Seasons of Change

"For God is not a God of confusion but of peace."

1 Corinthians 14:33, ESV

For as long as I can remember change has been a struggle for me.

When my dad decided to sell the tire business that had been in our family for over 50 years and go into real estate, I cried and begged him not to. Even though this career change late in life has been such a great decision for my dad, I couldn't stand the fact that we were letting go of our family business. I was 14 at the time which makes it even more hilarious that I was so concerned with this.

My senior year of high school I'm pretty sure I cried every night for 4 months leading up to graduation and my last dance recital. The thought of saying goodbye to my dancers, and best friends was emotionally draining.

My last Kappa pref night, function, formal, etc. left me feeling all nostalgic. Not to mention the whole college graduation and saying goodbye to my amazing sorority sisters thing.

Then there was the move to Little Rock. A week before I was supposed to spend my first night in my new house I had a major, major meltdown. We're talking hyperventilating, snot running down my nose, bawling my eyes out, meltdown.

And my personal favorite was when my laptop stopped working and I had to buy a new one the day before starting pharmacy school. It took everything in me to hold back my tears in Best Buy. This also happened when I gave up my beloved Blackberry for a dumb iPhone (which I have learned to love more than my Blackberry). Did I mention I hate change? Okay just checking.

Some of you are probably laughing at how incredibly pathetic I am when it comes to change. Lately, I have been challenged by my struggle with change and have looked at the root of why I feel this way.

A lot of it is because of how content I am with the way things in my life are going. I wouldn't say this is necessarily a bad thing because Paul teaches us in Philippians to be content in all circumstances (Phil 4:11-13). Funny how he talks about being content in ALL circumstances. Not just situations we feel safe and secure in. When we fail to allow ourselves to adapt to new seasons of life, we have another issue in our hearts. An issue of trust.

It all comes down to do we trust God. Do we trust Him to put us in the place we are supposed to be, at the perfect time, surrounded by people He so carefully chooses to bless us with?

That has been the kicker right there. Saying goodbye to people is the hardest thing for me. I don't like thinking about not having people in my life anymore when they have had such a huge impact on who I am.

However, God continues to remind me that He is the author of my days. And I shouldn't question that He has me right where He wants me in order to bring Him the most glory.

Trust in God's sovereignty even when you have no idea where your life is headed. He loves you and wants to shower you with His grace and His goodness. That in itself is all the reason we need to put all of our faith in Him alone.

"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10

Batter Up

In honor of opening day (yesterday) of Major League Baseball, here is my most favorite baseball memory to date. 

For anyone who knows me you have to know one thing by now...I. Love. Baseball. I love everything about it. The fans, the stadiums, the food, the players, the coaches, the programs, the field, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." I might have a minor obsession. For those of you who think it is nothing more than a slow and painfully boring game to watch, I'm so sorry your joy is being limited. There is so much more to it that only some fully understand and appreciate. It's called America's favorite past time for a reason.

If you know even more about me you will know my favorite MLB team is the St. Louis Cardinals. Growing up in Arkansas you don't have any professional teams to cheer for. We are right in the middle of the Cardinals, Royals, and Rangers. My dad grew up a Cardinal fan so he passed on his love of their team to me and my brother.

It has been my lifelong dream to go to the world series. A week before Game 5 of the 2011 World Series, I was offered a ticket to go! Bucket list material right here. I have never been so incredibly shocked and excited about anything in my life. One of my friends gave me a ticket so I, along with 2 other Kappas, skipped class the day of the game and drove to Arlington, TX. Even though the Cards lost that night, they ended up winning the 2011 World Series in Game 7! It was the coolest thing I have experienced and I can only wish to attend more World Series games in the future.

Ranger Stadium

Laura Poe (fellow Cards fan), Caroline Kent (Rangers fan), and myself.

Patrick McKinley (friend from Baylor) and myself.

Of course we had to throw up the key!

"Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many men on the field?"-Jim Bouton

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring."-Rogers Hornsby

"The trouble with baseball is that it's not played year round."-Gaylord Perry

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds."-Red Barber

this little light of mine, i'm gonna let it shine.

All over the world, Your song will resound.
All over the world, Your praises ring out.
We're living to see, Your name and renown.
All over the world.

-Matt Redman

  

Africa. Wow. God is faithful. God is eternal. God is BIG, yet so detailed at the same time. Everyday I was fortunate to taste a little bit of God's goodness. Here are two stories I felt needed to be shared to give you a glimpse of what my eyes saw and my heart felt.

On July 14,2012 we departed from Little Rock, AR. After taking three days to arrive to El doret, Kenya, losing our luggage, getting sick, and adjusting to the food, lack of working toilets and cold showers, we were ready to go. Seriously though, so much happened within the first few days to make anyone question why they agreed to come on this trip. But lucky for us, God is still good despite any inconveniences and continued to have His hand on the trip.

My first incredible experience happened on the second day in the field. Debbie Brown (a lady on my team) and four of our interpreters came upon this hut where a lady was cutting vegetables. It took me longer to get to the hut; but when I did, my interpreter, Jacktone, was speaking to the lady. As he was talking to her in Swahili she started crying. I had Mrs. Debbie catch me up on what was going on. They had already shared the gospel with her and she was eager to accept Jesus. I was so elated to hear of this. Every time someone accepted Christ, Jacktone would speak to them after and encourage them even more. Sometimes he would help them read their bible and show them where to find specific verses. Other times he would encourage them to attend church and press the importance of being in fellowship with other believers. I assumed he was doing just this.  

Turns out this lady's husband left her for another woman and kicked her out of their house so she was staying with a friend. She was heartbroken. Tears were streaming down her face as she told her story. Jacktone told her that God sees her crying and He is there to comfort her. He said a lot more but I couldn't understand it. After he finished, he asked if we would pray for her. Everyone of course agreed. He said, "we are all going to pray over her right now, out loud." Now I've been with others before where we all prayed out loud at the same time. But this time was different. There were 5 people praying in Swahili, and 2 people praying in English. Talk about a wow moment. For the first time in my life, I got a little glimpse of Heaven. 

"After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' "               Revelation 7:9-10

The few minutes spent praying truly showed me how universal our God is. He understands every language. He heard EVERY single one of our prayers and didn't need a translator. Tears formed in my eyes as I grasped the beauty of this. It gets better. After we prayed, we looked her in the eyes and told her if we never saw her again (because odds are we won't), we would see her in Heaven, where we will spend eternity with her and Jesus. As we told her this (and everyone else who accepted Christ into their hearts this trip), I began to think about the weight of that promise. 

This is what made every thing worth it. The missing luggage for three days, getting sick, walking for miles in the equatorial sun and carrying a heavy backpack full of food and bibles. Anytime I became weak and started to think about the extreme conditions of a third world country, I rested in the fact that it was completely worth it. It was worth it to know they will get to spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven.

Later that week, I experienced another moment that had me crying tears of joy. My team had split up to cover more people so I was the only mzungu (white person) in a hut full of 17 Kenyans. Chickens were running around my feet and cows were right outside the door. It was a surreal moment. I think I might have experienced culture shock at that hut. As I was sitting there thinking just how funny everything was, Jacktone began talking to the family. We quickly realized they were already Christians, so we asked them if they had any prayer requests. As the mom started telling us her request, she began to cry. She was overcome with so much anxiety. Her mom had died within the past year, her dad passed away the week before we got there, and her daughter was about to get married. She was overwhelmed by her stressful circumstances. Jacktone recited the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The only way I knew he was telling them this story was because those names are the same in English as they are in Swahili. As he explained how God is always with us and protects us when life becomes too difficult to bear, a verse came to my mind. Psalm 34:17-22. These verses were shown to me by a good friend in the 9th grade when I was facing my own hardships. I pulled out the Swahili bible and flipped to what I thought was that verse. Jacktone confirmed with his English bible that I had the right verse so I highlighted it and gave it to the mom. I told Jacktone to explain that this verse has helped me for so long by knowing God is my ultimate source of strength and He promises to be by my side when I face difficult times. A huge smile crept on the mother's face and she thanked us for stopping by. She also asked me to pray over her before we left. I have never felt so excited to pray for someone as I did then.

