I first learned about Voddie Baucham when we were living in Korea with three young children. Feels like a lifetime ago, mostly because it WAS a lifetime ago – around 17 years ago. I was pregnant with our fourth, excited to be oh so done with pregnancies and babies. I couldn’t wait to get rid of all of my pregnancy clothing.
As I think back, I realize the LORD really does have a sense of humor.
Family size
Voddie was a larger than life man who spoke with both confidence and conviction. He strongly made the case for trusting the LORD, specifically with family size. I initially thought he was nuts. Well intentioned, but crazy nonetheless. But I continued to listen to this man because of the fact that he was biblically sound and incredibly compelling.
Around this same time, we had a Bible study with a couple of other families. We went through Shepherding a Child’s Heart (one of my favorite parenting books), and wrestled through all of the normal parenting questions. But we also talked through the idea of family size.
Pray, pray, then pray some more
Through this group and watching Voddie’s sermons, my husband and I came to be convicted of a couple of things. The biggest one being the size of our family. I am NOT implying that anyone who comes to a different conclusion is sinning or wrong in any way. I think the LORD may steer other families in different directions, depending on the situation. But when we prayed about it, we knew we needed to trust God in this area.
We often trust God and pray through every other decision in our lives (i.e. jobs, home, where to live, etc.). But we rarely talk about praying through how many children we should have. That’s what I remembered most from Voddie. Pray and seek what the LORD would have you do. In our case, after much prayer and studying God’s Word, that’s where we landed. We came to embrace the fact that children really are a blessing of the LORD.
And, 6 additional children later, look at how very blessed we are. I am so thankful!
A clarifying voice
Voddie was also an extremely clarifying voice on a contentious cultural topic – ethnicity. I remember listening to his sermon, Ethnic Gnosticism. I resonated so much with what he was communicating. I could never fully articulate my thoughts on what seemed to be so off to me with respect to all of the race-related debates. But he was able to put into words what I was thinking and help guide me according to God’s Word.
This was before CRT (Critical Race Theory) was a big thing. But he could see the metaphorical bad fruit on the tree, so he spoke to the problems related to what Ethnic Gnosticism represented. The elevation of essentially tribalism. The “Us” versus “Them” attitude, or “Victim” versus “Victimizer,” or more recently, “Oppressor” versus “Oppressed.” Many of those same talking points I was steeped in without even realizing it. But Voddie was able to point out the flaws and contradictory ideas, while also pointing to Christ and His Word.
An amazing man who loved the LORD
Nothing else describes Voddie Baucham but amazing. He was a godly man who loved the LORD. A man of conviction who did not care one bit what others thought. The only thing he cared about was aligning himself and others to the Word of God. If it rubbed people the wrong way, oh well. He wasn’t about to change.
I loved that about him.
Unfortunately, the black church never embraced him. But what’s funny is the progressive churches didn’t either. Even many of the mainstream churches didn’t. He was just too conservative for them. Too doctrinally biblical and dogmatic. I remember him saying once that he realized that when he knew “they” (i.e. the established church leaders) didn’t see him as a black man anymore, rather a peer, was when they started getting angry and pushing back against his ideas. They realized Voddie wasn’t someone to be pandered to or patronized. He proved to be their equal (I would argue their better), and many didn’t like that or his ideas. It wasn’t about his skin color, but the brilliance of his mind and the deep faith he had in Christ and His Word.
Not just talk
And Voddie undoubtedly lived what he preached. He had two biological children, but his wife was not healthy enough to have more. So they decided to tie her tubes. But this was before they had really prayed about what the LORD wanted for them. After feeling convicted to have more children, they decided to adopt. They proceeded to adopt seven beautiful babies. All with heartbreaking background stories of rape, incest, or abuse of some kind. But he and his wife were there, ready to pick up the pieces and help these image bearers know Who’s they were and that they were incredibly loved.
I will miss this great man. But you know what? I am comforted to know that we don’t have to worry about him:
You are going to hear a rumor one day, that Voddie Baucham is no more. Don’t you believe it, don’t you believe it, don’t you believe it, because though I die, I will rise with Christ. It will not be the end of me because Christ is raised, and I too will be raised with Christ.
Voddie Baucham
Amen!
Trusting God
We’ve lost so many incredible men these last few months. But I know the LORD has it all under control. Just like Gideon (Judges 7) HAD to be thinking, “Seriously, WHAT ARE YOU DOING GOD?” we’re in a very similar spot. He started with 32,000 men, but he faced the Philistines with 300. I would equate Charlie Kirk, John McArthur, and Voddie Baucham as the equivalent of at least a few thousand men each.
We may be down some great leaders, and we may not understand, but I know Who does. May we continue to trust the LORD, and obediently move forward. Let us courageously and boldly stand for Truth, with love and grace.
Voddie was a prolific writer, and I’m honestly not sure which of his titles to recommend over any others! Here is a link to all of the ones we have at MHM, but below are two that I especially loved.
On a completely different note, if you could write up a TESTIMONIAL FOR MUD HEN MAMA and send it to michelle@mudhenmama.com, we will send you a 10% off coupon for your next purchase! We need testimonials! Lots of them! Please send them over!! We would greatly, greatly (greatly) appreciate it!
Click on the images below to purchase either Voddie title!
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