It’s Coming….SOON!!!

I have talked about the book here and there, and frankly, it’s been a long time coming.  We are working hard, and we are just DAYS away from submitting it to the publisher.  There are so many details I want to share, and they are coming.  But I thought I would give a little “sneak peek” for the time being.  Here is the last line of the letter Cade wrote that he wanted to include:

“I thanked God for Emmy and for using Faith to minister to people about God and this is my side of the story.”

Sincerely,

Cade Vaughn

I am so in love with that boy! 

We cannot wait to share the rest of the story with you!!!

When God Shows Up

When I posted about the 5K and the t-shirts for Team Faith last week, I had, in my small mind, limited God.  I thought for sure I would be doing good to get 10 team members and sell 20 shirts.  Can I tell you that we have sold 92 shirts!!!  God is so good, and when He shows up, He shows out!  How many times do we have no expectations of God?  We get in the midst of our pity party and think that God is too big and too busy to make a big deal out of us.  I’m pretty sure he proved us wrong by sending His son to die, while we were all yet sinners.  He loves us THAT MUCH!!!  I love it when He reminds of us these things.

Faith, Hope & Run…with a purpose

When I was pregnant with Faith, I didn’t know a lot about what was going on.  But I did know that I would make sure to take advantage of every opportunity the Lord gave me to make a difference in this world.  And now I have a chance.

Crossroads Pregnancy Center in High Springs, FL offers a variety of services to pregnant women.  They offer abortion education so that the mother is fully aware of all of her options. So many times, abortion is sold to mothers as a quick fix, with no remaining effects.  That is not the case.   Their mission is to help mothers choose life!!!  They also offer post-abortion counseling, which is extremely important as well.

I have found it to be true that most of us think we would never be faced with the choice of abortion.  I certainly didn’t.  We assume that abortion only affects a certain socioeconomic group of women, with certain circumstances.  I remember as a child, and even a young adult, my family being involved with a pregnancy center in Gainesville.  I would go and listen to mother after mother whose life had been changed by the support of this pregnancy center.  I never imagined that it would make a difference in my life.

At just 12 weeks, I was begged to terminate my pregnancy.  I knew in my heart what I felt was right, and what I wanted to do.  But there were things that made me question if I was doing the right thing.  I’m so thankful for the peace that God gave me, and the strength that only comes from Him that saw me through.  Faith has changed my life for the better, and I am so proud to be her mother.

It’s easy for us to say we believe in something, and we stand for something.  But so many times we just do a lot of talking, and no walking for the cause.  Here is your chance to make a difference, and honor our sweet Faith.

Crossroads Pregnancy Center is hosting their annual 5K Run/Walk.  You can register at http://www.active.com/high-springs-fl/running/crossroads-pregnancy-center-5k-run-walk-for-life-2013.  If you register online, you will receive an event t-shirt.  But there is something else…

My sweet friend, Cory Ridge Holcolmb, designed the perfect logo for a Team Faith t-shirt (all the way from Germany). 

 

It is just perfect!  It is complete with her name, her verse, and her sweet footprints.  If you choose to sign up to run on Team Faith, you can get your shirt for cost at $7.00.  If you cannot run, but would like to support our team, you can purchase a t-shirt for $15.  The profits will be donated to the Crossroads Pregnancy Center.  There will be two options- Gray with Hot Pink logo, and Hot Pink with White logo.  Please contact me at sbovaughn@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a shirt, or if you have registered on Active.com.  I want to make sure it doesn’t fall through the cracks.

My prayer is that every child will have a chance at life, and we want to help make that happen, one step at a time.

Happy Birthday, Amy.

Very few people are blessed with a true friend in life.  Sure, we may have a best friend for a season, but then the season changes, circumstances change, and most of the time, our friends change too.  I am one of the very few with a true friend.  I am even more blessed to have a few.  But one stands alone, and her name is Amy.

Amy and I met 16 years ago as I began my career at the Tax Collector’s Office.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t even like her in the beginning.  I thought she, and one of the other girls there, were a little snooty.  This is quite funny now, because if there is one quality you will NOT find in Amy, it would be “snootiness.”  For some reason, we had to work together on a project, and it has been an unbreakable bond ever since.  That was 16 years ago.  I was just 18, and would never have imagined I would ever have a friend like Amy.

Amy is the friend who has encouraged me through a divorce.  I remember her going with me to meet the mistress, tracking down where they were living, and helping me sharpen my investigative skills.  Shortly after the divorce, I found myself staying out later, and partying a little too much.  Many times I would oversleep, and Amy would call me to tell me to get my butt out of bed and get to work before I lost my job

After Rob and I got married, and I had children, Amy was still my dearest friend.  She loved Cade like her own and was there for the birth of SaraGrace (and even provided some comic relief).  Most of you know she was the one in the ultrasound room when we got the news about Faith.  She wasn’t supposed to be there that day, but thankfully God intervened, gave her an intuition, and she did what she wanted instead of listening to me  She encouraged me, loved my family, and loved my daughter. 

When Faith was born, she was there bright and early.  She would come back to where I was waiting for the c-section, and just hold my hand, and tell me it was all going to be okay.  Once Faith was born, she was one of the first in the room.  She was the only one other than Rob and me that held my angel.  She took off the entire week to help us out.  She loved our children and took care of them, she supported my parents, she helped with the funeral, but most importantly, she was my friend. 

