For the past week I have felt very strongly that I needed to read Psalm 37. So I have been reading it over and over again each day wondering what it is that God wants me to hear. Well, today a very funny thing happened. In the middle of lunch (a very crazy time at my house) a lady called and asked for Mrs. Cox? I told her that we lived in a rental home and that was the name of one of the previous tenants (I only know this because we still get her mail sometimes). And she said, well may I speak with you? I was thinking- ok what is this lady going to try and sell me? But instead she said "I am calling today to encourage you to read your bible and I want to read you some verses out of Psalm 37"! I was very excited and I told her I had been reading Psalm 37 all week. These are the verses she wanted to share with me:
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing, for evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more. And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity" Psalm 37:7-11
Even after she read that I was waiting for her to ask me to make a donation of some kind, but she never did. I never even caught her name. She just said she wanted to encourage me to continue reading my bible daily. I guess I know now what God wanted me to hear. The Father works in very interesting ways sometimes.
This is just an additional part of the Psalm that I love:
"The steps of man are established by the Lord; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends; and his descendants are a blessing." Psalm 37:23-26
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Discipling our children
"Jesus didn't meet with his disciples once a week for Bible study and then say, "I'll see you next week!" He gave his disciples his whole life. He lived with them, slept with them, traveled with them, and lived out a life of godly maturity before their eyes. Having the personality of the God who created the universe living with them every moment for three years gave them an understanding of his ways that nothing else could do. They observed him in the private times of friendship and eating and sharing and being exhausted and buying and preparing food as well as in public ministry- teaching, healing, worshiping, confronting, encouraging. There was perfect integrity between the words he spoke and the life he lived. Thus his disciples could learn what righteousness looked like in all situations.
In the same way, our children will learn righteousness best by seeing it lived out in every possible way in our lives, moment by moment, in the context of normal life. As we teach our children to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, they need to see it lived out in our lives so that they will know what it means...the first principle of reaching our children, then, is that we have to make the TIME to be with them. And we need to be diligent to practice what we preach!...
Jesus talked to his disciples about the Scriptures and their meaning, he talked to them of God and his ways and laws, and he talked to them of the future. In their time together, he covered every possible subject from faith to humility to prejudice to forgiveness, adultery, murder, love, food, and morality. Our children, too, need consistent, systematic instruction and teaching about God'd Word and ways."
-Sally Clarkson The Mission of Motherhood
I have been thinking about discipleship a lot lately and as I was reading in my Sally Clarkson book this morning I found that what she says goes right along with what has been on my mind and heart for a long time now. These days it is so easy to get ourselves and our children overly involved in activities outside the home... Bible studies, sunday school, VBS, awana and various other church activities, along with sports, music, dance, co-ops, play groups and other extracurricular activities can take over our lives to the point where families are never together. I am not saying these things are bad and that we shouldn't participate in them, but the more time our kids spend involved in all these extra activities, the less time we have to disciple our children...but we need to make sure we are leaving enough time in our days to really walk and talk the Scriptures with our children (Deut.6).
Ultimately we, as parents, are the ones who are going to be held accountable for providing them with a solid foundation in scripture and instilling God's words and ways in their heart, soul and mind.
Also, I have discovered, it is just as easy to be distracted by activities within the home as without. Just because I don't have my kids in 100 extra-curricular activities doesn't mean that I am using my time with them wisely. There have been times when I am sitting on the floor playing with my children, but my mind is not there with them... I find that I am running down the "to-do" list in my head...or I will get so caught up in household chores and meal preparation that I will not leave my task to tend to an argument between the children. In those moments I am ignoring the opportunity to disciple them. More than anything children want our time and our heart. They want to feel that we really love them and are interested in them...they want to know that we are listening when to them when they are expressing their thoughts and ideas. They don't want that empty nod of the head and "uh-huh, that's good"... they recognize when we are only half-heartedly giving ourselves to them.
