LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 280: God Loves Togethering, Part 8

God is the Great Shepherd of the sheep and loves to tend to His flock. We are the sheep of His pasture. Although we can have an individual relationship with the Lord, He looks upon His people as a flock. What does this mean?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello! I’m looking outside the window. The leaves are gradually turning yellow and gold and red. Isn’t fall such a wonderful time?

Now today, we’re continuing “God Loves Togethering.” Remember last time, I talked about the word ya’ad, and how does it not only mean “to assemble,” but “to assemble at an appointed time.” There’s another word also, maybe a couple more, that give that same meaning.

We are encouraged. When it’s time to come and be with the people of God, when it’s our weekly church meeting, or prayer meeting, or some gathering, let’s come on time. When I was looking up these Scriptures and writing them down in my journal, I wrote these words:

“If we can’t be on time for the trumpet blowing of the calling of our local assembly, how will we be ready for the blowing of the last trumpet, when Jesus returns?”

I think we ought to get practice now. Don’t you? I think it’s very important. These may not seem very big things in your eyes, but they are very important to God. God speaks about the appointments, about the times. He wants us to be there, on time, so we all meet together. Amen?

Before I go on to another Hebrew word, there’s another Scripture that uses this same word. It’s not really the word “assembly,” but “bringing everybody together.” They use this word, and it’s in Genesis 18, the chapter where God came in three Persons, well three men came to visit Abraham and to tell both him and Sarah that she would have a son.

We read Genesis 18:10: “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” But remember? Sarah heard this in the tent. She wasn’t out with Abraham, but she heard it and she laughed. It goes on: “Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” So, she was no longer having her cycle. “Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself.” She didn’t laugh out loud.

“. . . Saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure?  . . . And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” God saw it, even though she didn’t laugh out loud. He saw her laughing inside. Then He said: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed . . .” Ya’ad. That same word that’s used for the gathering of God’s people. “I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Have you ever thought much about this, and how it happened? As I thought about it, I believe that the miracle that happened there was that God restored Sarah’s cycle because it says there that the manner of women had ceased to be with her. But God miraculously, in her old age, restored her cycle, so that she was having that time of life. That’s what it talks about here, as “the time of life.”

When we’re cycling, every woman has this time of life every month. It’s that time when she is fertile, that time of ovulation. This is the time when she can conceive. You can’t conceive all through the month. You can only conceive in that little block of time, that time of fertility. That time is a time when God can visit you.

It’s a miraculous time, because conception is a visitation of God. We cannot conceive without God. It’s God Who gives conception. God returned Sarah’s cycle, and He visited her. In fact, that’s exactly what the Bible says about three chapters over (Genesis 21:1-3). It says, And God visited Sarah, and she brought forth her son. She had a visitation of God in that time of life, at the appointed time.

In fact, it also says the same about Hannah. After Hannah had had Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord, and taken him to the temple, God blessed her again, and she had five more children! It says in 1 Samuel 2:21: “And God visited Hannah,” and gave her these other children. That’s another time that that word is used.

Let’s go to another Hebrew word today:

SOD, pronounced sowed.”

This is a word that also means “assembly,” but this is a word that also has an extended meaning. It also means “a secret.” Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it? The full meaning of this word is “an assembly, but also an intimate circle of friends in confidence, confidential discussion among friends, secret counsel revealed from one confidant to another; friendship and intimacy with a person.” It gives a picture of sitting on a cushion, or a pillow, or a divan, intimately talking with someone.

Here are some Scriptures.

Proverbs 3:32: “His secret is with the righteous,” those who do right.

The Amplified version says: “For the perverse are an abomination, extremely disgusting and despicable to the Lord, but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the uncompromisingly righteous, those who are upright and right, standing with Him.” Isn’t that a wonderful Scripture? That when we’re walking righteously before the Lord, that God will come. He will give us His intimate counsel and communion. I think that is so beautiful.

In Job 29:4, Job was looking back to when everything was going so wonderfully. Now everything’s been taken away from him. His body is covered with boils. He says: “As I was, in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle.”

Other translations say: “When he had intimate friendship with God.”

I love the New Living Translation: “When God’s friendship was felt in my home.” Isn’t that beautiful? How would you like to have that testimony, that God’s friendship is in your home. If God is sitting with you as you have your meals, He’s with you in the kitchen. He’s there with you as you’re homeschooling your children. He's there in your bedroom. He’s in every room of the house. He wants to be with you, and He wants to have intimate fellowship with you.

Psalm 25:14: “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant.”

Once again, the Amplified says: “The secret of the sweet satisfying companionship of the Lord have they who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep inner meaning.”

Here’s another one. Psalm 55:14: “We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” I love that picture, a picture of David walking to the house of God in the company of others. Actually, you may just think, “Oh, maybe he’s just walking with a friend and talking.”

But it’s more than that, because the word “company” is the Hebrew word regesh. It means, “a throng, a crowd.” So, yes, maybe David was intimately talking with a dear friend. David did have special friends. We read the names of them in the Bible. Maybe he was talking and fellowshipping, having “sweet counsel.”

But he was also in the company of many, maybe hundreds, coming to the temple. That’s the whole picture that is there. The company. It means “a crowd, a throng.” And they were walking together all to meet God at the appointed time.

We don’t do that today, of course, do we? We all drive in our cars. Maybe I think perhaps, if we were able to walk, sometimes it might be a little better for us. Because often, we are hurrying to get ready. We all pile in the car to drive to church. Sometimes somebody’s mad with one another. I’ve heard many families say to me, “Goodness, they argue all the way to church!” Isn’t that terrible? Help! Goodness me, what kind of an atmosphere can you have at church when people are arguing on the way?

But I remember one time, we were in Ukraine. We were speaking in a number of European countries. We’d just been in Hungary, and then we drove on into Ukraine, although we were still among the Hungarian people because this part of Hungary had been taken over by Ukraine. In this village, there were hundreds of people, but they only had one church. Everybody came to church.

They had three church bells. They started half an hour before and you’d hear the church bell ringing. People would start walking. Those who had to walk a little further would start walking. Then a quarter of an hour later, another church bell would ring. People who were a little closer would start walking.

The whole throng of people were walking up the road toward the church. Then they all got there, and they would all go into the church. When the last bell went, they would all be there inside. It was amazing to see that they did it! They got there at the appointed time. But I think they all loved walking to church together. There’s something about it. They were having “sweet counsel.” That’s a beautiful Scripture. I love that.

Then we go on to some other Scriptures with this same word, sod. But here it’s speaking more about the assembly.

Psalm 89:7: “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints.”

Psalm 101:1: “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” That’s another Hebrew word for “assembly.” I love that word. It talks about assembly, and also intimate communion with the Lord. But, of course, that’s what we have, isn’t it, when we come to meet together with God. He comes to meet with us, and to commune with us.

Another Hebrew word MIQRA means “something called out; an assembly; a calling, a reading” Quite a number of the Hebrew words mean “a calling out.” It’s not staying at home. It’s a calling out, where you are called out to meet together. This particular Hebrew word includes the word “reading.” Many times, when they came together, they assembled together, they would read portions of the Torah. They would read the laws. They would read the commandments.

In fact, I talked to you in one podcast, how every seven years, they would read the whole of the Torah. That was usually during the Feast of Tabernacles, and they would take seven days to do that. But they would read the whole of those first five books of the Old Testament.

That’s another thing, of course, when we come to the house of God, when we assemble together. We assemble to hear His Word.

Nehemiah 8:8: “So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” That’s in the context of that word, miqra, where they had the reading. 

I have a little thought here too, of OK, what do you do when you have people in your home, who maybe they’re living with you, or staying with you, and they don’t want to go and come with the assembling of God’s people? Or perhaps you have your time of devotions, your Bible reading, the time you meet together, morning and evening to gather your family together. They’re not really very happy about doing this kind of thing, because they’re not walking with the Lord. What do you do?

I’ve often wondered about these things. I believe I’ve found the answer. I believe that God has an answer for every question we have in His Word. I have found that God talks to His people, but not just to them. He always includes the strangers that are with you. When God gave His commandments, when He wanted to talk to His people, or when He wanted to gather His people to hear what He was going to say to them, He would tell them all to come. The fathers, the mothers, the children, the servants, and “the strangers that are in your gates.” Always the strangers were included No one was ever, ever left out.

Let me read a few Scriptures to you. If you would really like to know more, well, I could most probably put it on the transcript. I’ll read you a few of these Scriptures today, but there are so many. I will do that. When I do this transcript, I’ll put them on the bottom for those who would really want to get them all.

Here we go. Exodus 12:49-50: “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” 

Numbers 15:14-16: “And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations . . . as ye do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall both be for you, of the congregation, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. An ordinance forever, in your generations. As you are, so shall the stranger be, before the Lord. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.”

Now, that’s very, very explicit, isn’t it? It tells us exactly. If you have someone living with you, OK, there will be the same law. There are laws that you have in your home. Everybody has different laws. Not that we would want to call them “laws,” but you have principles that keep your home in order and that are convictions to you, that you do. When people come and live with you, they become part of that. They are to take on those same laws while they are with you, even if you have people with you and you’re going to church.

OK, well, I’ve had people say, “Oh, I couldn’t come to church today, because we’ve got people staying, and they didn’t really want to come.” Well, I’m sorry. You do what God wants you to do and you invite them to come with you. If they don’t, well, they’ll just have to sit and look at the walls, because you are going! Because you are going to do what God wants you to do.

But in your home, OK, you’re gathering to read the Word. Well, you ask them to gather with you because that is what is meant to happen. That’s how God intends it.

Numbers 15:29: “Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.”

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He didn’t give them just for His people. No. It says in Exodus 20:10, just take this one, for example, where we’re not meant to work on the Sabbath day: “Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” That principle, that law God gave to every person, even the cattle.

Let’s look at a couple more. Yes, Day of Atonement. They were not meant to work on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:29: “. . . Whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you.”

One of the laws in Leviticus that God told His people was that they must not eat the blood of the animals, because blood was sacred to God. They were not to eat it. In Leviticus 17, when it’s talking about that, it also refers to the stranger. “Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood, I will even set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among the people.” Five times in that passage, God spoke those words, and five times he mentions the strangers that are with you. They were to receive the same judgement as the people of Israel if they did not comply.

