Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Channeling my inner highschooler :)

I haven't done one of these in a really long time so I decided it would be fun. It's my blog and I'll do what I want :)

1. What are three ways to win your heart?
#1 Follow Jesus.
#2 Show me that you are passionate about something.
#3 Be a good listener.

2. Do you like lightning?
Not particularly...I think it's cool, but it's scary at the same time!

3. Have you ever cut someone else’s hair?
 Yes!! In elementary school Ashley and I decided that I was going to cut her hair. It ended up coming to a point in the back and I just made it worse when I tried to fix it. That never happened again!

4. Last person you said "i hate you" to?
Hmm...I don't think I use that word, but if I have used it recently I was joking or quoting someone.

5. Rain or sunshine?
Definitely sunshine!!! I love rain on days that I want to lie around and watch movies, though.

6. Last stupid thing you said to anyone?
I'm pretty much known for saying stupid things...it would be easier to pick out the last non-stupid thing I said to someone!

7. Biggest turn off?
Negativity.

8. Favorite movie?
Oh boy. This is so difficult for me because I love SO many movies. I like anything that is really romantic and/or dramatic. It helps me channel my emotional side :)

9. Would you date someone who smokes?
I would prefer not to, but if I were to fall in love with someone who smokes I wouldn't call it off simply because of the habit. We'd have to kick it eventually though!

10. Would you date someone who was addicted to drugs?
No. I'd stick by them and try to help them get rid of the addiction, but I couldn't commit to a relationship with them.

11. What’s your biggest turn on, physically?
A smile :) Also, I am really attracted to bigger guys. They just seem safe somehow!

12. Would you have sex with someone you weren’t dating?
Definitely not.

13. Have you ever missed someone and regretted breaking up with them?
Of course, but I try not to have regrets because I know everything that happens is according to God's plan :)

14. Have you ever dated someone more than once?
Yes. That was pretty much my middle and high school dating experience!

15. If you could go on ONE DATE with any celebrity, who would it be?
This is difficult because I am obsessed with Eric Dane, but he has a wife. I wouldn't want to be a homewrecker, especially for just one date.

16. What’s your relationship status?
I'm ridin' solo.

17. Do you like cuddling?
Love it! 

18. Do you hold grudges?
I try not to. I used to hold huge grudges from my past, but then I realized it was only hurting me. There's no point in holding onto anger for something that is already in the past.

19. Do you regret dating anyone?
Nope!

20. Hugger or kisser?
I'm gonna have to go with hugger since I haven't kissed anyone in like ten thousand years. 

21. Missing someone?
Absolutely.

22. Most important lesson you’ve learned from your exes?
#1 Don't play games
#2 Don't fall too hard too fast
#3 Make sure you love yourself before you try to love someone else!!!

23. Are you happier single or in a relationship?
Well I haven't been in a relationship for 6 years so I'm gonna have to go with single!

24. How important are looks?
Not as important as personality, obviously. However, people should keep themselves presentable!

25. Would you rather date someone who was SUPER-HOT or someone who was nice?
Definitely nice.

26. Do you stay friends with the people you’ve dated?
Not so far.

27. Would you fight over someone you wanted to be with?
That's a tough one...I've been tempted before, but lately I've realized there's no point in fighting a battle you can't really win. If I have to fight for him he obviously doesn't want to be with me!

28. Do you kiss on the 1st date?
Never have before.

29. If someone cheated on you, would you take them back if you really loved them?
Depends on the situation and the person.

30. Some random girl comes up to you and says "who the hell are you"?
My bottom lip would probably start trembling.

31. Are you spoiled?
Just by God :)

32. Name three things you would not tolerate in a relationship?
#1 dishonesty
#2 constant criticism
#3 losing his temper

Friday, July 22, 2011

I love my church!

Rather than posting daily, I am lucky if I manage to get something out there once a month. I guess that will have to do until I start thinking of more interesting things to blog about. As far as this particular entry, I hope you will be as blown away as I am.

