What a Journey

Posted by Morgan
Isn't it interesting how God can just completely transform your heart? I'm kind of amazed by it. Last night I was reading through my journal and I was looking back at where I was and what I was writing six months ago and then three months ago, and I'm just in complete awe. It's awesome to see how God can change your heart and change your desires almost instantly, and yet some take time to change. God just amazes me, he truly does. 


This semester has been such a whirlwind and when looking back, I barely know what happened or how I made it through. That's the honest truth. What I do know: The Lord has carried me. There is absolutely no way that I have gone through this semester without him carrying me. 


I think that at different points during this semester, my heart has been broken before the Lord as it never has before and then at other points my heart has never overflowed with joy more than it has this semester, and at some points, both were happening. It's crazy, I know. God has been humbling me in so many ways that it's kind of ridiculous. 


The plan that God had/has for this semester is pretty much the exact opposite of what I had planned. If someone had come to me in May and told me everything that was going this fall I would NOT have believed them. But nevertheless, I am so grateful for it. If you've talked to me at all this semester, you've heard me say this, but I honestly mean this: I wouldn't trade it. I wouldn't trade the hard stuff for easy. I wouldn't trade in the refinement for something comfortable. This semester has taught me so much and these lessons and the heart transformation that is taking place is worth far more than being comfortable or having it "easy".  As Christians, we are not promised that this life would be easy. In fact, we can see that following Christ is far from easy - but it is the one decision I've made in my life that is invaluable. 


The people who have met me this semester, I feel, have gotten such a different first impression of me than they would have if they had met me under any other circumstances. I've really wrestled with the Lord on this particular issue - considering the fact that I've been trying to make some new friends this semester. He made one thing very clear to me very early on: I will bring the friends to you that you need and they will like you because you are you, not because you make a great first impression. Yes, humbling is definitely what you can call that. 


I've come a long way with this post all to say that my heart feels so different. Yes, feelings change, but there are days my heart feels different and there are days it doesn't - but I know it is. My desires have changed, my goals have changed, my life has changed. God is doing such a work in me, and it's all for His glory. And honestly, that's all I want.  I don't want my story to be about me - I want it to be about the Lord. I want to show people the love of the Lord and let them see the freedom we have in Christ.


I am found, forgiven, and free; I want everyone to know that same love and freedom.


Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

Four Seasons

Posted by Morgan
I went for a run this morning and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was pretty chilly, but I loved it. As I'm running through Shimmels Park I was looking at all the gorgeous leaves on the ground and admiring the changing colors of the trees, God literally placed this analogy on my heart and it came to me so quickly that I almost couldn't comprehend it all at once. I was thinking about my favorite seasons, Fall and Spring, and why they are my favorites. And all of the sudden God showed me the coolest picture. The four different seasons are like seasons in our lives. We'll start with Summer, cause that just makes the most sense to me! :)


Summer: As we all know, summers in the south are HOT! Especially in Georgia. Summers can be hot and long and exhausting. Summers in life are the hard trials, the beginning of them. These are the hard times; it's the heat of the fire and the initial start of whatever difficult circumstance is in your life. Sometimes it's full of a lot of pain and tension. I mean, it's a trial, it's not exactly going to be easy.


Fall: Fall is beautiful to me. I love the changing of the colors and the cool crisp air. Fall is the time where the old dies and passes away, but it does so in a beautiful way. It's like the season of life where God is chipped away and taking away the things in your life that aren't good; its the process of dying to self, and it's beautiful. When God is working on your life, yes it will be hard, but it will be beautiful.


Winter: Winter is cold and long and hard, but when it snows, there is beauty. Winters in life are the times where you become dependent on the Lord (or it's where I become more dependent on the Lord, anyway). In winter everything is dead or dormant. Winter can be harsh. It's like a bleak period where, if you are not focused on Christ, it can feel like all hope is lost. It's like when you're sick, and there's that time where you aren't contagious any more, but you have to take those few extra days to make sure the virus is out of your system, well winters are those few days for your life. Whatever God is stripping away to make you more like him, this is that time where you are refined and the time where the selfishness of whatever he is taking away dies off (if you allow it to). 


Spring: Oh spring! Such a wonderful and beautiful time. This is when life begins. It's a new season. After the hard times of winter, new life comes. Spring always reminds me that we are new creations in Christ Jesus. And in each spring of life, you are becoming more like Christ. It's a time of growth and a time of prospering. And spring, is beautiful :)


I hope that makes sense. :) It makes sense in my head, I just don't know if I explained it every well.
Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

An Answered Prayer

Posted by Morgan
So last night was so interesting - and such a God night! This semester has been so different, I'm pretty sure I've said that a time or two, and this weekend is only the third weekend I've stayed on campus all semester. I do really well during the week because I can be so busy and I don't have a problem sitting in my apartment at night doing homework, because its a weekday - that's okay with me. But the last thing anyone wants to do on a friday night is homework. 


So I put on some warmer clothes and went outside for a walk, just to see what was going on. I walked around, called a few friends, who were all busy - I mean, it's friday night, that's expected.  So I'm walking back to my apartment and I was just praying and asking God for a friend. It actually went like this: God, I know there is purpose in this time. I know that you are growing me and changing my heart and my life. But, honestly, a friend would be really great. I know its not something I have to have, but its something I would love. 


