PODCAST TRANSCRIPT | EPISODE 329: Update With Bethany Vaughn
LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell
EPISODE 32
9: Update With Bethany Vaughn
Bethany's husband, Paul, has now received his sentence for seeking to save babies at an abortion clinic. I talked with Bethany today about this update. I previously shared their story in podcasts 277 and 278.
Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.
Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Now today I have someone new with me, Bethany Vaughn. Bethany is the mother of 11 children. The last time we spoke, Bethany, you had eight grandchildren. Do you still have eight?
Bethany: Actually, nine. A newborn a few weeks ago. So nine, and two more are on the way.
Nancy: Wonderful! Isn’t it exciting when you're a big family? It never becomes stagnant. It’s always growing. It’s the same with us. We have over 50 grandchildren, and currently we have 28 great-grandchildren! Isn’t that amazing? And five more on the way. We had one more born last week. That was Chalice, Serene’s daughter. She now has three little girls, all close together. She is such a wonderful mother.
But it’s so exciting. You never have to get bored. I can’t imagine life in a family of two children. They grow up, and sadly today, many of these in two-child families grow up without a vision for family. They delay marriage, and then they get married, and then they are delaying childbearing.
And there are the poor parents, waiting, waiting for grandchildren. It’s not meant to be that way. We’re actually meant to have the children God wants us to have until we can’t have anymore, which is when we reach menopause. But then, oh, then the grandchildren start coming on. It’s the way of life, the way God intends it to. And it’s so exciting.
Although Bethany is here with me today, and I said I have someone new, Bethany did two podcasts with me quite some time ago. I can’t remember when, but the podcasts were 277 and 278. You’ll be able to go back and catch up if you missed those because that was when Bethany told her horrific story of how one morning they were woken up by guns and bangs. It was the FBI coming to kidnap her husband.
We won’t be telling that story again, but it’s there. You can go back and listen to it. They arrested her husband, Paul because about, wasn’t it 18 months previously, he had been involved in standing up at an abortion clinic. Standing for life, which, of course, means standing for God. Standing on God’s side, because God is the giver of life.
Well, life went on, and it was 18 months later that suddenly they were arrested. There was the FBI at their door, kidnapping her husband, taking him away. She didn’t even know what for. But anyway, you’ll be able to go back and hear that on those podcasts.
But now, time has gone on, and we’re going to hear what has happened now. You had your sentencing. They were hoping to sentence Paul for up to ten years in prison, but God was very good. You can tell the story, Bethany.
Bethany: 21 months after the FBI raid, we finally got to the sentencing date. The trial had been in January. He was found guilty. Six months later they scheduled the sentencing in July. A lot of stress going into that, but the Lord’s peace and his comfort definitely surrounded our family.
Nancy: That must have been a big thing though, Bethany, for you as a wife, and all your children. Waiting, waiting, wondering, “Are they going to take your husband and this father away for up to ten years?”
Bethany: We, as well as the lawyers, were expecting at least some prison time. We didn’t know how much. We knew it could be up to ten years. It was a day. It was a day. We able to get through the sentencing.
The judge considered the pre-sentencing report that had gone and that recommended a certain amount of jail time. The prosecution was recommending a certain amount of jail time. And then, he and the other defendants received hundreds of support letters that went to the judge. She said that she did consider the support letters, the letters requesting leniency, letters from family, friends, and people from all over the country.
Even our state senator and our state representative had submitted a letter to the judge requesting leniency and attesting to his good character. She sentenced him to three years’ supervised release, with the first six months on house arrest. And no fine or court costs. We were facing hundreds of thousands in fines. She had determined that we couldn’t pay the fine anyway, so there was no use in giving a fine.
I had a lot of questions. A lot of people have asked, “Oh, at that moment, did you feel such great relief? Finally, it’s over.” I would say that I am grateful that he did not receive a prison term. It was a mercy. However, it still was not justice. What it did that day was just clarify that the battle would be fought from our home base and not from a distant prison. That definitely was a mercy.
Nancy: Tell us. You had loads of people filling the courthouse that day, didn’t you?
