v a u g h n a u s t i n

How are you doing on your New Year’s Resolution? I skirted it again. Third year in a row now. Eh, child’s play. Meaningless. Whatever.

In yesterday’s post, I spoke of baby steps and of the delight that we take in watching Benjamin develop a little each day and how we can actually see the tangible results of his development. Are we adults really all that different? When did we stop taking baby steps and start floating around in the abyss of adulthood? Maybe getting our feet back on the ground and getting on the baby steps routine would be a good New Year’s resolution.

Well, whether it’s New Year’s or not, personal resolutions are obviously a good thing. And, what the heck, today is just as good a day as any to put that proverbial stake in the ground. But where do we start? Well, if you’re a fan of Rick Warren, you may enjoy his thoughts on the subject. It’s quite simple, it seems. Just affirm your commitment to the work of the Great Commission and view this declaration as a covenant with God, promising him that from now you will do whatever it takes: anytime, anywhere, anyway.

A Call to Radical Commitment, by Rick Warren

Today I am stepping across the line. I’m tired of waffling, and I’m finished with wavering. I’ve made my choice; the verdict is in; and my decision is irrevocable. I’m going God’s way. There’s no turning back now!

I will live the rest of my life serving God’s purposes with God’s people on God’s planet for God’s glory. I will use my life to celebrate his presence, cultivate his character, participate in his family, demonstrate his love, and communicate his Word.

Since my past has been forgiven, and I have a purpose for living and a home awaiting in heaven, I refuse to waste any more time or energy on shallow living, petty thinking, trivial talking, thoughtless doing, useless regretting, hurtful resenting, or faithless worrying.

Instead I will magnify God, grow to maturity, serve in ministry, and fulfill my mission in the membership of his family.

Because this life is preparation for the next, I will value worship over wealth, “we” over “me,” character over comfort, service over status, and people over possessions, position, and pleasures. I know what matters most, and I’ll give it all I’ve got. I’ll do the best I can with what I have for Jesus Christ today.

I won’t be captivated by culture, manipulated by critics, motivated by praise, frustrated by problems, debilitated by temptation, or intimidated by the devil. I’ll keep running my race with my eyes on the goal, not the sidelines or those running by me.

When times get tough, and I get tired, I won’t back up, back off, back down, back out, or backslide. I’ll just keep moving forward by God’s grace. I’m Spirit-led, purpose-driven and mission-focused, so I cannot be bought, I will not be compromised, and I shall not quit until I finish the race.

I’m a trophy of God’s amazing grace, so I will be gracious to everyone, grateful for everyday, and generous with everything that God entrusts to me.

To my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I say: However, whenever, wherever, and whatever you ask me to do, my answer in advance is yes! Wherever you lead and whatever the cost, I’m ready. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyway.

Whatever it takes Lord; whatever it takes!

I want to be used by you in such a way, that on that final day I’ll hear you say, “Well done, thou good and faithful one. Come on in, and let the eternal party begin!”

What does this mean?

Today, I affirm this commitment to God and submit to his plans and purposes for my life, no matter what it takes.

I’ve been waiting all year for this post. And here we are, on December 1st, just as planned. Now I can finally say Merry Christmas!!

Serious rewind, here…

It was 1991, and I was a sophomore at Purdue University. When Christmas rolled around, I was painfully low on cash. I wasn’t sure what to do for my family for Christmas that year. I had been doing a lot of creative writing over the last few years, so I came up with the idea of writing a Christmas short story. Little was I to know that so many feelings… so much of me… would find its way into the story. When I read the story to my family Christmas night, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It was a beautiful moment — one that I will remember forever!

Now, fast forward nine years…

It was the year 2000. I had spent almost every waking moment that year writing music for a studio band that I was in, so I decided to attempt writing a Christmas carol for my family’s traditional talent show that we do every year on Christmas night. Easy stuff, right? Ha! I was only able to write a couple verses in the few hours that I had, but it went over really well. It was fun when I asked my family to sing along after having only heard the song for the first time just a few moments before! I wasn’t even sure what key the song was in!

Well, the next year, I had a little surprise up my sleeve. Starting in late summer, I began collaborating with Brian Hazard of Color Theory to finish the song. It wasn’t easy writing a traditional-style Christmas carol — trying to capture the true warmth and magic of the season without being too cheesy — but it was incredibly rewarding when we finally wrapped it up! And what a wonderful surprise for my family that year! I couldn’t even wait for the talent show Christmas night. Christmas Eve hit and I was all aglow… I just had to share!

I had really started getting into the spirit of Christmas early that year and it was a long wait until December 25th! Since I had a small recording studio in my home, I had also decided to record an audio version of my Christmas story. It had gone through a lot of small revisions over the last ten years, but it was time to finally put it in stone. So, while I was working with Brian on the Christmas carol, I decided to ask him to write a short instrumental to include in the audio version of my story. It was designed as a companion song to my carol, but was meant to capture the deeper, more personal side of Christmas. I swear there was such an amazing degree of divine intervention involved, because Brian created the song with very little direction from me; yet, as I began to piece everything together — layering his music in with my reading — I must have cried a dozen times out of sheer joy! The timing and overall feeling of the music matched the storyline perfectly! Bravo!

Please visit Brian’s site at colortheory.com — beautiful music from an incredibly talented individual!

I am sharing these two productions with you simply because I love Christmas and I hope they will somehow touch you the way they have me all these years. Please feel free to share this site with anyone and everyone — it’s a great way to help your loved ones get in their spirit! Christmas is such a beautiful season! It brings out the best in us… reminds us of everything we take for granted.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Listen to the original Christmas carol and read the lyrics here: The Magic of Christmas

Read the original Christmas short story and listen to the audio version here: The Warmth of My Santa’s Beard

These pages will forever be available in the sidebar under Pages, so feel free to share the web address.

We’re working on a playlist of contemporary Christian worship music and would love to hear your thoughts. What are your favorite songs from Church or the radio? We’ll keep our list updated on our Worship Music page (in the menu on the right.) God bless everyone!

My parents took this photo of our nieces Megan (left) and Lyndi (right) while they were visiting Hawaii in the fall last year. At the time of the photo, the girls were 15 and 16, respectively. Now they’re a year older and serving the Lord on missions around the world. Please keep them in your prayers.

Megan is in Sweetwater, Arizona at a Navajo Reservation. She’s working with families, organizing activities, lessons, Bible School, etc. She’ll be home July 30th.

As I write this, Lyndi is flying to Taiwan on her way to Cambodia. She will be working primarily at orphanages where she will be conducting similar outreach programs for underprivileged children and AIDS babies. She’s scheduled to come back home August 15th.

Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is so great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” Matthew 9:37-38

Our Heavenly Father, please watch over our beloved as they serve You and help spread Your Word. Protect them and give them strength, Lord. We ask that you guide their actions, their words and their hearts. Return them home safely, Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

As we get closer to our one year anniversary, we thought we’d share with you a few snippets of our wedding video. After all, not everyone is going to make it by Austin anytime soon, so why not use the web to share it?!?

We’ll post ‘em on Our Wedding page. Stay tuned for a handful more between now and June 17th.

Seeking a breakthrough in his relationship with Jesus Christ, Lance’s Uncle Dave was baptized Sunday at Living Stones Church in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We are overjoyed that Dave has rededicated his life to the Lord’s service. Notice the turtle bearing witness?

Surviving God’s Woodshed is a beautiful place, a horrifying place. Bear witness to my father’s intensely personal testimony on the purpose of discipline and suffering in our lives.