August 2020 – From The Overflow

yet He is still good

Published on August 21, 2020January 2, 2021 by tinavila2012 Comments

Everyone loves a good tattoo backstory, so I thought I’d share mine!

If you know me at all, you can probably guess that this bad boy was inspired by a passage in the Bible. So let’s just get right to some “fiery” teaching on the prophetic book of Daniel, shall we!

First off: why Daniel?

About three years ago, I was preparing to speak at a women’s retreat on the topic of thanksgiving (the posture of the heart, not the overly-commercialized holiday).
I was assigned a specific psalm as a starting point and was free to go where I wanted from there. The psalm itself was originally written as a song and is quite repetitive. It starts with the declaration that God. Is. Good.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
His love endures forever.
– Psalm 136:1

When I read that verse, the first thing that came to mind was a story found in Daniel 3 about three Hebrew officials in the Babylonian empire, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Basically these three guys were stuck between a rock and a hard place – or an idol and a hot place – as I like to call it (see what I did there?).
To this day, I don’t know why the Lord brought that passage to my mind, but I just love it. Here’s some context followed by an excerpt:

The king of Babylon had a pretty big name, and an even BIGGER ego. King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden statue constructed in his honour and it was a whopping 90 ft tall and 9 ft wide. That’s about the equivalent of a nine story building. Scholars argue that it was probably made of wood, and simply encased in gold because there was no way that the Babylonian empire would have had access to that much gold, but I digress.

So the statue was erected on a plain for all to see. The king had arranged for music to be played, and commanded that everyone bow down and worship the statue when the music began. If anyone failed to do so, they would be thrown into an also-very-big fiery furnace.

To everyone’s shock and horror, there were three men left standing amongst a sea of prostrate worshipers which, let’s just say, left the king more than a little irate.
Now the Bible doesn’t say why, but for some reason, the king actually gave these men an opportunity to explain themselves. Perhaps because they were trusted officials of the king, we don’t know. But for me, their response is the absolute climax of the story. So buckle up, kids!

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you.
If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty.
But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
– Daniel 3:16-18

Well hot damn (pun intended), talk about a clap back.

I feel like I could use a full blog post just to unpack that response! Which… in fact, is precisely what this has turned out to be. Let’s carry on.

In the end, their confident response was not enough to spare them from the flames. The Bible says that the king was literally FURIOUS WITH RAGE.
Y’all, I wish I could say that I can’t relate to that level of heightened emotion over being disobeyed, but sadly I have totally been there. Again, I digress.

So the king, as we’ve established, was furious with rage, and had the fires stoked to seven times hotter than usual. He had the three men bound and thrown into the furnace to face their doom. Then the king noticed something…

“Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.”
– King Neb from Daniel 3:25

King Nebuchadnezzar literally saw Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance. What?! MADNESS!

The king immediately called them forth and they walked out of the furnace unharmed. The men were not singed, scorched, burnt, or had even the faintest smell of smoke on their bodies. The king then gave all credit to the God they worshipped, and commanded that everyone give glory to God, claiming that no other god could save in this way (vs. 29).

What strikes me from this story more than the miraculous way that the Lord saved them, is the faith that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego displayed in the face of adversity.
And not just that they believed God would save them, but that they fully knew that God is worthy to be obeyed and worshipped, even if He does not.

I just had to dig into some commentaries to get more out of this passage, especially where the three Hebrew men respond to the king. Here’s some gold I found whilst digging, mostly by Warren W. Wiersbe:

The devil tempts us to destroy our faith, but God tests us to develop our faith, because a faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted. We know that false faith withers in times of trial, but true faith takes deeper root, grows, and brings glory to God. This explains why God permitted the three Hebrew men to be tested and then thrown into a fiery furnace.

The experience of these three men forced me to examine my own faith and determine whether I possess the kind of authentic faith that can be tested and bring glory to God.

Pregnant with E, and the reminder of God’s goodness etched on my arm

See, while I was studying this passage all those years ago and preparing for my talk at that women’s retreat, I found out that I was pregnant! Oh happy day! It was such an answer to prayer, as I had been waiting for a positive test for nearly two years already.
Unfortunately, I started spotting and cramping and I was scared, confused, and angry. The timing could not have been worse. What could have been just another disappointing regular monthly cycle, was suddenly the elating high of a new baby coming, followed by the terrifying potential of a heartbreaking loss.
And all this while I was preparing for my first big speaking engagement. Well the spotting continued, and after an inconclusive ultrasound, I determined the following:

God. Is. Good… All. The. Time.