When it was blessings, they were to receive the same blessings, as well. So, God included them in everything that He said. There are lots more Scriptures about that if you’re interested to look at more. I have always found that that’s been a blessing to me, so that when people come into our home, well, I expect them to be part of what we are doing in our home. And then, if I’m to come to your home, well, then, I’m meant to be part of what you are doing in your home.

Oh, yes, I said that I was not going to take you into all those 17 Hebrew words. They’re all so amazing. But I wanted to give you another English word that we read so much in the Word, too. It’s the word “flock.”

A FLOCK

Now, a flock is not one person. A flock is not two people. A flock is many. Well, in Middle Eastern flocks, maybe, I’m not sure how many they have; maybe 15 or 20 sheep. From where I come from in New Zealand, our sheep farmers have thousands of sheep in their flocks.

But sheep do not do very well on their own. They are a very social animal, and they rely on one another to survive. In fact, a sheep on its own doesn’t really survive. Well, you can have a pet sheep. Of course, you’ve got to be “all the other sheep” with it and keep it happy. But sheep love to be a flock.

And God looks upon us as His flock. He not only sees us individually; He sees us corporately. He sees us as a flock, and therefore, we should see ourselves as a flock. We’re not meant to say, “OK, I can do it on my own!” No, we’re part of a flock, and we will be stronger, we will grow more in God, and we’ll shine our light brighter as we are in the flock, because that is how God intends us.

He intends us to live in a flock, to be blessed by one another, and for us to bless others, and to have Him as our Shepherd, because sheep cannot even survive without a shepherd. They are the one animal that cannot survive without a shepherd or without being part of a flock. That’s why God chose to call us His sheep. Of all the animals in the whole of the world, He chose to call us His sheep, because sheep need a shepherd. We rely on our Shepherd. We need one another. We are a flock.

Let’s read some verses, shall we?

Psalm 77:20: “Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Psalm 78:52: “He made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.” All through that barren wilderness, He kept them together as a flock.

Psalm 80:1: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.”

Psalm 107:41-43: “He setteth the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.” 

Yes, God loves to make our family like a flock. This Scripture says God makes families like a flock. He sees all His people as a flock, but within His flock, there are family flocks. That’s how it was back in Israel. Of course, they were individual people, but they were in their families. Then they were in their tribes. Then they were the whole flock of Israel.

God makes Him families like a flock. Who is He making them for? For Him. For Himself. Do you notice that? He “maketh Him.” God is making these families. He’s making them ultimately for Him. We give the reins of our family life to Him. He’s the one who builds the house; He’s the one who makes the family. He gives us the children He has planned to give us.

Then it goes on to say something very interesting: “The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” It’s interesting, ladies, that this Scripture says the righteous will see it, and they’ll rejoice.

That’s interesting, isn’t it, because today, I cannot believe it, but even in the church, there are grandparents who are not really interested when they hear that their daughter or daughter-in-law is having a baby! I have many women come to me and say, “Look, I’m scared to tell my mom I’m having another baby! Help! I don’t even know what she’s going to say!” They don’t want them to have another baby!

What? What is wrong? Well, they have been brainwashed by our society’s thinking that is antagonistic to children, because the devil hates children. He hates life. But God is the author of life, and He loves life! And it says here that the wise, the righteous, will see these families growing like a flock, and they will rejoice! Yes: “Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”

Isaiah 40:11: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” This is how God leads us. But it’s also a beautiful Scripture for mothers, especially young moms.

Those of you who are pregnant, you’re carrying a little one in your womb, or you’re nursing a little baby, listen to what God says here. He’s speaking to you. He gathers the lambs in His arms. He carries them in His bosom and gently leads those that with young.

Dear mother, you don’t have to keep up with all the things you were doing before. You don’t have to be involved in everything that’s going on. You don’t have to do this and do that. You are in the greatest, most important work that God has given you to do. And that is to nurture your little ones.

He gently leads you. He doesn’t expect you to be running around here, there, and everywhere, leading this group, and doing this, and leading singing, and being involved in that. No, He gently leads you. Let Him gently lead you, because He understands. He doesn’t expect you to be up in the very front of the flock. Yes, at this time of your life, you can be lagging behind a little bit as you’re needing to sleep more, and as you’ve got the weight of all these darling little ones upon you. Or you’re pregnant. Just know that God gently leads you.

Jeremiah 23:1-4: “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! saith the LORD . . . Ye have scattered My flock, and driven them away . . . But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.” That’s another thing about flocks. Every shepherd wants His flock to increase. God wants His flock to increase! And He wants our little flocks to increase.

Ezekiel 34:31: “And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 34:15: “I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 36:37-38: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.” Yes, God loves the increasing of flocks. “As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

That’s an incredible promise that is being fulfilled, and yet, has to be much more fulfilled. He’s talking about those barren wastes of the West Bank, those hills of Samaria, many of them still barren. Just barren stones and dirt.

But settlers are going out to possess the land, and God has promised in Ezekiel 36 that when His people come back to the land, that He will bless the land, and it will bring forth fruit for His people. They are out there, growing vineyards, and causing the barren hills to become filled with glorious bunches of grapes, and fruitful vineyards, and olive orchards. It also says that He will build up the waste cities, and they will be filled with flocks of men.

Well, that’s a pretty difficult promise to take hold right of, right at this moment as Israel is at war, facing being attacked, day by day. But we’ve got to hang onto God’s promises, because every one of them are true and every one of them will come to pass.

OK, time is going! But just one or two more of these wonderful Scriptures about our being a flock, which is an assembly. It’s not just an individual. I trust, and I’m going to make this my last podcast on this subject, which will be eight different podcasts, just seeking to get to you, lovely ladies, that God loves the assembling of His people. I want you to see how much God loves us, so that you will love it, too, and how He sees you not only as an individual, but as a flock. Over and over again, He calls us His flock.

Micah 2:12: “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold.” God loves us to be in a fold. You see, “fold” is another synonym that goes with a sheep. It’s a fold. To be folded, and God wants us to be in a fold.

He wants us to be part of an assembly, a fold, where we can” one-another” each other, bless one another, pray for one another, and show hospitality to one another, and care for one another, and do all the over 40 “one-anothers” that we read in the New Testament. It goes on to say: “And they shall make a great noise, by reason of the multitude of men.” My, that’s talking about a great flock!

Zechariah 9:16: “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people.”

Zechariah 10:3: “. . . The LORD of hosts hath visited His flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the day of battle.”

Remember, Jesus said, in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Let’s pray, shall we?

“Father, help us to understand how You see us. You see us as a flock. Lord, we are the sheep of Your pasture. Lord God, we thank You that You have made us a flock, to be part of one another. You want us to be folded as a flock. You want us to come into a fold. Lord, there are many sheepfolds across this nation. Lord, help us all to be faithful in our own particular sheepfold that You put us in.

“Lord God, I pray that You will bless each mother and father, Lord God, each family that is listening today, and that You will bless their little flock, Lord. I pray that they will yield to You, Lord, their lives, as they let You make their family like a flock. Lord, You’re the One Who does it. It’s all You. So, we trust You, Lord, and we bless You, and we praise Your wonderful Name. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

You can check out the 41 One Anothers in the New Testament in the book:

Go to: 100 Days of Blessing, Volume 4 - 100 Selected Devotions by Nancy Campbell (mybigcommerce.com)

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 279: God Loves Togethering, Part 7

What’s been happening on the Hilltop?

God assembles His people at appointed times. Are we on time?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! I trust that you’ve been blessed in your homes today. Well, let’s just catch up on a little bit of the news on the Hilltop here.

This last weekend, we had a father-son camp for fathers and their sons, older sons right down to little sons! There were about 200 fathers and sons who came. They held it over on Sam and Serene’s property. The meetings were at their big barn that they have, the wonderful barn we have over there which Sam originally built for all our weddings and all the weddings that are yet to come. But it has so many other uses.

All the guys were camped all around about in their little tents and so on. They had the most amazing time, teaching them how to shoot with pistols and rifles. They had tomahawk and knife throwing, and rappelling, and goodness knows what! Everything a boy could learn. It was really amazing. Many of them had never done many of the things that they had for them.

They had wonderful meetings in the barn. It was just a beautiful time of father-son relationships. It’s going to be the first of many. It’s just so amazing. So now, they’ve already got the date for next year! My, I think it will be worth giving your husband this date, getting them to put it on their calendar:

October 10-13, 2024.

I think it’s one of the greatest things that I have ever seen. It was so wonderful to see the beautiful atmosphere, and all the things that were happening.

But we did have some challenges as they prepared for this camp. Just a week before, Sam, that’s Serene’s husband, was up on a 20-foot ladder, doing something. The ladder slipped out from underneath him. He fell crashing to the ground. He was pouring blood everywhere. His sons, who were there, were in terrible shock. I think they thought they had lost their dad.

They took him to hospital, but we were all praying. God did such a wonderful, wonderful miracle. It was so unbelievable. He even came home that night. It was like he was raised from the dead. He still has something very wrong with his arm and his hand, but at least, as Sam says, he thinks the hand actually saved his life.

Then two days later, Sam’s right-hand man, who’s been building with him for years, fell also on the building site as they were preparing. He ended up in hospital with eight broken ribs and a pierced lung. They had challenges but they kept going. They ended up with this most wonderful, triumphant, great weekend. It was so great.

But not to be outgunned, we also have a ladies’ retreat coming up, here in Tennessee. Some of the men came to me and said, “Oh, my wife is so jealous! She wishes she could be here.” I said, “Well, don’t worry. We have a ladies’ retreat coming up!”

Actually, we have two. We have one in Missouri the first weekend of November. And then, we have the one here in Tennessee, in Dickson, the second weekend of November. That’s coming up very quickly, so whichever one you are nearest to, do try and come. You can go to the website, AboveRubies.org, and go to “Retreat.” Click on that, and you’ll be able to go and find the information and to register.

