Friday, December 26, 2008

the ransomed heart

just got this devotion called the ransomed heart. i read the first one tonight and it was beautiful. it talked about our lives being a story. and they truly are.

these were my thoughts..

our lives are our story to God. and what we do in that story, how we live our lives and what we do for Him in His name, is how we glorify Him. our story is our worship, because, after all, worship is our response to God, for who He is and what He has done for us. so when we say that we are not good at telling stories, we lie, because WE are a story. we are the actors in this story that God, in His perfect will, has placed and written for us. really, how cool is that?

so cool.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

reunion

it is amazing how a group of friends, no matter how long they have been apart, can come together again and go right back to where they left off. tonight was remarkable and memorable for sure. our laughter filled the rooms and vacant corners of my house and reminded me of the love and joy that comes with friendship. i believe that the Lord gives us fellowship and friendship in order to further reveal himself to us. what a blessing friendship is and what a gift from Him.

as Christmas comes closer everyday, i am reminded of a simple thing: giving. today while at the store with emily, i found myself almost jumping around looking for the things to get my dad and brother. but why? is it the gifts, or the things? no, it is the fact that giving reminded me of what Jesus did. so much giving in the life of Christ, so much selflessness. God gave us Christ, Christ gave us life, eternal life, and they gave us the Holy Spirit, who counsels us and bestows wisdom upon us. the Christmas time is not only a celebration of His birth, but of His whole entire life on earth; from the birth to the resurrection. He is the gift that keeps on giving.

so remember the blessings and the gifts he gave and gives us. not only material things, but eternal things.


oh come and see this child; called the son of God! come and see him; share his love.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

fake trees

we have a fake tree this year. it kinda makes me sad, however mom made up for it with an awesome wreath that smells just like the real thing.

sometimes things change really quick and sometimes it is scary. but i mean like i really enjoy change and the things that come with it.

it is my favorite time of year and i am so looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow at the school. my friends here are truly my best friends. i come back and it is as though i never left. i love them.

well until next time.

my God reigns. end of story.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

study breaks

i love breaks. thanksgiving break, christmas break, summer break, study breaks... they are amazing times in my life. and the last break on that list is what i am doing right now. so it's awesome.

i love my new friends and the laughter that we share. i have loved that the most about college. there are so many opportunities to meet people and build new relationships. it is just another reminder that God is so much bigger and has so many more things prepared for you in your life, than you could ever ever imagine.

my sweet family came up to eat with me last night. that was one heck of a study break. it was so nice to have them close and to share with them. i know i am coming home soon, but this made me want to be there even more than the past few days. i have two exams tomorrow, so it is important that i study.



the Lord is so good to me. really He is. i went to cornerstone today to turn in the application and deposit for the uganda trip this summer. i got really interested in the location of where i was going to be in uganda, so during a break, i got on my mac and began the search. then i found my little town of Buloba, which is right outside of Kampala. I have never been more excited than on monday night at encounter.
we were singing a song about the heavens and the light. marvelous light i believe was the song. i closed my eyes and pictured night time in buloba; darkness, quiet. it made me think of when God created the world, at first there was nothing but space and darkness. then God spoke out and there was LIGHT. and one day he sent the light in human form to us. then we got to hold the light in us. now, i am that same LIGHT to bulova, that dark little village in the middle of africa.
that picture has been in the forefront of my mind for this week. i can do little if anything to study and not think about africa.

hold on, oh nation, the LIGHT is coming.

oh come all ye faithful
joyful and triumphant
oh come ye oh come ye to Bethlehem
come and behold him, born the king of angles
oh come let us adore him
oh come let us adore him
oh come let us adore him, CHRIST THE LORD

Thursday, December 4, 2008

final examination

so it is finals time here in auburn. seasonal affect disorder is setting in to many students on campus. it happens this time of year.

christmas break is closer and closer everyday. thankful am i for that.

seeing that the "giving" season is coming and is here, i was thinking about the many things we want in life. material things seem to be on the minds of most people during this time of year, which saddens my heart. but that is what the culture puts on us. but i remember the really awesome organizations like TOMS who give shoes to barefooted people living in Ethiopia for every pair of shoes you buy from them. how cool? i am thankful for those places, giving back to the world.

well back to studying... Lord willing i will do well.