Tonight was our vision event at Newspring. It's something Perry does annually to pump up the volunteers and motivate us to keep investing our time and energy into what God is doing through our church. Tonight's message addressed the fact that we sometimes feel crazy as followers of Jesus. We get pumped up, try to tell people about what we are seeing, and they don't understand. They think we have "lost our dang minds".

Honestly, this is something that I struggle with a lot. I will get absolutely fired up about Jesus and all of the miracles He is performing...then as soon as I get the opportunity to tell someone about it, I back off and assume they won't understand or won't be as excited as I am (especially if they are not Jesus followers themselves).

To explain this, Perry used the story of Jesus turning the water into wine. When it was brought to Jesus' attention that the wine was gone (God forbid- literally), He instructed the servants to fill the water jugs. In order to do this, they had to have faith that Jesus knew what He was doing. They had to practice blind obedience, trusting that He would deliver. When Jesus performed the miracle, who do you think was most blown away? The servants or the people at the party? Of course the servants!! They were pumped up because not only had they witnessed a miracle, but they participated in the miracle!! They understood just how amazing it was! It is the same way today. When we witness a miracle that we are active participants in, of course we are going to get excited about it. Others may acknowledge the miracle, but they can never fully understand unless they have invested themselves in it.

That's why it's so important for Newspring volunteers to stay motivated and never give up! We are actively participating in a HUGE miracle right now!! THOUSANDS of people are going to be in heaven because of what Jesus is doing through our church. You know the best part?? There are still thousands more to go! Perry announced tonight that we are going to launch three more campuses in Spartanburg, Myrtle Beach, AND Greenwood! I am so excited!!

I am so thankful to be a part of something like this. A few years ago, I never would have thought that I would be one of THOSE people. You know, the people who spend Friday nights at church "vision events". The kind of people that are late for family events because they have to teach children about Jesus. Lastly, I never thought I would be one of those people who knows Jesus. I can remember back to the seventh grade when I went to FCA meetings just to get out of sitting in the cafeteria. During the prayer, I would look around at everyone and feel so different from them. I envied what they had, but I didn't know how to get there. I thought being a Christian was just something some people were born with. I never imagined that Jesus would intervene when He did, changing my life completely at the age of 18 years old.

That's why I get so pumped about this church. Miracles are happening every day, and I am one of the servants who gets to be a participant and a witness. Why shouldn't I be absolutely blown away? He saved my life!! If that makes me crazy, then yes. I am crazy about a God who still performs miracles!!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Here's to many more sandcastle moments...

The most frustrating thing about my medication is that it has prevented me from being able to blog. I have the thoughts in my head, but I just can't get them out. For someone who once used writing as her best form of expression, this is a difficult pill to swallow...no pun intended. With that said, I'm going to try my best to give this another shot.

I was sitting in the Cracker Barrel parking lot yesterday when Jesus spoke to me. I was watching a bird sitting on a power line and thinking to myself "He looks so content up there." I found myself feeling jealous of that bird, envious of the fact that he can simply exist without the weight of a thousand worries on his mind. I felt like God was trying to tell me something at that moment. I opened up my devotional and read "I speak to you continually. My nature is to communicate, though not always in words." I couldn't help but look up to the sky and smile. How is it that some days it is so difficult to hear the voice of God, but others it is so clear?

I closed my devotional, got out of my car, and went inside to look around the gift shop. I made my way to the back, where my eyes landed on a book titled "My Beautiful Sandcaslte Moments". I don't know why, but I picked it up and began to read. It was written by a woman who woke up one morning and realized she had been living with a cloud over her head. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders and was yearning for the peace she once had. She goes down to the beach and begins to pray. She notices the remains of a sandcastle that the tide had destroyed. She remembers what it was like to be a child at the beach, how much enjoyment she got out of running through the waves with a bucket of sand, not a worry in the world.