Bethany: Yes, we walked up to that big federal courthouse in Nashville and there were hundreds of Christians outside singing and praying. We also ran into about seven or eight pro-aborts that were standing there with their signs that said, “Lock them up!” One of the signs actually had my husband’s name on it. They were very angry. Paul actually used that as an opportunity to speak to them and share the gospel with them.
Then we went into the courthouse. They had opened two courtrooms. They had us in one courtroom and they had an overflow courtroom because there were so many people there. That was in one day.
Nancy: That must have also affected them, to see all these people there. Not people there protesting, but people singing hymns and glorifying the Lord.
Bethany: Yes, yes. Moms and dads and children. We were so grateful for the support and the prayers and the love that we’d been shown through this.
Nancy: So, actually, there were ten people who were there for sentencing, weren’t there?
Bethany: There were ten people indicted. There were 11 people indicted; one had turned and testified against the other ten. There were six felonies, so six were charged with FACE (The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act). They were charged with conspiracy.
My husband was one of those. Then there were four misdemeanors that were just charged with FACE. Those are still in the process of being sentenced. They don’t sentence you all at one time. They pick them one at a time and sentence them. There are still, I think, out of this group, two who are scheduled to be sentenced very soon.
Nancy: Those two received house arrest, but only one prison time.
Bethany: Most of them received a similar sentence to my husband. There is one that did receive six months in prison. He will be checking in pretty soon, in October.
Nancy: And all of this is just for standing up for life.
Bethany: Yes.
Nancy: Which you have been doing all your life, really. You’ve been involved in doing this, haven’t you?
Bethany: Pro-life, definitely. God is life. He’s the giver and the maker of life. We reflect Him, and we represent Him, so we stand for life.
Nancy: Amen. OK, so what’s life like now with Paul on house arrest?
Bethany: House arrest. About a week after the sentencing, we had a government supervision agent who will be overseeing him. His overlords, they’re actually called “Intensive Supervision Specialists.” So, he has an Intensive Supervision Specialist who is monitoring his house arrest.
They were required to come out to our house to inspect our home. We tried to get this put off. We tried to avoid this, but ultimately our efforts in pursuing that, trying to get it to be stayed failed. So, they showed up.
Nancy: That was pretty intensive, wasn’t it?
Bethany: Yeah, it was not comfortable having government agents come in your home. That was a very difficult day. They came and they walked into our house. I had my phone. I videoed and took pictures and stood behind them as they walked through our house.
They looked in our children’s bedrooms. They walked into my master bedroom. They asked questions about our property. They go outside. They look around outside. They look in our outbuildings. Then she proceeds to tell Paul the rules. He’s to be home at these times. He’s not to have any weapons in the house and she will need the name and the number of the person who has our weapons so she can call and check.
Then she turns to me. She says, “Pictures and videos, you can’t give pictures and videos to the media.” Then they leave. About a week later, we get calls on Saturday morning from this Intensive Supervision Specialist who wants to check and make sure that Paul is obeying his house arrest rules and is at home. He does have the ability to work, and he does have the ability to go to church. There are curfew hours.
Nancy: That’s really quite amazing because I’m thinking of Rebecca Lavrenz. You have heard me speak of her. She’s also done a couple of podcasts with me. She was arrested for going into the Capitol on January 6. She went in for about ten minutes, walked around, and came out.
But she also did not receive prison time, but house arrest. Her house arrest is pretty much—she’s there, ankle monitored, and also has a thing on her phone. She’s not allowed on the internet. She’s really squashed down completely.
Fortunately, she has a bit of land around her house which she can walk around so she can feed her chickens. Even then, she’s only allowed to go out of her house, just for that little time, morning and evening, to feed her chickens. Otherwise, she has to be in her house. And she was also fined $103,000.00, and her charge was only a misdemeanor. They say that that must be the hugest fine for a misdemeanor in history.
Bethany: Yet the pro-life misdemeanor defendants have ankle monitors. They have similar restrictions, but yeah, the whole thing is just ridiculous, to have these pro-life Christian men and women monitored to this extent.
