Interview: Autumn Vaughn

 

So this interview is with the wonderful Autumn Mikeal Vaughn. She's a young Apostolic woman from Tennessee, she's creative and funny and seriously, incredibly beautiful most of all she really inspires me! When I asked her for a interview she was happy to do it which made me really happy I hope she inspires you as much as she inspires me!


How old are you?
I am only 21 years of age-although at times I feel 50 (;

Where you live?
I am Currently in Durant, Ok. It is on the boarder of Texas and an hour North of Dallas. I'm not from here though, I was born in Memphis. I'm a Tennessee Girl all the way

Favourite colour?
EEEK! My most feared question (;
I am a sucker for anything champagne or winter white (I have FAR too much of it in my closet)...But I also love vibrant bold colors: GOLD, turquoise or Red

Favourite scripture?
Well, I love Gods word PERIOD. It's alive and always in season...
In my ministry I promote the "Proverbs 31 woman"

However a scripture that is very near and dear to me personally is:
LUKE 1:45-"BLESSED IS SHE WHO HATH BELIEVED THE LORD WOULD FULLFILL HIS PROMISES TO HER". I get emotional every time I come across it.

Favourite food?
THAT'S EASY! I'm a southern belle! SOUL FOOD! Cornbread, greens, fried chicken, mac n' cheese, pork chops. You get the general idea (;

Favourite song?
Oh...My...Word...I take the statement I made earlier back...THIS is my most feared question HAHA. Being a musician that's like asking me which breath have I enjoyed the most. I find when I pray my "go-to" song is always "More Than Anything"-by Lamar Campbell. That's how I feel towards the Lord. I feel that song is playing my heart-out-loud, so to speak.

Favourite Bible character (or one that inspires you the most)?
WOAH! They are all so inspiring and I can't wait to meet them all!
I love them all for so many different reasons so I don't exactly have a favourite, but lately my studies have been on Hadassah (Better known as Esther) It might be a little cliche' but... She inspires me. First off I would like to point out that THIS was the ORIGINAL Cinderella Story.
(Hollywood added the glass slipper later)

The Bible says she was BEAUTIFUL. Fair and lovely. The Lord gave her favour and the King himself fell in love with her and picked her over EVERY OTHER WOMAN in the kingdom. HE CHOSE HER. How many of us has our Lord and King hand-picked to use for his Glory? Sigh...Excuse me while I have a girly-love moment (;

Hadessah was also an orphan. She came out of rather dreary circumstances and had no heritage or "pedigree", but the Lord created her for a purpose and had his hand on her. This is how I relate to her. I too have been homeless and I do not come out of 'the best' circumstances. It shows no matter what you come from, the Lord can use you and he used her mightily, indeed.

She risked her very life and stepped out in faith. As a result of her being so courageous in the Lord an entire race Gods people were saved. God is no respecter of persons. If he used her he will use YOU. And she was married to the king...Did I forget to mention that part? HA HA! (;

Favourite outfit you've created?
My favourite outfit would have to be a "Medieval Princess" look I threw together 20 min before a youth rally. I wanted to make sure my skirt was loose and long because I would be on stage singing. So I kinda went overboard with the whole "long and flowy" thing. Add a headband and WA-LA! HAHA!

Favourite piece in your closet?
I pride myself in having pieces that are really 'workable' and can be switched out with a million different things to make a billion outfits. Give me 8 pieces and it will look like I have a new outfit everyday. My favourite purchase by far is a floor length-silk skirt. Its blood-red and its beautiful! So much movement and so modest. I also got it for only $4.00 (; Not bad, ey?

My favourite Creation is a Winter white silk pencil-skirt with a lace embroidery on the hem finished off with black and white tulle layered, coming out of the bottom. Its so retro!

Favourite shop?
This is EASY....GOODWILL!
I thrift shop. People don't realize it but most of my clothing comes from thrift stores such as Goodwill. I enjoy taking old pieces and making them new (which is how I got into designing and re-making things). I never pay full price for anything!
When I can't find what I need at a thrift store. My other go-to stores are Rue21, Ross, Forever21, & Charlotte Russ. Even though I shop retail it's STILL on the sale racks.