When you're a child, life is all about the present. Your mind hasn't yet been clouded with the worries that come with growing up. Your entire life revolves around the current task, whether that be building a sandcastle or devouring a huge slice of watermelon. This is the type of freedom that God created us to experience. This is where pure joy comes from.

God is constantly teaching me lessons, but this is the most important lesson by far. After all, God speaks to us in the present, so why would I want to be anywhere else?

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Summer is here :)

Hi everyone, my name's Morgan. You probably don't remember me since I haven't posted a blog in a really long time. I'm here to apologize and relieve your period of agony.

Let's see, where do I begin?

Exam week was rough, but I made it out alive (and with a 4.0 semester GPA! Heck yes!). I spent the last two weeks in Lexington/Columbia working at Lexington Family Practice. I absolutely adore the people there, but I think I'd die if I had to answer phones or find charts all day for the rest of my life. Let's just say I'm thankful for the money it brings in, but I am even more thankful to be back in Clemson and gearing up for a summer job that involves doing what I love!!

That's right, it's time to start my externship at St. Francis!! I had orientation Monday and I have clinical orientation next Wednesday! I can't wait to get started. I am terrified to death that I won't have what it takes to be a good nurse, but I'm hoping this summer will help me gain the skills and confidence I'll need to reach my goal :).

I can't believe I'm here right now. I got up this morning, spent an hour at the gym, ran some errands, enjoyed an amazing tomato sandwich, and soaked up some sun by the pool. It's a beautiful start to a beautiful summer. God has blessed me so much!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

There isn't good or bad change, only progress.

Change is such a confusing concept to me. It is something we both strive for and avoid at the same time. In today's society, we work so hard to get to the "next step", but we don't want to give up anything in order to get there.

Why is this? Why do we only embrace change when it appears to be "good"? Isn't any change good if it is part of God's plan? I'm beginning to realize that God has a different plan for my life than I do, and my idea of a good change is never not always the same as His.

These last couple of years have been one change after another. Thanks to Jesus, I've had every type of transformation and transplant imaginable (spiritually speaking, of course). Let's take a look at some of these changes.

The Good
Where do I even begin?? For starters, I was a sinner and I was forgiven. I was dead and now I'm alive. I was lost and now I'm found. There are many ways I can put it, but it all comes down to the fact that Jesus has turned my life around completely. I went from being the lonely girl who sits in the back of English class, crying into her sleeve, to the nursing student who teaches children about Jesus on Sundays and goes to sleep at night knowing that there is hope. I can trust myself with a bottle of pills now, and that's a lot more than I could say two years ago. I have amazing, Godly friends who love me unconditionally and keep me in line. I thank God every night for the amazing people He has placed in my life in such a short period of time.

The Bad
When I took up my cross and started playing "Follow the Leader" with Jesus, I never took a moment to look back and realize what I was leaving behind. I believe that our journey into becoming the person God wants us to be happens in phases. In each phase, we learn a different lesson that prepares us for the next. I also believe that before and during each phase, God equips us with the tools necessary to get through it (similar to Survivor or The Amazing Race). These tools come in the form of money, courage, circumstances, and most importantly, friendship. When I think about all of the amazing friends I have made over the last few years, I realize that each of them came into my life during a time when I needed them the most. They each helped mold me into the person that I am today, and that is what makes them such an irreplaceable part of my past. The difficult thing to realize is that once you are ready for the next phase, you don't need those tools anymore. While you still remember how invaluable they were, you must let go and trust that God will provide you with new ones. Saying goodbye to people who were once such an important part of my life is the most difficult thing I've ever had to do as a follower of Jesus.

