Freedom in Christ |

How you can beat opiate addiction~a first step [infographic]

29 August, 2019 by Celeste Vaughan 4 Comments

BE transparent. Opening up about problems is freeing to you and gives other courage to do the same. In addiction, this can be life-saving.

(The quote from the photo above is from Rachel Hollis).

Transparency+ God+Medical Assistance+Commitment=Freedom from addiction. This is the best formula to beat drug addiction.

This is actually a repost from a few years ago, but I’ve had several people want a copy of the poem at the end so I thought I’d repost.

Since I posted this in 2013, I think our United States has finally recognized the ongoing opiate problem we have and are trying to get laws into effect to prevent addiction. It’s way too late for some, but hopefully my children and grandchildren won’t ever have to face opiate addiction. It’s brutal.

I can’t even count the number of people I’ve known and heard of who have died of opiate addiction since I wrote this post in 2013. The statistics would blow you away. Also since I first wrote this, there is a new player in the illegal drug game…Carfentanyl. It’s a derivative of fentanyl which is used in hospitals fairly regularly. Carfentanyl, however, is 100 times more potent. The illegal drugs such as Heroin and Marijuana and are being laced with Carfentanyl, and the unknowing recipient is dead before the needle ever leaves their arm. Scary, huh!

I thought I’d include an infographic here that may make things more clear:

Drug Abuse, Opiate Addiction, How people become addicted to opiates

But…there is life after addiction! I never thought I’d feel normal again without opiates in my system, but I’m here to tell you I do. My life is incredible and filled with blessings.

If you are battling any type of drug addiction, you are not alone. Sadly, in some groups you could be in the majority. One of the best things you can do is talk to someone. Be transparent about it. A huge weight will be lifted from your shoulders and you’ll have someone supporting you or going through it with you. It’s amazing to watch when one person speaks up, it easily becomes a chain reaction…a reaction that can lead to healing.

Here’s the rest of the original post and the poem at the end. Please share and print the poem if you know anyone who might benefit from it!

Pills…pills…pills…are taking over our families! How have we come to this? I remember seeing a video about the communist manifesto that discussed the best way to destroy America. From the inside-out. Look at the change in our values and laws over the last 50 years. Look at the infiltration of pornography on television and the internet. The availability of alcohol. The availability of drugs…prescriptions and the illegal ones. I can tell you if I know where to get marijuana, everyone does.

I didn’t know the boy who died of an overdose, but I don’t need to. All I need to know is that he was a son, brother, grandson, great-grandson, nephew, and friend. I pray that he also carried Jesus in his heart and is with him in Heaven right now. The alternative, though very real, is not one I like to think of.

Prescriptions drug overdoses are claiming more lives every day. People—often teenagers—taking them for recreational use have no idea what they can do to you. While their brain thinks it can handle the “high” dose, their lungs and heart cannot. In an instant, their life is over.

Parents are burying their children.

Friends are burying friends.

Brothers are burying brothers.

People who are addicted to prescription drugs as a result of medical reasons end up needing more and more to relieve their pain, withdrawals, or whatever the case may be. Again, their brain think the dose can is needed, but their heart ceases to beat and their lungs cease to inhale.

Anyone abusing prescription pain medications—no matter what the reason—is fighting a battle in their mind. The classic battle between good and evil, Jesus and Satan. The battle being fought is both physical and spiritual To overcome addiction, I can tell you from experience physical assistance is just not enough. A divine intervention is needed.

A young girl, Ashley, who lost her battle to drugs wrote a poem describing life on drugs is like…the horror actually being offered to us when presented with the decision to use drugs. I took her poem, and added a “rebuttal,” if you will, to show the life than Jesus offers everyone. We must only accept.

Here’s the poem. Please read it slowly and share with anyone whom it might help. If you’d like to have a copy, you can upload a PDF version and print for free by clicking HERE.

warondrugspage4 — Jesus is the first step to beating drug addiction. Without Him, all other efforts are likely to fail. God is good and He wants you to beat this!

Filed Under: Addiction, Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, Managing Prescription Drugs, Overcoming Addiction

Why This Teenage Girl Doesn’t Kiss Her Boyfriend

11 October, 2016 by Celeste Vaughan 1 Comment

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I couldn’t help but share this post a senior friend of Trevor’s posted on Facebook. We all know how our society has become so sexually promiscuous. When it’s time for my second and third child to get married, I want them to have someone to choose from who has saved themselves for marriage. I’m not belittling those who have already chosen to have sex, and there is a very real concept called “reclaimed virginity.” It’s not to late to change your lifestyle because God is a forgiving and merciful God. By dying on the cross he’s already overcome all of our sins. But if you can know God’s intentions for sex before you are in a serious relationship, it will make life much easier, and you’ll be honoring God above all else.

If you are a teenager, read this. If you have a teenager, have them read this or read it to them. What Ashley is writing here is from her heart…the heart of a 17-year-old girl. I know she has one proud mama! It takes an huge amount of courage to not just hold tight to your beliefs, but to profess them on the world wide webb for all to see. Incredibly brave.