Nancy: So, here we are, in our nation at the moment. I have Bethany here, and you’ve also heard Rebecca share. These are just beautiful normal family people. Here is Bethany, a grandmother. Rebecca herself is a great-grandmother. Here they are, standing up for truth, standing up for life, and yet, facing . . .
Tell me, your First Amendment is taken away. They won’t allow Paul to vote. It’s even against the Constitution, all for things that our Founding Fathers stood for. They stood for life, they stood for truth. They stood for the Word of God. And here, now people are being sentenced for standing up for life, for truth. It’s unbelievable.
What are we doing? I don’t know. I think so many people are just carrying on their lovely lives, with all their challenges each day, of course, but not realizing what is happening. These things are happening to ordinary people, and they can happen to us if we open our mouths too much. And yet, we dare not close our mouths! We dare not, because when we keep silent, we are giving up our freedoms. We’ve got to fight for life, and fight for freedom, and fight for truth.
Bethany: Definitely. I think there’s a tendency to see what is going on in our country, especially for moms to be tempted to fear, and to shirk back in fear and be scared. I hope that our story, I hope that what has happened to us, I hope that that actually encourages and inspires other Christian families to trust the Lord, and to not fear man.
When we fear man, we become bound. When we fear God, we’re free. And to realize that He will give you the strength at the time that you need to endure the trials that He sends your way. It really is an exciting time to be alive. It’s not a time to fear. It’s not a time to hide and try to protect ourselves and isolate ourselves.
Nancy: That’s right. So, now in the situation you're in now, you've always been very proactive for life. How are you doing that now?
Bethany: One of the ways is that God has definitely opened up platforms of opportunities to speak and to encourage others who may be facing similar trials, or who may in the future be facing some more trials.
Then too, just carrying on our normal large family life. Throughout this trial, our life still went on. We still married off children, and grandbabies are coming, so life doesn’t stop just because the DOJ comes in and interrupts your life. I think that their intent, they want to crush you, they want to scare you, they want you to flee.
By the grace of God, we can use these opportunities of persecution and trial to refine us, to burn off the chaff, to solidify us. Instead of being crushed and pulverized, we’re actually turned into those diamonds and that gold that shine the light of Christ to a very dark world. Our nation is very sick right now. It’s very dark. We’re needed.
Nancy: Yes, we are. I believe that every Bible-believing God-fearing family, husbands, wives, and children, we must be standing up. We can no longer be silent. If we belong to God, well, we must confess Him and His truth. He says that “If we confess Him, He will confess us before His Father, which is in heaven. But if we deny Him, He will deny us before His Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32, 33 and 2 Timothy 2:12).
I think too many are in a state of not wanting to open their mouths. They can believe in their hearts but it’s not enough to believe in our hearts. Even our conversion is not enough to believe in our hearts. How are we saved? The Bible says that “If we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we shall be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:8, 9).
This is how we begin our walk with God. We confess with our mouth. That’s just the beginning. We continue. We continue to confess His truth. If we deny them, we’re denying Him. If we are too afraid to speak up for life, we are denying God, because He is life.
I just wrote the other day, I wrote these words down coming from John 10:10, which says: “The enemy comes to kill, rob, and destroy. but Jesus comes to give us life, and to give it more abundantly.”
But I wrote these words:
“Satan comes to divide, deceive, devour, and destroy.
Jesus comes to bring life, love, light, and liberty.”
We must choose which side we’re on. If we’re on God’s side, we are on the side of life. We have to stand for life. We must fight against the murder of precious life which begins at conception.
I think we’ve got to, in every way, and I think most people today, just about everyone’s on Facebook or some kind of social media. It can be the biggest time waster in the world. Or it can be a tool for God, a tool to proclaim His truth.
I would encourage every one of you precious ladies today, and even young people listening, to use your social media to proclaim truth. Find wonderful quotes about life, and against abortion, and post them. Post them on your social media. Young people, post quotes about life! Find every quote you can get, or every picture you can get that comes against abortion and post it!