The Ugly
Have you seen the movie "The Ugly Truth"? Well, here it is. Change is neither good nor bad. It is inevitable. God doesn't need our approval, so it really doesn't matter. What matters is that we are changing according to His will. You may see the cancer as the worst thing that's ever happened to you, but God sees it as another step. Losing that job certainly changed everything, but God has a plan. That divorce has ruined your life, but wait until you see what God has in store in the next phase. When it comes to walking with Jesus, there isn't good or bad change, there is only progress. That, my friends, is the ugly truth.

So what can we take from this? This is the part where I have to practice what I preach. I am the queen of looking back and wondering if things could be different. I wish I could go back and hand pick which of my life events I would take out and which ones I would keep if I could do it all over again. I now realize that EVERY step, every change, and every event in my life was another step toward the direction of my Savior.

I wouldn't change a thing.


Fall 2006: Taylor was still alive & Brittan wasn't a wife or a mommy yet!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I've Got a Dream

My new favorite movie as of tonight is Tangled. I realized it is a childrens' movie, but it is from this movie that came the inspiration for tonight's blog.

There is a scene that takes place in a bar full of, how do you say it, sketchy men. They sing a song called "I've Got A Dream". They take turns singing about all of the things they dream about doing one day despite all the things that are setting them back.

I realize it is just a Disney song, but at the same time I began applying it to real life.

Dreams are important. They provide us with something to work toward. They give us motivation. They are what provide us with that extra boost to get out of bed every morning. Without dreams, we would all be lost and searching for more.

Everyone has a different dream. My dream to be a nurse may sound nothing short of hell to you. At the same time, it's never been a desire of mine to win a lawsuit or produce my own film.

Why do we all have such different dreams?

I think God makes us each unique, and only He knows how to light that fire in each of our hearts. He created us each for a different purpose, wherein lies our dreams. When we align our desires with God's, the dreams we pursue will directly correlate with His purpose for our lives.

With this realization comes great responsibility. No one else can fill your spot in God's master plan. Because each of us was created for a specific purpose, no one else is equipped with the same passion, the same skills, or the same fire.

This is why we can't give up. If you have a dream, stick with it. Don't give up, even when it seems like you will never get there. The devil doesn't like for us to follow Jesus and he will throw you as many obstacles as he can. Trust that God already has everything planned out. He knows what you can accomplish for Him and He will not let anything stand in the way.

Trust God with your dreams and pursue them with all of your heart, giving God the glory every step of the way.


Friday, March 11, 2011

Studying for God's tests.

There's something I've never quite understood.

Here's how school works: someone tells you something new and then they test you on how well you can apply what you've learned. If you pass, the teacher goes onto the next lesson. Great. However, if you fail...the teacher still goes onto the next lesson.

Does that make sense to anyone? The kids who didn't learn the first time are basically screwed out of luck. Hopefully that topic will never appear later in life. What's amazing to me, though, is that God doesn't do that. Like a teacher, He also gives us lessons and tests us. When we pass, he entrusts us with another lesson. When we fail, however, He doesn't just move on. He tests us again. and again. and again.

That just blows my mind! It took me such a long time to figure this out. After years of running into the exact same problem over and over again, I finally realized that God was putting me in these situations repeatedly to see if I'd learned from the previous ones.

If we don't learn from the trials we go through, we can never move onto the next step, the next lesson, or the next test that God has planned for us. You have to pass algebra before you can move on to calculus!

So after you learn the lesson, pass a few tests, the next step is an exam. It tests your application of things that you already know. It tests to see if you remember what you learned. I like to think of my life right now as my exam. I have taken MULTIPLE tests on the same lesson, but I have yet to pass one with a grade that I would call satisfactory. I have been discouraged lately, feeling like God is giving me yet another one of these tests on the same topic. I found myself asking Him why He would do this to me again! Then I realized...I am passing this one. He had to do one final test, an exam, to make sure I could remember and apply everything.

It's no coincidence that our problems seem to follow us everywhere. God is testing us. He's pounding the knowledge into our heads in hopes that one day we will pass the test. Only when you pass one test will He begin to prepare you for another.