If He saves this baby, and I carry to term, and I birth this child, and all is well… God is good.

But if I keep cramping and spotting, and have to go speak at this retreat with the unknown looming over me, still cramping and still spotting… and if I come home still cramping and spotting, and I go to the hospital again, and have another ultrasound, and they cannot detect the baby’s heartbeat, and tell me I’m losing the baby, but the cramping and bleeding won’t stop, so I have to take medication to pass the remains of the child, and I have contractions and more bleeding, and I sink into the deepest sadness I’ve known and much confusion over what the heck just happened to me… well… God is good.

Before you wonder if I bothered to proofread, please know that that absolutely dreadful run-on sentence was completely intentional. My world was spinning endlessly for those weeks of waiting, and everything I described is exactly how it all played out.

But after that first inconclusive ultrasound, when it really could have gone either way… just like the three Hebrew men who could very well have died in that furnace… I determined that God is good, and that He is worthy of worship, whether or not I am spared from the flames.

The day my rainbow baby discovered my tattoo

Because you see, faith in God means OBEYING God regardless of the feelings within us, the circumstances around us, or the consequences before us.

Just like we saw with the three Hebrew officials, true faith isn’t frightened by threats, impressed by crowds, or swayed by superstitious ceremonies. True faith follows and obeys the Lord and trusts Him to work out the consequences.
Even if those consequences result in miscarriage… So do I still worship if I miscarry? Is He still good even if I never get to hold my baby on this side of heaven?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were men of faith, but not of presumption. If they had declared with certainty that God would deliver them, that would have been presumptuous, because they didn’t actually know what God had willed for their situation. Instead, they stated that their God was able to deliver them, but even if He didn’t, they still wouldn’t fall down before the king’s golden image because their God was unchanged. His goodness, still true. This resonated with me so much and became the inspiration for my tattoo.

I told myself, “I want these words etched on my arm forever” and I chose a spot on the inside of my left arm to do it. I’m left-handed, so I wanted the words to stare me in the face as a constant reminder, whether I was eating or drinking or typing or writing or driving, that God is good. No matter what.

I remember resolving quite definitively that, “I will get this tattoo. And it’s not a matter of if, but when. I’ll either have the ink done after my baby is born, or after I miscarry. Because the goodness of God is not dependent on the outcome of this pregnancy.”

I’ve found that there’s such a thing as commercial faith that says, “I’ll follow and obey God if He rewards me for doing it”. But this is the devil’s philosophy of worship. Just like he told Jesus when tempting Him in the desert: all these things will I give you if you will fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:9). But this isn’t believing God – it’s bargaining with God! True faith confesses the Lord and obeys regardless of the consequences.

God always rewards faith, but He doesn’t always step in and perform special miracles.
– Warren W. Wiersbe

I was so grateful to God for giving me this passage at such a critical time in my journey. It was a really difficult season for me, but also a season of growth, and that’s why I decided to start the phrasing of the tattoo with ‘yet’. See the word ‘yet’ may be small, but it’s a heavy, weighted word. It implies that a whole load of crap happened before it.

yet He is still good…

for me, the ‘yet’ meant that:

What I’m going through is so painful and difficult and discouraging… and yet… God is good.
yet He is STILL good.
and
He will be good.
He is always good.

So once the phrasing was decided, a dear friend with the prettiest handwriting agreed to write out the script for me. I’m sure she sent me over 40 drafts. I settled on a favourite and had the ink done a few months following my miscarriage. The tattoo hadn’t even fully healed before I took a pregnancy test and discovered I was expecting my rainbow baby.

Losing a child is hard, and yet He is still good.

One day I’ll share more details about the two babies I lost and my journey through all of that. But for now, I think the comfort and peace I found through the story in Daniel 3 during a painful loss will suffice.

Important note: I credit much of this post’s content to a commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe. I don’t remember how to properly cite my sources because it’s been a zillion years since I’ve written a proper essay. But this isn’t an essay, it’s my heart. If you want to read more by Wiersbe, look him up! He’s a smart fellow.

Have you got a tattoo and a meaningful story behind it? Please share!