There have been very few days these past 16 years that we haven’t talked on the phone, or in person.  We have our “morning coffee” on the phone on the way in to work, and it just makes my day.  She always listens, tells me her honest opinion, and knows me better than most.  She knows my deepest darkest secrets.  She’s been on the mountain tops with me and in the valleys.  She is the epitome of a TRUE FRIEND.

Proverbs 17:17- A friend loves at all times.

Today, Amy turns 40!!!  We celebrated with a wonderful surprise party last night.  There is no way in the world to repay her for what she has done for me.  My only hope is that I can let her know just how special she is.  Friends like her are few and far between.

Happy birthday to the best friend a girl could ever ask for!!!  My sister from another mister!

SaraGrace Sings a Solo

Be still my beating heart!!!  My sweet, spicy redhead sang her very first solo in church last night, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.  I must admit, I teared up a little as she stood up on that stage singing “Change My Heart”. 

I am so thankful for our church and their willingness to let the little ones share in worship.  She will never forget last night!

Of course we want to share it with you, so here she is in her very first official singing debut.  (Note that baby sister is trying to compete with her in the background.)

Be Still

So many times when you are seeking God’s will for your life, there are so many directions that seem to be right.  But you just don’t want to step out in front of Him or his timing.

Serving God wholeheartedly has been on our hearts for some time, and there are just so many shapes in which it can be manifested.  I have so many thoughts and wants, and ways in which I think it should be.  But all of my own personal opinions just seem to cloud what is He really wants from me.

There is no doubt I am a busy woman.  Too busy for my own good.  I have been convicted and my heart has been heavy.  There are just so many great things going on in my life, and I want to be neck-deep in all of them.

But that sometimes comes at a cost.  The important people in my life sometimes suffer at the hand of my ambitions to be the best at everything I do.

God has opened HUGE doors with my book, and we are working so hard on getting it done.  We are looking at having the manuscript complete by the end of October.  He has blessed me with a wonderful woman who is helping me put it all together.  I am so thankful for her, and the joy that I have had the past few weeks.  To physically see something that God has put into motion come to fruition is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever been a part of.  He is taking my deepest pain and allowing it to become one of my greatest joys!!!  It is totally unexplainable, except for the fact that He is God and I am not.

So my quest to find my niche in which the Lord has called me has lead me to a quiet voice that is whispering, “Be still and know that  I am God.”  I need to quit trying to be Wonder Woman in everything I do, and just do what He’s set before me with my whole heart.  So I have committed to work on this book with the same effort that I have been chasing everything else that comes my way.  That may mean that other trivial things will have to temporarily take a back seat, but that is okay too.

I cannot wait for you to be able to share in this project with us.  It truly is a testament to the HOPE we have in Jesus Christ!

When it Rains, It Pours

It has rained this week in our lives.  And I mean FLOODED!!!  But in an AWESOME way.  God has poured out so many blessings on our family this week, I am on such a high.

Some of this will be vague, and I am sorry for that, but we are still praying through some of these details.

The first thing that happened this week, was that we got to see awesome details being worked out in students’ lives.  The Lord literally orchestrated some things that were undeniably Him.  He’s so awesome!!!

Secondly, we are praying about some opportunities for Rob.  His heart is in ministry to students, and God has opened a small door.  We have a lot of praying to do!!!

Lastly, but the best!!!, is my book.  Y’all, I have been burdened by my disobedience in this area.  I have a hard time managing my time (I’m busy.  I’m a wife, a mom, a Sunday School teacher, a youth worker, a jewelry lady, a contractor, and this list goes on and on.)  However, NOTHING should get in the way of being obedient to God’s calling on your life, and I have been so guilty of that.  So here is what went down….

We were at a youth leadership team meeting discussing an upcoming event.  I just happened to ask for prayer in regards to the book situation.  My heart has been so heavy to get it done.  One of my sweet friends mentioned that her long-time friend had just published her second book, and it was a number one pick on Amazon this past week.  I asked if she thought the lady may be interested in helping me finish my book. 

The next morning, I asked for the contact information.  I facebooked the sweet lady, and she messaged me back almost instantly.  She couldn’t help me at this time because she is so busy.  But she happens to be a member of a Christian authors group, so she put my request out to them.  Within minutes, I had a sweet woman interested in helping me.  I facebooked her and a partnership was born.  A door was FLUNG open by the Almighty God. 

I am now working with the sweetest lady who is going to help me finish Faith’s book, and she is going to edit it as well.  I was waiting for the door to be slammed closed whenever I asked her fees.  But me and my faithless self were proven wrong again.  It is something we can work with.

  The weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.  Rob and I are going to work diligently this weekend to get the rest of our story done and get it to her.  She said she shouldn’t take too long to finish it. 

I cannot begin to tell you how it feels to personally see God working miracles in my life!!!  I know God is good, all the time.  But He has POURED out blessings this week to us.

As I’ve been studying James these last two weeks, I have been convicted about having faith without action.  It’s easy to say I believe in Jesus, and I trust Him, but do my actions say so?  Sometimes we have to just step out on faith.  And that is what we are doing.

Please pray for us as we continue to seek and follow God’s will for our lives.