Don’t come on your own! You can come with your daughters, and of course, if you have a nursing baby, you can bring your baby. We never say no to nursing babies at Above Rubies retreats! In fact, I think it’s so wonderful when you can come as three generations—grandmothers, mothers, and children, daughters, and babies.

Yes! Don’t come on your own. Bring a carload! Fill your car with your family. Or fill it with other ladies. Tell other ladies about these retreats. We haven’t had a ladies’ retreat for a while, because we’ve mostly been having family retreats. They have been so amazing. But it’s always lovely to have a ladies’ retreat. There’s something special about them. A weekend of being so encouraged in your role as a woman.

I will be speaking on “God’s Glorious Design.” But apart from the meetings is the wonderful fellowship that you can have with one another. I think that is so important. I remember as I was raising our children, one of the greatest blessings was getting with other mothers. I used to do that in those days. We would arrange picnics together. We would have luncheons together.

Of course, I had a ladies’ Bible study in my home every week. Mothers and babies came. We often had more babies and little ones than mothers. They would take over my home. But what wonderful times! It was the fellowship together that got us through. So, do check out those ladies’ retreats. I do hope you can come. That would just be so great.

Now, we have interrupted our series on “God Loves Togethering,” because the last two weeks I interviewed Bethany Vaughn. Her husband was kidnapped by the FBI at their home, at gunpoint, and no warrant. I’m sure you’ve already listened but if you haven’t yet listened to those podcasts, do listen.

The transcripts are already out. We’re right up to date with transcripts. We do a transcript for each podcast. I have such a dear, wonderful lady, Darlene Norris, who, out of the love of her heart to minister to ladies, she does these transcripts, so they are available. Sometimes I can share Scriptures that I may not even get time in the podcast. There are often little extra things there too, for you. So, go to them as well.

Now we’re back to “God Loves Togethering.” Ladies, this is a very important subject. I hope you just won’t turn it aside, because the Word of God is filled with it. It’s amazing. I have already given six sessions on this, and there’s still so much more. I’m not going to ever, ever give you all the Scriptures on it. We’d be going all year! There are so many!

I’m just going to give you a few more little tidbits today. But it’s just the surface of what is there. If you could only understand how much togethering means to God! I think we don’t understand, because often we’re not in the Word. We’re not reading it. We’re not reading and getting God’s heart.

These words come over and over, of the assembling of His people, the togethering of His people; the congregation, a convocation, the getting together. God loves it! And He fills His Word with it. The word “assembly” occurs frequently in the Old and the New Testaments. God doesn’t just say the “assembly of His people.” He calls the assembling of His people, “My assembly. My assembly.”

Did you get that, ladies? Yes, they’re very personal to God. They’re “My assemblies.” The gathering of God’s people together. It belongs to Him. You see, everything belongs to God. I think of Romans 11:36: “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things.” Everything is for Him, and is through Him, and is of Him. Even the assembling of ourselves together.

Some people don’t think much of it, but they don’t realize that it’s for God. It’s from Him, because He’s the One who advocated it. It’s so much in His heart. He loves it, so it’s from Him. It’s for Him, and we’ve got to see it like God sees it, don’t we?

Talking about how He says, “My assemblies,” I must share this with you because I’ve been noticing just recently, reading Ezekiel 44, how God calls everything “My.” Yes, it belongs to Him. In Ezekiel 44, He uses the word “My” 21 times. He says:

“My sanctuary.” He says that six times in that chapter!

My house,

My bread,

My covenant,

My holy things,

My charge,

My hand,

My table,

My people,

My judgement,

My laws,

My statutes,

My assemblies, and

My Sabbaths.” We’re not to gloss over all these things. They belong to God. They’re precious to Him, and they should be very precious to us.

In Ezekiel 34, He says the word “My” 18 times! He calls His people:

“My flock” 12 times in one chapter!

My flock,

My sheep,

My pasture,

My people,

My shepherds, and

My hill.” That’s talking about His holy mountain, Jerusalem.

And then in Ezekiel 16, it talks about “My children.” I’m always challenged by that. We talk about “my children, these children are my children.” Or “our children.” They belong to both my husband and me, your husband and you. But God says, “No, they are My children.” That’s a challenge, isn’t it? We can’t train them how we like. We’ve got to train them for God because they ultimately belong to Him.

Joel chapter 1. Here it says, “My land.” God uses that often throughout the Scriptures. “My land.” Well, we’re facing this on the world stage at the moment, aren’t we as Hamas has just come in and invaded Israel with such atrocities, coming into God’s land, yes, God says: “It’s My land.”

Even the area from which they came, from Gaza, is God’s land. Yes. The Israelites, the Jews there, they had that land. Years ago, they gave it back. They gave it! Just handed it over to these Palestiniansfor peace! Did they get peace? No. They’ve never had peace since they handed it over. They were not meant to hand it over. They handed over God’s land to people to whom it did not belong.

God said, “That is My land, and I have given it to you for an everlasting possession.” That’s the word of the Lord. Read Genesis 17:8.

Jeremiah 23:8: “The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Because although it’s ultimately God’s land, He gave it to them. Nations better be pretty careful when they come against God’s land.

That same chapter, Joel 1:

“My vine,

My fig tree (These are some of the names He calls Israel).

My people,

My heritage,

My silver,

My gold,

My precious treasures,

My holy mountain.”

Go to Jeremiah 23. 18 times in this chapter, God says “My” again.

“My pasture,

My people,

My flock,

My house,

My counsel,

My words. (Five times He says “My words.”)

My Name.”

In Leviticus 23, it talks about the feasts that God has ordained for His people. We usually think of them as the Jewish feasts of Passover, and Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and so on. But that’s not what the Bible calls them. Do you know what He calls them? He calls them “My feasts.” They belong to Him. He ordained them, and they’re God’s.

So, when we begin to see all these things, that they are God’s, they belong to Him, they become even more precious to us. They also become a greater challenge to us, that we will be part of what belongs to Him. Because if we belong to Him, we will want to be part of what belongs to Him! Can you say amen to that? I hope so.

OK, a new Hebrew word for today, regarding the assembling of God’s people. Now, ladies, when I first started this series, I told you that I found 12 different Hebrew words to describe the assembling of God’s people. God doesn’t limit it to one word. He has so many words for it. But then, I had to tell you a few sessions on, that, no, there are more than 12. I found 14!

17 HEBREW WORDS TO DESCRIBE ASSEMBLY

Well, ladies, forgive me. I was wrong, because now, up to date, and I hope I’ve got them all now, I have found 17! Can you believe it? I just keep discovering them all the time! This is the amazing thing about the Word of God. Oh, it’s so rich. It’s so endless. The more we delve into it, the more we find! I think I’ve found them all now, but maybe not. But so far, there are 17!

I’m not going to go through all these words. We’d be here forever. But just a few more of them. Isn’t it so amazing? This is how God feels about this. And thinking of that, and thinking of how, OK, I was wrong. I was always discovering. I have changed my understanding on so many issues as the years have gone by. I think we have to be open to doing that, don’t you? We can’t be stuck, OK? I believe this.

Many times, we believe things because of how we were brought up. That’s what we were taught, so that’s what we believe. But when we actually begin to delve more into the Word of God, we find, wow! No, that’s not actually true, and we’ve got to expand our understanding. We’ve got to sometimes repent, then we’ve got to say, “Lord God, yes, I understand that now, and I will walk in Your ways.”

I didn’t always understand the full revelation of God’s truth about having children. Oh, if only! That is perhaps the greatest regret of my whole life. Many times, Colin and I look at one another, and we say, “Oh, if only we could have had 12 children!” We were blessed with six amazing children, and then we adopted four more. But we didn’t understand fully. We were never a couple who were closed to children.

Even before I had the revelation of God’s heart, to totally yield my womb to the Lord completely, I could never have, even “with a 40-foot pole,” touched the Pill, or any of those kind of contraceptions or anything like that. Even when I didn’t understand, I heard people choosing tubal ligation. It just revolted me from within to think that someone would want to cut off or stop some part of their body that God had given to them from His divine creation!

I didn’t understand it all. But God knew my heart was open, and He began to reveal to me His ways. So, I began to walk in the understanding of the fullness of God’s truth. That’s how He created us. Our womanly creation is for the blessing of bringing forth children. The greatest blessing, and the greatest, most powerful thing we can do on this earth, and even for eternity, is to bring forth an eternal soul.

Of course, in many, many areas. I remember a few months ago, I was writing my daily Facebook that I write to encourage you. I hope you get to check them out and be encouraged. I do a devotion every week which you can get by email. I do that to encourage you as mothers and wives. I also like to send out Facebook messages every day (on most days) to encourage you.

One day, I was writing about clothing. Sometimes I’ll write about clothing, just saying how I believe that especially in this hour of this transgenderism, and this total mix-up of the sexes, how we should embrace who we are as women, and dress femininely. And especially when we go out, to wear a dress and look like a woman! For goodness’ sake! I think it’s time we did look like women!

Anyway, on the thread, someone answered, and they were very upset with me. In fact, they said “I am cancelling right now! I’m not coming back to this Facebook, because, Nancy Campbell, I remember, I was at a retreat. And I remember in a Q and A, the question was asked, should women wear pants? And you said, well, as long as you dress femininely, and you may wear very feminine pants, well, OK. That would be OK.”

I was just, perhaps, compromising. But I didn’t really have the full conviction that I have now. I have changed, yes. There were times when I would wear pants. But I do not now. OK, I’ll go out to the garden on a muddy day and get my old pants on to get down on my knees and dig in the garden.

But when I go out the door to go out where people are, I’m going to be a testimony to who God created me to be as a woman. I’m going to wear a dress, because that is what personifies a woman. Let’s face it. Every single restroom you go to in the world, we know which one to go to, because for the men it has the stick figure of the pants. For the women, it has the stick figure of the skirt. How much longer will they be doing that? Because all these women, with their pants, go into the skirt one.

Now, isn’t that amazing? You see, that’s really what shows we are a woman. I don’t believe we’re going to turn back the tide of this evil that we’re facing in our society today, of people turning away from male and female, no longer revealing who they truly are. I am going to be a testimony of who God created me to be. So, yes, I’ve changed my convictions. I think we can change. I was sad that that woman felt like that, that I had to stick to my old convictions, which really were not right! We’ve got to be open to change all the time, don’t we? That’s a little bypass as we’re going along.