The other thing that has been heavy on my heart is walking the walk- being a living example for my children. It is not enough to simply read the scriptures to them and go to church- we must be living a life that lines up with the Word. I have found in talking to several people and just through observing many different families- hypocrisy is the number one reason that people turn away from their faith in God and the number one reason why children who are brought up in "christian" homes abandon the way they were raised as they come into adulthood. They see believers and their very own parents saying one thing and then doing another. They see their parents giving lip service to God but they don't see the fruit of a genuine relationship with the Father. This will only breed bitterness in the heart of our children. However, none of us will be capable of constantly walking as Messiah did- we will make many mistakes, but I think we should live in a way that our children know that that is our goal- to have a closer walk with Him and then be willing to humble ourselves before God and our children when we do make mistakes. If any of you know Micheal and Debbie Pearl- they have ministry called No Greater Joy and we have enjoyed several of their books (though, like anything some things need to be filtered), but they have a book called Jumping Ship, which is a collection of a series of articles that they published in their monthly magazine. I believe you can read back articles on their website www.nogreaterjoy.org. These articles explore some of the reasons that kids "jump ship" as they get older and what can be done to prevent that from happening in our own homes. It talks a lot about hypocrisy and child-training, but most of all it talks about winning the hearts of our children and creating an atmosphere of joy in our homes. It does no good if we discipline and train our children but don't have joy in our homes. They may be outwardly obedient, but their hearts will still be rebellious. I believe wholeheartedly that we need train our children up and discipline them when necessary, but we also need to express the great joy that comes from having a relationship with the Father.
As I think about all these things, I can't help but think about how much being a parent is forcing me to be a better person...(though there are moments when parenting has brought out the worst in me!) But overall, having these little eyeballs constantly watching me- observing and copying my behavior, attitude, language etc. It is an excellent source of accountability for me. So I am as determined as ever to put my words and faith into action in my daily walk. I want to slow down, and not become so overly involved in other activities that my heart and mind become distracted from my true purpose- which is training and discipling my children.
In the same way, our children will learn righteousness best by seeing it lived out in every possible way in our lives, moment by moment, in the context of normal life. As we teach our children to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, they need to see it lived out in our lives so that they will know what it means...the first principle of reaching our children, then, is that we have to make the TIME to be with them. And we need to be diligent to practice what we preach!...
Jesus talked to his disciples about the Scriptures and their meaning, he talked to them of God and his ways and laws, and he talked to them of the future. In their time together, he covered every possible subject from faith to humility to prejudice to forgiveness, adultery, murder, love, food, and morality. Our children, too, need consistent, systematic instruction and teaching about God'd Word and ways."
-Sally Clarkson The Mission of Motherhood
I have been thinking about discipleship a lot lately and as I was reading in my Sally Clarkson book this morning I found that what she says goes right along with what has been on my mind and heart for a long time now. These days it is so easy to get ourselves and our children overly involved in activities outside the home... Bible studies, sunday school, VBS, awana and various other church activities, along with sports, music, dance, co-ops, play groups and other extracurricular activities can take over our lives to the point where families are never together. I am not saying these things are bad and that we shouldn't participate in them, but the more time our kids spend involved in all these extra activities, the less time we have to disciple our children...but we need to make sure we are leaving enough time in our days to really walk and talk the Scriptures with our children (Deut.6).
Ultimately we, as parents, are the ones who are going to be held accountable for providing them with a solid foundation in scripture and instilling God's words and ways in their heart, soul and mind.
Also, I have discovered, it is just as easy to be distracted by activities within the home as without. Just because I don't have my kids in 100 extra-curricular activities doesn't mean that I am using my time with them wisely. There have been times when I am sitting on the floor playing with my children, but my mind is not there with them... I find that I am running down the "to-do" list in my head...or I will get so caught up in household chores and meal preparation that I will not leave my task to tend to an argument between the children. In those moments I am ignoring the opportunity to disciple them. More than anything children want our time and our heart. They want to feel that we really love them and are interested in them...they want to know that we are listening when to them when they are expressing their thoughts and ideas. They don't want that empty nod of the head and "uh-huh, that's good"... they recognize when we are only half-heartedly giving ourselves to them.