“God has really been placing this on my heart to talk about and discuss
lately. As many of my friends know, I have been dating Brandon for over a
year now. Early on in our relationship, we decided that we wanted to set
“guardrails” and “boundaries” in our relationship as far as physical stuff
goes. Now, we had these set, but honestly, neither of us really understood why.

We thought “Well, we aren’t having sex, so what’s the big deal?” I’ve found that this is the mindset that many of my friends have towards their relationship. After Brandon and I had been dating for about 6 months or so we sat down and discussed our relationship. I had been doing a bible student called, “The 7 Lies of Teen Dating”, and through the whole study, the same question kept popping up in my head, “Why am I asking the question ‘how far is too far?’ When I should be asking ‘how far is not honoring God?”

A verse that Brandon and I really looked at and prayed about was 1 Corinthians 6:20 “God owns the whole works.So let people see God in and through your body.” We both decided that we wanted our bodies and physical aspects of our relationship to demonstrate our love for God.”

I’m jumping into the middle of her post here to share the entire passage of scripture from 1 Corinthians:

16-20 There’s more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.” Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never “become one.” There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another. Or didn’t you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don’t you see that you can’t live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

Now back to Ashley:

“Originally, we decided that the only physical contact we would have is a peck, and only once on an hour. Now being a teenager in a world where that is the complete opposite of the social norm, we were definitely laughed at. Now a little over 95 days ago me and Brandon decided that we wanted to eliminate kissing all together. As far as physical aspects in our relationship, we wanted to limit ourselves to hugging and kissing on the cheek. We wanted to go 95 days with no distractions, and we spent those 95 days getting closer to God and building our relationship on a God foundation. Obviously, this was not something that was easy to just tell my friends or classmates about at school, and when people found out, it was usually just laughs and side comments.

I want to address some of the questions and statements people say to me in regards to what me and Brandon do. Keep in mind I’m only 17 years old, and Brandon is my first serious relationship, so I am definitely not a relationship expert by any means, and I’m still learning from my mentors how I can better and build my relationship on a God foundation. Hopefully, this will give people some light on the subject or give someone the courage to make changes in their current or future relationship. ashleyavila

1. “Do you really love Brandon if you don’t kiss him? And does he really love you?”
The answer to this question is really simple to me. Yes, I love him, and
yes he loves me. I didn’t wake up one day and say “kissing is gross, I
don’t want to do that anymore.” It took a lot of strength and courage from
God for us to make this decision. But I promise you girls, it’s one thing for a guy to say “I love you” and it’s another for him to say, “I love you, but I love God more so I’m putting him at the center of our relationship, and I will put him before you.”
2. “Are you even in a relationship if you don’t kiss?”
Yes. A relationship isn’t suppose to be about physicality. My dad has told me ever since I was a little girl that dating is just an interview before marriage. Somewhere down the line our society has gotten this social norm that relationships should be based on physical things and that’s just normal and “being a teeanger”, and those who chose other wise are viewed as weird. But honestly building a relationship on physicality is one of the most unsturdy foundations. The only sturdy foundation to build a relationship on is God, so you should honor God in your relationship.
3. “You’re only a teenager once, and you’re wasting it.”
Again, I have a simple response. I may only be a teenager once, but I only get to live my life for God once. Nuff said.

(What an awesome perspective for everyone!)

4. “If you’re gonna marry Brandon, then why does it matter how far you go?”

Well, as much as I love Brandon and hope that I will marry him one day, I don’t know who I will marry. Only God knows who I will end up marrying, and until I am at my wedding saying “I do,” I don’t know who my husband will be. But as a christian, it is my job to stay as pure as possible for my future husband.”

Incredible post Ashley. Thanks for letting me share. Ashley has started her own blog now on Christian Dating and I wanted to share that link with you: https://heleadsifollowweb.wordpress.com/

Please share this with anyone you know who has teenagers…let’s make her post go viral!

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Filed Under: Family Focused, Freedom in Christ, God-Sized Dreams, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Parenting Tips, Real Relationships Tagged With: God, kissing, Marriage, relationships, sex, social norms, teenagers

My Story~Prescription for Addiction (On video!)

21 September, 2016 by Celeste Vaughan 2 Comments

I’ve been awol for awhile now. Miranda got married in May and I spent about 9 months planning the wedding. I’ll show you some pictures in an upcoming blog post 🙂 I’m so proud of Miranda and Jamie and all they’ve accomplished. But it definitely takes a village!

We also spent quite a bit of time traveling this summer and I’ll be sure and send some pics from our trip as well. But in this post I’m getting back to the root of the reason I started this blog initially. Hopefully I can get back to a regular schedule but no promises. Getting back into the blogging/writing groove isn’t easy for me, but I need to do it now before Grandkids come along!

Okay so I’m about to celebrate the 6th anniversary of the miracle God gave me on September 10, 2010. Today, I’m still amazed. And so very thankful.

When He first healed me I couldn’t keep my mouth shut about it! My family got a little tired of hearing the same story over and over, but God gave me the story and I had to share it. No, we’re not in Bible times and don’t experience the miracles God did in the Bible, but miracles happen every day all around us. We just have to keep our eyes and ears open.