The word I’m giving you today is . . .   

YA’AD.

It means “to assemble by appointment, to gather together, to summon, to meet at a certain time and place, to meet by agreement. It speaks of the congregation assembling to worship God or hear from Him at designated times and places.” In the Word, God did give specific times. I did a podcast on that regarding the times. You can go back to that one.

The times are the daily times. He gave them for morning and the evening. I go into that more, how everything in the tabernacle, God commanded them to do in the morning and in the evening. Those were the meeting times with God. They were a type for us today. In our home, we like to keep to those. In the morning, we come together as a family to hear the Word of God, and to worship the Lord, and to pray.

Of course, the altar of incense, which speaks of prayer and worship was every morning and every evening they had to light that incense. Then He gave the daily and the weekly and the yearly appointments. We talked about that in another podcast. But I’d like to remind you of the places where God said He wanted them to meet. There were three specific places.

GOD LOVES TO MEET WITH US

The first one was at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. That was where you first came into the tabernacle, and where they were sacrificing the lamb or the bullock, or whatever. And then later, in the temple.

In Exodus 29:42-46, it says: “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” Whenever you read “before the LORD” in the King James version, it literally means “in the presence of the Lord.” God was there, and they were coming to meet Him.

“. . . where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel.” Isn’t that a beautiful thing? God loves His people. He loves to meet with His people. He loves to meet with us personally. Everything starts personally, then in the family. He wants to meet with us as a family. Every morning, every evening. We’ve got to start in the home, ladies. This is where it starts. We’ve talked about this one. It’s the place where they did the morning and the evening sacrifice.

And then, secondly, it says “at the altar of incense.” Exodus 30:6-8: “. . . where I will meet with thee.” We’ve been talking in that whole chapter about the altar of incense. “And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning . . . and at evening.” Once again, every morning and every evening they came to burn the sweet incense which filled the tabernacle with a beautiful, sweet incense. That spoke of prayer and worship, so that is a type.

Coming every morning, every evening, that’s the least. You can come more. You can come all day! But we need to make at least those times, because you listen to what He said: “There I will meet with thee.” Do you want to meet with God? Yes, we all long to meet with God. We long for His presence. And we can know His presence moment by moment in our lives. But God also wants His special meeting times.

Thirdly, in the holy of holies, where back there in Old Testament times, only the high priest could go into the holy of holies.

Exodus 25:22: “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony.”

But now, wonderful ladies, we can all go into the holy of holies. That curtain that blocked every other man from going in, that only allowed the high priest in once every year, and taking the blood, otherwise, he would die. But now, because Jesus shed His blood, and when that happened, that curtain tore from the top to the bottom!

Now we can go in and we can have that intimate fellowship with Him. And where He says: “I will meet with you, and commune with you” We can do it personally, but we must begin to do it as family. And then, of course, there is the corporate meeting with one another, the assembling. Oh, and God loves this assembling of all His people.

Let’s look at some more Scriptures.

CALLING OF THE ASSEMBLY

Numbers 10:1-10. In this passage, it says here: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them.” They were made out of one piece of silver! “. . . That thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly.” Did you hear it?

“The calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, ALL the assembly shall assemble themselves.” Notice that again? Some of the assembly? No, all of the assembly. We notice this so often as we’re reading about the assembling. You’ll read that “all of them assemble,” “the whole house of Israel.” “All the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”

Keep reading down to verse 10 and it tells you all the different things that they would blow the trumpets for. The first one, of course, was when God wanted to speak to His people and to commune with them. They had to blow the trumpet. They blew it, and when they heard the trumpet, what did they do? It says: “all the assembly assembled themselves.”

It wasn’t, “oh, the trumpet!  Oh, goodness me, well, I’m in the midst of this big project. Help! Goodness me, I’ll just have to finish this first!” Or, “We’re doing this,” or “We’re doing that.” No, when that trumpet blew, they stopped what they were doing, and they assembled themselves because God had ways of letting His people know when they were to meet. He had a trumpet.

Well, we don’t have trumpets today, do we? But, OK, we do have the weekly assembling of ourselves together. Of course, all the different churches have their different ways, but they’ve all got church notices.

Today, of course, they have the internet, and a lot of churches let everybody know what they’re doing by internet. I guess that’s like a trumpet. In fact, in our church fellowship here, we have a signal group. We call it “The Hilltop News and Alerts.” It’s what’s happening at the church, and also what’s happening on the Hilltop. Everybody knows the time when church starts.

Now, you know the time when your church starts. Everybody has different times, but you have a time! You have to have a time! If you didn’t have time, you could not assemble, because some people would come at 9 o’clock. Some would think, “Oh, I think I’ll come in the afternoon.” Some think, “Oh, I think I might come at evening.” Nobody would be together! No, there has to be a time.

That’s why not only this word, ya’ad, but there’s another Hebrew word, mo’ed, and there’s another one as well, they all have that meaning within them of appointment by time. Yes, assembling by time. We have to take notice of that too. I think we really need to.

It’s amazing how today many people will think, “Oh, well, what does it matter if I’m a bit late? I’ll come when I’m ready.” Somebody arrives late for work. If they did that two of three times, that’s it. They’re fired. But isn’t it more important to come to the assembling of God’s people? Remember, “My assembly.”

Oh, we’re coming to God. It belongs to Him. How does it make you feel? Are you really seeing how God sees it? It’s His assembly. He wants you there at the right time with all His people. Look, when you all come together at the right time, there is something so exciting about it.

When people just drag in at different times, five minutes late, ten minutes late, 20 minutes late, half an hour late . . . the people who are sitting, waiting, they’re just waiting. When’s everybody coming? God is waiting and He sees. God sees what importance you put on the assembling of His people. We show the importance we put upon what God says by our actions.

I can remember back in New Zealand. There was a time when we were really in revival times. We didn’t know it. We thought it was normal. But they were incredible times. I can remember when we would meet each Sunday. You didn’t just kind of get there when you could. In those days, I had all my little children. They were all little ones.

In fact, Colin was pastoring. Sunday mornings he would go to the six o’clock prayer meeting. He would come back to get me and take me when it was time for church. I had to be ready, because we only had one car in those days. I had to be ready, with the six children, all ready. Often a new little baby, a big roast of meat and vegetables in the oven, waiting to bring people home after church.

But I would be ready because I could not wait to get there. I can remember going. We’d go up the stairs . . . we had our church in this big old theater. I would be running up the stairs! People would be running up the stairs! We’re running to get there! That’s the kind of attitude we are meant to have.

Oh, we certainly need a revival, don’t we? In our hearts, and then in God’s people, and then in this nation. But when it starts, what is a revival? It’s coming back to God’s ways. And here, this is one of His biggest ways for his people to meet together. He even organized trumpets to blow and let them know. But now we have all kinds of things to let us know. We have no excuses!

Can I encourage you to try to get there on time? Oh, I know it’s hard when you’ve got little babies and children, but you could do all kinds of tricks. You can turn your watch on for an extra hour or half an hour or something. It will make you hurry. You’ll get there on time, even though most probably you would have been late on your watch. But anyway, time has gone so quickly. Let’s pray.

“Father, we thank You so much for Your Word. Lord God, Your Word shows us Your heart. It shows us Your ways. Help us to walk in Your ways. Oh God, we take them so lightly! Help us, Father, Lord, to reverence Your ways, to walk in Your ways, to be obedient to Your ways. We ask it in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Missouri Retreat is canceled. Here is the information for the Tennessee Retreat. Hope you can come.

ABOVE RUBIES LADIES’ RETREAT

TENNESSEE

Don’t miss this last one for this year!

For wives, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and of course, nursing babies!

NOVEMBER 10 – 12

Camp Garner Creek, 700 Sam Hollow Rd, Dickson TN

Speaker: Nancy Campbell * “God’s Glorious Design”

Charity Jenkins * 503-871-9535 * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonia Ramsay *503-428-7345 *  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Go to: https://bit.ly/ar-ladies-retreat

See you there!

 

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 278: “Violent Criminals”

These are the words our government and the FBI call God-loving, children-loving, freedom-loving families. Bethany Vaughn is with me again today as she tells the horrific story of how the FBI kidnapped her husband in the early hours of the morning at gunpoint, without even showing a warrant! Do you really know what is happening in our country?

www.stifledcry.com
bethanyvaughn.substack.com
https://www.givesendgo.com/prolifedad

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Here we are again, and I have Bethany Vaughn with me again today. She is going to be telling you an eye-opening story. I’m glad you’re here listening. I do trust that many others are listening too. Give your friends a call, because this exposes how we are living in an ultra-socialist/communist country at this time.

I don’t think many realize this. I think that Colin and I are aware. We have in our church fellowship a brother from Venezuela who has come to be with us. It’s only since he’s been with us that he’s really come to know Jesus. But, oh my, we see how he has been under the manipulation of that country, even while he's here in America. I can’t really disclose the whole story, but we are seeing things first-hand of what happens.

To him, it is so concerning what he sees happening in this country now, because he says this is exactly what was going on just before Venezuela, this beautiful country, the wealthiest country in South America, was taken over by communism. Now it’s the poorest country. It’s just unbelievable there, the poverty that is happening now in this nation.

Bethany is out in the country, a neighbor, because they’re only a few miles down the road. This story she is going to tell happened right close to us. But before we get into that, Bethany, maybe you should tell this little story we were just talking about before, about our Above Rubies helpers. You unexpectedly got some Above Rubies helpers years ago, didn’t you?

Bethany Vaughn: Yes! I was just telling your most recent Above Rubies helper that when I was pregnant with Providence, my 15-year-old, two Above Rubies helpers came, I guess, to help Nancy for weeks.

Nancy: They usually come for about two months or so.

