Vaughnshire Farm

In my last post about post-partum afterpains, I forgot to mention two tips my midwife informed me about that will help prevent or decrease postpartum afterpains. 1.) Keep your bladder empty. After giving birth, the bladder no longer receives the never ending bathroom trip signals that it received when pregnant. You may not “feel” like you need to urinate but it is a good idea to go at least once every hour. An empty bladder will help keep the uterus in the right place as well as hard and firm. 2.) Keep the uterus hard and firm. Nursing is excellent to keep clamp the uterus down properly. Do not allow long spaces of time to lapse between feedings. Massaging the stomach to keep the uterus firm is also a good way to keep it clamped down properly.

The Church in America needs to repent for putting man above God and for placing prosperity and pleasure above privilege and responsibility.

The Church will never fulfill her Biblical role in the world as long as she has a 2nd grade theology driven by a junior high school lust for pleasure and profit. If these sound like hard words then I beg of you to consider the major theological works of the last decade, and even the last century. Where are the men who produced studies like the “City of God”, “Pilgrim Progress”, or “The Institutes of the Christian Religion”? Where are the scholars studied in Greek and Latin who are able to defend their beliefs in season and out? Are we to restore a moral foundation for our nation and leave a heritage to our children on writings like “Left Behind” or “40 Days Of Purpose”?

The Church has abandoned her post. We, the soft people of God, sit in our pews and put up with heresy in our pulpits because we will not take time to read and study the very Word of God that past generations died to preserve. America’s pulpits are a flame with theology that was condemned as outright heresy a few hundred years ago. But no one notices; no one questions the pastor, the preaching, or more importantly the fruit.

Many will say, ah but our church has this ministry and that ministry and it is bearing fruit all the time. We are getting people “saved”. Surely everyone would rejoice that the lost are coming to know the great joy of the extended grace of God. However, the question is where are those people five years from now? Are they any better off than they were? Are we feeding the flock a diet that sustains them in times of trouble and prepares them for the trials of life? Or are we stacking them up at a spiritual bus stop awaiting the rapture and fleecing them under the pretence of expanding the Kingdom of God?

It seems there are ample statistics that answer these questions. When the divorce rate is higher in the church than the “heathen” world, or when 75% of the women that have abortions claim to be “born again” can we really come to any conclusion other than the Church is not what God called it to be?

There are many reason for this and it would be juvenile to posit only one cause for such a calamity. However, for the purpose of this first piece the initial focus will be on the Sovereignty of God.

• Part I

• Part II

• Part III

• Part IV

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We’ve staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity - to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” [James Madison, 1778 to the General Assembly of the State of Virginia]

“Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. - And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”
- Deut 6:1,2&7

When all other authority has been corrupted and fallen short of its God given responsibility, a father still has the ability to change the direction of a nation by shaping the culture in his home. This is the hope for America and the subject for this message.

If you have known me for any amount of time, or have read much of my musings scribed here and there, you will know that I am passionate about the earthly authority God has structured. Specifically I want to share with everyone what the Bible says about self government, family government, church government and lastly civil government. These four clear areas of authority are laid out in the scripture and are profoundly important for understanding what it means to have a Christian nation. And as such, what it will take to reform a nation that has gone astray.

Beth and I have served in politics, in churches, in the government, on the streets, and in any other place we thought we could make a difference. All of these things are good. All of these things are necessary. As Christian’s we should do all of these things and more to serve those around us and to honor our Lord. However, the thing we as Christians so often overlook in serving in these Biblical institutions is the family.

Not only do we overlook it in our activities we are involved in, but we overlook it as the root cause for the very things we are trying to fix. If we better understood the symbiotic nature of the relationships between the governments of God we would understand that the moral issues we are facing as a nation are a direct result of the breakdown of the family structure as God created it.

If there is a shortage of Godly leaders in the church, then it is because there is a shortage of Godly families to supply them. If there is a shortage of Godly men to lead our nation, it is because there is a shortage of Godly leaders in the church to train them. Each of these governments, the church and the state are dependant on the family government. All three of these, the church, the state, and the family, prosper from proper self-government among their members.
It is the family where we first learn of self-government. It is the family where we are taught the proper roles for men and women, and where we learn what it means to serve others. It is the family that trains children to be good members of the church, and of society. These same members of the family jointly educated and discipled by the family and the church then are capable of becoming leaders in the civic realm.

How different would our nation look, if this next generation of leaders had the moral capacity to make decisions based on their internal Christian beliefs? How would it look, if the average person could take the Bible and apply the truths found therein to every area of life? If we as a nation could apply those truths to every thought we think, every word we speak, and every decision we make, how different would this nation look two generations from today?

It is the role of the father, and in his absence the mother, to teach these distinctly Christian values to their children and to model them in the home and to teach this generation to pass them on to the next generation.

