His Scars Are Covering Ours

Today while I was driving to work, I was listening to our local, Christan, radio station and a song came on that I had heard before but had not really payed much attention to. So today when I heard it, I payed more attention and found the message to be very powerful. 

Here are the Lyrics to the song:

Scars

She holds for dear life to the ends of the sleeves in her hands,
Covering up lies that she wrote with a razor sharp pen,
And the sting of the blade is no match for the pain of the loneliness she's going through,
But we've all been there too.

Praise God we don't have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds, and they soften our hearts.
They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are
So praise God, praise God we don't have to hide scars

You can still see the mark on his hand where there once was a ring
He watched decades of history dissolve when she wanted to leave
And the hole that it left there inside of his chest
Is a canyon a thousand miles deep
We all know how that feels.

SO praise God we don't have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds, and soften our hearts.
They remind us of where we have been, but not who we are
So praise God, praise God we don't have to hide scars

There once was a King who so burdened with grief
Walked into death so that we could find peace
He rose up with scars on his hands and his feet
By them we are healed, by them we are healed.

So praise God we don't have to hide scars
Yeah we know his are covering ours
Praise God we don't have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds and they soften our hearts
They remind us of who we have been, but not who we are
So Praise God we don't have to hide scars.

I don't know about you, but my personality tends to obsess on the past and my failures which leads to overwhelming guilt at times. I have a hard time truly understanding what Christ's work on the cross means for me, and today this song helped clarify it a bit more. My favorite line is "Yeah we know His are covering ours". This line put a beautiful picture in my mind. It revealed that even though I have so many scars from my sin and unworthiness that I would wish to hide, I don't need to hide them. I don't need to hide them because they are covered. They are covered with the scars of someone else. They are covered by scars that are not sinful but ones that are righteous. When I stand before God at the end of time, I will not have to worry about presenting a body full of scars and gaping wounds of unworthiness, I will stand before my God with the scars of His Son covering mine. This is just so powerful! I don't have to worry anymore. I don't have to be afraid. Jesus took my shame upon Himself so that I didn't have to die an eternal death. This kind of love is one I will be spending the rest of my life trying to understand, but I know I never will. All I can say is that I am thankful...SO THANKFUL!

"But HE was wounded for our transgressions, HE was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon HIM; and with HIS stripes we are healed."

~Isaiah 53:5

Blessings,

Miss Morgan

(Inspiration for this post is from the song "Scars" by Jonny Diaz)

What A Year!

First off, I know that it has been FOREVER since I wrote a post, but life is life and I refuse to use up valuable time writing about my life instead of living it :) 

A little over 2 weeks ago I turned 21!! I had a wonderful birthday and felt very special due to all of the love and attention I received. Lately I have been pondering this past year and have been thinking about all that has happened in only 12 short months. Almost immediately following my 20th birthday I was off to Tennessee for an intense, 2 week long, Christian world-view conference. It was awesome! Four weeks later, I was on an airplane headed for Zimbabwe with my Pastor's wife to spend a month with the beautiful African people. Three days after my return from Africa, I was called in for an interview at our local fabric store and was promptly offered a job 2 days later! I experienced yet another Merry Christmas. January brought a first time ever trip to Walt Disney World with my beautiful family! In February I joined a great Bible Study and met a kindred spirit. I went to a Historical Regency Ball in March and was transported back in time for one beautiful afternoon. Much has happened. A lot of events make up my 20th year, but the great amount of events that took place don't hold a candle to the great amount that has gone on in my heart this past year. I will not give a long laundry list of these personal experiences, but I will say that the outcome of these experiences is a positive one. I have and am continuing to learn that GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. Everything I have comes from Him. He gives and He takes away, but blessed be HIS NAME. ONLY HE can supply my needs and give me the peace and joy that I so desperately seek. HIS timing is PERFECT.

Here are some pictures of my year:

                                                                Summit 2011

On the way to Dayton, Tennessee

Laughing during downtime :)

                                       

Just being plain crazy with my best friend in the world. Love you Anna!

Graduation Night

                                                                       

                                                            Zimbabwe 2011

Char and I with Pastor Gilbert and his wife Esther

More of the beautiful pastor's wives we got to meet.

Me and Ruvarashe. A baby who stole my heart.

Char and I at Great Zimbabwe

Elephants!

Victoria Falls!

Some Sweethearts

                                                        Regency Ball 2012

Anna, Austin, and I in our Regency attire

Our stunning group

Dancing the afternoon away

A day that will never be forgotten

 My 20th year was a full one. It was not a bed of roses by any means, but it was real, it was memorable, and it brought so much growth. May my 21st be just as eventful. May My Dear Jesus become so much more real. 