Bethany: Well, after they had finished, I don’t even know how this got set up, but they came to my house for two weeks. I was very, very sick with being newly pregnant. They came into my home, and they took over the cleaning, and playing with the children, and homeschooling the children, and cooking with the children, and teaching us interesting words like “rubbish” and “aluminium.” It was a lot of fun! [laughter]

Nancy: Oh, I know! I still say “We’ve got to take out the rubbish! Everybody, go and gather your rubbish when they’re going up to the rubbish place!” But I say the wrong words after being here for so long. We’ve been in the States now since 1991. I still talk my New Zealand lingo.

Bethany: It’s wonderful!

Nancy: We were sharing last week about how, although you began as a young girl getting into pro-life work, you got married. Then you entered into the greatest pro-life work of all of having all your wonderful babies. You have this beautiful family of 11 children, and now grandchildren. But then, as they got older, you began to get back into that sidewalk counseling again. Can you just mention a little bit?

Bethany: Yes. We have spent the last few years back doing some sidewalk counseling out in Nashville. The Lord has certainly brought many, many beautiful stories through that. Then the pro-life event that we went to in 2021 was also in Nashville. That event was the event that started this turn of events that we now find ourselves in.

Nancy: Yes. At that event, your husband was mainly involved in talking to the media, talking to the police, because they came. He was out there on the sidewalk doing that, wasn’t he?

Bethany: He was. I was a few days from giving birth to my 11^th baby. We were getting ready to have a baby. Our main pro-life focus around that time was this baby. But they had gone to the event. I had actually gone later on in the day. But he was not arrested that day. He spent time talking to the police, talking to the media. Then that was that. The event was over.

Nancy: But there were some who were arrested that day?

Bethany: There were some from out of town who did sit down in front of the abortion mill door and were arrested. But he was not one of them.

Nancy: I noticed how you called the abortion place “the abortion mill.” Why do you call it a “mill”?

Bethany: My dad always called it an “abortion mill.” It was a death camp. It was a place where children were slaughtered. So, it was not healthcare. It was not a clinic. It was not a place of medical care.

Nancy: It was not a “clinic.” A “clinic” is a place of healing. This is a place of death or murder.

Bethany: The abortion mill was a death mill.

Nancy: I think we have to call things what they really are, don’t you?

Bethany: Yes.

Nancy: So, life went along smoothly. Your precious darling baby was born, little Eden Joy.

Bethany: We were very much focusing on our community and working and raising children. We had children getting married. We had grandbabies coming along.

Nancy: And then, one day, one-and-a-half years later, tell us what happened.

Bethany: On October of last year, 2022, my children, we homeschool but we also do co-op classes with others in our community. Our children attended these school classes three days a week. My husband was about to leave to drop them off at school for the morning. He was getting ready for that. He also had a big meeting that day, a business meeting, so he was getting his shirt ironed up and about to walk out the door.

Three of my children were already out in the back going to their father’s car. We hear this incredible banging and pounding on our house and the yelling and ruckus outside. I was back in my bed, nursing my baby. I’m thinking, “What is going on? Something is not right here.”

Soon after, one of my daughters came in the room, and she said, “The FBI is here. They’re arresting Daddy.” I was like, “What in the world is going on here? What is happening?”

I passed off the baby to her and I’m looking down the hallway. I see men in our doorway, and on our porch with assault rifles, tactical gear. “What is going on? Who are you? What are you doing?”

They had my husband turned around against the door, slapping the handcuffs on him. My husband made some comment to me, and he said, “This is the time in which we live.”

He had an undershirt on at the time. He said, “I need a shirt.” One of the agents said, “Go get him a shirt.” I ran back to my room, grabbing something warm to wear. He’s obviously going to jail. I grabbed my phone. I was shaking so bad, and I was pushing buttons on my phone, thinking, “Video something, I need video of this.”

I did not know that my camera was videoing, but as I walked up to the door again, I was demanding, “Who are you? What are you doing here?” The video picks up, and I caught a short clip of the exchange between me and the agent as my husband had already been put into the back of an unmarked vehicle.

They told me nothing. They showed no warrants for my husband. They showed no warrant to me. They didn’t tell us what it was about. They did not tell us where they were taking him. They told us nothing. They refused to identify themselves. It was the most intense, surreal feeling I’ve ever had in my life.

They’re backing out of the driveway. I’m following. I go down with my phone, and I’m approaching the second vehicle, and I see a man coming from our backyard, with a long assault rifle out. He gets in the car, and they shut the door, and they drive off. I’m standing at the end of my driveway thinking, “This must be a dream.” I didn’t feel any of the rocks on my feet. This must be a dream.

I go to walk back to the house, and I feel the jags and the pokes of the rocks. I’m like, “This is not a dream. This is an absolute nightmare.” I run back into the house and my children are in the living room, crying, sobbing, shaking. I have a child on the rocking chair, curled up in a ball with her hands over her head. She’s crying. I told them, “I don’t know what happened here, but Daddy is going to be OK. God is going to take care of him. What just happened here is absolutely evil.”

So, for six hours, we had no idea where he was. They literally showed up at our house in the early morning hours and kidnapped him.

Nancy: Without a warrant, which is against the law.

Bethany: After they had detained him, handcuffed him, got him into their vehicle, and were leaving the scene, they pulled up on their computer, and showed my husband had a warrant. My husband didn’t have his glasses at the time, and he could kind of make out dates. Then he knew, “Oh, this is pro-life related.”

But I did not know it was pro-life related. I had no idea what it was related to. I had no idea. So, six hours later, I got a call from the federal courthouse. The lady says, “As you know, Mrs. Vaughn, your husband has been charged with,” and I interrupted her. I was like, “No, no, no! I don’t know anything. I have no idea what’s going on. All I know is the FBI agents showed up at my house and kidnapped my husband.”

She told me the charges, and that he would later be released in Nashville. After they took him in, they arraigned him, and took him before the judge. He was charged, and then they released him out on the streets of Nashville, 60 miles from our house, with no wallet, no phone, no money. He borrowed a stranger’s phone, and he called me.

Nancy: Where did he find a phone?

Bethany: A stranger on the street. He just kept asking people, “Hey, can I borrow your phone?”

Nancy: Wow! Goodness me.

Bethany: He’s charged with violation of space, which is a federal law that was passed during Clinton’s presidency, back in the 93-94 timeframe, which is the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances. It states that you cannot violently block, blockade a woman from her reproductive health choices. The sentence for that is up to one year in prison, with a $10,000 fine. He did not do that on that day at all. Then they tacked on conspiracy; conspiracy to violate rights secured by the government.

Nancy: I beg your pardon.

Bethany: Um huh. And that’s ten years. So, he’s looking at 11 years, and over $250,000 in fines that the Biden DOJ has brought against us.

Nancy: This is unbelievable. This is supposed to be a free country. Oh. So, now, where are you? What is happening with the courts at the moment?

Bethany: We put on the defendant of putting motion to dismiss. The judge denied the dismissal, and said, “No.” The government offered a plea deal. They said, “If you plead guilty, just plead guilty, and stay away from any reproductive health centers, we’ll let you go with no prison time.” My husband said, “No. No deal.”

Nancy: Because he is not guilty.

Bethany: You do not live by lies.

Nancy: No, you cannot live by lies. I think, sadly, that’s what some of the January 6 have done, just to get out of their jail time. They have pleaded guilty when they were not guilty. Others, of course, are still being arrested in this “free” country. In fact, I heard of one recently, who has been charged with 22 years, and he wasn’t even at January 6. They’ve charged him, because he encouraged others to go. Where are we?

Bethany: There is a pro-life case in DC where they just found pro-life people guilty of facing conspiracy, and they’re currently in jail, awaiting sentencing.

Nancy: That’s just for sidewalk counseling.

Bethany: Some of them were arrested at the abortion clinic. One of them was not arrested that day. His crime was that he videoed the event. So, he’s charged with space, and he’s also charged with conspiracy.

Nancy: How many years has he got?

Bethany: They’re facing the same, 11 years.

Nancy: Eleven years. Listen to this, ladies. Do you really know what is happening in this nation? This man videoed this pro-life event. He was not part of it, or involved in doing anything, apart from videoing it. For doing that, he’s facing 11 years in prison. How can all this be happening, when we finished with Roe v Wade? Yet here we are.

Bethany: Well, this is directly related to Roe v Wade. What happened is Roe v Wade was overturned in June of 2022. The very next month, Biden’s DOJ formed the Reproductive Task Force, with the intent of going after pro-life Christians, any pro-life person, in retaliation of what happened with the overturning of Roe. So, it’s a direct correlation.

I don’t know, many of you have heard of Mark Houck. In his case, he was also charged with very similar charges. I think there are upwards of 30 people right now in a very similar situation to my husband.

But I’m reading a lot of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn who was arrested by the Soviet regime. His crime was writing a letter, writing a private letter that criticized Stalin—in a private letter. He spent 11 years of his life in the gulag. He wrote this book, The Gulag Archipelago. I’m reading through this book; I’m listening to it on audio.

It’s the same playbook. It’s a different time, advanced technology. But it’s the same playbook. He said, Solzhenitsyn said, “There is this fallacious belief that it would not be the same here. Here, such things are impossible. Alas, all the evil of the 20^th century is possible everywhere on earth.” That’s what we are seeing in this nation.

Nancy: Well, it is a total fight between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. When you think of the hate and evil, and how they’re going after anybody who’s involved in pro-life because they hate life. To hate life, it comes from the enemy. How is it that a human being can hate life? They hate life. They love murder, and they hate the people who love life. This is where we are. It’s just unbelievable.

Bethany: Yeah, hating life; God is life. True freedom and liberty are found in His truth and His life. When you have a regime, or an evil government who hates Him, hates God, hates life, you’re going to see. We shouldn’t be surprised. I think we find in the New Testament that we encounter these various trials, and these persecutions, and these sufferings, when we are standing as a brilliant light against the backdrop of deep darkness.

Nancy: But a lot of these have happened because we, as God’s people, have been silenced. We’ve been hiding, and we haven’t been bold enough to stand for the truth. Even now, it’s so precarious, but still, we’ve got to, even at this hour, hang onto what truth we have, and stand for it.

Be prepared for whatever, as you and your husband, and your whole family are prepared. Like, he (Paul Vaughn, Bethany’s husband) is not prepared to lie, and takes a plea bargain. He is standing completely for truth. Unless we stand for truth, we’ve got nothing else. God is truth.