christmas song for today:

o holy night's direct translation from original french:

midnight, christians, it is the solemn hour
when God as man descended among us
to purge the stain of original sin
and put an end to the wrath of his Father
the entire world thrills with hope
on this night which gives us a savior
people, on your knees, attend your deliverance
christmas, christmas, here is the redeemer!
christmas! christmas! here is the redeemer

this is the most beautiful version ever...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

the count down begins

24 days until christmas. 15 days until first semester is over. things are spectacular here on the plains.

mary evelyn and i decorated the dorm today. after seeing turtle (william's new puppy), and the boy's house all lit up, we went to dollar general and did some damage. lights and a baby baby tree, and a 'let it snow' wreathe, now occupy our dorm and dorm door. our door has amazingly hand crafted merry christmas sign and tree. seriously though, they are awesome.

listening to the elf soundtrack made us so excited about these next few weeks.

christmas song for the day:

hark the herald angles sing, glory to the new born king
peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinner's reconciled
joy for all ye nations bright, join the triumph of the skies
with angelic hosts proclaim, Christ is born is bethleham

Thursday, November 27, 2008

fire alarms

so the fire alarm just went off at the grandparents house. thankfully, nothing was burnt, the turkey just got a little too hot in the oven. all is well once again and the moms are right back to work in the kitchen.

as we have done in the past, once brunch is done and everyone has finished eating their full, we all gather around the massive dinning room table and talk. as in the years past, we go around the room, this year from oldest to youngest, and tell some things that we are thankful for this year. it was so wonderful to hear every one's stories and blessings in their lives. although it lasted about 2 hours, it was a blessing in itself and made me continually grateful for the family that i am apart of. i love them each individually, all 30-something of them.

so we just put all the food into the oven and then eat like fools. thanksgiving makes it hard for us who are trying to eat right. so mom and i will do our best. ha

happy thanksgiving.

p.s i am so thankful for my best friends. i love you and you know who you are. many thanks for the things you have done in my life. you are amazing.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

smoke and leaves

this is my favorite time of year. officially. the colors, the smells, the holidays, the weather. it is all perfect and cozy, and it makes me feel comfortable and at home. i love being home.

and so the wait is over, and it was so so so worth it. once again, the Lord's faithfulness outshines my own ability to do anything. i am so proud of myself... i know sounds weird but i did not think i could have done it. and i did. we both did. i feel stronger and closer than ever with our relationship. but mostly, i feel a new sense of joy. joy, not happiness or bliss, but JOY. a new found JOY from the Lord. i get tearful a lot more now. whenever i see or am given something from the Lord, i just start laughing and tearing up... it is such an amazing thing. really, i cannot explain it, something new inside me and i am shining. illuminating (thank you cornerstone).

thanksgiving is here and i am so thankful for being home. every time i write this week, i am going to write about thankfulness. so today, what am i thankful for? ability. i am thankful for the abilities i have to do things. when you sit back and think about every single thing you did today, it is a lot of stuff. driving, walking, talking, eating, singing, reading, swallowing...
There are endless things we do every day that we forget to be thankful for. so today i am thankful for my abilities.

i love fall. go burn some wood and drink some coffee and be thankful for your ability to do so.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

home sweet home

i am leaving auburn for montgomery in the morning! i am so so so excited. it is going to be amazing to be home for such a long time and get to truly hang out with my family. i get to see and talk to people i haven't had the chance to all semester, and that makes the trip all the more better.

friday night is going to be incredible. the Lord is so good to me, and i am so thankful that i have had this opportunity and this time. but i am equally grateful for the the emotions i am feeling right now. excitement, nervousness, joy, peace, love, and i think my heart and sould are so full they could just burst. i cannot exmplain what God is doing right now in my life. i am blessed beyond measure, or what i deserve.

so next time i post, i will be in the gump. until then.
may the Lord bless you and keep you.


p.s pray for uganda

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

the good stuff

uganda is now reality. most likely, if the Lord wills, i will be spending the majority of may in bolova, uganda. the Lord is good and faithful to those who love Him and follow His commands. i am praying for continued guidence about some other important issues concerning uganda. i know the Lord is on my side, and that whatever He wants is what will happen. praise Him for that.

i went to my first RUF last night. it was a really awesome experience. it is awesome how much it took me back to eastwood chapels. i sorta miss those. we talked about when abraham buried sarah in genisis. it was strangely ironic because i just finished writing a paper about death, and loosing a lost one.
it is amazing the things you can still learn years after an experience like mine with mamaw. it was so hard to lose her, and i still struggle with remembering that she is not here. one thing i always loved about the holidays was seeing her and being with her. it is only the second time to have the holiday season without her. once again, the only one to carry me through this is the Lord. i know with out a doubt that mamaw is with Him. thankfully i know that i will indeed see her again. however, this does not allow me the comfort it should.