If you have any thoughts or questions, please please please comment below or send me a message! Thanks so much for reading along.

From City Girl to Small Town Vibes

Published on August 7, 2020January 2, 2021 by tinavila209 Comments

I’ve had this post brewing in the back of my mind and the depths of my heart for awhile now. I consider it an enormous privilege to live where I do, and getting to share all the reasons why, excites me to no end!

For some context as to what I’m actually comparing my life to, you should know that I was born and raised in Montreal, QC. I started out in Chomedey, Laval, aka: Greekville, and then moved to the West Island for grade school with all the Anglo-Saxon suburbanites. This is where I remained until my husband and I moved our family to Essex County, ON.

Although this post is about Leamington and the county, here’s what I still love and miss about Montreal:

Family
Friends
Food
Easy access to IKEA and Apple stores

Smoked meat poutine is a must whilst visiting Montreal. Thank me later.

That being said, I absolutely LOVE our little corner of Southern Ontario and can’t imagine raising our family anywhere else. Of course, that’s not entirely up to me. And should God have other plans, then we’ll follow where He leads. But in the meantime…

Here are the top 7 things I love about Leamington and Essex County!

Four Glorious Seasons!

For the first time in my life, I get to experience what I always imagined spring and fall could actually feel like. We moved to Leamington in the summer, and summers are always hot, hot, hot, and humid.
Well near the end of our first summer here, I got my annual-seasonal-minor-panic-attacks because I anticipated at least six long, cold, snow-filled, winter months ahead, and I always hated the loooooooong winters of Montreal. Not so much winter itself, but the fact that it takes up half of the year. It nearly killed me many-a-time.

Baby girl staring at fresh snow mid-January

Well I waited and waited and winter took forever to get here! A very long, breezy, beautiful, crisp autumn was a welcomed change to the sub-zero temperatures I was used to come October and November. Cute sweaters, pumpkin spice everything, and not a snowflake in sight. My kind of fall!

Summer street hockey enjoyed year-round. This is late November.

In fact by the time we welcomed our first Christmas in the county, the climate felt more like what fall felt like back home. And actually most of winter feels that way. We do get some snow in Leamington but it usually melts within the day, or within a few weeks if we’re in a cold spell. And because the temperatures keep rising above freezing so often, there’s never much snow accumulation to deal with.

Our eldest learnt to ride a bike during our first winter here. This was early February.

As a result, vehicles are not required to switch to winter tires for the snowy months. There are no contracted snowploughs for residential driveways, and school closures are quite common since the town can’t seem to handle more than a few inches of snow accumulation. Spring comes early (or at least earlier than I’m used to), and enjoying blossoms in March is still a welcomed surprise each year.

Freak snowfall in the spring which melted moments later.

Fruit Stands!

Ok so when I say fruit stands, what you should be picturing is a farmer’s market because the fruit stands around here sell so much more than fruit. And they… are… everyWHERE!

**Lee & Maria’s** has a huge variety of produce and specialty goods

Fruit stands are open for about 10 months of the year, closing only for the harshest of winter months. Some are more elaborate and look like a farmer’s market – being partially enclosed. Others are just a literal stand selling fruit and veggies and manned by no one but a bucket to collect cash payment for produce via the honour system.

For these smaller stands, there’s usually a big sign displaying produce for sale with prices. It’s assumed that you’ll pay the rate requested but there’s no actual way of knowing! These little stands are popped up just about everywhere on the county roads.

Lee & Maria’s for LaCroix sparkling water!

Aside from the usual farm-fresh produce, the bigger fruit stands also sell specialty goods. One of my favourites, Lee & Maria’s sells LaCroix sparkling water which I am very fond of. Normally I’d have to pick up LaCroix all the way in the US, but this fruit stand has a great selection just down the road!

**Willow Tree Market** sits under a willow tree and is the most quaint little market around

One of my favourite fruit stands, Willow Tree Market, sells a variety Lebanese homemade products. Besides fresh and delicious local produce, I usually come home with their homemade tabouli, hummus, pico de gallo, pita chips, or brownie batter hummus. Their brownie batter hummus is made with chickpeas and coconut oil and it’s a taste of heaven. I highly recommend it.

Literally the best hummus on the market.