“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” That’s the kingdom of God, isn’t it?

Bethany: Absolutely.

Nancy: That’s what we’ve got to live. Tell me about this woman. There is this beautiful old 87-year-old, who is also facing these same charges.

Bethany: Eva Edl is a dear mentor of mine. I spent time in jail with her when I was 18 years old. She told me her story of when she was a young girl of being in the concentration camps. She wished that Christians in that area would have stood up, and would have stood for life, and rescued them.

She has now dedicated a large portion of her life to pro-life work. She calls the abortion mills here in our country “the American death camps.” They’re exactly like the communist death camps. They’re like the Nazi concentration camps.

So, I spent some time with her in jail, a very, very long time ago. Then, providentially, as God would have it, she shows up at the pro-life event that we were at in 2021. She was arrested. She was in her wheelchair in front of that abortion mill door.

Nancy: Wow! They allowed her to be arrested.

Bethany: They arrested her. Now she is also in the indictment with my husband. It’s significant. I tell my children we need to guard ourselves against squishy, comfortable Christianity. We need to really seek God in how He can use us to be potent Christians. How we can show this endurance, this potency. I think I saw that, and I have seen that in Eva.

Nancy: So, do pray for this Vaughn family, and for the others who are facing these same charges, that God will do a miracle there. That as you wait . . .  I think you have to wait until next year?

Bethany: Things have been ramping up. We are going to trial in January of 2024. We will see what the Lord does there. Whether it be a complete acquittal, and not guilty, we will praise the Lord with that. But if they are found guilty, and the judge feels like they need to serve prison time for standing for life, then my husband and the others are willing to show that example, and that love of service to Christ.

Nancy: Now, in this time, how are you preparing yourself and your children?

Bethany: It has definitely thrown me more into seeking, I mean genuinely and earnestly, tears dropping on the ground, seeking the Lord, and a closeness with the Lord that I’ve not had to have before. He has been very faithful to show me much, much grace and much love.

Practically, we are meeting with others every week for a prayer meeting. We are praying regularly in our home about this. We are reading, not only spiritually preparing, which is the most important, but also preparing our body, our physical man, to know the stories of the past, and be familiar with what has gone on in the past, like the Soviet regime, like Nazi Germany.

Even early Christians. Polycarp, Ignatius, these men did not bow to Ceasar. They did not take the oath. They were like the three Hebrew children who did not worship the idols of Nebuchadnezzar. It’s the same story of not bowing, and trusting God, as we hold onto Him. We don’t live by those lies that tyrants try to get us to live by.

Nancy: What would you say to parents today, as they’re raising their children? I think most parents still seem to live in the past blessings of God in this country, without realizing what is really coming upon us. It’s those who are standing up for truth, and for life, and for what is right, who are now being persecuted.

But, OK, are we preparing children to be a compromising people or those who will truly stand for truth? If we do, that means that we could get persecuted. How are we going to prepare our children for this?

Bethany: There’s a book by Rod Dreher, called Live Not by Lies. He has a chapter in there called “Families Are Resistance Cells.” He outlines some points that I really resonated with, that I actually really saw in those people in the past, those mentors, my parents, other people that I saw them being able to stand and face, with courage. I saw these points resonating with them, as well.

But they are models, moral courage. You, as a mom, as a dad, you model moral courage in front of your children. You fill their moral imaginations with good stories, with truth. You teach them not to be afraid to be different or weird by society’s standards. You prepare them to make great sacrifices.

You teach them that they’re a part of something bigger. They’re not just their own isolated individual self. They’re a part of a family. They’re a part of the community, but more importantly, they’re Christian children, a part of this great cloud of witnesses in the great faith chapter in Hebrews 11, the cloud of witnesses that we see in Hebrews 12, who are cheering us on in our race here on this earth.

We teach our children that it’s our time to live now. It’s our dash mark between our birth and our death. We’re to run right now. There’s this huge cloud of witnesses watching us. They’re cheering us on. Their stories inspire us and they show us the faith.

Then we practice hospitality, and we serve others. We give of ourselves. I think something that I’ve been thinking about lately are the sons of Issachar. They understood the times, and they knew what Israel should do, in 1 Chronicles 12:32. By comparing those to the children of Ephraim in Psalm 78, who were armed. They had bows, and they turned back in the day of battle.

We want to arm our children, we want to empower them, inspire them, and teach them the character of God. When they know the character of God, when they know who God is, there is nothing to fear. You fear God; you don’t fear man.

Nancy: Amen! Have you read that book to your children?

Bethany: I’ve read sections of it to my children. Teenagers, completely fine. It’s a little bit over little ones’ heads. But the stories in it are stories of families that endured communist persecution where the dads were taken to jail and the moms in the church have all these children. The dads are in jail and the moms are in church. How are the moms handling dad being in jail? How are they raising their children?

The stories like that are, there are a lot of stories in here, and you can retell those stories to your young children. Standing for God. It doesn’t matter, the hurricane, and the swirling things around us, all that. We step inside that center. We commune with the peace of God. We need to show our children that.

Nancy: Amen. What are some other books that you’ve found really worthwhile, Bethany?

Bethany: Missionary stories. Lots of missionary stories. I’m finding that they share a depth of Christianity, and a depth of faith, and a depth of understanding about suffering that you do not find in our regular, modern circles.

Nancy: Yes! Because up until now, we haven’t really had to face any suffering or persecution. But I think those times are changing, and I do believe that we do have to prepare our children. If they are unprepared, that is the most terrible thing. They’ve got to be prepared to be strong and courageous.

Bethany: And I think some of these missionary stories have probably inspired my children more than what I thought they would.

The Hiding Place, of course, by Corrie Ten Boom.

Evidence Not Seen, by Darlene Deibler Rose.

Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand. His wife also has, I think it’s called The Pastor’s Wife. Richard Wurmbrand’s wife spent some time in prison as well.

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. It’s an amazing story.

God’s Double Agent, by Bob Fu. Those are some stories. We’ve had those on audio, and we listen to them in the car. The stories encourage your faith. They grow you. They bring you up to this perspective up here, the 10,000-foot view that you often do not get.

The devil wants you to stay down in your circumstances and what you see around you. The great stories of the Bible, the stories I was talking about before, and the missionary stories, they share a level of Christianity that is deep.

Nancy: Yes. Amen! That is so great. Thank you, Bethany, for this sharing with us. Now, you do have a few links where people can find you. What would be the main one if they wanted to contact you?

Bethany: I guess you can post it on the bottom.

Nancy: I’ll put all these on the transcript. Some may not get to the transcript, so can you . . .

Bethany: I’m writing at the name:  https://BethanyVaughn.substack.com.

I’m writing about the trials that we’re currently going through. But I’m also putting more content out there on mothers. How do you prepare your children? How do you prepare yourself?

Nancy: Absolutely. And then your husband has quite a few links and stuff too, doesn’t he? I will put all those on the transcript so you can follow this case. You can be praying for this precious family. We’re going to believe for God to do a miracle, but not only for them, but for the others who are indicted in this case too. So, thank you again, and waking us all up to what is happening in this nation. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

“Dear Father, we come to You again, thanking You that You are God, that You are in control. Oh, Lord God, nothing takes You by surprise, even though this situation was a surprise to this family. But, Lord, we thank You that You have known from all time.

We pray, Lord God, we pray that You will cause justice to come forth, Lord God. Oh Father, we cry out for justice in this land. Justice is turned upside down. Lord God, truth has disappeared in the streets. Lord, we pray, oh God, for justice to be established again in this nation, and truth to be established again.

“We pray that You will bring down all these evil speakers, all these, Lord, who are making nets for the righteous. Lord, they’re making these nets for them, to fall into them. But Lord, we pray that these evildoers will fall into the same nets that they are making. They’ll fall into them themselves! Lord, this is the prayer that David prayed over and over again. It’s biblical, so we can pray it.

“In the Name of Jesus, we pray that the evildoers will fall into their own pits, and their own nets, and Lord, that You will raise up the righteous, You will raise up truth. Lord God, we pray, Father, that Your kingdom will be established, Your kingdom of life and truth! Oh God, we ask it in the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Tell other wives and mothers about these podcasts and transcripts!

To receive encouraging writings from Bethany to your email go to:

bethanyvaughn.substack.com

To receive challenging writings from her husband, Paul, go to:

paultn.substack.com

I would heartily encourage you to receive these writings.

Also check out the following:

www.Stifledcry.com

Support their legal fight here: https://www.givesendgo.com/prolifedad

You can also read about Eva Edl who was also indicted for helping to save babies. Eva is now 88 years old and facing years in jail for peaceful prolife protests. She was also a survivor of a concentration camp and now facing this at the end of her life.

https://www.liveaction.org/news/87-concentration-camp-survivor-pro-lifers-fbi/

Further books suggested by Bethany:

 

Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher

Live Not by Lies by Aleksander Solzhenitsyn

The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksander Solzhenitsyn (abridged audio version on audible read by his son.) Free online unabridged version on Archive —read and audio versions.

That Hideous Strength - A Deeper Look at How The West Was Lost by Melvin Tinker. If you want to learn more about what is going on in our country and what cultural marxism is. Why much of the Christian foundations of the West have been eroded while the church sleeps. This is a concise deep dive into the landscape we find ourselves in today.

The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom. Story of God’s faithfulness to the Ten Boom family during unimaginable suffering in a German death camp. Even if you have read this before, take another look at it after experiencing the last few years of turmoil in America.

Evidence Not Seen - Darlene Deibler Rose. Newlywed missionary survived four years in a Japanese prison camp in New Guinea. Darlene would endure her husband who was taken from their home and then widowhood, the suffering in a WWII Japanese internment camp with near starvation conditions, forced labor, then accused falsely espionage, serious illness from her conditions, being tortured and enduring solitary confinement. God sustained Darlene through deep suffering and trials. Audio available on audible.

