From Greg Vaughn’s book Letters from Dad:
“Recently when my mother was in poor health I felt God calling me to capture the heart of this great woman on film. I flew to her with a video camera and asked if she felt well enough to speak. She gave the thumbs up.
“For the next three hours, I videotaped my mom talking about her life before I finally got to the most important question of all: ‘If you could speak to your great-great-grandchildren, what would you say to them?’
“I offered to let her think about it for a minute before I started taping, but she shook her head and said, ‘No, turn it on.’
“‘There’s a couple of things I want you to know about me,’ she said, speaking directly to the camera. ‘Whoever I am to you — your grandmother, your great-grandmother, whoever — I was not a person of power and prominence, but I was a person of prayer. And I have laid up for you in the throne room of God prayers that you will come to know the great God and Savior I have served for seventy-eight years. . . .”
That’s a legacy!
mike, you have some big shoes to fill and if you are able to stand on your mothers shoulders, you will be able to se God.
I sure hope some day I can be described as a serious person of prayer. Right now I’m just a wanna-be.
Actually - that’s Greg Vaughn’s mama, right?
Awesome…sounds a lot like the night my husband’s grandma passed on at home. We were all there (her kids and grandkids, +1 great-granddaughter) and sang hymns to her, and her last conscious words were - “I long to see you all there in heaven, make every effort to teach your children the love of the Lord.” I don’t think I’ve ever met another woman as godly, humble, loving and content as she was, and I strive to keep that legacy alive (I’ve got a LONG ways to go)
Thanks for sharing!
Clint’s right — I do have big shoes to fill. But, yes, this is a quote from Greg Vaughn about his mother.
Thanks for sharing that Mike. What a powerful testimony.
Man, quotes and convictions like this take the wind out of the sails of our culture of celebrity, eh?
Thanks, Mike, for this encouragement and reminder of how and what we should aspire to!
As you age, as your love for Christ grows. You see things nipping all around at your family. Even in my 6th decade, I am praying seriously everyday to the Spirit to guide my children and grandkids. I have been abhorred by a divorce (the first) in my family. My grandkids cry all the time and want their parents back together. The amazing thing is the church didn’t think they both needed counseling. I have always accepted my daughter-in-law as my daughter. I know her weak points better than a lot of others would as she lived with me. I just thought time would resolve the grief they were causing each other as they grew and matured. I sounded like a broken record saying you both need to get a hold of this problem before Satan swallows you all up. But continually pointing fingers at each other never solved anything. Finally, their church told her to get a divorce and they do not know the entire story. And I have two beautiful granddaughters in tears all the time. I so understand Greg’s mom.
Mike,
Wrapped in Rain is an edgy Christian fiction book by Charles Martin that has everything to do with a woman on her knees. Highly recommended–it’s a finalist for a Christy award this year. I read it over a month ago, and can’t quite shake the image of a woman in prayer, and I hope when my children lay me down to sleep for good, that they will find two worn spots on the carpet by my bed. Like others, I’m working on it.
my bad
Mike — what a great book!!! I’m teaching a class from this book here at Eastside church of Christ in Antioch, CA. What a heart Greg Vaughn has for leaving a legacy for his family!
I’d strongly suggest any guys reading this blog to pick up this book and put it to use! Reading many portions of this book brought tears to my eyes!
God bless,
Brian
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo’is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you.”
Paul’s words to Timothy (1:5) have always resonated with me. I had a grandmother Lois also who began teaching me and all the church’s 3 and 4 year old children the Bible at a tender age. I had another grandmother named Opal who prayed for me and my children all the time. I often think that many of the blessings in my life and in the lives of my children are because of the prayers of those who have proceded us. Now that I am a grandfather, I pray for my granddaughter daily even though she is only 18 months. In fact, I am already praying for her husband and her children! Faith is the legacy that keeps on giving. It is the thing that seemed to astound Jesus the most when he discovered it here on earth in people. We need to be on our knees daily lifting up our families to the admonition and nurture of the Lord and his kingdom. Thanks Mike for sharing this story. It is truth!
Brad Stevens
St. Louis, MO
I was in high school when Daddy’s mother died. Shortly after her death my grandad wrote to me, “The madam (his pet name for my grandmother) and I never had much in the way of worldly goods, but we were very rich. Every Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night we knew where our children and grandchildren were.” He went on to tell me he was blessed by knowing where the family priorities were, and he was very thankful. Grandparents and parents who talk openly to their family about their faith leave a legacy that helps overcome many of the bumps and curves in the roller coaster of life!
Thanks Mike… I am actually in the midst of putting together a documentary of my Grandmother, with the help of my aunt and cousin. It is an idea that I have had for about a year, that I hope to be able to also implement wherever I end up on ministry. I do not think that there has ever been such a generation that could tell stories so well about their own lives and the lives of people who have made such an impact in their own transformation. I want to be able to have them tell the whole story, struggles and all, with pictures and emotion, so that when the time comes for them to go home and be with the Father, the story of their lives as told by them can be given to their families as a gift of the church that also suffers from their loss, but rejoices in the life they lives and in the new life they are now in. Anyway, I could go on and on about this…. Thanks as always for your dynamic postings, my prayers are with you and your family.
I am convinced this is the reason America still experiences the grace and blessing of God… generations past have honored Him and prayed for our future and the future of this country.