The other thing that has been heavy on my heart is walking the walk- being a living example for my children. It is not enough to simply read the scriptures to them and go to church- we must be living a life that lines up with the Word. I have found in talking to several people and just through observing many different families- hypocrisy is the number one reason that people turn away from their faith in God and the number one reason why children who are brought up in "christian" homes abandon the way they were raised as they come into adulthood. They see believers and their very own parents saying one thing and then doing another. They see their parents giving lip service to God but they don't see the fruit of a genuine relationship with the Father. This will only breed bitterness in the heart of our children. However, none of us will be capable of constantly walking as Messiah did- we will make many mistakes, but I think we should live in a way that our children know that that is our goal- to have a closer walk with Him and then be willing to humble ourselves before God and our children when we do make mistakes. If any of you know Micheal and Debbie Pearl- they have ministry called No Greater Joy and we have enjoyed several of their books (though, like anything some things need to be filtered), but they have a book called Jumping Ship, which is a collection of a series of articles that they published in their monthly magazine. I believe you can read back articles on their website www.nogreaterjoy.org. These articles explore some of the reasons that kids "jump ship" as they get older and what can be done to prevent that from happening in our own homes. It talks a lot about hypocrisy and child-training, but most of all it talks about winning the hearts of our children and creating an atmosphere of joy in our homes. It does no good if we discipline and train our children but don't have joy in our homes. They may be outwardly obedient, but their hearts will still be rebellious. I believe wholeheartedly that we need train our children up and discipline them when necessary, but we also need to express the great joy that comes from having a relationship with the Father.
As I think about all these things, I can't help but think about how much being a parent is forcing me to be a better person...(though there are moments when parenting has brought out the worst in me!) But overall, having these little eyeballs constantly watching me- observing and copying my behavior, attitude, language etc. It is an excellent source of accountability for me. So I am as determined as ever to put my words and faith into action in my daily walk. I want to slow down, and not become so overly involved in other activities that my heart and mind become distracted from my true purpose- which is training and discipling my children.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Expecting Baby #4
Yes, it is true. I am pregnant with our fourth child. We feel extremely blessed that God is multiplying our family! We do not share the common view with the world that we cannot "afford" to have more than 2.2 children and we don't think they are an inconvenient drain on our time, space and energy. In fact, we feel to total opposite. Our children are live-giving. Observing their natural curiousity about the world and seeing the joy they find in the small things is like a breath of fresh air to me. I learn so much about living from my kids...they are quick to forgive, and they love so completely. I love that they aren't weighed down with scepticism and they always see the best in people. It is no wonder that God wants us to be like children. I know we have the parental responsibility of training our children up in the way that they should go, but often times I feel they are the ones training me how to be a better person.
With all that being said, I have been neglecting my poor blog for so long because I have the worst all-day baby sickness with this child. It is particularly bad in the evening, so after the kids go to sleep I just curl up in the fetal position and watch the ceiling fan trying to do all I can to not throw-up. That is my little bit of complaining- but I know this too shall pass. I just can't wait to meet this new sweet baby...but I'll just have to be patient until December!
With all that being said, I have been neglecting my poor blog for so long because I have the worst all-day baby sickness with this child. It is particularly bad in the evening, so after the kids go to sleep I just curl up in the fetal position and watch the ceiling fan trying to do all I can to not throw-up. That is my little bit of complaining- but I know this too shall pass. I just can't wait to meet this new sweet baby...but I'll just have to be patient until December!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Buying our first house!