Once I began writing, everyone said I’d need to be able to tell my story in front of groups in order to promote my book. So I proceeded to take a much dreaded communicators conference.

I promised God I’d share my story when asked, and I’ve been asked three times to share it in public. The last time was in front of a group of high school kids at church. I’m a small group leader and the church wanted us to share our stories with the kids to allow them to get to know us better. So I actually recorded it, and though it’s not the most professional recording, it’s my story. Hope you enjoy watching and I pray that you get the message from it God would desire for you!

Just click on the link below and know that miracles do happen!

Prescription for Addiction

Filed Under: Addiction, Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Freedom in Christ, Have an Eternal Perspective, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Miracles Do Happen, Overcoming Addiction, Prescription Drugs, The Power of Prayer, Trevor

“Unstoppable” by Kirk Cameron {…and a Facebook Friday Timeline Cover}

4 October, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 7 Comments

Last month I wrote a post titled, “Where is God When Bad Things Happen to Good People?” and gave my thoughts on that age-old question. Tonight we saw Kirk Cameron’s new documentary, “Unstoppable” in which he goes in his own journey after losing a young friend to cancer to answer that same question. While many of our conclusions were similar, one of his insights just…well…knocked me right upside the head.

We know the Bible contains story after story of bad things happening to good people and we see how God uses them for His kingdom. But there’s one story I never thought of…and it’s the most obvious and answers the question better than I ever could.

What is the single worst event that happened in the Bible? And who did it happen to?

The crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The brutal beating, tearing of his skin, nailing of his hands and feet to the cross, and the waiting…and finally his death. And all of that happened to the only sinless human being this world has ever seen. And why did all of those bad things happen to the best person?

To save the world.

To make this photo your facebook timeline photo:

1. Click on the photo and a menu will come up where you choose “save image as.” (Use a two-finger click on the photo on a mac and right click on the photo on a PC)

2. In the window that comes up you can rename your photo and choose where to save it (I always save to my desktop, then move it later if I want to keep it.)

3. Then click save.

4. Go to your facebook page.

5. Put the cursor on your timeline photo, and you will see the option to “change cover” appear. Click on it.

6. Choose the option to “upload a photo.”

7. When you click on “upload a photo” your files will appear.

8. Choose desktop (or wherever you saved your photo) and highlight your new timeline photo, then go to the bottom of the page and click “choose.”

That’s it! The image is already the correct size for the timeline cover.

Shoot me a comment if something doesn’t work.

Filed Under: Free FB Timeline Covers, Freedom in Christ, Have an Eternal Perspective, Living in Faith, Your Relationship with God

“Where is God when bad things happen to good people?”

11 September, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 11 Comments

We seem to be in a season of suffering. And we are especially sensitive today since it’s the anniversary of 9/11. It seems that bad things are happening to people all around us. Finances, divorce, drugs, death…and the list goes on and on. Just this week a friend of my daughter’s drowned at Lake Keowee trying to help another girl.

So the age-old question, once again, is asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”

Is God punishing us? Does he not care? Is he too busy for me?

The answer to all of those questions is unequivocally NO. God loves us beyond what we could ever imagine. We are his children.

…For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13: 5-6 NLT)

My friends Betsy and Bob (who I visited this summer) are missionaries in Prague, Czech Republic. So many people think, “Wow…what a great place to be a missionary. How hard can it be in comparison to Ethiopia or India or another third world country.” Believe me. It’s hard. I saw it first hand. Europe is not a third world country and most people in Europe don’t think they need God. Why would they when their lives are hunky-dory? So actually convincing people that having a relationship with God is a good thing—that it’s necessary—is very difficult. To even broach the subject requires months of developing a personal relationship with them. That’s love, people. And it takes a lot of it.

Here’s the thing. Our suffering increases our awareness of God’s presence.

Sometimes we need to emptied of our own resources and pride so we can rely on Him.

Does he cause our suffering? I don’t think so. But he does walk through it with us, whether we realize it or not. He will dwell with us through the pain.

And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? (Matthew 6:30 NLT)

Often when we are in the midst of a trial we may feel underserving of God’s love. It’s certainly not uncommon for our own sin to be the cause of our suffering. In my case, even though I ended up dependent and then addicted to a narcotic from a medical condition, the desperation shame was there, none the less. Even though I knew better, on a subconscious level, I pulled away from God because I felt underserving of His love…and His grace and mercy.

Nothing we can do can make us unworthy of God’s love. We may feel like He’s not there when we are suffering, when in fact, we are the ones pulling away from Him!

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. (Isaiah 59:1 ESV)

But why? Why have our sins separated us from God when He sent His son to die on the cross for our sins? When Jesus’s blood covers our sin? It’s us. What if we separate ourselves because we don’t feel worthy?

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; (Isaiah 59:1 ESV)

God loves you. No matter what.

Don’t let the trickery of the enemy deceive you into believing you are not worthy. All of God’s children are worthy in His eyes. He didn’t send Jesus…His only son…for someone he didn’t love. He sent His son for you.

Let Him walk beside you during the hard times. Let his peace flow over you. I’m a believer in imagery. When I’m in the shower, I will often pray and imagine the water as the peace of God flowing down over my head. Crazy? Maybe. But it works.

