Author Archive for vaughn
What do a chain saw and a tree log have to do with worship?
Preparation Pain!
This past Sunday at Encounter we saw the wood carver take a four foot long section of tree trunk and shape it into a bear holding a fish.
At first glance it looked like nothing more than a huge mess and distraction. The wood chips were flying and the saw dust was everywhere, but over time the image began to take shape.
So often all we see and feel is the painful gnawing of the saw and fail to realize that we too are being shaped by life’s circumstances.
How about you? What is cutting into the “normal” of your life? What distractions seem to be creeping in to make a mess of your task list and agenda?
I invite you to join me in rereading Saul/Paul’s dramatic story of conversion…Acts 22:1-16.
He had an agenda that was dramatically altered in this story. Maybe just maybe the pains and hurts we are enduring might even help shape us into better vessels for reaching the world for Christ.
One never fully appreciates the sunrise unless they have endured the long night of the soul. One best appreciates health if they have been sick and one never knows the peaceful power of hope unless they have dealt with the desperation of despair.
Perhaps the turbulent world we are living in with job losses, home foreclosures and broken dreams is the perfect place for Christians to share the reconciling message of hope that Christ offers. It reminds me that the best place to see the brilliance of night stars is in the dark blanket of the countryside.
Paul’s first countryside was Damascus…where’s yours?
Vaughn
As a kid I loved pal gum and bubble machines. The only problem was that the gum, while a sugar blast on the first chew, lost its flavor within ten seconds and the bubbles were so fragile that they popped as soon as you touched them. I dreamed of summers that never ended and trips to the beach that could last forever, but inevitably the sun burns and sand rashes faded almost as quickly as the hermit crabs within the shells of those stowaways in the suitcase. School restarted and summer baseball, football, and kick the can games came to a screeching halt. Much like the excitement over new things at Christmas and birthdays the lasting impact was often short lived.
This Sunday we will be congratulating our graduating seniors and talking about lives that matter in the final week’s segment “A Lasting Impact”…on and through us. I hope you will join us at Encounter to finish the four week series that began with Depending on Jesus (MP3), Being Real (MP3) and Loving Others (MP3).
A couple questions for you to consider…
Who has had a lasting impact in your life? How?
What experiences have had a lasting impact on you? How?
Rev. Vaughn Stafford
Minister over Contemporary Worship
This Sunday begins a new series of questions to be addressed in effectively reaching the world for Christ. In these three weeks we will answer “Who’s Jesus, What’s Real, and Who’s my neighbor”.
In my growing up years, I was blessed to meet some pretty famous Christian recording artists. One of them had a son who, at the age of nine, used to jokingly say to people, “You don’t know me, you just know of me.” He was saying this as a way to elevate himself or put people in their place. It really made me laugh then, but in recent years has been a comment that has brought a lot of thought. Do we really know people, things, experiences and even God or do we know of Him? Unlike my nine year old friend, Jesus isn’t looking to elevate Himself. As a matter of fact He lowered Himself so that we might have a relationship with Him, through Him and by Him, with the Father. This Sunday, April 6th in the gym, we will be talking about what others say of Jesus, hearing why He came and seeing what He wants to be in us.
I would love to hear your answers to the questions on the Encounter forum as well.
In Christ,
Rev Vaughn Stafford
Minister over Contemporary Worship
In watching Super Bowl XLII, I couldn’t help but think about the different reactions by the “winners” and “losers” to the most watched game in history. While there were 148.3 million people that watched the game with strong feelings and reactions to the underdog, the undefeated, the little brother, the Home team, and the break from Political polls analysis. The victorious New York Giants made me think about 9/11.
Somehow my thoughts moved from the fanfare of confetti cannons to the devastation of tumbling towers. That sky was eclipsed and the air cluttered under totally different circumstances. It was another chapter in the book of New Yorkers and indeed the human condition’s victory over emanate defeat. The strong feelings of Patriots, Giants and teams across the globe united a country and world with a common pain.
A few months after the attacks on the World trade center I found myself leading a group of nearly fifty youth and adults to the “Ground Zero” site. As we approached the blocks that surrounded the buildings I was astounded by the amount of dust and debris still flying in the air. Rounding the corner of an adjacent skyscraper my heart sunk at the sight of buildings draped in black fabrics. It was truly as if we were walking through the visitation of a large funeral. I found myself engulfed by the deafening silence of respect and mourning.