We are in the middle of the very exciting process of buying and owning our very first home! We truly had no intentions of staying in Greensboro. We actually had our eyes set on some place in the country...but God had a different plan. Matt's sister is a teacher and works with a lady that told her about a program in Guilford County called Good Neighbor Next Door. It is a program that is only offered in Greensboro and Charlotte and they are homes that are offered to teachers, firefighters, cops, and emt workers for HALF of the listing price. Yes, it is true and it is not a scam because it is through HUD (housing and urban development), which is a government program. This is how it works- every week they list 1-5 properties under this program and the potential buyer only has 5 days to look at the house and decide if they want to place a bid on it. If no one places a bid on it within that 5 day period then it goes on the regular market for the full price. At first we were thinking that most of the homes would be in the ghetto and a lot of them actually aren't in very good neighborhoods...but occasionally there are incredible deals to be found. We stumbled upon one of those amazing, almost too good to be true homes. It is in a very nice, quiet neighborhood with really good schools (for resale purposes). It is a solid brick ranch home on 1/2 acre property- it only needs minor repairs and we are purchasing it for less than 70,000! It is 3 BR, 2 BA and it needs major cosmetic work...but for that price who can complain? We have to commit to living in it for 3 years but after that we can resale it for whatever price we can get... and the homes in that neighborhood are going for between 140,000-180,000! So we are hoping that by the time it is all said and done we will be able to have all our student loans paid off and be able to put a down payment on something else! It's our "get out of debt quick" plan! We are supposed to close on it at the end of May and then we are going to spend all summer renovating it. It is very exciting because I have never fully been able to make a house look the way I want it to look because we have always rented...so this will be a fun project for me. We'll see if I have the same excitement when I'm knee deep in work! If anyone knows any firefighters, teachers, policemen, or emt in the Charlotte or Greensboro area you should tell them about this awesome program.
I want to share a little of the heart and thought process behind the purchase of this home. As Matt and I were praying about this house before we placed a bid on it we both felt as if God was trying to settle us. It has always been the big joke with our friends that we are not able to commit to one place for very long. We have moved 7 times in less than 7 years! In the past we have had a tendency to be discontent with where we are and were always searching for a better place to live or a better job etc. We both came to the realization that we will never find that perfect place or destination until we are in the Kingdom with our Heavenly Father. Searching for that kind of perfect place on earth is all in vain. He was calling us to take our minds off of our earthly desires and start seeking the eternal. While we prayed about the house we both felt a peace about staying in Greensboro. I think this is mostly because God wants to plant us in one place so that we will seek Him fully and wholeheartedly without the distraction of "where are we going to go next?". I think this is the beginning of a great journey for the Vaughn family and I am really looking forward to seeing how God is going to work on us and how He will use us in this town.
I want to share a little of the heart and thought process behind the purchase of this home. As Matt and I were praying about this house before we placed a bid on it we both felt as if God was trying to settle us. It has always been the big joke with our friends that we are not able to commit to one place for very long. We have moved 7 times in less than 7 years! In the past we have had a tendency to be discontent with where we are and were always searching for a better place to live or a better job etc. We both came to the realization that we will never find that perfect place or destination until we are in the Kingdom with our Heavenly Father. Searching for that kind of perfect place on earth is all in vain. He was calling us to take our minds off of our earthly desires and start seeking the eternal. While we prayed about the house we both felt a peace about staying in Greensboro. I think this is mostly because God wants to plant us in one place so that we will seek Him fully and wholeheartedly without the distraction of "where are we going to go next?". I think this is the beginning of a great journey for the Vaughn family and I am really looking forward to seeing how God is going to work on us and how He will use us in this town.
A tribute to the 'fro!
Matt started growing his hair out this winter simply out of curiousity but I liked to joke with him that he was trying to rock the 'fro so that he could fit in at the inner city school where he works. His students were trying to convince him to get some corn rows and the thought of dreads briefly went through his head...but once the weather got warm he just couldn't take it any more so he just had to shave it all off! When he went back to school the next day all the kids were afraid that he was going to start going military on them! ha. The whole time he was growing it out I begged him to let me run a pick through it and he was not at all amused with that idea, but he did put on a 70's shirt and let me pick it out one time before he shaved it off. It was a sweet 'fro...sad to see it go.
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