We should be flooding the media with these positive truths and quotations and quotes, because the leftists, the socialists, the abortionists, the feminists, they are all flooding the media. Sadly, it’s God’s people who are hidden at the moment. The more we are hidden, the more they are going to take over. The more we push back and proclaim the truth, the more we possess the land again!
So, please, can I ask you to do that? It can be just a little way, in your home, with your children, but you can be a proclaimer of truth to the nation by just using your social media, and every other way. Of course, writing or calling or messaging (usually you Facebook) or calling your senators or congressmen to encourage them against abortion.
We should really talk about what’s happening now in abortions in this nation, shouldn’t we, Bethany? What is happening? What do you know at the moment?
Bethany: I was sharing with you a little bit before the podcast on this election cycle in November, coming up. As most people know, Roe was completely overturned, right? What that did is that it sent it back to the states. There is a fierce battle going on in many, many states over enshrining child murder into the state constitution.
Nancy: Yes, isn’t it sad? It was such a great victory, that Roe v Wade was overturned federally, and is now back to the states. That’s a good thing, of course. It’s now back to the states, but we would have hoped that every state had an opportunity now to uplift life. Instead, these states are trying to legalize murder of life.
Bethany: Some states already have, like Michigan. It’s not just a few weeks. Michigan is . . .
Nancy: Up to right when the baby is born. Isn’t that interesting? Did any of you watch the debate the other night with Trump and Kamela? You will know, if you are truly conversant with the truth, that everything she said was a lie. From the moment she opened her mouth until she closed it, she spouted forth lies.
One of the lies, of course, when Trump challenged her, was that “Oh, no, we don’t allow abortion up to the ninth month,” which many states do. It’s law in Michigan, and even after the baby has been born, if it is being scheduled for abortion, well, they’ve got to let it die. It’s horrific. Tell me the other states.
Bethany: This election cycle, there are actually ten states. I’ll read off the states.
Nancy: Listen, ladies, because it might be one of the states that you live in. If it is, you’ve got a battle on your hands.
Bethany: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, South Dakota.
Nancy: I’m surprised at South Dakota.
Bethany: The other thing is, we must not just think, “Oh, we live in a red state, so we’re pro-life. This will never happen here.” We cannot underestimate the evil, and the viciousness, and the tenacity that the enemy has.
They are going into these red states, and by any means possible, they lie, they steal, they kill, they destroy. They’re going into these red states, and they’re trying to push this even into states that we think, “Oh, this is not a blue state. I’m fine. I’m safe.”
Nancy: I’m sure you listened to those. If your state was mentioned, well, you may need to be doing some calling or writing to your senators, and really standing up for life, and of course, praying. Isn’t it sad that we live in a nation where there are people who are absolutely intent on murdering life? It comes from the enemy. It’s the enemy who comes to destroy. Satan comes to destroy.
If we don’t come against that, what does the Bible say? “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather, reprove them,” or expose them. That’s Ephesians 5:11. We have a responsibility to expose them and reprove them.
Bethany: I will say too, to think about, that if your state borders any of these states, that also matters, because what that means is that women from your state, from your community, may have very short travel times just to get over to a border state that does do abortions.
So, what are we doing in our churches and in our Christian communities help these women? There is such an opportunity right now for crisis pregnancy centers, for maternity care. The opportunity to help in this area, and minister in this area, even if you are in a state that does not have an abortion law, it’s very great.
Nancy: Yes. Young people, if you are listening, that is a very beautiful thing you can do. Often, you graduate, and you wonder what’s next to do. I know many young people, and even some of my Above Rubies helpers who have come to be with me, to help with Above Rubies. Most come for about two months at a time. When they’ve gone back, they have gone back with a vision to get involved in a crisis pregnancy group so they can help these mothers. That’s a beautiful ministry. That’s something you can do. There are so many practical things that you can do.
