the last week

So this week has held a lot of closure with the ending of my college career. I had my last college class, last bible study with the girls, my last day at World Market, and will have my last Sunday at Life Church (although I'm sure I'll be back to visit). With some sadness at the end of some good things, I'm looking forward to more good things. And above all, I am so blessed that I have a King who is right there with me.

glory in the highest

Some things I've been pondering as of late:

Two things that will always be certain in my life is my love for the Lord and my love for the Dave Matthews Band. I could spend forever talking about the beautiful intricacies of each (although the former is definitely more exquisite than the latter). Regardless, anything that allows you to dance under the stars in the soft breeze with good friends and sentimental melodies deserves to be celebrated.

I've also seen glimpses of what God's glory looks like. Let me explain. I have many friends who are financially less fortunate than me. Up until recently, I just didn't understand why some people have to survive on food stamps and others can afford a fancy restaurant every weekend. I'd often feel guilty that I won't graduate with any debt, while others will be paying off their college degree for the next ten years. The guilt grows even worse when the friends admit their jealousy or anger towards "rich" people and how "we" have it so easy. 

But God doesn't play favorites. He didn't give me more money than someone else because he likes me better. He didn't allow me to graduate debt free so that life could be easier for me. Because it's not about me. It's about the Lord. He works things out in every part of life so that his glory will be made known. Scripture says that a certain amount of grace has been given to everyone, so that we would be able to use that to glorify the Lord. I don't mean this to say that my measure of grace has been to graduate debt free - what I mean is that the Lord has plans to show his glory, and if that requires me being able to graduate debt free, so that he can use me wherever or however he wills, then so be it. 

He didn't give me Jesus-loving parents who've stayed together so that I wouldn't have to know the pain of divorce. No, he worked it out so that for whatever reason I was born into my family, it would be for the glory of God. To reverse this idea, he didn't put my dear friend into a broken, poor family because he didn't like her as much or because he wanted her to feel pain and humiliation. He put her there so that his glory would be made known to her. That his peace and love would be enough for her. So that she could completely trust the Creator of her heart.

The lowest will become the highest, and the poor will inherit the kingdom, right? God calls us to seek him in whatever circumstance we're in - because our circumstances don't reflect the character of God. Our response to the Lord in whatever circumstance will reflect it. And in that, his glory will be made known.

Ode to Craigslist

All I have to say is the best of craigslist gives me great joy.

with all my heart.

I am continuously astounded by our God.

From the beginning of time, it was all about Jesus Christ. The Savior. The Messiah. The one who would come and fix everything, to make us whole again, to bring us into the kingdom of our perfect, loving Father. 

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with who he is. How can he know every one of us, individually, all of the tiny crevices in our soul and our deepest fears and desires? He created the earth and stars and energy and movement and art and love . . . and yet he wants to know me? Never have I felt more loved, more complete, more joyful and more faithful than now. I have no reason for it, except that the Lord is to be praised. He has raised me from the miry pit and has set me feet on solid ground! 

I used to pray for more faith. I believed, but I wanted to believe more. Lord, help my unbelief! Looking back on my journey, I am stunned that he was working and moving in every piece of my life, whispering, "trust me." The same way he wove together our human history, always pointing towards the Savior, he has woven my life together - always pointing towards the Savior. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that God is faithful. What does this mean? The Lord will finish a good work created in you that he began when you chose to give him your life. The Creator of everything, seen and unseen, is in control of your past, present, and future. What better caretaker do we have than the one who created us to be in perfect unity with him? 

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5-6 

things i find myself doing instead of studying

Some of these are legit, some... not.

• blogging
• spending hours on craigslist discovering how cheap I could live in Bangladesh, Ireland, or Australia
• myspace-ing Germany's #1 girl pop band (No Angels)
• finding new things to dip animal crackers into (peanut butter, today)
  
• carefully inspecting the suspicious bruise on my arm
• organizing my work space (again)
• writing Compassion letters
• reading magazines
• cleaning out my purse (and discovering $20. worth it.)
• facebook and email. obviously.
• talking about Dayna's wedding
• researching bridesmaids dresses for Dayna's wedding
• spending quality time with the knot.com (for Dayna's wedding)
• researching $2,000 cameras to pretend I'm a pro photographer
• standing around in the kitchen eating food
• sharpening my colored pencils
• watching Ami cut peoples' hair
• sweeping up hair
• watching "Beauty Shop" on BET
• spending a couple hours on Lifetime's Total Beauty Makeover website

You think if I'd put this much time and energy into studying for my exam I'd make A's. But would it be worth it? Definitely not. I like all those other things a lot better. Let's just hope I graduate...

sweep me away

It's such a peaceful feeling to know that I'm not trying to impress anyone but the Lord.

Sometimes I feel his presence around me so strongly. When I woke up on my birthday, I could feel his love pulsing through me, as though he was letting me know that he was celebrating my existance, my birth, my purpose and my role in his kingdom. I can't describe the feeling of his love... while I know that love isn't a feeling, when I do feel it, it's like the way the sun falls over everything in the early morning, the way a berry tastes at the first bite, the way music fits together to orchestrate my favorite song. He knows me so deeply - every desire, every hurt, every joy and delight. I am truly known, and he is the only one who will ever be able to fill all of those barren places in my soul. 

Just you and me, Lord. Despite my trust issues, I know that I can trust you, with everything. How joyful and peaceful to know that you'll never leave me. 

you sweep me away, sweep me away in your love

where nothing else matters...

the sky is truly the limit

Dear Disney,

I'm very intrigued by your recent billion dollar profit strategy so casually entitled "disneynature." Your powerful trailer, complete with footage filmed entirely by BBC, a British Morgan Freeman narrator and a Sigur Ros song eloquently placed to inspire audiences of all ages has almost made me believe that you care about the earth! Thank you for jumping onto the fashionable "green" trend bandwagon - honestly,  I'm surprised it took you this long! 

I recognize you were probably feeling cheated by how much cash BBC was raking in for filming videos of the earth - why didn't you think of that first?! Now that you love the earth, I think I might try to start loving the earth, too. Thanks for helping me recognize that my existence is slowly destroying our planet, glacier melt by glacier melt. I want to do something about it! I suppose I will funnel my energies into paying $9 to see your film in the movie theatre - all for the sake of saving the earth, right? 

I can't wait to see what your upcoming movies, "Crimson Wing" and "Naked Beauty" have in store for me, but I'm confident I will the first one in line to experience it all firsthand at Animal Kingdom!

Until your next exciting endeavor,

Morgan

Note: the contents of this blog entry do no necessarily represent the author's entire opinion of Disney and it's endeavors, which would mostly include any worthy princess movie and/or theme park rides named "Splash Mountain," "Space Mountain," and "Tower of Terror."