My heart was bursting with joy. It amazes me that God chooses to use me, a materialistic-overly dramatic-bitter-selfish-the list goes on and on sinner, to perform the work of a perfect and powerful King. I want you to picture this moment with me. I'm sitting in a hut. In the middle of the corn fields. With a family of Kenyans and my interpreters. Chickens running around. Cows moo-ing. And I get to share the same verses that have helped me for so many years, with a mother who doesn't know how to get through each day. Does it get any better than this?

I cannot fully express the gratitude I currently feel in my heart for what God allowed me to experience while being over there. Our team saw over 1,200 people come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. Hearts were transformed and people started living for a greater cause. All because 27 Americans from a small town in Arkansas chose to obey God's calling for a portion of their summer. However, my two weeks in Kenya were entirely too short. It felt like watching the previews for one of the Bourne movies. When all you want to do is see the rest of the movie right then. Not wait 9 months for it to come out. Someday I hope to return overseas and stay longer than two weeks. I'm not sure when, but I am praying for the opportunity. The opportunity to preach God's word to those who have never owned a bible. To share the news of Jesus Christ. To pray over families who need encouragement. To learn more Swahili. To teach little kids how to call the hogs. And to retrieve the part of my heart that I left behind.

 "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor."      Isaiah 61:1-3 (emphasis mine)

 

This is what my heart beats for.

Callin' those Hogs!

-Morgan Elizabeth

Keeping Promises: God's Faithfulness

If I had a penny for every time in my life I've heard that God answers prayers, I would be rich. If I had a penny for every time I believed it, surprisingly I would be really poor.

You would think I would have a little bit more faith that God would deliver. But so many times I have seen different results than what I prayed for. I began to doubt whether or not I was praying for the right things, or if God just didn't hear what I had to say, or simply chose not to answer them.

I'm here to inform you that God does hear every single prayer, and he even likes to answer them too.

August 28,2011 it was our Bid Day. We were running around the Kappa house meeting all the new rushees who had just accepted their bids when one of them stopped me. Konnor Lee. I had met her the previous week when we found out her mom went to high school with my dad. We immediately had common ground and began forming a relationship. On bid day her and her mom came up and thanked me for everything I had done to help her during rush. She then asked me if there were any bible studies she could become a part of during college. I got really excited she was interested in this and told her there were so many believers in Kappa so I would ask around and get back to her. At the time I was also looking for someone to meet with one-on-one. As I began to try and find her a bible study to join, God was starting to lay it on my heart that she's who I needed to meet with. Since she had asked for a group of girls I wasn't sure how she would react to just us meeting. I messaged her and she said she would love to start something. Prayer #1 answered. Thank you God.

We have met almost every week since that day. I quickly found out she was not as far into her faith as I assumed. In fact, she hadn't even started the journey. I was trying to explain to her what discipleship was and how Jesus had disciples and we made goals (scripture memory, prayer life, evangelism, and quiet time) for the semester. Then I realized she didn't have an accurate depiction of Jesus due to her lack of knowledge of the gospel. When I realized this my lesson plans quickly changed and we started from square one. I explained the gospel to her in more ways than I thought were possible. Still after hearing this amazing news, she seemed hesitant to ask Jesus into her heart. She knew she wanted to be a believer, and she wanted to be saved, but didn't understand how we could trust in someone we had never met. I honestly didn't know what to do at this point. I had told her as much truth as I knew to tell. I spent 9 weeks going through this, step by step, breaking everything down so she could understand it. I tried to make it simple and easy. But no matter what I said, she just wasn't there yet. I quickly realized I needed to do less planning, and more praying. My part of speaking truth to her was done. Now it was time to sit back and wait on the Holy Spirit to intercede and move her heart.

