Last month I was asked to participate in Beauty Revived‘s next project: Women of Faith. When they asked me to choose a woman that exemplifies the virtue “faith,” I knew exactly who to pick. This is Darcie. She was my boss for my three years at Utah State as the Special Education Department Advisor. She is an incredible woman. Not only is she an amazing teacher, adviser, friend, and mother, but she is a Pastor’s wife. Her husband, Eldon, is the Pastor at Cache Valley Bible Fellowship in Logan. Together they have built an amazing church and community. Their mission is “building relationships united in Christ.” Darcie plays the guitar, piano and sings during Worship every week.
From Darcie:
I am a Bible based Christian, wife, mother of three. I love to teach. I have taught in the public school in special education and as an elementary teacher and I have run a preschool in my home. For the last 22 years, I have worked at Utah State University as advisor, student teaching coordinator and instructor in the Special Education Department. I have a passion for helping others. In my free time, I love to knit or crochet or sew. My favorite place is the beach.
Our church is called Cache Valley Bible Fellowship. Its focus is on the Bible as the name indicates. My husband and I have been involved with the church for 32 years and my husband has been pastor of the church for 25 years. I enjoy helping Eldon by leading worship, teaching Sunday School, leading Ladies’ Bible Studies, planning Ladies Retreats based on a section of the Bible, developing the bulletin, media presentations, encouraging young believers and anything else God leads me to. My hope is that God shines through me and those around me can see how awesome this God of the Bible is.
Romans 3:23-26 is my favorite scripture: For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.
Matthew 11:28-30: Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
I accepted Jesus as my Savior from sin in elementary school. God is my rock. He has brought me through difficult circumstances throughout my life. Despite the circumstances, I know that I am completely accepted by God and there is nothing I can do to make Him love me more and nothing I can do to make Him love me less. I love the verse in Romans that says “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) He does the work not me. Knowing that God loves me so completely makes me want to love Him back. I don’t serve Him to earn His acceptance but to show Him my gratitude. When I think about the fact that He died on the cross to pay the penalty (which was death) for my sin and that He took my place, I am overwhelmed by such selfless love. So when I am teaching or worshipping, counseling someone, washing the dishes or crying with someone – I want God’s love and compassion to shine through me and my actions. Hopefully they will see Him in me.
These truths bring much freedom to love Him in all areas of my life. I talk to Him about everything – He cares about every little detail of my day. He is not a Santa Claus in the sky who gives me my every desire, but He is God of the universe and has a plan. Sometimes I don’t understand what He is doing, but I can trust that He loves me and sees the big picture. His ways are different than mine (Isaiah 55:9). These truths become quite practical in everyday life and bring hope because I know that He is God and I am not. So when someone hurts me, or when I miscarried, or when my sister lost her battle with cancer, or when I am concerned about any circumstance – I know He is there. I live in a fallen world that is full of sin (“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23). Bad things happen – in fact the Psalms are full of heart cries to God. This isn’t heaven. Yet I know that He will never leave me nor forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). God gives me hope to make it through each day.
Kylee started Kylee Ann Photography 9 years ago, and has since grown from a one woman amateur show to a full associate team. We shoot 50-75 weddings a year, and thrive on kindness and service. After a year of teaching Intro to Photography at the local technical college, she discovered that helping other entrepreneurs create thriving businesses is what fires her up! She hosts semi-annual Kylee Ann Sleepovers all over the US, speak at conferences and teach online courses about running a small business and marketing.
July 17, 2015
Kylee Maughan