i am thankful today for the friends i have made so far here at auburn. these girls will always be some of my closest and dearest friends. whether they are adpi's or not, i have met some amazingly beautiful young women of God. i am thankful that the Lord has put these people in my life to challenge and spur me onward to a closer relationship with God. they are awesome, and they are my sisters... some more than others. <> ha

and so, i am getting mentally prepared for this rather joyful homecoming. there are so many wonderful things about coming home. i am pumped to the extreme. God is going to show up and show off this week at home. family is so important and i get to have a large dose of it this week. i am so BLESSED.

ok so christmas is coming. yes indeed it is only a few weeks away. so here is to paige... i am singing you a christmas song...

joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth recieve her King. Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing, and heaven and nature sing, and heavn heaven and nature sing.
He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove. the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of His love, and wonders of His love, and wonders wonders of His love.

this is the good stuff, the stuff God gave me, the life i am privilaged to live. praise Him forever.

Friday, November 14, 2008

and so it goes

yesterday at 4 i went to starbucks to meet andi about potentially going to uganda this summer. it was amazing how the Lord placed me at cornerstone and that i met her. she is really a blessing and taught me a lot about uganda and what her church is doing over there. i am praying that the Lord will give me clearn direction to whether or not i should go with them in may. i really feel like he is opening this door. i guess i will find out soon enough.

last night was mallard ball. it was phenomenal. i danced all night dressed in camo overalls, which was very warm. the band was fun, the place was perfect, and the whole experience was everything i had expected and more. i cannot wait until next year's.

one week from today marks the homecomeing of myself. i am so ready to be home. so so so ready. there are so many things that i am going to get to do with my family and with the ones that i love and miss so much. the Lord continues to show me everyday how much He loves me and cares for me. He does this by sending me people, sending me words, and sending me love.

give thanks to the Lord our God and King... His love endures forever!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

library

who would have thought that my favorite place would be the library. actually, come to think of it, my mom would have guessed it in a heart beat. we have come to the conclusion that i am officially introverted. oh well.

today is five weeks, right now is five weeks to the exact spot. i did not know that i could do this. i didn't do it actually, Jesus gave me the strength to do this. the not seeing each other part has not been that hard, it is the not talking part. the not hearing your best friends voice part. the Lord has been faithful and taught me the most amazing things during this time. i have been so excited to enter His word everyday and hear things from the Lord.
i really felt that the Lord was asking me, "morgan, are you ready for this, are you the woman that you want to be pursued as"? the answer was a big fat no. the only way to become that woman is by constant searching, digging, talking, conversing, and walking with Jesus. He has been holding my hand this whole time, never allowing me to feel pressed down or hindered by my current situation. i have a new joy, new hope, and new passion for the will of the Lord.

in fact, tomorrow at 4 i am meeting with andi about uganda. oh that the Lord would put his hand in this heart and lead it in the proper direction. this is big, really big. i am praying that this will be an open or shut door. i feel focused and set so much on the will of the Lord that His plan will be evident in this. uganda is real now, real as in an actual potential for me to serve there. i am serving right now as i pray, but my hands and feet will be the physical reminder that their God is THE God and that he is MY GOD.

Jesus rocks.

p.s - sara is a blessing from Him. i feel that this is right and that she is going to be such an impact in my life. alpha delta pi is a great place to meet best friends. did i mention library nights are also great times to not do homework and whisper for 2 hours. talking about Jesus, ourselves, and our experiences, strengths and weaknesses. libraries are awesome.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

day 1

it's weird that i am starting this in the middle of the semester. well really it is getting so close to Thanksgiving, so really, first semester is almost over. wow. i cannot believe that it has been this long; college is flying by at such a rapid pace.

i guess that is how life goes; as you get older, life just goes by faster. amazing though, this life. all this 'time' we worry about, this 'space' we deal with daily; in the grand scheme of things, in God's eyes, in His 'time', we are a mere vapor; dust. remarkable. astounding and abounding His love truly is, His presence is never failing, fleeting, or forgotten. thankfulness seems to be an appropriate attitude in my heart during this season of life. 

so here you go... these are my thoughts, my experiences, my heart... well some of it.
i hope you who find this enjoy, and learn something about my creator through this.