to be my husband’s favorite and is an easy one to prepare when you have guests coming over. I use it for pasta or pizza.

1 (15 ounce) can of tomato sauce

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 bell peppers, cleaned and sliced (I like the red ones, but any kind would do)

Salt to taste

Procedure:

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Recipes

Balsamic Honey Dressing

IngredIents:

SHAKE WELL BEFORE SERVING.

Joanna Hargrove

1/2 C. balsamic vinegar1/2 C. olive oil

1-2 Tbsp. honey(dissolve in balsamic vinegar)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp. onion powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

NOTE: For best flavor, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Add more lemon juice to get a thinner consistency or reduce it for a thicker consistency.

Creamy Lemon Dill Dressing

IngredIents:

MIX WELL WITH A FORK.

1/2 C. mayonaise1 lemon (freshly squeezed)1/2 tsp. garlic powder1/2 tsp. onion powder1/2-1 tsp. fresh or dried dill Salt and black pepper to taste

Joanna Hargrove

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Recipe

Recipe Lemon Chess Pie

Missy Mehringer

IngredIents:4 eggs beaten1 ½ cups sugarJuice of one lemon1 Tbsp. vanilla1 Tbsp. flour4 Tbsp. melted butter1 can Eagle Brand condensed milkPinch salt1 unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients and pour into unbaked pie shell.  Bake at 350 for one hour.  Cool and serve

with fresh whipped cream.

Procedure:

Raspberry Oatmeal Squares Heather Klassen

IngredIents:1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)1 cup light brown sugar1 large egg1 tsp. vanilla1 1/4 cups flour1/2 tsp. baking soda1/4 tsp. salt2 cups rolled oats

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 9 pan Step 2: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat again until fully mixed. Step 3: In a sep-arate bowl mix flour, soda and salt. Add this to the butter mixture un-til well combined. Step 4: Stir 1 3/4 cups of the oats into the mix-ture. Step 5: Press 2/3 of the dough into the bottom of the pan. Step 6: Spread the preserves over the mixture. Then add the 1/4 cup of remaining oats to the remaining dough and crumble over the top of the preserves. Step 7: Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned. NOTE: These are best made the day before serving. Store in fridge. Also, you can easily double the recipe and put in a 9 x 13 pan.

Procedure:

Filling: 1 cup raspberry preserves (or any flavor).

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We thank Yamel de Cardoza for her help as editor for The Distaff for 2014-2016 school years. She did a wonderful job using her talent to bless all of us. Your hard work is appreciated and we pray for Angel and you and the three girls for your future in the Dominican Republic or where God leads. We welcome and thank Carolina Willoughby as the new editor for The Distaff as we begin our tenth year of publishing with this issue. Carolina is from Argentina and her husband is from Uruguay. Her husband, Jonathan, is in his last year at The Master’s Seminary and they have one son, Tobias Gabriel.

Remember that we need your contributions to make this newsletter work for us all. Thank you to the dozens of women, present and alumni wives, who have contributed over the years to bless us all.

DISTAFF TRANSITION

The Distaff Layout Editor: Carolina Willoughby, wife of TMS student,

Jonathan WilloughbySend contributions or questions to:

tmsdistaff@gmail.comThe Distaff Coordinator:

Betsy Harris, wife of TMS Professor,Dr. Greg Harris

The Distaff Copy Editor: Barbara Barrick, wife of retired TMS

Professor, Dr. Bill Barrick

Visit our NEW Semwives page at: http://www.tms.edu/semwives/

distaff-newsletter/

Visit our Facebook: Here:

TMS Seminary Wives Disclaimer: While we recommend many different resources for your consideration, we also encourage you, the reader, to be like the Bereans who could receive a message with eagerness and then

examine the message against the truth of Scripture. (Acts 17:11)All Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.

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