Richard Wurmbrand books - Tortured for Christ, The Pastor’s Wife and In God’s Underground. Richard Wurmbrand was arrested by the communist in Romania for preaching in the 1940s. He spent 14 yrs in prison. His wife, Sabina, spent three years in a labor camp. She was repeatedly told her husband had died in prison. These stories tell of the faith and trust the Wurmbrands had in the Lord and how He sustained them

God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew. Dutch Christian, Anne van der Bijl, known as Brother Andrew, smuggled Bibles into communist countries starting in the 1950s. First person account of his missionary adventures and the things God did with a heart that completely trusted Him.

God’s Double Agent by Bob Fu. Lived through Tiananmen Square. Teacher at communist school by day and preacher of a underground church by night. Tells of his faith in Christ during his arrest and imprisonment and eventual escape to freedom.

Death By Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spent by N.D. Wilson. This book is a poetic exploration of faith, futility, and the incredible joy of this mortal life.” The mundane times in life are opportunities. Strive to live hard and die grateful. Live with a wonder at life. Write a past you won’t regret.

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. 17th century -An uneducated lay cook in a French monastery discusses his pursuit and findings on how to enjoy a profound awareness of God moment by moment in our everyday life. Striving to live consistently in the presence of the Holy Spirit despite the busyness, distraction, suffering or persecution we find ourselves in. Maxims and thoughts.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Lewis writes a small book of one elder demon, Screwtape, writing his nephew, Wormwood, training him on how to be a successful tempter of humans and throw them off course and destroy them.

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 277: THE VALUE OF LIFE

Introducing Bethany Vaughn, wife of Paul Vaughn, who faces 11 years in prison for saving babies. Bethany, mother of 11 children and 8 grandchildren (so far) tells the beginning of their story. And guess how Bethany was dressed when her husband proposed! Check it out.

Bethanyvaughn.substack.com

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Wonderful to be with you, ladies, and I have great news. Last night, down in Pensacola, Florida, another precious great-grandbaby was born. Oh, these great grandbabies are just coming on all the time. It is so exciting to have another generation coming forth.

This time, it was Cedar and Halle’s little baby, their first baby, little Lael. She was born last night. I saw a picture of Serene and Allison, the two grandmothers, the two crazy grandmothers, doing line dancing in the labor room! Well, I know that was in the early stages of labor when Halle was getting going. I’m sure they wouldn’t be doing that towards the end. But anyway, it was all exciting.

Serene and Allison are very best friends and happen to be grandmothers together. Isn’t that a wonderful thing? I know many of you know Allison. She has shared on this podcast so many times. Not only do they have Cedar and Halle together, but Serene’s son Vision is engaged to Eden, another one of Allison’s daughters. We have yet to have many more blessings from this union of the Allisons and the Hartmans!

Today, this podcast is going to be all about life and babies, because babies are at the very heart of the kingdom of God. I have a very, very special guest today. Her name is Bethany Vaughn. Bethany has an amazing story to tell. I know you’re going to be hanging on, listening with baited breath. If you know any friends, just quickly give them a call and tell them to start listening! OK?

So, Bethany, it’s so wonderful to have you with us today. You know, it’s amazing, you only live a few miles down the road.

Bethany: That’s right.

Nancy: We haven’t really ever seen very much of one another, have we?

Bethany: No, not yet.

Nancy: I got to meet Bethany again, just a few weeks ago, when here on the Hilltop, we had a very special meeting. Her husband, Paul Vaughn, shared his story, and what he is facing at this present time because of trying to save babies here in Tennessee.

He is now facing maybe 11 years in prison. We are praying that God will give favor, but we don’t know what is going to happen. Both Paul and Bethany here are facing this. We’re going to talk more about that later in the podcast.

I think before we get to this story that you’ll all want to hear about, we need to find out more about you, Bethany. They’ll want to hear who you really are. Now, Bethany is a wonderful mother of 11 children. How many, eight grandchildren?

Bethany: Yes.

Nancy: OK, well, tell us a little bit about them, Bethany!

Bethany: Paul and I have 11 children. Our oldest is 27, and our youngest is 2. We live here in middle Tennessee. Four of our children are married. We currently have eight grandchildren.

Nancy: Yes, and I believe that those eight grandchildren are all under four years of age?

Bethany: Yes, our oldest granddaughter just turned four. Most of them are two, along with our youngest daughter, who is also two.

Nancy: Also, that would be nine little ones when they all get together. Can you believe it? I can’t think of anything more exciting!

Bethany: It’s rather noisy!

Nancy: I don’t think that people realize. I think the hardest time, see if you agree with me, Bethany. I think the most challenging time of motherhood is the first-time mother who is finding out what it means to be a mother and to mother this precious little life that’s in her hands.

But more especially for those who are doing it on their own. They don’t have anyone around them. They’re on their own. I do believe that we need other mothers surrounding us when we’re mothering. It is such a powerful thing to be surrounded with mothers, other mothers. Don’t you think?

Bethany: Absolutely! When you’re isolated, you often can be very overwhelmed. You’re disillusioned. You have nobody to relate to. So, when you’re around other mothers, you can exchange stories, you can encourage one another.

Nancy: Oh, you encourage one another!

Bethany: Absolutely!

Nancy: Just like, that is God’s plan for us in the body of Christ! To come together, to encourage one another, and bless one another, and affirm one another in our faith. It’s the same in motherhood. The more we come together as mothers, the more we seem to live in the joy of it.

I notice this with one of my lovely granddaughters, Cherish, one of Serene’s daughters. She has a little baby, Legacy. Oh, Legacy is something else! He walked, just at the end of six months! Can you believe it? He’s like a little toddler. He toddles round everywhere, but in the afternoons, Cherish comes to Serene’s place.

While Serene is doing some research for a couple of hours or so, Cherish will look after the younger ones. Well, actually, Solly is five, and Remie’s, goodness, about nine. But then there’s another little girl who lives next door to us, Ruthie. I call them “the tribe.” Every day, Cherish will come with little Legacy, and Solly, and Remie, and Ruthie, and maybe someone else. The little tribe comes.

Well, it’s so amazing! Cherish has this most amazing, amazing, life as a mother, because Solly’s holding the baby. Oh yes, and then Haven. Haven’s with them too. Haven will be holding little Legacy, but now, of course, he’s running around. It’s hard to even get to hold him.

But when he was a baby, instead of her on her own, trying to keep this baby happy 24/7, because when you have your first baby, you are 24/7 entertaining that baby. When you have others around, they’re all entertaining the baby. I can imagine, when your daughters come to see you, and there’s nine little wee toddlers all around, they’re all playing, and they’re having a lovely time chatting. It’s unbelievable!

Bethany: It’s a very good time when you have lots of people.

Nancy: It is! It’s just so fun! And it’s life, and it’s family, and it’s what it’s all about! Most of the world doesn’t even know! Oh, they are missing out. The majority, even in the Christian world today, are having their 1.8-member family. They have never ever even experienced the joys of true family life where there are lots of little children. Then there are aunties, and uncles, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. There are lots of people. They think, “Oh, how could I stand that?” But it’s actually easier!

Bethany: Absolutely.

Nancy: Oh, yes. So, anyway, keep going with your family. Where did you get up to?

Bethany: So, eight grandchildren.

Nancy: You started with Payton.

Bethany: I have four married—Payton, Pierce, Mariah, Patrick. Patterson is currently courting. Eva is engaged. Then I have Annabelle, Providence, Mercy, Paschal, and Eden Joy.

Nancy: And Eden Joy came quite a few years later, after your last ten!

Bethany: She was a surprise. We had ten. My baby was eight years old at the time. My daughter was already married, already had her first baby. She came and they told us they were expecting their second. We were very excited. She was having early morning sickness, not feeling well.

I think to myself, I was not feeling well, throwing up. “What is going on with me? I wonder if there’s such a thing as sympathetic morning sickness? Surely not!” I was 45 years old at the time. Well, I soon found out I was expecting. So, my daughter and I were pregnant at the same time. My daughter gave birth to her second child four weeks before I gave birth to her little sister. My other children who were married, their wives were all pregnant. There were five of us expecting.

Nancy: How fun! Five of you pregnant at the same time!

Bethany: At the same time!

Nancy: That is too wonderful! I love it! And this little Eden Joy, could you imagine life without her?

Bethany: No! She is definitely spunky, and full of life. Yeah, I look at her every day, and I’m in awe of the story God did there.

Nancy: Yes! Another life! Is there anything else in the whole of this world that you could replace her with? No! There is nothing more powerful than life, is there! Oh, it brings such joy. But not only to you and Paul, but to your whole family, and generations to come! It’s so amazing, isn’t it?

Bethany: Yes.

Nancy: I think we’ve got to go back and hear a little bit of . . . even before you were married. You began to be involved in pro-life work, even before you were married, didn’t you?

Bethany: Yes. I was raised in a very pro-life, active Christian family. My parents had the belief that Christianity was something that you showed up, and you showed the world who was your Lord and Savior.

Nancy: You didn’t hide it under a bushel!

Bethany: No! Absolutely. Christianity was very active. We grew up doing all kinds of things. It wasn’t until later on in my life that I realized that most kids, Saturday morning, they spent the time watching cartoons. Saturday mornings, our family was out doing something. We were usually on the sidewalk in front of an abortion clinic, with signs, and handing out literature. Or we were volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center, painting the outside of the building, or repairing something inside, or organizing something.

Nancy: And you were doing that, even as a young child?

Bethany: As a child. By the time I was 12, 13 years old, our pro-life work had really picked up. My dad was very involved in our local area, but also across the nation. We went to different pro-life events. My parents had spent some time in jail for their pro-life work.

Nancy: So, they both, as you were growing up, they had to go to jail?

Bethany: Yes. Nothing long-term, but they did really believe that your theology becomes biography outside.

Nancy: Yes. It does. That’s right. I was thinking of that Scripture in Acts where . . . Today we live such a wimpy Christianity, don’t we? If it’s going to affect our lives, well, we kind of keep quiet and don’t open our mouths.

I think of those disciples, who even when they said, “You must not preach in the Name of Jesus,” they said, “Well, we’ve got to obey God, rather than man!” Acts 4:18-20). They were prepared to go to jail. You told me, I think, how even one Christmas, your father even missed Christmas Day because he was standing for life. Tell me about that story again.