Many of the fruit stands also have bagged produce that they want to get rid of at a ridiculously low cost. During summer months, you can pick up huge bags of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc for $1 or $2. It feels like stealing except you’re kind of doing them a favour so it’s really a win-win situation.

This lot of locally-grown produce came to a grand total of $1.00 altogether!

The closest fruit stand to us is Aziz Fruit Stand, and it is walking distance from our home. Besides local produce, they sell a delicious variety of baked goods. Their peanut butter chocolate balls and coconut chocolate balls are my personal favourite!

Aziz Fruit Stand – just a couple of blocks from home!

Lake Erie and Point Pelee!

It’s impossible to put together a list like this and NOT mention the lake! Lake Erie is the second smallest of The Great Lakes but still a great source of fun and adventure. It’s obviously not a saltwater lake but it sure does feel like being by the sea when you’re there.

Beach bums at Seacliffe Beach – just a 1km walk away from our home.

We are so privileged to live only a walk away from Lake Erie, and our favourite splash pad and park overlook the lake there! We also enjoy regular walks on the boardwalk at the Leamington Marina while we admire the boats and feed the ducks. In summer months, live music and festivals can be enjoyed on the waterfront as well.

One of our favourite spots to enjoy the water

Because the lake is so big, so are the waves! On windy days, swimming in Lake Erie can be risky. But the water is clear, and the sand is soft, so the beach feels like you’re on vacation somewhere far, far away. I’m so grateful for this natural body of water we can enjoy on hot and humid days.

If you’re looking for the southern most tip of Canada, look no further, folks! Sitting on the same latitude as France, Spain, and Norther California is Point Pelee. Literally a strip of land that goes to a narrow point in Lake Erie, it is the southern most tip of Canada. It’s also a Canadian national park and a really big tourist attraction too.

*Point Pelee – Southern most tip of Canada*

Our family loves to use the trails at Point Pelee for bike rides, and the beach for long walks, swimming and rock-throwing. We’ve yet to visit Pelee Island which can be accessed by ferry, but it’s on our short list of thing to explore!

Peaceful, Easy Feeling…

This early 70s, Eagles-inspired category deserves to stand on its own. I didn’t really understand what “small town feel” really meant until I lived it. Read on to see what I mean…

One fairly accurate, small-town stereotype is that you’re likely to bump into people you know at any given time. This has its pros and cons. For example, if you would rather forgo the bra on a quick errand, you may want to rethink your “quick errand” attire. It’s possible that I’m speaking from experience.
So far I still enjoy the lack of anonymity that comes with getting to know the people around you. We’ve become personal friends with our kids’ teachers, and are on very friendly terms with one of our favourite florists and butcher! Not just that, but our town’s mayor and I even exchange private messages on Facebook from time to time because, why the heck not?! These are not things I had ever experienced living in Montreal.

But I think what I love most about this category specifically, is that peaceful, easy feeling. There’s no rush hour traffic, or “overly rushed” anything! We had to get used to certain shops being closed on Sundays, or just closing early on any given day “just because”. Living in Montreal, we had grown so accustomed to the fast paced rat race of the city, we didn’t realize what life could be like without it.
Even though we’re technically on holiday when we do visit Montreal, I’m always reminded of this huge contrast in the pace of life. People are just not in a rush where we live in the same way as they are in big cities, even if they think they are. It’s just so refreshing! And I’m so glad we didn’t wait until we were old enough to retire to embrace a slower pace of living.

“We had grown so accustomed to the fast paced rat race of the city, we didn’t realize what life could be like without it.”

Wineries!

This is a fan-favourite category if there ever was one! The countryside may be filled with farms and greenhouses, but it’s also filled with the loveliest, most picturesque wineries you ever did see. The photos I’ve included here are just of the ones I’ve personally visited. There are so many more!

The wineries also have their own restaurants featuring menus that pair nicely with the wines they make locally. Charcuterie boards and house-made pastas have been some of my favourite menu items. My personal favourite wine is the LOLA Rosé and you can find it, as well as other popular local wines, at most LCBO’s in Ontario. I can’t speak for liquor stores in other areas though. Oh and of course, drink responsibly! (Quite sure I’m required to say that as a pastor’s wife so you’re welcome lol)

Paglione Estate Winery has the most beautiful grounds

All the wineries in the Essex County countryside are quite close to each other, so the first pairing I’d recommend is a little bike tour to go with your wine tasting!