When was the last time you heard a sermon about the family alter? When was the last time you were asked how your nightly family devotions were going? These use to be common Christian features in our families. Today they are a lost art. How do we get them back? How do we find the encouragement and the discipline to gather our family on a regular basis and teach them from the word of God?

That is one of our chief goals at josiahproject.com. We recognize the true importance of the family in relation to the broader culture and we seek to re-establish some tools and to set some standards that will help make this a reality for Christians who are seeking to make a difference.

As such, it is my privilege to officially introduce to you a new media company that is dedicated to doing these very things. Franklin Springs Family Media is committed to producing DVDs that are edifying for the entire family. They are not Christian films simply for entertainment, although they are greatly entertaining. They are films that will inspire and encourage fathers, mothers, and children to embrace their role within the family and to strive together to develop a sound pattern of Biblical practices that will impact generations to come.

If you are concerned about the future of our nation and if you would like to be encouraged in the role you play as part of a Christian family, then I would encourage you to pick up both, a journey home and Family Harmony today. Buying these films today won’t change America before the next election cycle, but it just might change your family, which is the seed of change for a nation.

Click Here to preview the trailers of these two powerful films and be sure to bring them home to your family library today.

How in the world are you supposed to have a post-partum recovery with 7 children? I would have to say that it is impossible without help! I have been extremely blessed to have my mom and sister-in-law here for the last week and a half. They traveled from Texas to our home in Tennessee to help with the children, house and meals. I have spent most of my time resting, napping, nursing, reading…and blogging or writing. I am enjoying my time with Annabelle and very grateful for the help as I have had an easier post-partum time.
Things that have helped make a smoother post-partum recovery:

1.) having help!
2.) having meals already prepared, help to prepare new meals, friends bringing by meals and a sister-in-law that has stocked my freezer with meals and bread.
3.) taking naps to prevent the sleep deprivation from being up in the wee hours.
4.) taking prenatal vitamins, chlorophyll (especially important after giving birth), drinking lots of water and eating a breastfeeding mother’s amount of calories.

Being tired and overworked contribute to post-partum blues and extreme emotional swings. If you can rest well for 2 weeks, sleeping often, nursing often, eating and drinking regularly, not only will this help you deal with the hormone fluctuations that happen after birth but it will also help establish a good milk supply. My midwife is a stickler on staying down for a set amount of time after giving birth and believes this is especially important for mothers with many children and those who have had close pregnancies. My grandmother believes that women should take a full 6 weeks to recover with limited activity.

I was asked why we worship on Sunday… well it just so happens I was able to find a sermon I preached on that very subject.  It is by no means a comprehensive work, but I believe it is a good starting place.

Why We Worship On Sunday
August 29th, 2004

The purpose of this message

Is not to bring a list of do’s and don’ts about the Sabbath to you.

It is not to lay forth commands about what we should do in Church or in our homes on Sunday. (These things are important and we will need to study these as we move forward as a congregation.)

However, in our generation, I think it is important that we “re” lay a solid Biblical foundation for observance of the Sabbath, i.e. the history of the Sabbath. In an article entitled, “The Perpetuity And Change Of The Sabbath“, Jonathan Edwards made these remarks in regards to this message.

“If men take it only upon trust, and keep the first day of the week because their parents taught them so, or because they see others do it, they will never be likely to keep it so conscientiously and strictly, as if they had been convinced by seeing for themselves that there are good grounds in the Word of God for their practice. Unless they do see thus for themselves, whenever they are negligent in sanctifying the Sabbath or are guilty of profaning it, their consciences will not have that advantage to smite them for it, as otherwise they would. - And those who have a sincere desire to obey God in all things, will keep the Sabbath more carefully and more cheerfully, if they have seen and been convinced that therein they do what is according to the will and command of God, and what is acceptable to him. [They] will also have a great deal more comfort in the reflection upon their having carefully and painfully kept the Sabbath.”

I hope to outline the importance of the Sabbath in God’s Words and the severity of the punishment that came with breaking it. - Not covered

I hope to show you the Biblical transition of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday along with the accompanying terminology. The Sabbath to The Lord’s Day, or Christian Sabbath.

If I’m able I hope to give just a brief history or overview of Sunday in our nation’s history.

Lastly, there is an eternal Sabbath and we need to understand the joy associated with that. Heb 4&5 - Not Covered, Future Message

Foundations For Sabbath Worship

First we must always look to the beginning to discover the foundations.

I love the book of beginnings. Genesis is so rich in foundational things. From the first commands on civil government, to the first institutions of worship, to proper family relationships, it can all be found in Genesis. In the case of the Sabbath we see, as we learned about leadership last week; God leading by example.

Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

The scripture teaches us that God himself kept the Sabbath day. We find out later in scripture, as if we did not understand this from the beginning, that God did not “need to rest”, but did this for our example.

In an article by J.C. Ryle entitled, “A Day To Keep” he made the following observation from the first couple of chapters in Genesis: Continue Reading »

It is worse than labor pain - After Pains - and it seems to be more intense with the more children I have! I have talked to some mothers with many children who do not experience extreme after pains…so it is not something that all women deal with.

The first day, the after pains were only bearable with extra strength Tylenol and a herbal remedy called “After Ease”. Usually, I am on Tylenol or Motrin and the herbs for 3 complete days.  There are times when the pains were so bad that I would have to curl in a fetal position and just cry and would get nauseated from the pain. However, with the last few postpartum recovery times, I have immediately started the herbs and meds to decrease this extreme reaction to a few isolated instances. Recovering after baby number 7 was actually a little different. This time I had 24 hours of intense after pains and immediately was able to stop the Tylenol. Days 2 and 3, I occasionally took the herbs. It was amazingly better this time around!

I did take the 5-W herbs the last weeks of pregnancy and drink a lot of raspberry leaf tea so that may have helped as well.

AfterEase is made by WishGarden Herbs and can be purchased online. I buy my birthing supplies from a Christian family owned company in Texas called In His Hands birth supply.

AfterEase decreases the intensity of after birth pains. It contains Crampbark, Black Haw Bark, Yarrow Flower, and Motherwart Leaf. Suggested use is 2 - 4 droppers in either a little juice or water and can be repeated as necessary.

ContractEase is a similar herbal remedy. I have not personally tried it though. It is made by Tri-light herbs and is recommended by Shonda Parker (her books are great). It contains herbs that support the female glandular and nervous system after birth. The herbs are crampbark, wild yam, black haw, scullcap, valerian root, hops, chamomile, fennel and catnip. It is also certified organic.

Annabelle gets her first infant massage at 5 days old by Aunt Kathy. Kathy is a massage therapist in Ft. Worth, Tx. She flew up for a couple of days to visit and gave Annabelle a relaxing massage that put her to sleep for hours!

I appreciate the feedback I have received on the Narnia post. However, most of the comments on this site and others missed the purpose of the post. I was not attempting to judge CS Lewis or to “pick his bones” as it was put in one comment. Neither was I attempting to rate his literary skill. I am not his judge in regards to his eternal life, nor do I posses the literary acumen required to critique his writing ability.I do however possess all that is needed to examine any art and to view it through a Biblical grid in relation to how it should be discussed with my children. That is my responsibility as a parent to my children and to God. Secondly, as an individual participating in the market place of ideas I have this same responsibility before God to examine all things and understand them in light of what the scripture teaches. That is what this web site is about. We are to examine all things through the lens of God’s word to properly understand it.

As such, I was simply asking what the Bible has to say about the ideas presented by Lewis. This is an important question to ask because ideas do have consequences. The story and the personal life of CS Lewis, are not the point of the discussion, as much as the ideas portrayed in the story by him. The only reason the person of C.S. Lewis comes into play at all is because of his immense popularity and his literary ability. Because of these two things, I think questioning the validity of the ideas he presents is more important, not less. In the case of Lewis, some may tend to overlook the subject matter of the story because of the skill in which it is told. Further more, as evidenced by the response to my post, some will defend someone simply because of their skill as a writer, with no regards to the ideas presented.

With that background being more clearly spelled out, I would like to respond to three specific points that were raised. First many berated me for daring to call the story an allegory. They cite “Lewis’ own words” to show how foolish I was to not know this. However, I will hold that it is irrelevant whether Lewis intended the series to be an allegory or not. The fact of the matter is that it is perceived that way today by much of society at large and most of the Christians in the world. In fact many who made this objection, went on to tell me how I misunderstood the allegory. The point in this distinction was not the technical aspects of the story or it’s classification, but rather the consequences in attempting to align with a Biblical story line, but not remaining true to the plot. My point was simply that this can create confusion in a young readers mind. It plants ideas that later grow and produce the fruit according to their roots. In fact, though I dare not give Lewis the credit / blame for this, there has been much falling away from Biblical truths since Lewis’ time along the same waverings presented in this work and outlined in my first post. Again, ideas have consequences. I will concede that the ideas were not Lewis’ exclusively and that Lewis himself was as much a product of his age as a man of his own intentions. However, I think that strengthens the argument I attempt to make and does not diminish it.

Along those lines, someone told me that I mis-quoted the stone table scene and that it in fact said “a person without sin” not just any person who laid down their life and therefore it related perfectly to Christ. However, the point I was trying to make was that it could not be just anyone who was sinless that could die for our sins, but in fact had to be a direct descendant of Adam, who fell in the first place, and it had to be Christ himself as was predestined before the foundations of the world. Remember the pages of those boring scriptures listing all the genealogy? They do have a purpose and play a prominent role in the redemption story.