November 29, 2011 she finally prayed and asked Christ to come into her heart. You have NO idea how in.cred.ible this is! Y'all we have one more sister in Christ, one more person to spend eternity with, one more person to love God and one more person to go share His love to the world. I am stinkin pumped and have no words to express the deep joy in my heart.

I never once gave up on her, but I will say I gave up on the power of prayer. I knew she would come to know Christ eventually, I just wasn't sure if it would be while I was meeting with her. I kept thinking if all I am doing is planting a seed that someone else comes and sows later in her life, then I am okay with that. And I think I started to use that as an excuse of why nothing had happened. I had been praying for Konnor, but not as fervently as I should have been. As soon as I gave up my rights to lead her and let God take care of moving her heart, a miracle happened. You see God wants people to come to know Him. But he also wants us to be humble in leading them to Him. I have never seen God answer my prayers like this when I simply submitted it all to Him. Our God is huge. Unfortunately, I sometimes forget just how big He is. I forgot that he cares about my needs, my wants, and my worries. I became numb to the fact that He is my biggest fan and wants to answer every prayer I have.

Our God loves when we communicate with Him. And for a girl who LOVES to talk, sometimes I get so caught up in conversations with other people, that I forget to go straight to Him. I kept seeking advice from my friends and mentor when I should have gone to God a lot sooner than I did. He has taught me so much through submission of this area in my life. And as much as I love to lead, it's completely worth it to give up my rights as a leader. I want to humbly follow Him. Konnor wasn't the only one this past fall who received an amazing gift. I learned more than I would have had I not been around her. That's what discipleship is all about. The teacher becoming the student, and vice versa.

The end of 2011 left me with the best present I could have asked for. My theme for 2012 is to do less planning, and more praying. Now I can't wait to see what God has waiting for me this year.

 

Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." 

 

Philippians 4:6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Happy New Year!

Morgs

Going to the Chapel

My best friend is ENGAGED!!! You read that right, my best friend Hayley Ann Holmgren is engaged to THE Taylor Douglas Hall. On May 19, 2012 she will become Mrs. Hayley Hall. AHH I can't stinking wait for her new name

And more than that I can't wait for them to start living life as a married couple. Remember their name people because they are going places! They are going to be the next Steven Curtis Chapman and Beth Chapman, or David and Heather Platt, or Joe and Debbie Jo White. I promise you these two are going to impact the Kingdom in so many ways. I consider myself extremely blessed to have been a part of their journey before it began, during the dating process, and now as they plan a life together forever. I feel very honored to be a bridesmaid and can't wait to stand next to her as she commits her life to Taylor. I have seen them trust Christ with their relationship, and their future as husband and wife. He has definitely blessed them because of it. It's soo cool to see how they reflect Christ and the church. I have been praying for them constantly and can't wait to see where the Lord takes them!

Right after he proposed.

She was shocked to see about 75 people waiting for her back at Taylor's house.

The future Mrs. Hayley Hall :)

The happy happy couple!!

Morgan Newton

Laminin: Being Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Let me introduce you to a Louie Giglio video called Laminin. There is no way you can see these pictures of our DNA and not believe God made us in His image.

DEFINITION:

Laminin-- a family of glycoproteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding in almost every tissue of organism. It is vital for the maintenance and survival of tissues.

 

 

Laminin, the molecule that holds our bodies together is in the shape of a cross, the same place Jesus performed the sacrificial deed that truly holds us together.

If you read more about Laminin online you will find out "it's made up of 3 polypeptide chains-alpha, beta, and gamma." What a coincidence that the trinity makes up 3 parts: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

The anatomy of our human body clearly depicts God's promise to us. Now I dare you to deny His existence in our lives. God is good, all the time. 

Psalm 139:13-14

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

Colossians 1:16-17

"For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Morgan Elizabeth