Bistro 42 @ North 42 Degrees Estate Winery

There are so many lovely bike trails all along the wine country. North 42 Degrees Estate Winery is my personal favourite because of the lavender farm adjacent to the vineyards. You just can’t visit Essex County and not check out the wineries of Essex County. Another highly recommended stop!

The Motor City!

I could have included Windsor in this category title because although I LOVE living in a small town, part of the reason why it’s working for me personally is because we live about a half hour drive from a bigger city that has things like a mall, Costco, and other essentials.

Whenever people ask us where we live, I always need to reference it to Detroit-Windsor. The border cities have only the narrow Detroit River between them, so the US can be accessed easily by bridge or tunnel (pre-Corona of course!). Keep reading for some of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed living so close to the US!

This photo is dated but we can see the GM buildings from just about anywhere in Windsor overlooking the Detroit River.

Like I said, we live 30 minutes from Windsor, and only 45 minutes from the US border. This makes day trips or quick errands into the States fairly easy. My favourite thing to do is to drop off the kids at school, head to Target, give Target all my money, grab lunch at Chipotle, and make it back in time for school pick up. Talk about the thrill of a race against time!

I tried to find a more casual shot of me at Target but it doesn’t exist

Another “best of both worlds” is getting to enjoy all the big city attractions, like professional sports and stadium concerts, while still living in a small town. We’ve gone to a few baseball games since moving here and the kids have loved it. (Go Tigers! I mean, Go Blue Jays! I mean, I don’t care… let’s just go!)

Take me out to the ball game! This is Comerica Park in Detroit.

The cheapest way, by far, for us to watch the Habs play is to watch them in Detroit. Despite being Hockeytown, Red Wings games always have lots of seats to choose from, and even in USD, tickets are significantly cheaper than in Montreal.
We’ve yet to go see the Pistons or Lions play (basketball and football, you’re welcome) but they are on our short list along with Pelee Island!

Go Habs Go! (I’m not confused about who to cheer for here)

As mentioned, being so close to the US means lots of stadium concerts to choose from without driving 3+ hours to Toronto for the next closest option. So yes, I did go see Taylor with what felt like every teenager in the state of Michigan. And yes, I did feel old, but also fabulous, so it was well worth it.

When you’re so close to the CAN-US border, Tay is just a hop, skip, and a jump away!

Another favourite Detroit attraction for us is Mexicantown! We’ve enjoyed some of the most authentic Mexican food I’ve ever had. Thankfully, my Spanish 101 college course is really coming in clutch, and I’ve been able to order food off the exclusively Spanish menus almost entirely unassisted by my Spanish-speaking husband. Mas cerveza por favor! In any case, if you’re in Detroit, check out Mexicantown!

Meadow Brook Church!

I’ve saved the best for last, of course, because our church is the reason we were blessed enough to move to Leamington in the first place.

We’ve had the privilege of being a part of this wonderful church community for the past five years. We were received so warmly even before arriving with groups organized to help us move our furniture, clean our house, prepare some meals, care for our kids, and just love on us despite being strangers. It still warms my heart to remember those early days.

Since then, we’ve had some ups and downs in ministry. I share a lot of happy moments on Facebook and Instagram because that’s what I want to remember. Some seasons have been really hard, others have been wonderful. But my favourite thing is watching my husband grow into the man of God he is, and my kids into the children of God that they are. And I attribute much of that growth to our years of ministry here at MB.

Just a regular Sunday, obviously pre-Corona

Despite being here to serve our community, I feel like we have been the real recipients of blessing. We’ve made some of our closest friends here, and they have helped carry us through difficult seasons. We’ve been unofficially adopted by a couple of angels who we don’t deserve, and they made Leamington feel like home real quick. And although my husband pours so much into the people and ministries he leads, the growth we see in the youth, young adults, and others we’ve connected with is such a rich reward to us. I just can’t imagine raising our family anyplace else. Like I said, there have been hard times for sure, but we are so very blessed.

Under the willow tree @ Willow Tree Market

Well, that concludes our little tour of Leamington and Essex County. Be sure to visit our gift shop, and don’t forget to swing by my place next time you’re in town!

For any locals, is there something you love about the county that I’ve left out? Please share your recommendations!
If you’ve never been to Leamington or Essex County, what jumped out at you from this post?

Hit me up in the comments!