Yes, let’s engage in this battle, dear ladies, moms, and young people. Oh, it’s your generation that are the ones who are most deceived. They’ve been totally brainwashed in the colleges today. They’re brainwashed against life. It’s just brainwashing. You take away the brainwashing and we get down to tin tacks, to what our real conscience is. Anyone with a true conscience knows that it’s evil to murder life! Everybody knows today because we have ultrasound. Nobody can deny that this little baby, when it’s conceived, it’s life.
I think of that quote by Martin Luther. He said, "If I protest with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be confessing Christ. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved. And to be steady on all the battlefield besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."
That’s a very interesting quote, because it’s saying we can be boldly talking about everything. But the one thing where the devil’s attacking most, if we’re quiet about that point, well, we’re missing it. We’re denying Christ. I think this matter of life, because it’s always about life and death, this matter of abortion, which is the murdering of a precious life in the womb, because every one of us began with conception. We wouldn’t be here if we had been aborted, and yet, here we are today, at all varying ages.
We have to face this battle. I think of the Scripture in 2 Peter 1:12. Peter is writing, and he says: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” Here’s he’s speaking about the “present truth.” Every word in the Word of God is truth. Every word! There’s not one word that is not anointed with truth, because it is the living, breathing Word of God.
But here Peter talks about “present truth,” like Luther was speaking about. This one thing that is happening at the moment is a present thing. It’s something we’re facing at the moment. It’s a present truth. He’s saying, “I want to remind you about this.” We are reminding you today, this is a present truth, a battle we’re facing today.
We can’t put it aside or put our heads in the sand. We’ve got to be one way or the other. We’re either on the devil’s side, which is to destroy, or we’re on God’s side, which is life. We’ve got to engage in that battle.
I have to ask the Lord, “How can I engage more? What more can I do, to bring God’s truth?” Each one of you have to ask the Lord, “What do You want me to do? Show me what You want me to do, Lord God, because I’m on Your side. I’m fighting on Your side. I’m Your soldier. Just show me what to do. Show me the strategy.”
Of course, we know that the first strategy is, guess what? It's prayer. Prayer, praying. I think I’ve asked you before, but can I ask you again? Do you pray with your family morning and evening, about this issue, about life, about this nation, and what we’re facing? We’re facing an election very, very shortly.
We heard the debate the other night, and, of course, so many people who are deceived and do not know the truth, as they listened to Kamela, well, they could think, “Wow, I’m going to vote for her!” They don’t know, because every word she said was a lie! They don’t know that they are bringing in communism, total communism! We have to vote against it, and we have to pray against it.
We think of Venezuela right now. The people voted and won the recent election. They won by 70%! They won! But Maduro, who is the tyrant who has total tyranny over this nation, and brought it into communism, he refused to receive that. They went out and put down their people.
Their people are so poor. It was once the richest country in South America. Now it’s the poorest. They’re hardly eating. They’re dying. They are so poor. Now, even after winning another election, they’ve lost because he will not allow it.
Fifty-three countries around the world stood against him to say that they did not accept his election because it wasn’t true. So, what does he do? As the tyrant, he wipes every one of those embassies and they’ve now got to leave the country. They’re wiped. They cannot even be in Venezuela. He has total control.
Ladies, do you realize that, if Kamela, who is the representative of this tyrannical, communistic government they want to bring in, that’s what we will come to. We have got to be in the battle. We’ve got to pray. Not only praying with our families but gathering some friends. Have a prayer meeting in your home.
Oh, I think every single God-fearing family should be having a prayer meeting in their home for this issue about abortion and life, and these elections, and what we’re facing in this nation! If we’re not, I don’t think we understand where we are. If we really understand where we are in this nation, and what could be happening very soon, we will be crying out to God! We will be gathering friends. “Come on! Let’s come! Let’s meet each week, and let’s cry out to God, and pray!” Well, I share this. I hope it’s not just words, and you will really take this up.
But anyway, Bethany, anything you want to share as we close this time?
Bethany: Thank you. Thank you for that encouragement. I just wanted to leave the ladies with a challenge and encouragement to fear God. Don’t fear man. When you think that everything is so overwhelming, and you say, “What do I do,” the first thing you can do, is you can determine in your heart that you're going to fear God. You’re not going to live by lies. You’re going to embrace the truth.