Lastly, I did not call for a boycott of all C.S. Lewis stories. I did not call for a boycott of any of them. In fact, I said my children would indeed read them and know about them…all about them as I have indicated. They might even enjoy some parts of them, I did. However, if they desire to write stories themselves that attempt to parallel the truths of the Gospel, we have discussed the responsibilities they have as Christians to hold to a higher standard of accuracy than Lewis did. Also, if someone would like to engage in a conversation about the “brilliance” of CS Lewis, they will be prepared to discuss all aspects of the man, both the good and the bad.

This may sound arrogant, or chide but again we are not talking about Lewis and where he is standing today. We are talking about training our children and living our own lives so that we can stand before God and give an account of the life he gave us. This is not a cry against literary tools. Christ himself used many literary devices in telling stories and parables to people. However, the difference and the standard by which we should hold ourselves to, is that he used his stories to convey truth, he did not mold truth to make a good story.

The Church of Christ assuredly has lived, and will live, as long as Christ shall reign at the right hand of the Father. By his hand it is sustained, by his protection defended, by his mighty power preserved in safety. For what he once undertook he will undoubtedly perform, he will be with his people always, “even to the end of the world” (Mt. 28:20)… we worship and adore one God, and Christ Jesus the Lord, as all the pious have always adored him…(The Church is recognized by this) mark, namely, by the pure preaching of the word of God, and the due administration of the sacraments.1 

People call that the Christian church which is not the Christian church, and that which is the Christian church is often not acknowledged as such…Whenever you hear or see the Word preached, believed, professed, and lived, do not doubt that the true ecclesia sancta catholica, a Christian holy people, must be there, even though their number is very small. 2

The purpose of the church in short is to:
1. Preach pure doctrine
2. Give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine
3. To care for the orphan and the widow
4. Administer Communion
5. Administer baptism
6. To pray
7. To worship
8. To make disciples of all nations 

The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. 

1. The visible church, Continue Reading »

Posted to the Editor of Cavalier Daily on November 18th, 2003 in response to
the following editorial.
http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=17828&pid=1083

Dear Editor,

Alec Solotorovsky’s piece entitled “Farewell, Roy Moore — for now”, was an
absolute ridiculous representation of a situation that he either knows very
little about or has very little concern for the truth about the matter.

It is always amazing to me that people who have nothing in their life they
are willing to die for always ridicule those who do. When a man not only
speaks for something but actually follows up on his beliefs and acts, then
these cowards of self belief lash out and attack. Because they can not
fathom something worth giving everything in their own life for, they can not
imagine that someone else would have the conviction to do so.

The author did not consider that the salary of an Alabama Supreme Court
Chief Justice is $170,000 a year. I wonder if this author could loose that
amount each year and have “no regrets”. Not to mention that the retirement
package for a Chief Justice is 75% of that amount for life. That is $127,500
per year for the rest of his life. If we say the judge is in his mid 50s and
conservatively give him 20 years to live, that would mean the judge just
walked away from $2,550,000. Just to put it in perspective the governor has
a lower salary and no retirement package. So for those who say he did this
for financial gain, or so he could “run for governor”, I challenge you to
walk this same path in your career.

This piece goes on and on about how Judge Moore was “manipulating” the
people, that this whole event was a “manipulation of religious sentiment”.
Is it so far removed from this writer that some people actually have beliefs
and act on them? Is it that improbable that someone who was raised and lived
the majority of his life in Alabama would share the beliefs of others in
Alabama?

Perhaps it is not that he shares their beliefs that is his crime, perhaps it
is the fact that he refused to deny his beliefs when he became a leader in
Alabama.

The hypocrisy and the outright arrogance here is that the author attempts to
deny the fact that Judge Moore has convictions of the heart and if he does
allow for any minor moral conviction on the part of the judge he then
decries him for living out his beliefs. Yet at the same time by writing this
article the author puts forth his own beliefs, presumably as a standard by
which all men should be judged.

This cry for all leaders to deny their beliefs to hold office or to be able
to speak out on an issue is a sure path to the destruction of a great
nation. Whenever you attempt to separate a man from the beliefs that make
him, you no longer have a man worthy or capable of leadership. You have a
double minded man who is unstable in all his ways. One who lisps to and fro
on the winds of public opinions. In the mind of this writer, it is far past
time to seek more men like Judge Moore to lead this nation and restore the
moral integrity upon which it was founded.

Paul R. Vaughn
Nashville, TN
http://www.josiahproject.com

Ref. http://www.cavalierdaily.com/CVArticle.asp?ID=17828&pid=1083