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

Ashes to Beauty

I've been meaning to write about this for a while but have just now found the time.

Words cannot begin to describe how amazing the sermon at The Link was a month ago. I hadn't been since early this summer because of a crazy schedule, so needless to say I was more than ready to get back to my Link family and soak it all in. Never would I have known it was going to be one of the best, if not the best, sermon's I'd ever heard. Being the 10th anniversary of September 11th, Pastor Josh Foliart, decided to talk about how God takes our ashes and turns them into beauty.

First we skyped a soldier in Afghanistan who used to attend church at CLC. It was so incredible to see how he was praising God for using him in the military. He saw being a soldier as a blessing. Something so many of us would consider a hardship, he was loving with all of his heart.

Then we watched this short video. It's only 20 min long.  You better watch it. Besides that's about how long you take facebook creeping that guy in your class, or checking pinterest. Turn yo speakers up and listen to this incredible message.

Wow. It's pretty stinkin cool how Mr. Mendez shows the love of Jesus to the people in his circus. Sometimes we get so caught up in how bad our circumstances are, that we can't see the beauty in them. A sense of self pity comes over us and we feel as if our problem is definitely the worst!

"You do have an advantage. The greater the struggle, the more glorious the triumph."

Looking back on the events that occurred on that tragic day 10 years ago, you can't help but wonder where the people are today and how they are dealing with the pain from the void in their hearts. I know my God is healing them from the heartache they face daily. He is taking the ashes left over from the plane crash and turning them into a beautiful story used for His glory. He is a provider, a healer, and a merciful God.

He doesn't stop with that day though. My God is constantly at work mending our hearts to become more like His in every aspect of our lives. It doesn't matter if you are dealing with selfishness, idolatry, cancer, a failed test, or even a little breakup. God ALWAYS intends to turn your ashes into beauty. All we have to do is give them to Him! My God is such a stud.

Morgan Elizabeth

my new obsession: Pinterest

I have successfully found something in.cred.ible. to distract me from studying. Lovely.

If you're not familiar with Pinterest I suggest you read this to it's entirety and soak in the goodness I'm going to tell you about. Pinterest is an application connected to facebook and twitter. How it works is you log in with your account information and begin to look through a mass amount of pictures. These pictures can range from DIY projects, to a good recipe, or even photography of different places in the world. You create boards on your profile and pin the pictures you like to your board. It's the same thing as bookmarking a page from the internet. This enables you to go back and look at all those neat ideas anytime you'd like! It's your own personal scrapbook of fun places, people and things!

If you like to cook you can make a 'Recipes' board and pin pictures of food or recipes of delicious dishes. 
Two bundt cakes stacked on top of each other plus some orange frosting makes for a great Pumpkin Cake!!


Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi rolls!


Perhaps you are always wanting to travel to different parts of the globe. There are breathtaking photos of different hidden treasures in the world. I'd loveee to be able to float this river in Indonesia.


Maybe you just got engaged and you need some creative wedding ideas. Look no more! You can plan your entire wedding just by pinning pictures.


Maybe you're a new parent (Jill and Trevor) or you're expecting (Stephanie and Mary Elizabeth). You can find so many cute ideas for nursery's and endless ideas of fun things to do with your kids when they are older. 
Put food coloring in water bottles and you have a fun and safe game of bowling. If you put glow sticks in it you will have glow in the dark blowing for night!

  

If you're a fashionista there are pages among pages of complete outfits put together to give you ideas before you hit the mall.

As you can see, the list goes on and on of what you can pin. Now you understand why it's such a distraction. You should definitely check it out and find things that you love!!

Happy Pinning!

Morgan Elizabeth

it's all downhill from here

A little recap since the last post....There are pictures at the end for those of you who don't like to read.

PCAT: I took the PCAT in July. I did about average. I'm taking it again on September 28th and need to raise my score a few points in order to be accepted. All prayers appreciated.

RUSH: We made it through Recruitment 2011!! I'm so proud of the 134 Baby Kappas we gave bids to! I loved every minute of working with Holly Hilburn and Erin Warden. Our president Chelsey Gilbreth was hands down the best prez ever and we made her an honorary member of "The Trio." The air conditioner kept going out everywhere we went and some nights I slept 1.5 hours. But every bit of it made me grow closer to my chapter and really appreciate the sisterhood that we have. Cheesy yes but memorable none the less.

SENIOR YEAR: I started my senior year. Few things make me emotional, but looking back on the past 3 years I honestly can't help but feel overwhelmed with emotions. It's hard grasping the fact that this is my last year in Fayetteville. I will hopefully go on to Pharmacy School next year meaning I have to say goodbye to this place I have called home.

ROOMIES: Last April when Maggie Jo Pruitt, Kate Phillips and I decided to be roommates, the only things I knew about these girls were their names, hometown, and majors. Now after spending a month together I can say I have never seen God orchestrate a more perfect combination of roommates. So far we haven't let a day go by without engaging in deep spiritual conversations. Every time someone asks me what it's like rooming with two sophomores, I tell them I couldn't have picked two better girls to share my senior year with. They challenge me, encourage me, and most of all distract me from studying. It's going to be a great year in the 207.

DATE DASH: I had my 'last' first function! I met Jessie Green last year when I invited him to our date dash so it was only fitting I ask him to the same function to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of being friends. The theme was Opposites Attract. We went as texting and driving. 

PEP RALLY: I painted my entire body blue. Probably the first and last time I do that. Kappa apparently got disqualified. Sometimes I think they forget to tell us all the rules because they secretly don't want us to dominate like we did my freshman year. But that's just my opinion. Maybe we really weren't as loud. We'll get em next time!

FOOTBALL: The season has officially started! I loooove my Razorbacks and can't wait for us to win the National Championship this year. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. With the devastating loss in the Sugar Bowl last year, there's really no way to determine how this season will turn out. But no matter how our team performs, I became a Razorback fan when I was in the womb, and I will continue to be one til the day I die. 

The Trio with our Commander in Chief

Seniors on Pref Night.

All our hard work paid off. 134 baby Kappas.

Date Dash. We made our costumes in 10 minutes. I'm a car (that's supposed to be a steering wheel) and he is a phone.

Smurf. Avatar. Blue Man Group. Kappatastic.

Kappas love the Hogs.

Morgan Elizabeth