Bethany: In the late ‘80’s I believe, early ‘90’s, there was the first, in Missouri, the first right-to-die case in America, the first euthanasia case. The parents of Nancy Cruzan were able to get a court order to be able to remove care and food from their very disabled, severely injured child who was actually an adult at the time.

She was not on life support. This was a person who needed food and care, very similar to the Terri Schiavo case later on, which my dad was also at, outside those hospitals, with signs that said, “Please feed Terri.” He was outside in the cold, in Missouri, in front of Nancy Cruzan’s hospital, standing for life.

Nancy: He was doing that Christmas Day, because it was necessary that day. That’s been part of your life. Then you began continuing to do this as a young person, standing up for life. Did you go to jail yourself?

Bethany: During my teenage years, I became very involved with sidewalk counseling, which is showing up outside of an abortion clinic on the sidewalk with literature. As people go in, you say, “Hey, I have some literature here for you. Can I talk with you for a little bit?” That kind of reaching out. “We have hope. We have help. We can help you. We know places that will pay for your medical care. We’ll help you with baby supplies.”

Nancy: That’s a beautiful thing! Yes! What was the reaction to that?

Bethany: My senior year in high school, I actually went to a private Christian school, so I had a lot of support from my teachers. I was arrested three times my senior year for pro-life work. Two of those times were actually for sitting down in front of an abortion mill door.

One time was on a sidewalk in Birmingham, Alabama. They arrested us for an old civil rights ordinance that said you can only have a certain amount of people on the sidewalk. We had too many people on the sidewalk, praying. We went for jail for praying on the sidewalk. 

Nancy: Oh, goodness me! I can’t believe it! They’re just trying to get you out of the picture, aren’t they? Even way back then! It’s just amazing!

Bethany: Most of those cases, the Birmingham one was thrown out. There was obviously nothing there they could prosecute us on. The other one, I did community service. The judge sentenced me to community service, which providentially, I was able to choose where my community service would be spent. I chose a crisis pregnancy center! I worked a summer at a crisis pregnancy center and served my “punishment” out that way.

Then the other one, we went back for trial, and the judge found us guilty. He sealed the courtroom, and he took us to jail. It was through that jail experience . . .  there were men and women involved in that case. They took us to jail in Little Rock.

It was very overcrowded. They did not have room for us, so they kept us downstairs. The women had one room, just a big concrete drunk tank is what we called it. The men were in the other one. I spent five days there. I think my husband spent about ten days in there before the outcry from the church and the pro-life community to release us came. They did release us early.

But it was in that time, that was the time my husband, we had some time. We were switching up some rooms. We had been taken to the showers. He was sitting out in the hall. We had our jumpsuits on. We were sitting, waiting to go back into our cell. My husband, (well, he was not my husband then), but he came over. We were just talking for a while, and he said, “Seeing that we’re in bonds for Christ, how do you feel about the bonds of matrimony?”

Nancy: Wow!

Bethany: And that’s how he proposed! [laughter]

Nancy: What a proposal! That is amazing! And so, how long had you known Paul then?

Bethany: We had been working together for about a year and a half. We met doing sidewalk ministry. His mom had been involved in pro-life work. He had also spent some time in jail. We met doing pro-life work. Through our courtship, we did pro-life work.

Nancy: That’s so wonderful! Well, I don’t think that everybody can say that they had a proposal like you did! In a jumpsuit! In a jail! [laughter]

Bethany: In a jumpsuit.

Nancy: What do you think of that, Greta? Greta is my lovely Above Rubies helper. She’s recording us at the moment. I think that’s quite special. You then got married sometime after that?

Bethany: We got married after that. We continued doing pro-life work for a little while. Then the Lord brought the babies. We were very, very, very busy with babies, so our pro-life work, we were still involved, but not to the level that we had been before.

Nancy: But actually, you moved to the greatest pro-life work of all, of embracing more babies into this world. I believe that is the greatest pro-life work that we can do. I think there’s nothing greater than being open to bringing into this world the children God wants to have in this world. Amen.

Bethany: Yes, it is a ministry. It’s a 24/7 ministry that really requires your heart and soul, that you’re giving your all. You’re sacrificing, and the Lord is really teaching you in ways that you could not even imagine.

Nancy: I guess, your oldest is 27 now, so for over 27 years you’ve been doing the greatest pro-life work of all.

Bethany: We still took them out occasionally. We went to different events. They are familiar with standing out on a sidewalk, or going to an event, singing in the public square, praying in the public square.

Nancy: Just tell us a little bit about your years of motherhood. Just some little things you’d love to pass on to the moms.

Bethany: Now, being a mom of a toddler again, I look back on my early years of mothering, and I wish so much I could have the perspective and the things that I have learned through all of these years. I wish I could have had that then!

Nancy: I think every mother thinks that.

Bethany: I’m much more patient with my children. I see things very differently. My perspective has changed. I enjoy things much more now than when I had a bunch of little children, and I thought that was going to be my life forever. Chaos and noise. I felt so inadequate, like I wasn’t strong enough to do this huge task that the Lord gave me.

What I realized later on is, yeah, you aren’t strong enough, but God is! And He empowers you, and He strengthens you. I wish I could have known a little bit more about tapping into and leaning more on the strength of Christ, not being so overwhelmed, and had a stronger perspective.

I think God designed years to put on you, as you age, and as you grow, and as you go through experiences, He gives you these nuggets of wisdom that you didn’t have in your youth. This is why it’s so important for older moms to pour into younger moms, encourage them, cheer them on in their sacred duty of motherhood.

Nancy: This is what this podcast is all about. It’s to encourage you, dear wives and mothers, and those who have lots of little ones at this stage, to encourage you that sometimes you think, “Help! Is this my life,” as you thought, “forever and ever?” But no! It goes so quickly! I look back, and it’s like one blink of my eye! I could wish it all back again.

Bethany: Absolutely. Yes!

Nancy: This thing that I would encourage you is, oh, instead of feeling overwhelmed, is take that overwhelmingness to the Lord. Say, “Lord, thank You. You are here with me. Thank You, Lord. Thank You for these precious children You’ve given me. Just come, Lord, and bring Your presence to my home. Lord, I thank You, that I am in Your perfect will. I embrace my life and these children that You have given me.” Get this attitude and enjoy it. Don’t think that you have got to do everything else.

I think that is where a lot of the frustration comes, because we think that we have still got to do all these other things we were doing before motherhood, all these other things people think we should still be doing while we’re a mother. No, motherhood is the highest career.

We see that over in Ezekiel 19, a beautiful allegory about motherhood. In this passage, God is talking about Judah, who were taken to Babylon. But He likens them to a mother. In Ezekiel 19:10, He says: “Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by . . . many waters.”

It’s a picture of that verse in Psalm 128:3: “Your wife is like a fruitful vine, within your home, planted in your home. Your children round about your table, like olive branches.”

Then it goes on to say that “she had strong rods,” talking about her children, “and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she appeared in her height with the multitude of her branches.”

It’s speaking of motherhood.

Motherhood is the exalted career, exalted higher than every other career around about.

But sadly, sadly, you wouldn’t believe it. Wow, this Scripture goes on to say: “But she was plucked up . . . cast down to the ground, and . . . her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire consumed them. And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty place.”

This is the picture of what has happened to motherhood. Deceiving voices have come and plucked mothers out of the home, out of that place where God planted them, where they’re meant to be in God’s perfect will. But they’re being plucked out, and now they’re in a dry and thirsty land. It’s a sad picture.

But I love how He says motherhood is exalted. It’s the most exalted career. Mothers, oh, if I could only just get you to understand. There’s nothing higher you could be doing. All these other things that you think you should be doing, and other people think you should be doing, and the church thinks you should be doing, you don’t have to be doing. You’re a mother! Just embrace it and enjoy it. What do you say, Bethany? 

Bethany: Absolutely. The investment mindset. We live in such an instant gratification world. Everything is just fast, fast, and instant.

Motherhood is a long investment into eternal souls.

Nancy: I love that!

Bethany: We have to have that mindset of, you are investing, you are teaching and training in the Word of God. You’re planting, and you’re cultivating, and you’re trusting the Lord is going to bring good fruit from that.

Don’t get frustrated when you have to say things over and over and over, and when there are messes over and over and over. This is good investment, and it’s also teaching you patience. It’s molding and shaping your character, and training your orientation to Christ instead of yourself.

Nancy: Yes. And it’s investing for eternity. Motherhood is an eternal career. It’s not just for this life! Every other career is temporary. We won’t take one other career with us into the eternal realm. Only our seeds in motherhood that we have implanted into our children’s lives for eternity. Wow. That is so powerful.

But we have yet to get on to this story of what you are facing at this very moment in your lives. I see that time is gone, so we’re going to do it in the next session. Just hang on, ladies, hang on! You’ve got to come back next week to hear this. Bethany is going to share with you just where they are in facing this court case, where her husband may have to have 11 years in prison. We’re praying against that, but you’ll get to hear about it, and many other things in this next session. So, let’s pray.

“Father, we thank You so much. Lord God, that You are “working all things together for good to them that love You and are called according to Your purpose.” We read this Scripture, Lord, in our Bible reading this morning.

“Lord, I bring all the wives and mothers listening today. I pray that You will bless them and encourage them. Lord, give them such a joy, knowing they’re walking in Your perfect will. Give them the revelation that, Lord, they are in the greatest career, which You have given them. It’s Your heart, and it’s an eternal career. Just bless them, I pray. In the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To receive encouraging writings from Bethany to your email go to:

bethanyvaughn.substack.com

To receive challenging writings from her husband, Paul, go to:

paultn.substack.com

I would heartily encourage you to receive these writings.

Also check out the following:

www.Stifledcry.com

Support their legal fight here: https://www.givesendgo.com/prolifedad

You can also read about Eva Edl who was also indicted for helping to save babies. Eva is now 88 years old and facing years in jail for peaceful prolife protests. She was also a survivor of a concentration camp and now facing this at the end of her life.

https://www.liveaction.org/news/87-concentration-camp-survivor-pro-lifers-fbi/