 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." ~Psalm 16:11 

Blessings, 

Miss Morgan

Giveaway over at Bramblewood Fashion!

Bramblewood Fashion is having a great giveaway of a Modest Sea bathing suit! Please check it out and be sure to enter :)
http://bramblewoodfashion.blogspot.com/2012/03/win-your-own-swimsuit-from-modest-sea.html

The Blessing of Being a Daughter

There is one thing that all girls have in common. We all come from different backgrounds and live in different situations, but we have one unalterable bond. We are all daughters. We are daughters not only to our earthly parents, but more importantly we are daughters of our Heavenly Father. Being a daughter is not a commonplace or ordinary thing, it is special and it is a blessing.

 Daughters have the ability to bring beauty, joy, and stability to their homes. “Let our sons in their youth be as grown up plants, and our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace.” (Psalm 144:12 NASB) One definition of a corner stone (or corner pillar according to my translation) is “something that is essential, indispensable, or basic.” How cool is that! However, the Lord does not just call daughters cornerstones or corner pillars but “corner pillars fashioned as for a palace”. He clearly desires daughters to bring not only stability but also honorable beauty to their families. As each family is different, each daughter’s role in her family will be different. In my family I have been called to be a “Stay at Home Daughter”. I have three brothers and have the privilege of being my parents’ only daughter. As an only daughter in a male dominated household there is a lot around our home that keeps me busy. I have ventured out and tried the “go to school, get a degree, and then work in the world”, but have found that God has not called me to that. He has given me unspeakable joy and pleasure in being an irreplaceable foundation piece in my family. As I said before, each family is different and each daughter’s role will be different. I challenge you to ask the Lord what He would have your role be in your family. He will be faithful, and He will answer you.

 You are not only a daughter and sister to your earthly family but you are also an indispensable part of the Family of God. Each member is as important as all the others, but each has a different role. I would encourage you to read I Corinthians 12 as it clearly states the diversity of the Body of Christ. Once again, I would urge you to ask the Lord what your role is in the Family of God. He has blessed you with talents that are unique to you, and He wishes you to use them for His glory. I have been blessed with a love of children and domestic work, so I find great joy in serving young mothers by helping them with their little ones and cleaning their homes. What talents has the Lord blessed you with? How can you use them to further His Kingdom? “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:40 NASB)

Dear sisters, being a daughter is one of the best things that could have happened to you! Don’t take the role lightly. Be encouraged, He has a purpose and a plan for you. He has created you to be a beautiful pillar that is fit for His palace; an irreplaceable support. You are needed beyond what you can comprehend. Daughters are blessings, so go forth and bless your families.

 

“A son is a son till he takes a wife; a daughter is a daughter all her life.”

~Irish Saying

“If you would have a good wife, marry one who has been a good daughter.”

~Thomas Fuller

Blessings,

Miss Morgan

In the Valleys and Surrounded by Mist

The Christian walk is full of hilltops and valleys. The hilltop experiences are what we feel should always be. Due to the clear views, the absolute reassurance of our Living Hope, and the joy of comfortable circumstances we think that THIS is what life is meant to be like. However, in order to follow our Shepherd, we are required to descend the hilltops and enter the valleys. The valleys are often damp, uncomfortable, misty places. It is hard to see a clear view of anything, and more often than not we lose sight of our guide, the Shepherd Himself. It is easy to forget the surety of the hilltop view in the mire and mist of the lowlands. The Shepherd guides us all the way and He gives two special companions to help us. Sorrow and suffering. Sorrow and Suffering? Why not joy and peace? The answer is a sad but true one. If we were given joy and peace to help us through our life on this earth than we would too easily forget out need for the Shepherd. Sorrow and Suffering literally force us to rely solely on our guide and what He has promised. How often have you turned to the Lord and wanted to know Him more when all was going right in your world? How often were you full of thanksgiving and praise to your Creator when life handed you nothing but roses? I honestly admit that more often than not, when things are easy in my life I too quickly forget my First Love. Our Shepherd knows the fickleness of the human heart and He knows best how to handle it. The valleys are such hard places to be in, but are ultimately the sweetest places to be in. When your strength is gone and your mind is hurling bitterness, resentment, and worry at you, how sweet it is to call to the Shepherd for help. "Shepherd, Shepherd, Shepherd! Where are you?! Please don't leave me!" This should be our heart's cry when we face our darkest moments. He is all too willing to come to us if we but call Him. He loves nothing more than to run to His frightened lamb and scoop it up in His arms and carry it safely through the valley. If you are in a valley, confused by a misty mind, than call for your Shepherd. He will come.

