Vaughn | Pulpit to Boardroom

I spent years performing for approval, negotiating my integrity when the pressure got loud. Then I decided the calling mattered more than the comfort. It's been a minute, so let me reintroduce myself: I'm Vaughn. Builder. Pastor. Recovering people-pleaser.

A widow owed a debt, and the creditor was coming for her 2 sons. Elisha asked what she had in the house. She had 1 jar of oil. God filled the empty jars she borrowed, and she sold the oil and paid the debt. (2 Kings 4:1-7) What's in your house that you haven't counted?

Morning Reflection: It’s easy to say I trust God when life is good. But when everything falls apart, I don’t always understand what God allows. Still, I want my faith rooted in who He is, not only what He does for me.

It’s easy to say I trust God when life is steady. But when it falls apart, I want answers. Job reminds me I won’t always understand what God allows. So I’m learning to trust who He is, even when I don’t understand what He’s doing.

I love reading Scripture when it encourages me. But what about when it confronts me? When it challenges how I think, how I act, or how I treat people? I need those parts too. Lord, help me receive Your Word with an open heart, even when it's hard to hear.

The lie you've been believing is that it's all downhill from here. It isn't. God doesn't front-load His best work. The best is usually the part He's still preparing you for.

I have a habit of trying to figure everything out before I pray. I worry. I overthink. I try to fix things myself. Then I remember I haven't even talked to God about it. Ephesians 6:18 reminds me to pray throughout the day. I want prayer to be my first response.

It's easy to tell someone I love them. It's another thing to show it every day. Especially when I'm tired, distracted, or have a million things going on. I don't always get it right. Lord, help me be more intentional about loving the people You've placed in my life.

Morning Reflection: It's easy to give everyone else our best and leave the people closest to us with what's left. I've been guilty of that. I don't want the people I love wondering if they matter. I want them to hear it, see it, and feel it. Who needs your attention today?

It's frustrating when you're trying to do what's right and it seems like people doing wrong are getting ahead. I want God to step in and make things right. Preferably now. But I have to trust His timing. My responsibility is to stay faithful, even when it feels unfair.

I trust God, but I still wish He'd tell me how things are going to work out. Especially when life gets hard and I don't understand what He's doing. Lamentations reminds me that even on my worst days, God is still faithful. I need to remember that.

I wish doing the right thing always made life easier. But following Jesus can bring criticism, rejection, and hardship. That's tough when I'm genuinely trying to do what's right. Still, I don't follow Jesus because He promises an easy road. I follow Him because He's Lord.

Morning Reflection: It's easy to say I trust Jesus when life is going well. But when following Him gets hard, when obedience costs me something, or when life doesn't go as planned, I have to ask myself: Do I still trust Him? Lord, give me the grace to keep following You.

I work hard to build a stable life. Save money. Reach goals. Plan for the future. But life can change in a moment. None of it is guaranteed. So I have to ask myself: Am I putting more trust in what I've built than in Christ? Lord, help me keep my priorities straight.

Matthew 18:20 isn't about prayer groups. "Where two or three gather in my name" is about church discipline. The two or three are witnesses to a confrontation. Christ promises to preside over the hardest conversation in the room.

I can work hard, reach my goals, and still feel like something’s missing. Money, success, and recognition are nice, but none of them can satisfy my soul. I need that reminder because it’s easy to get caught up in chasing more. Only Jesus can give me what I really need.

Before sin, there was work. God handed Adam a job in a perfect garden. The thorns showed up later. So ask yourself: is your Monday full of work, or full of thorns?

Being a pastor is encouraging people to trust God, then preaching the same sermon to yourself on Monday. Mine this week: "He's still faithful." What's yours?

"I can do all things through Christ" shows up on gym walls and launch decks. Paul wrote it in prison, right after saying he'd learned to be content with plenty and with hunger. Ask for the contentment version, not the hustle version.

When life gets overwhelming, I can get so caught up in what's going wrong that I forget God is still in control. I know He's faithful. I've seen it in my own life. But when the pressure hits, I still struggle to trust Him. Lord, help me remember Who's in control.

I wish God would just show me how everything will work out. What’s next? Why is it taking so long? But I’m learning that faith means trusting Him even when I don’t have answers. And being faithful with what I have, even when it feels like too little.