And a final thought that brings it home for me is this: There is only ONE person in all of history that was perfect. That was Jesus himself. He walked and lived on this earth as a human for 33 years, not sinning even once. And what happened to this perfect human being? He suffered the most horrific death I could imagine…being nailed to a cross and left to die a slow, painful death in front of a crowd of people some cheering because He was being put to death, and some His faithful followers, crying tears of sadness. But what happened when this horrid thing happened to this perfect human? The world was saved. By God sending his son Jesus to willfully let the Romans and Jews hang him on the cross to die, He gave us the opportunity to have eternal life with Him in Heaven. He gave us…horrible sinners…a way out of this sinful world. What better example of what CAN happen when bad things happen to good people.

The Shower

Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT)

Never forget….

He loves you. He is with you. You are worthy.

Filed Under: Fighting Your Fears, Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God

To be whole…check out the GRAFFITI on the other side of the street

8 June, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 4 Comments

How can you understand what it’s like to be homeless if you’ve always had a roof over your head?

How do you know what it feels like to starve if you’ve always had food to eat?

How do you know what it’s like to be thirsty if you’ve always had clean water to drink?

We take for granted the things we are used to having every day. (Tweet that )

Would you appreciate staring at your beautiful daughter more if you were once blind?

Would you be more anxious to listen to the sound of wind blowing through the trees if you lost your hearing for a period of time?

Would you hug your husband more if you knew he would never walk through the door again?

Goodness knows I’m as guilty as anyone. We get so wrapped up in our lives…it all becomes about us. I, I, I, me, me, me.

We stay so busy in our own shoes, we don’t think about what it may be like in theirs. (You can tweet that too )

My new internet buddy over at Positively Alene has challenged us to step out of our comfort zone. Step “over the tracks” so to speak to meed people we wouldn’t otherwise encounter. She has a great new book out on the subject, GAFFITI~Scribbles from Different Sides of the Street, which she cowrote with a homeless man. Talk about perspective! And now she is offering a free Bible Study the book, GRAFFITI Study and Do, that you can download by clicking HERE.

In all honesty, I stumbled into this study before I really knew what it was all about. I read a blog post from one of my favorite blogggers, Susan Stillwell about “sharing my summer story.” If you read lots of blogs, you know it’s common to skim titles and first paragraphs and then go back and read them later. Only I signed myself up for the GRAFFFITI challenge before I went back to read.

Well, this summer is going to be very busy, and it has already started. While I may not get headed to Guatemala or even to the soup kitchen anytime soon, I will be headed to different sides of the street…and the world.

Just this week, we moved out of our house for our floors to be redone because of a leak and we are staying just off of a very busy intersection. One of the ones where we see men with the “will work for food” signs on each corner almost daily. As a woman with my children normally in the car, I say a prayer for them and move on. I hate it…every time. But unfortunately, we don’t live in the most trusting society. Thursday afternoon however, in the midst of 5:00 traffic on Woodruff Rd., Marlee (my 9-year-old) and I passed a family on the side of the road with a sign that read, “Lost My Job, Please help, I have two children to take care of. God Bless You.” And his wife and one of his children were sitting on the side of the road with them. I wanted to help them, but had no cash. Traffic was ridiculous, so we had to pass them by. But neither of us could get them off our mind.

We then pulled into the IHOP (which was packed with graduation celebrations) and purchased a $50 gift certificate, which also came with two $5 coupons, and fought the traffic to get back to them. They were extremely appreciative. I thought I saw the wife tear up.

As I said, we are certainly not in a third world country, but we live in a society where people still need help. I wish we could trust everyone we saw, and know that we are not being scammed. But here’s the thing. Marlee and I gave in the spirit of love. In the spirit of Jesus. I have no idea what happens to most of the money that I give…whether it’s at church, sponsoring a child, or handing it t someone on the street. But I do know that God nudged me to take action. He will take it from there and that’s all I need to know.

So I suppose this is the beginning of my GRAFFITI summer. Please don’t hate me, but my other side of the street will be the other side of the world in Prague in July. But you know? People need to see the love of God just as much there as anywhere. They might just not always know it.

Have you found yourself out of your comfort zone lately? Intentionally? Or without even realizing it?

What did you do to make a difference?

Do you remember the American Idol runner up Chris Sligh? He passed one of those men with the “will work for food” sign right here on this same intersection. He passed the fellow with the sign and immediately wanted to turn around. Only if you know the traffic on Woodruff Rd, you’d understand that it took him thirty minutes to get back to the intersection and the man was gone. He pulled over on the side of the road and wrote this song: Knowing the story behind it makes it that much more powerful.

