Vaughn's outlook on life was shaped by his experience growing up as a pastor's kid. His church was rocked with scandals, including embezzlement, leading Vaughn to grow up distrusting the church and all it represented. By 15, he had run away from home and was a frequent drug user, criminal, and philanderer.
By his early 20s, he had returned home, gotten his GED, started taking college classes at night, and soon after joined the Air Force, where he was trained in Analog and early Digital Electronic systems and assigned to work on Avionics Systems at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
Upon returning to Maryland, he started a construction business in the Baltimore area and ran that until the mid-90s, when he cracked the books and migrated to the information technology field. He has built and sold two businesses (the first in construction and another in IT Systems Integration and Support). He is currently running his third firm, an enterprise software company called
HighGear.
Vaughn may have grown up in the church, but he reports, “I didn’t really have a direct relationship with Jesus until I was well into my 30s. While I prayed numerous prayers of salvation or rededication, I didn’t really trust Christ. I thought He was out to get me. While I feared hell, I never believed a simple prayer would help me escape it because I wasn’t changing. I certainly had ‘the fear of the Lord,’ but it wasn’t a healthy fear; it was the fear that he would judge me for coming up short.
After wavering in my commitment to attending church for decades, I finally committed to going weekly as part of what I thought was the right way to raise a young family. However, I hadn’t really changed inside, and I still thought of Jesus as my likely judge, not my rescuer. I was fortunate to be challenged by an older gentleman who harshly counseled me, ‘You shouldn’t claim that various things are in the bible somewhere because, for example, that thing you just said isn’t even there.’
As a proud young man, I was determined to prove him wrong, and so for the first time in my life, I read the Bible my parents had given my wife long ago. I read it cover to cover. Inside, I found a God who had laid out an extraordinary plan to rescue me and everyone like me. I also found Christ, who had laid His life down for the sake of my eternal life. In fact, I found that many things I believed or even learned in the church-at-large were not in the Bible at all. I also found that many things I had desperately needed to learn and understand about God and His Son had never been taught.
Vaughn's passion is to help others see the power, generosity, intellect, love, rich provision, and matchless opportunity freely offered within God’s Word. This offer is made to all willing to approach God in this way: ‘I need you, God. I am willing to admit it and ask for your salvation through Jesus Christ, whom you have proven is Your Son and my rescuer.’
Vaughn has been married for nearly 30 years, has six children, and lives on a family-run farm focused on regenerative and organic farming principles and products.
Books by Vaughn Thurman:
In
The Mystery Hidden For Ages Past, Thurman invites readers to delve into the spiritual depths of the Old Testament, uncovering profound messages that connect ancient wisdom with modern faith.
In
Lessons From The Edge Of Business Disaster: A Leader's Guide to Survival and Recovery, Vaughn describes how he survived -- with God's help -- the crash of his fast-growing technology start-up. It took standing on the cliff for him to admit how his own mistakes led to this disaster. In a transparent and inimitable style, he walks you through his business crisis and shows how he survived and executed a turnaround -- professionally, personally, and financially.
Note: Books will not be offered for sale at this event.