 















Blessings,

Miss Morgan


(Inspiration for this post comes from the book 'Hinds Feet On High Places' by Hannah Hurnard)

Where He leads, I will follow

I will start off first by saying, sorry for such a long absence from my blog. I will be honest and say that I am not one of those people who posts daily on their blog. I don't have the time really. However, I would like to do a couple of meaningful posts per month, which shamefully I haven't done the past month. :(

The purpose of today's post is to tell the story of God's recent leading in my life. Many of my friends and family know of my decision, but most of them don't know the details, and since I don't have time to individually tell everyone the story, I'm just going to post it here.

For those who don't know, I am going to be going to Zimbabwe and South Africa for a month this coming August.What lead to this somewhat spontaneous decision? Well here's the story:

Most of you know that 2 years ago I went for a month to Cambodia with my Pastor's wife to be an encouragement to a missionary that our church supports. It was a completely God-orchestrated event down to the very last detail. I felt called to go, but to be quite honest I wasn't too enthusiastic about going. I was afraid to be leaving my family for the first time for such an extended period of time, not to mention leaving for a third world country. It was a huge growing experience for me, and one that I look back on with thankfulness.

What does Cambodia have to do with Zimbabwe? Well, last week Sunday my Pastor's wife was talking with my parents, so I decided to mosey over and enter the conversation. A couple minutes into the conversation Char (our Pastor's wife, who will be referred to by her name for the rest of the story) mentions that she was feeling called to go to Zimbabwe to visit a life long friend and possibly to South Africa as well. After she mentioned a few more things about her reasons to go, she looked at me and said "Do you want to come?" I kind of laughed thinking she was just teasing, but then she said "No, I'm serious, would you like to come?" I quit laughing and started thinking. I told her that I would prayerfully consider it and let her know. Later the same day, I decided to Facebook message her and ask for some more details, like dates, air fare, etc. I knew that my decision may be decided for me due to those questions. For example, I am doing a friend's hair for her wedding on August 20th, and if Char wanted to leave before then, I would automatically know that it wouldn't work for me to go. 

Upon receiving her reply, I found out that the dates she had in her head wouldn't be an obstacle for me... however, upon hearing air fare costs, I made a double take. It isn't cheap flying all over the world you know. Looking at the figure she sent and my bank account made me feel some trepidation. However, I knew that if God wanted me to go, He would provide, so I didn't count Africa out of my future completely. I did know though that I needed to be really sure that He wanted me to go before I could expect Him to provide for me.

A day or so later, I received another message from Char saying that she would like to book air fare the beginning of the following week to get the best rates possible....so in short, I had a week to make my decision. I have never had to ask for God's direction in such a short time frame before, so it kind of freaked me out a little. The next few days were filled with back and forth thinking, praying, and searching The Word. It is really hard to decipher sometimes if it is "you" or God speaking. Especially when you are "thinking" about something. As I searched the Bible, a common theme seemed to come into play "Trust Me", "Wait for Me", and "Give Me everything". After a while, I realized that money was really the only thing that made me feel hesitant about going. I finally came to realize that my money, isn't really "my" money. It is His money that He has entrusted to me. It was then that I said "Okay God, take it. I will trust that You will somehow provide for me." After much prayer, searching of The Word, and talking it out with my parents, I decided that I needed to go.

So now, 2 days after making the decision to go I am still trusting, and it is starting to sink in that I am actually going to AFRICA!!!

As for what I will be doing in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I really don't know for sure. All I know is that Char is going to be speaking at quite a few conferences  for Pastor's Wives, and that orphanages will be part of our trip as well. I have been told that I will get as much "Baby Time" as I want, so that excites me to no end. One of my dreams has always been to go to Africa and hold those precious orphaned babies and children. There has just always been something in me that is never satisfied with seeing those babies on TV and not be able to go and hold them, kiss them, tell them they are loved, and pray over them. God is making this possible for me, and I am so excited and thankful!!!

I covet your prayers. Please pray for safety, health, finances, and most importantly that we can be a blessing and that this trip will not be for "us" but for "Him".

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM, and He will make your paths straight."
                                                                     Proverbs 3:5-6
May the Lord bless and keep you all,
Miss Morgan

Feelin' Feminine Modest Fashion Week Day 5

Okay, so yeah I know I didn't document day 2 or 4, but life is life and so I'm basically just shooting for 7 days (however they happen to fall). So here's day 5!!

What I'm Wearing:

Top: Pink ruffled boat neck from Talbots (hand-me-down from Mama)

Cardigan: White classic cardigan from Talbots

Skirt: Fun pink gingham skirt made by me :)

Earrings: Precious Pearl cluster earrings (my bridesmaid gift) purchased from "Women at Risk" http://www.warinternational.org/store/

Shoes: None..... :)

And now for some fun, crazy pics :)!!!

Who says you can't jump on a trampoline in a skirt? :)

Blessings,

Miss Morgan