Filed Under: Compassion, Freedom in Christ, God-Sized Dreams, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Real Relationships, The Power of Prayer, Your Relationship with God

Dream God-Sized Dreams…”Dear Chihuahua of Fear…”

9 April, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 4 Comments

I’m linking up today with Holly Gerth, author of “Dream God-Sized Dreams. Here’s the writing prompt to write this post:

“Fear hangs out right next to whatever it is you’re most called to do. That means the closer you get to your calling, the louder fear sounds. Keep going–fear is a chihuahua that sounds like a Doberman.” — You’re Made for a God-sized Dream, Chapter Five

It’s in letter format, and she wants us to begin with an odd phrase… (I’m really not fond of chihuahuas since they are the only breed of dog that’s ever bitten me, and I live with two great danes. But that’s too deep for me to even think about, so here goes)

Dear Chihuahua of Fear,

I have some things I’d like to say to you. You are a pain in the rear. You are constantly “nipping” at me getting on my nerves, when I know that I’m doing exactly what I should be.

Sure, I became a pharmacist so I wouldn’t have to deal with little chihuahua’s nipping at my feet. I’d be protected behind that great big counter in the pharmacy. I’d have people to back me up. When all else failed, I’d have the big doberman boss to take care of me. But no. God had other plans. Apparently, little chihuahua, He wants me to face you…even if it required stooping down a little—a lot.

So with the onset of grand-mal seizures, depression, and resulting prescription drug addiction, I found myself down on your level you little pest! For seven years, I felt about as low as you are. Maybe lower. No independence. No driving. Constant migraine headaches. Pills, pills, and more pills. Some necessary for my migraines and seizures, and some because I’d become addicted to the stupid stuff and would start never-ending vomiting if I stopped taking them. Uggghhh.

So finally, after I gave you a swift kick to the curb and prayed for God to show me his purpose in all of this (as opposed my prayer for healing or the rapture), He gave me an honest-to-goodness, overnight miracle. Yes-sir-ee. No more seizures, no more headaches, no more depression, no more pills, and best of all—no more desire or need for pills. So little chihuahua of fear, you were outa there.

Until…

God had to go and ask me to write and speak to share my story! So now I’m not only in front of the pharmacy counter, I’m in front of the world. The Internet world, the speaking world, the conference world, not to mention the world that would love to see me fall flat on my face back into addiction. Yes, believe it or not, they are out there.

I hate promoting myself, but what I must remember that I too often forget is I’m not promoting myself. I’m promoting God. I’m giving Him the glory. I’m writing for Him. I’m speaking (though very reluctantly) for Him.

So chihuahua, I’m much more afraid of you than I am dobermans, but it’s time I leave that fear completely behind and let God take over.

I recently heard Alex Kendrick speak. He is the actor/director in the movies Fireproof, Courageous, and Flywheel. He prayed for God to let his little church films be shown in like 40 churches. But look what God did. His films have been in theaters all over the country, on DVD, and have reached millions—even billions 0f people.

So I’m not putting any limits on my dream. It’s God-sized…God-initiated, God-constructed, and God-controlled. (You may tweet if you like…just click here)

Get out of my way little chihuahua, God has me!

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Here’s a short interview with Alex Kendrick and how his dream became God-sized. It’s worth the watch. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Fighting Your Fears, Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose

A Letter to My Enemy

26 March, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 24 Comments

Maybe having my wisdom teeth pulled was my first mistake. At only 16, the decision was made for me. There must be a reason God gave us “wisdom” teeth, regardless of who actually named them. The pain from that surgery was the first time I let you into my life. You did a good job. You took away my pain and only made me a little nauseous. After a few days, the pain was gone, and so were you. Good riddance.

At twenty-five, my beautiful 6lb, 2oz baby Miranda arrived, feeling more like a baby moose being pushed through my body, so there you were to comfort me again. Oh, how I welcomed you. My 115lb body didn’t quite know what was in store with childbirth and nursing. I’d never really experienced much pain before. I did not like it. Especially when I wanted to focus on the joy of my new baby girl. Once again, you got me through the pain. I let you go. My Miranda was all I needed.

Four years later, a bouncing 7lb, 7oz baby Trevor arrived. He was quite the popular baby. At one time there were seventeen visitors in my hospital room. I didn’t have time to deal with all those people and pain, so there you were…again. The nurses brought you to me every four hours like clockwork. Other than a little grogginess, I was able to enjoy our growing little family…and all of the extras. After a few days of rest at home, I was back to normal and you were gone again.

Once again, four years later, little Marlee entered the world, exactly like her brother at 7lb, 7oz. My body was a pro at this baby thing by now, but no one saw the migraine train headed my way. The doctor said sometimes epidurals could cause headaches. The nurses, right on cue, brought you to me, as I needed you. Because of the headaches I guess, they sent me home with more of you.

Epidural or not, those migraine headaches came to stay. You relieved the pain until I could see a neurologist who could get the headaches under control. After a few tries, he found a way to prevent the headaches, so I reluctantly let you go again. The ax constantly chopping away at one side of my brain made me hesitant to let you go, but a new medicine just for migraines did the trick.

Until one day, happily painting with my kids at a birthday party, I had a grand-mal seizure, causing a gash in my head. Other seizures quickly followed, resulting in a broken tailbone, a broken eye socket, and a broken nose, lots of doctor appointments, and finally, sinus surgery.

I welcomed you back into my life with open arms and you helped me get through every day of the two months it took to get through my nasal nightmare. Finally, the day the doctor pulled the packing from my nose, my pain was gone. I said good-bye to you again. Away in the medicine cabinet you went.