Hobbies? What you do in your spare time?I am the biggest weirdo, so I do typical 'weirdo' things. I love to dance in the rain and watch storms. I love animals, riding horses,  and being outside in nature. I dance. I sing. I write music. And-(ahem)-I am known, on occasion, to randomly frolick through fields and climb trees.

Fashion is a hobby. I EAT. ALOT. When I'm not doing my 'weirdo' things I stay at home when I have spare time. I am totally a loner. You get me around people I am a social butterfly-I LOVE people. But if I had my choice, I'm home.

Can you describe your style?
I couldn't describe my style if my LIFE depended on it. I love so many things from so many cultures. I can't choose just one 'look'. I guess I just try to bring in all the things I love and wear them MY way. There's really not a word for it. I guess we'll call it "Weirdo-Autumn"! (;

Whats your favourite thing about dressing modestly, what does it do for you?

I think Apostolic women are the most Beautiful in the world. I know modesty pleases my God, so I'm happy to do it. But modesty does OTHER things as well. At times, the way a woman dresses can be the biggest witness of all. We live in a society where women feel a constant pressure to be "alluring" and "sexy". It stems from our inability to see our "self worth" and have "self respect" for ourselves.

I haven't always lived for God or been in church. This is my 4th year. So I know what its like to dress "worldly". Wearing modest clothing screams to the enemy that I will no longer 'bow down' to the gods of this world. It's also DEMANDS a type of Respect that a naked woman would never receive. Modesty FORCES one to take his eyes off of my body-and focus on my heart, my mind, my spirit and what I have to say.

One must respect my God and what I stand for. Modesty is not about covering up my body because my body is 'bad' or "Evil". Modesty is about letting me DIGNITY and WORTH shine through. I love my body. The Lord created the human body and anything the Lord creates is "Good"...But I would rather be remembered for my HEART and my MIND and what I did for People.

Who inspires you the most?
My Elders. The men and women of God that have come before me. Sacrificed and labored in the Lords field. My pastor, my mother, and my granny being a key factors. I am fortunate to have such Godly examples around me.

What you do in your church?
I help with the music obviously. Singing, leading worship.
I also preach. That's where my heart is. Getting into the 'Evangelist' side of things is newer for me than music is...but its my PASSION. I hope to do it full-time one day.

I mentor young women/girls separately from church throughout the week, speaking at different conferences, preaching at my home church or preaching revivals when I can...and my fashion page on Instagram keeps my busy.

What you want to do in church when your older?
Honestly, I haven't gotten that far yet. My focus is being anything and everything the Lord wants me to be and reaching my fullest potential. My hope is to start a world-wide ministry. Evangelizing, missions, conferences: All geared towards reaching the Lost and strengthening Gods people. We have one last shot at a world revival before the Lord comes back for his church...LETS MAKE IT THE MOST POWERFUL YET!

How did you come to the Lord?
My story really isn't a pretty one. It's not picture perfect. When I came to the Lord I was in such a hopeless, sad state. One thing I've got going for me is I don't put up fronts. I don't pretend everything had been perfect and I'm perfect. With that type of attitude I would not have a testimony. I'm willing to be transparent with people so God can use me to reach them.
My real father would have nothing to do with me so I know what its like to feel rejection. I know what its like to be abused and misused my people close to me. I've been in abusive relationships. Been around people and been exposed to things no young girl should ever see or witness. I've seen the worst of the streets. I know what its like to be alone and have no one. Not even a home to go to.

Tragedy struck my family when I was in high school and everything fell apart. My family was gone. I began to look for love and acceptance in other places. An abusive boyfriend coupled with the wrong people around me who wanted to use me created disaster in my spirit.
Due to my musical ability I got signed to a record label that enabled me to see the 'best' the world had to offer. The best clothes, parties, alcohol, drugs...Still, I had been so empty and hurt for so long, I hated who I was and I hated looking in the mirror.