Well, as I'm walking by the Sharp-Davis parking lot, this red Mustang is pulling out and I recognize it and smile to myself because I knew who it was. Well, if I've ever tried to lie to you, you know it. Because I'm the WORST liar ever. Especially when I'm asked if I'm okay. Last night was rough, and I was really in no mood to cover that up. Sarah, the precious girl who sits next to me in Marriage and Family class, rolled down her window and asked me how I was, and I said, good...sort of. And she said we should hang out and I said yeah that would be good.


God is faithful and good! I didn't need to sit in my apartment all night, and God provided people for me to hang out with. We went to the sand volleyball courts and I just watched them play. God has purpose in all of this. It's so wonderful and it's so beautiful; doesn't mean it's easy, but God is faithful and his ways are far better than my own. And I'm reminded that God cares about the little things - even something to do on a Friday night! :)


Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

A Challenge

Posted by Morgan
So the other day in chapel was sang "The Time Has Come" by Hillsong United. And this morning I looked up the song on youtube, because I wasn't sure I had it on my itunes. I came up with this video. And it's a live video with clips in between, I think it was done for a DVD or something. Anyway, I'm sitting there listen to these lyrics: 


The time has come to stand for all we believe in, so I, for one, am gonna give my praise to you. Today, today it's all or nothing. All the way, my praise goes out to you. Yeah my praise goes out to you. Today, today I live for one thing: to give you praise in everything I do, yeah my praise goes out to you.


And as these are being sung, pictures of people living on the streets and pictures of people in poverty are flashing up and they intermixed with clips of the band singing and worshipping together with these lyrics. And it was at this moment that I had this thought: 


I want to do that. I want to go and tell those people about Jesus Christ. 


How would I do that? Would they listen? How do I explain there is a God out there who loves them without them saying back to me, "If there's a God who loves me then why did he let this happen to me? Why am I living in poverty? Why did he let me lose my job? Why did he do this to me if he LOVES me?" I was so puzzled by my own thoughts and honestly completely clueless as to how to explain that. 


It seemed so contradictory watching the video of these people on stage singing about giving everything to the Lord and living for the Lord when they are comfortable, clothed, and fed. And then it would flash to the streets and people carrying all of their possessions and people sleeping on the streets. 


I'm not totally sure how to handle all of this. I'm not saying that we have to be uncomfortable in order to serve Christ - that is NOT what I am saying, so please don't take that from this. But I'm not saying that Christianity should be comfortable, because in my experience, most of the time it isn't easy.


I guess I would just challenge you. When you sing songs and when you say things about what you believe, be sure you actually believe it. When you sing about going out and telling the world, do you mean it? When you sing about surrendering everything to Christ, do you really mean it? When you say you live for one thing, are you really living that out?


For me it can be very easy to say that I do these things from the comfort of my home or apartment, while I'm in my air-conditioned chapel, and while I sit here eating cookies. I'm not in poverty, I'm not at risk of losing everything because of my faith, I'm not hungry, I'm not cold, and I have plenty to eat, drink, and wear. 


My challenge for myself, as well as for you, whoever you are, is to ask yourself this: if all of the comforts of the American lifestyle were taken away, would your answers to those questions above be the same? Would you still say "Yes" to Jesus if you knew that once you did, it would cost you everything? Because we know it can, we say we would give it all up to follow him, but would we still say "Yes" if we knew it would? I know we can't fully know what our answers would be because of the reality in which we are currently living; we can't fully separate ourselves from our current reality.


So with all that in mind, watch this video. Your thoughts, agreeing or disagreeing, are welcome and wanted. 


Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

Change in the Making

Posted by Morgan
God is so so SO good. I can't emphasize that enough. He has given me so much confirmation lately. God is changing my heart, goodness, he's changing my life. God has been doing something huge in my heart and life over the past 6 months, and it has been painful, but so beautiful and so sweet. God is beyond good. 


This morning I was talking to my precious, precious friend Rachel and as I was talking to her about some things, she just goes, "I can see the change in you. It's so different now, and it's so good." My heart just soared in praise to God. My desire is for him to change my heart and to empty me of me and fill me back up with him. Ah. God is so so good. He's changing me, I'm still a work in progress (I always will be) but he is working on me, and I know it and I love it. It's all for his glory and his honor. 


Again with the songs, but still, listen to it. It's amazing.
Addison Road is amazing :)

Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

Until the Whole World Hears

Posted by Morgan
Please just let the reality of these words sink in.
I've heard this song quite a few times before, but I was listening to it be sung in chapel today and the reality of it just sunk in and hit me so hard. It's where my heart is right now. I so desire for the world to know the love and the freedom they can have in Jesus Christ.

Singing Harmony,
Morgan
Category: 0 comments

God is...

Posted by Morgan
God is good and God is faithful. He is the protector, the provider, and he's my friend. He's healer, redeemer, and the forgiver. He has my whole heart. All I am I surrender to him, cause it's more than worth it. His ways are far better than my own. His timing IS perfect [even though I have the tendency to think that mine would be better from time to time...I am always wrong]. He is the one who sets the captives free. He is the one who has set me free! In him there is freedom and liberty. There is joy and peace. Resting in his presence is so sweet. He is worthy to be praised. 
Category: 0 comments