The next day, I felt horrible. I thought I had the stomach flu. I was feverish, had chills, my body was achy, and I was throwing up constantly. The achiness and headache were unbearable, so I reached up into the medicine cabinet and pulled you back out. I couldn’t believe the effect you had on me. I went from feeling like hell to perfectly normal within about thirty minutes. No more aching, no more chills, no more vomiting. It was that moment I realized it.

I was addicted to you.

You don’t target just the teens, the homeless, the party animals, the celebrities, the politicians, the gangs, or even the leather-wearing Goths with multiple piercings. You target good moms too.

Despite having my wisdom teeth removed, I’m a little older, and a lot wiser now. You taught me the hard way, but you taught me well. A lesson I will never forget. Little by little, you worked your way into my life, making me need you more and more each time. Until one day, I couldn’t let you go. You invaded my brain to the point that it could not feel normal without you. And in the process, you shattered my soul.

Thankfully, God is in the business of miracles and redeeming shattered souls.

Thankfully, God is in the business of tearing apart every tool that Satan tries to use to destroy his children, including you.

Thankfully, God empowers his children to do good works for Him.

Thankfully, I am one of God’s children.

So watch out. Together, we’re coming after you.

Filed Under: Freedom in Christ, Miracles Do Happen, Overcoming Addiction

Author Interview~The Greatest Book Ever Written

3 March, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 10 Comments

I don’t normally do author interviews on my blog, but this is one Author that had to be recognized.

This is an interview with the author of THE MOST IMPORTANT BOOK EVER WRITTEN. Click here to tweet 🙂

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. I do not faint or grow weary; My understanding is unsearchable. (Isiah 40:28)

I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.(Revelation 1:8)

I am the Lord. The true God. The living God and the everlasting King. At my wrath, the earth quakes and the nations cannot endure my indignation. (Jeremiah 10:10)

I made the earth by my power. I established the world by my wisdom and by my understanding stretched out the heavens. (Isiah 44:6)

I am the Father, from whom all things a all people exist. (1 Corinthians 8:6)

I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself. (Isaiah 44:24)

I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

I gave my one and only son so that no one who believes in him should ever perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3;16)

I am the cleanser of all sin, the forgiver of all unrighteousness to those who ask. (1 John 1:9)

I am the God who works wonders. (Psalm 77:14)

I am the Father of all mercies; the God of all comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3)

I am the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

I have plans for you. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

I am love. (1 John 4:8)

What do you do when you are not writing?

I am always at work with my children. I pursue a constant loving relationship with them that is real and personal. I invite them to become involved with me and my work through my writing. I communicate with my children constantly, though they do not always listen or hear. Besides my writings, I reveal myself to my children through works and prayer. I am everywhere, always. My favorite thing is to see what my children accomplish through me, in my name.

When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?

I began writing my words on the heart of Moses nearly 3500 years ago, and continued to impart my spirit on those who actually wrote down my words for 1800 years. I revealed the last book of the Bible to my Apostle, John, 70 years after my son’s crucifixion, which took him approximately 25 years to complete.

Where do you get your ideas?

That’s simple. My ideas come from truth. All of my writing is for the purpose of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16) All of the stories in my word are true— for the purpose of teaching my children in the ways that are right and just, and to prepare them for things to come. (John 16:13)

Can you tell us about your challenges in getting your first book published?

There was no such thing as a printing press. All of my writing was hand written in scrolls. But in the 1450’s, Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press and the first book to ever be printed was the Bible, in Latin. Since then, it has been translated into the english language and has been printed in many versions. Somewhere between 2.5 and 6 billion copies have been sold.

How do you market your work? What avenues have you found to work best for your genre?

Word of mouth.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:5 ESV)

Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?

All of the events in my word are true. The historical and prophetical events have been proven over and over again.

How did you come up with the title?

The word Bible comes from the Greek work “Biblos,” which is translated “book.”

It came from the my heart, the author of your lives. I have inspired the writing of the definitive book on all mankind.

What project are you working on now?

I am constantly working in the lives of my children to expand the boundaries of my kingdom. Simply put, I’m knocking on the heart of each of my children so that everyone might spend eternity with me in Heaven.

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

People say that the Bible contains too many supernatural events to be true. But if you believe in Me, the creator of the universe, then why is it so difficult to believe in miracles? Celeste can tell you. She experienced one of my miracles first-hand.

The best compliment is for one of my children to let me into their heart to be their Savior, then let my light shine through them.

Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?

Of making many books there is no end and much study is wearisome to the flesh. (Ecclesiastes 12:12b NKJV)

You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. (Psalms 139:16 NLT)

My heart is overflowing with good news. I will direct my song to the king. My tongue is a pen for a skillful writer.
(Psalms 45:1 GW)

Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.
(Isaiah 30:8 KJV)

Oh, that my words could be recorded. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock. “But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! (Job 19:23-27 NLT)

Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 ESV)

Is there a message in your book that you want readers to grasp?