For what seemed like eternity we walked around the perimeter of the excavation site. I hadn’t worked up the audacity to look through one of the gaps in the fence toward the actual plots where towers fell, worlds collapsed and families were altered forever. Finally, with the courage of a child taking his first leap into the swimming pool I turned my head to peak into what seemed like absolute despair.
Instead, the first thing my eyes latched onto was the cornerstone beams of a large building. The horizontal beams actually broke off on either side of their vertical counter part to form a cross. For the first time on the trip I took a deep breath and with tears streaming down my cheeks remembered that God still reigns and Jesus is very much present.
Ironically, this and so many powerful revelations in my life came through one of the deepest hurts in our nation’s history. Why is it we often have to walk through the dark to appreciate the light? Paul says, “I have learned the secret to be content in all circumstances” (Phil 4:12). Perhaps this is the secret…to know that we who are in God win because He reigns!
Rev. Vaughn Stafford
Minister over Contemporary Worship
As a child I remember getting caught with toys in my hands during Sunday school or with cookies in my hands before dinner. The question, “What’s in your hands?”, was usually a confrontation that led to a reprimand. In God’s same question to Moses in Exodus 4:1-5 it is a confrontation that led to new life and blessing. Moses is struggling with whether or not people will believe he has had an experience with God. He is questioning himself and God. God doesn’t rebuke him, but reinforces him as the shepherd’s staff turns from what was once alive, in Moses hands, to new life, when it is laid down for God. This theme is carried forward throughout the Old and New Testaments and throughout the lives of Saints alive today. Whether we are nervous observers with Abraham and Isaac on the mountain or grateful participants watching the little boy bring his loaves and fishes in the Gospel account, it is clear that God wants to use that which is in our hands for greater good than we can imagine.
This past week I heard many great messages at the Catalyst conference. The message that really hit me like a ton of bricks was Rick Warren‘s message on this very Scripture. I sat there amazed as I heard him share how he was a reverse tither (giving 90% of his earnings back to God)! He shared how he was using his influence and affluence to further the kingdom with leaders, nations and causes around the globe. After a long time of rationalizing my way through his message with comments like “yeah, but that’s Rick Warren” or”sure, but he has more money than Midas”. I heard God’s voice whisper in my ear. My heart was humbled and impassioned as I listened to God ask “that’s fine Vaughn, but What’s in your hands”? I pray that you will join me this Sunday as I share a message at Encounter that pushes each of us to consider the content of our hands.
In Christ,
Rev. Vaughn Stafford
Minister over Contemporary Worship
One year ago this week my family and I moved from Tuscaloosa, AL to Marietta, GA to embark on a whole new journey of following God. We changed states, size of churches, and home address. We continue to add new friends to our lives and learn more about how to do ministry in a very different setting. I even changed ministry responsibilities. For the previous ten years I had done youth and contemporary worship. It took me many months to work through the pain of letting go of the relational style of ministry that youth inspire. Just a few months ago I was hit with a powerful revelation. It occurred to me that the ministry setting and responsibilities had changed, but the mission and style was still the same.
The differences aforementioned are obvious, but the purposeful mission statement I developed in my first year of ministry is just as applicable here as it has been in each of the four growing churches we have served. The statement that has guided my ministry and activities is “Winning, Building and Sending people for Christ”. Here too, there are many people who have not entered into a real personal relationship with Jesus. There are many more that began the relationship, but stayed at an infancy level of faith and knowledge. Still there are perhaps thousands of others that have developed a knowledge of who God is and who they are in Him, but have never served anyone other than themselves and perhaps a few family members.
The style in which this mission will be carried out is still through real relationships. I didn’t realize how powerful the temptation to step back could be, but is a real force in the world. The conviction of my heart is that we are best able to share the love and grace of God when we are in real relationships with Him and others. What a joy it is to be a pastor in this church and what a joy it is to have a loving God loving others through us. God bless each of you as we carry out the mission together of “Winning, Building and Sending” ourselves and others for Christ.
Rev. Vaughn Stafford
Minister over Contemporary Worship
What do a chain saw and a tree log have to do with worship?