No matter how I dressed it up or no matter how many times I sang on stage. The wounds were still there. I never claimed to be a Christian because I knew I wasn't living right. I respected the Lord although I didn't love him. I used to tell my one christian friend: "I will NEVER come to church so you might as well stop asking!"... I remember one night while my label mates were doing drugs in the front of the studio building, I shut myself in a small back room. I had felt the presence of the Lord before and I never forgot it. I locked the door and turned on "To worship you I live" by Israel and I wept. I cried and cried for hours. I didn't even think I was worthy enough to ask God for anything so I didn't. Instead he came to me in that little dark room. The Holy Ghost filled that place.

It was only a few weeks later I went home to visit family in Oklahoma. My granny begged me to come to a revival service so I went (with the biggest attitude ever)... A Prophet by the name of Keith Philips was preaching. I was mouthing underneath my breath as he was ministering to people that it was all a hoax. It couldn't be real. As soon as I said it underneath my breath the man of God (then standing over 20 feet away from me) starting walking towards me. He called me out and told me the enemy wanted me dead, but the Lord wanted to give me life. He said if I would let the Lord have his way with me he would do something beautiful with my life. I began to cry and weep as the man of God told me past, present, and future in the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost. How could this be? There is a God and he actually KNOWS MY NAME? He knows everything about me? And he wants to set me free? It almost seemed too good to be true, but I said "Lord if you can do something with THIS mess I will give everything to you"...

And I did. I went down to the altar and was immediately filled with the Holy Ghost all chains were broken in an instant. From that moment on I vowed to the Lord I would stand and live for him until there was no more breath in me. I would follow him unto the ends of the earth,, and I would do everything in my power to TEAR DOWN the kingdom of hell.
And he has been helping me ever since.
Soon after I told the record label I couldnt do music with them anymore because I couldnt live for God doing worldly music and living the way we had been living.

No sooner did I leave the record label did people start dropping dead like flies. I got phone call after phone call of people I had been with everyday being shot and stabbed. The Lord saved me from what would have been an eternity in Hell. Looking back now I've escaped death so many times.
The Lord has been good to me. The road hasn't been easy but he has been gracious and merciful. I will forever praise his name and speak of what he's done for me.

Any parting words of encouragement?
So many of us feel inadequate. We see others and think "I could never do that....I could never be that". A lot of us put faces on and pretend everything is okay, but in reality: WE NEED DELIVERANCE. God can never use a LIE. You must be honest and transparent with the God that created you.
Nobody is perfect but he uses everything for his glory.
I was fortunate enough to have a God that had his hand on my life. But the best part of that statement is....YOU DO TOO!

Anything he has done for me, he will do for you. Anything he has helped me with he will help you with. I know how it feels. The feeling of never being good enough, beaten, battered, and wounded-having Low self esteem and self worth. But use me as an example of what God can REALLY DO in your life! I am alive no longer on the streets, I have contact with my family the Lord is restoring them, and I am going back behind enemy lines to try to pull someone out of the fire just like I was. God has his hand on you. He hears every prayer. He catches every tear. He knows what makes you happy, what makes you sad. He made you BEAUTIFUL and he made you WONDERFUL. With your own personalities and quirks. He made you unique. A materpiece. He knows the desires of your heart because HE PUT THEM THERE. "BLESSED is she that believes the Lord will fullfill his promises to her"(LUKE 1:45). Just like Esther, the king has hand-picked YOU to do something for his kingdom. Other women have gone before us in the word of God and in ministry to pave the way for the Lord to use us MIGHTILY!

He has filled you with his Holy Ghost and Fire, not to be contained, but to be spread in your communities, into your families. ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy"(Acts 2:17). Go forth into ALL NATIONS and STAND UP. Speak life into people! Tear down the kingdom of the adversary! He is no match for the people of God! The Lord has one last revival for his people before he comes back. The time is NOW.

WE are the generation it speaks of in Acts. There are people hurting. There are people that need a savior. Do not be intimidated because you are a woman, or you are not the smartest, or the best singer, or you don't come from "the right background"...Refuse religious spirits that would put God in a box. The Lord has fallen in Love with YOU and chosen you to be a witness to his power and be all things to all men. The time is now. Answer the call.
 BE WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE!

-Autumn xxx


You can find Autumn on instagram @Radiantdiamond22 Go follow her she sells some of the creations she makes. I really enjoyed interviewing Autumn I pray God continues to use her for his glory!