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 36-40 ESV)

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Though the Bible was completed years ago, it still lives today. It lives through my works every single day. Though the state of the world saddens me, I have already overcome it (John 16:33). I work every second to inspire, encourage, and empower my children to be bold, and be a light in the dark and final days.

Therefore you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44 ESV)

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Knowing that not all would choose Me, and be doomed to a fate worse than they could ever imagine.

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8 ESV)

Filed Under: Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Your Relationship with God

The War on Drugs

3 February, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 189 Comments

So much for Simple Saturdays, life has been anything but simple this week.

One of my closest friends learned that her mom committed suicide (pills) on the same day she learned she’s having a baby boy.
My short and oh-so-sassy 18-year-old daughter had her heart broken yesterday after attending a funeral for a boy her age who died of an accidental overdose.

Parents are burying their children.

Friends are burying friends.

Brothers are burying brothers.

Here’s the poem. Please read it slowly and share with anyone whom it might help. If you’d like to have a copy, you can upload a PDF version and print for free by clicking HERE.

Filed Under: Freedom in Christ, Overcoming Addiction, Uncategorized Tagged With: addiction, children, death, drug addiction, overdose, pills, prescription drug addiction, prescription drugs, prevention, spiritual warfare, suicide, war on drugs

Thought #6: Forgiveness is necessary for a life of freedom

6 January, 2013 by Celeste Vaughan 1 Comment

Forgiving someone who has done you wrong is very difficult for some people. Our human instinct tells us to hold a grudge against people who have hurt us. But we are all sinners, and we have all hurt someone in one-way or another. What if no one ever forgave? The world is bad enough as it is, but what if we held a grudge against every single person who’d wronged us; and what if everyone who we’ve ever hurt held a grudge against us? Would there even be any relationships left?

The Bible is very clear on our forgiveness of others and God’s forgiveness of us:

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25 ESV)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 ESV)

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22 ESV)

But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15 ESV)

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (Colossians 3:13 ESV)

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 ESV)

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34 ESV)

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 ESV)

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, as been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:10-11 ESV)

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20 ESV)

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. (Matthew 5:7 ESV)

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32 ESV)

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:17021 ESV)

…And I could sit here typing all night and still not cover all of the verses instructing us on forgiveness.

We are to forgive those who sin against us. Period. Not to mention the fact that we MUST forgive others in order for Christ to forgive us! Now if that’s not reason enough…

When we hold a grudge against someone, we think about it. We give attention to it. We nurture that little grudge until it grows into a giant. And usually the person we are growing the grudge against doesn’t even know it! We are only hurting ourselves. When we harbor sin in our heart, we squeeze God out.

I worked for Wal-Mart Pharmacy for almost fifteen years. We’ve all been in Wal-Mart. It’s one place that provides plenty of opportunities to exercise our forgiveness ability. When I first began working behind that pharmacy counter, I was immediately taught one of those life lessons everyone must learn: You cannot please all people all the time. (Now you know you want to tweet that one ). As a perfectionist, that realization did not sit too well with me. But I had to adapt. My solution? Kill them with kindness. I’m not sure at the time that it was the Godliness in my heart that came up with that solution, but it worked. I figured if I was kind to Mr. or Mrs. Rude Customer no matter what, they’d either change their ways and decided to calm down, or they’d go home and have a big ‘ole cloud of guilt hanging over their head. Like I said, my motives may not have been completely pure, but I do hope that by always showing kindness, I reflected Christ in that crazy Wal-Mart world.

As Christians and sinners and humans and spouses and friends and children and parents and employees and employers we have many relationships. We inevitably screw them up here and there. And there and here. And all over the place. God is the only true judge and he tells us to forgive. So who are we not to obey? When we can finally wrap our goofy little brains around the fact if God forgives us when we screw up, we should be able to hand out forgiveness to other who screw up too. After all, none of us are perfect, but hopefully we all have the same goal in mind: eternity with Jesus.

So let’s just allow God do his job as judge, forgive other as he tells us to, and make our lives so much easier!

Forgiveness saved my marriage…several times as a matter of fact…and it really is a necessary trail on the path to freedom.

Oh and P.S.~Don’t wait for them to ask for it. Just give it freely. It’s much better that way!

Here’s a YouTube video of a Matthew West song that sums it all up. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Freedom in Christ, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life Tagged With: forgiveness, freedom, grudge, relationships

“Change your thoughts and you change your world”~Norman Vincent Peale

31 December, 2012 by Celeste Vaughan 22 Comments

One of the first non-fiction books I ever read was The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. I was in my first year of college at Clemson University, and I was hopelessly homesick. My mom put everything into my hands she could to help me through that first semester at Clemson, and that book was part of the package.

It’s a shame wisdom comes with age, but I’m sure it’s all part of God’s plan. That’s one of those questions I’ll ask Him someday. From that first year at Clemson, through pharmacy school at USC, marriage, three children, too many funerals to count, seven years of grand-mal seizures and migraine headaches and addiction to narcotics, God has instilled much wisdom. My hubby has always said, “Hindsight is 20/20” and he is so right. Even after all of the struggles of life I’ve survived, I still need reminders to help remember what’s important in life.