The other important thing that I wanted to bring out is that you yourself model repentance and virtue to your children, and to those around you, and to not be scared to become dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. And to teach your children diligently to do the same thing.
Nancy: Amen. That is beautiful, Bethany. I’d love to have your husband Paul come. He would be able to share with us a little more knowledgeably about what’s happening with abortion in this nation.
Bethany: Yes, he’s actually doing a podcast later on today about that very topic. You can also find out more details about our case, and what’s going on, on our substacks. My substack is //substack.com/@bethanyvaughn">https://substack.com/@bethanyvaughn>, and my husband’s is //substack.com/@paultn">https://substack.com/@paultn>.
Nancy: Thank you, Bethany. I wonder if you’d like to pray for the ladies as we close.
Bethany: Oh, yes! Thank you.
“Lord, we thank You for the amazing opportunity that You have given us to live at this time in history that You have put a story in us. You have put us in a larger story in Your history. Lord, we pray that we would embrace the story You have for us, that we would model repentance and virtue to our children, that we would seek Your face, that we would humbly submit our lives to Your lordship.
“And that we would live with a joyful obedience to Your will, and that we would not be afraid to shine the light of Christ to those around us, and that You have put salt, and You have put light in us.
“Lord, help us be diligent and excited to share that with the world. Lord, we trust You with our lives, we trust You with our children, and with our families. Lord, we pray that You would be near to us, and that we will follow you faithfully all the days of our lives.”
Nancy: Amen.
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
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Transcribed by Darlene Norris
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UPDATE:
Cal Zastrow was also one of the ten who was arrested for saving babies’ lives. I think you will be interested in reading the poem he recently wrote, in the light of going to prison himself.
‘
NO ONE’S SAFE
By Cal Zastrow
Many of us know the following lines, written in the 1800s by Hiram Mann.
No man survives when freedom fails,
The best men rot in filthy jails,
And those who cried, “Appease, appease,”
Are hung by those they tried to please.
Hiram Mann - 1800's
Cal Zastrow has written the following poem, inspired by the above lines. Cal Zastrow is going to prison this month for six months because of standing up for life. Another of the ten was given 16 months in prison. I think you will be challenged by Cal’s poem, especially as he writes it with the knowledge that he will begin his prison sentence this month.
NO ONE’S SAFE
No one's safe when Christians are lukewarm,
When we look away from the coming storm,
Instead of being courage-filled,
We won't Rescue the babies getting killed.
No one's safe when Christians won't pray,
While we play and stray, refusing to obey
Instead of volunteering for God's will,
Our sweat and blood, we won't risk to spill.
No one's safe while Christians hide,
Not standing in the gap against evil's tide,
Short-sighted, we're at ease in Zion,
Compromise has left America dyin'.
No one's safe when Christians are slow starters.
Not prepared for persecution, forgetting faithful martyrs,
But suffering and sacrifice are part of the way
To be prepared for Judgment Day.
No one's safe when Christians shun the Cross,
Committed to things, afraid of their loss,
While we love our face and our place
We are then living under false grace.
No one's safe when Christians hide His light,
While we refuse to care, ignoring the spiritual fight,
Our own comfort is our goal,
Seeking pleasure, not a pure soul.
No one's safe when Christians won't be His salt,
While we pretend that we're not at fault,
Accepting, instead of crucifying sin,
We're timed of conflict, so we won't win.
No one's safe when Christians live in fear,
Making safety an idol, our lives too dear,
Stop listening to the world a callin',
Jesus is Lord! Babylon has fallen.
No one's safe while Christians live for survival,
Come on! Get up! Let's trust God for Revival!
Repent! Throw off this lethargic spell,
Let's go storm the gates of hell!
We'll all be blessed when Christian arise,
Living by faith, and not by lies,
Our salvation is not from Uncle Sam,
Join me now in shouting, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
The solution to our problems now?
Eyes on Jesus, hands on plow!
No compromises, just press the attack,
Eyes on Jesus! No looking back!