I’ve always said I wish I could write on the inside of my eyelids, so I’d get a subliminal message every time I blink. So for the first ten days of the new year, I thought I’d share some of those “eyelid reminders” with you and remind myself in the process.

So join me for the next ten days for some “celestial” wisdom (celestial meaning “heavenly,” of course)…thoughts to renew your mind and so that you might be transformed to live a happy, God-centered life.

P.S. Sign up for your prescriptions to come right to your email so you don’t miss any 😉

As a bonus start to a blessed new year, here’s a free printable for your fridge, mirror, or wherever you might need a little reminder and join along with me as we go through these thought for the first ten days of 2013. I’m thinking my bathroom mirror…enjoy!

Click here to download the free PDF printable: Click here to download your “Ten Thoughts” Printable 🙂

Filed Under: Beating Depression, Brain Functions, Freedom in Christ, Handling Stress, Have an Eternal Perspective, How to be Happy, Living with Purpose, Marriage Menders, Parenting Tips, Real Relationships, Simplify Your Life, Ten Thoughts for a Happy, God-centered Life, Your Relationship with God

Serving a Supernatural God in an Ordinary World—Is He Your Superhero?

25 September, 2012 by Celeste Vaughan 10 Comments

For seven years I sought the help of medical doctors, psychologists, chiropractors, and other natural healers to cure me of grand-mal seizures, migraine headaches, depression, and opiate addiction. I hate the think about the thousands upon thousands of dollars I spent doing so.

All that time, I had a direct line to a Superhero. I kept relying on worldly resources when I really needed the Great Physician. The creator of the universe. The ultimate healer. The one who holds the answers to every question. The one who holds the master plan.

As is human nature, I looked for answers myself. I failed. As a Christian, I had direct access to the supernatural. Being born again give you access to the spiritual world. I mean think about it. “Born Again.” You certainly can’t be stuffed back into your mother’s uterus!

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (John 3:3 NLT)

Born again = Born from above.

I just had to get past myself to realize it. Which apparently took seven years, because apparently I’m fairly stubborn. Once I finally stopped looking inward, and began looking upward, asking God his plan, he healed me overnight. Exactly two years ago today.

On September 25, 2010, I woke up completely free.

Seizures? Gone.

Headaches? Gone.

Depression? Gone.

Addiction? Gone.

He reached his arm down into this ordinary world, and lifted me up to a supernatural place. Other than a few minor headaches, I can honestly say I’ve been completely free from seizures and all medication.

Happy Birthday to me!

Do you have a problem that is beyond your control? Release it to God. Seek out his plan. He can handle it. He’s THE SUPERHERO.

From my heart,

Celeste

Filed Under: Beating Depression, Chronic Illness, Fighting Your Fears, Freedom in Christ, Living in Faith, Living with Purpose, Miracles Do Happen, Overcoming Addiction, The Power of Prayer, Uncategorized, Your Relationship with God Tagged With: addiction, depression, faith, grand-mal seizures, miracle, opiate addiction, prayer

The Great Depression, the Road to Freedom

4 July, 2012 by Celeste Vaughan Leave a Comment

I’ve often said that anyone who has not experienced true depression cannot really understand it.

About four years ago, while still in the midst of my depression, someone recommended The Shack by William P. Young. As soon as I realized the youngest daughter in the story disappears, I put down the book. Marlee was five at the time and it was more than I could bear to read. But since God lifted my depression, I picked it back up and finished it. I’m so glad I did.

As I describe my years of depression as The Great Depression, this author refers to it as The Great Sadness. When I try to describe the way depression feels, I suppose the pharmacist comes out in me, because I always describe it as “all of the nerve endings in my body were heavy and weighing me down.” I think William Young’s description in The Shack is more understandable:

“Emotions are the colors of the soul; they are spectacular and incredible. When you don’t feel, the world becomes dull and colorless. Just think how The Great Sadness reduced the range of color in your life down to monotones and flat grays and blacks. “

The dictionary defines “dark” as the absence of light. Depression is darkness. God tells us in John 12:46 that he has come into the world as a light, so that NO ONE has to live in darkness.

When Isaac Newton was dabbling in his many scientific experiments, he used a prism to see what exactly made up the color “white.” What he found was that white light is the effect of combining the visible colors of light in certain proportions. In other words, white is the combination of all the colors of the rainbow.

God came as the light. He also gave us a promise when he created the rainbow.

I think being raised with religion all around me, I took the light for granted. I couldn’t see the colors in the relationship. As a friend of mine explained it well, those were my “ivory tower” days. I lived in the white tower but I couldn’t see the colors that it contained.

During my depression, a black tunnel lay before me. Now I see that Jesus was my “light at the end of the tunnel.” Now that I have experienced darkness—the absence of light—colors have a whole new meaning for me.

My Great Depression led me to freedom. It painfully guided me to the color that Jesus provides in my relationship with Him. My world is no longer shades of gray. Whether you feel like depression is an obstacle for or not, Jesus can make your life into the most beautiful rainbow you’ve ever seen.

Jesus is the light. Seek Him. Read about Him. Talk to Him. Have faith in Him.

Religion will always let you down. A relationship with Him will never let you down.