The Beauty that Surrounds me

"The heavens tell of the glory of God.

The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak;

night after night they make him known.

They speak without a sound or a word;

their voice is silent in the skies;

yet their message has gone out to all the earth,

and their words to all the world.

The sun lives in the heavens

where God placed it.

It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom

after his wedding.

It rejoices like a great athlete

eager to run the race.

The sun rises at one end of the heavens

and follows its course to the other end.

Nothing can hide from its heat.

-Psalm 19:1-6

Jesus thank You for the beauty that surrounds us every day. I have found great joy in the work of Your hands. Thank You for the marvelous display You allow me to see every day as I look outside. Amen

Daddy’s design

“For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exhibit self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, peace loving, and not one who loves money. He must manage his own family well, with children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” 1 Timothy 3:2-5

Daddy,

 I will never forget the first time I read this passage, I was in college and I called to tell you how you truly fulfilled all of these requirements and how excited and proud I was to see so much of Jesus in you.

I can remember you laughing all while expressing one of your greatest qualities-humbleness

You are so rare daddy and I hope you know how truly amazing you are! The qualities expressed in this passage are the very qualities Jesus used to design you, and what an amazing design you are.

You have never let the circumstances of life hinder your walk with the Lord. Your steadfast faithfulness and your unwavering commitment to do what is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord has become the very thing I admire most.

Along with your commitment to your family, your get up and drive 11 hours to be here in the middle of the night because you’re needed, your love that is expressed through every hug, every kiss, and every heart to heart conversation that last into the morning hours.

My words will never be able to express how blessed I am to have an earthly father as great as you.

You have patterned your life after your heavenly Father and because of that we get to see a picture of Jesus every day.

Thank You daddy for being the walking reflection of Christ and for always making sure I knew who my true Father was and is-Jesus. I am eternally grateful and forever saved.

Happy Father’s Day

I love you!

Taken for granted

 “Always be full of joy in the Lord, I say it again-rejoice!” Philippians 4:4

In the midst of trial, sadness and despair, there is joy to be found, even when it seems as though it could never appear. It does, and it is always right on time.

This unexplainable joy rises from the deepest part of our hearts and surfaces as strength.

So how is strength a joy? Because it allows us the ability to function! And to be able to function is a God-given joy. One that is all too often taken for granted.

Jesus thank You for giving us the strength we need every day to function. May we use our ability to function for Your glory and with all the joy it fills us with. Amen

Something New

"I am coming to you... that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them (that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts.”  John 17:13

Joy is found in that moment with Christ when He opens your eyes and reveals something new to you, something about Him that strengthens your relationship and deepens your love.

Jesus Your something news NEVER get old! The joy that comes from them is by far the greatest. Thank You.

Felt in His presence

"I am coming to you... that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them (that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts.”  John 17:13

Joy is found in the presence of Christ. The more you are around Him the more joyful you become.

Jesus there is nothing better than being in Your joyful presence. You always make our time remarkable and I praise You for that. Amen

Tucked Away

When joy seems to be far away stop and look within-within the Word.

There you will find it tucked away in every promise of God.

Jesus the joy You give could not be wrapped up in a greater gift than Your word. Thank You! 

Not in... but in

Joy is not found in self, it is found in grace.

Finding Joy

Finding joy, easy or hard? Depends on the situation I suppose. Isn’t there joy to be found in ALL situations?

Yes!

So how do you find that joy?

In Jesus

It is not something earned or anything we can work for.

Joy is a gift-given by the Lord.

All we have to do is take the gift, right?

Yes!

Then what?

Do we open it and automatically become filled with joy?

Oh, that it would be that easy, that everlasting.

Easy, maybe not-everlasting-YES!

How is that-because Jesus is everlasting and all things in Him are everlasting.

So what do we do then with this gift of joy?

We just keep opening it up every day in all situations, at all times.

What does this gift look like, does it re-wrap itself?

It looks like Jesus and it always re-wraps itself and even presents itself in different ways everytime.

Is there another name for this gift, you know other than joy?

Yes!

What is it?

The Bible!

Jesus when we feel like we are all joyed out, or when we are not even sure about this thing called joy redirect us to Your Word. Amen 

Dear First Baptist Carthage

Jesus woke me up to pray for you this morning. Garrett, the boys and I miss you immensely!

You are an amazing body of believers that have stolen a piece of our heart. The warmth of your love for Jesus has made a lasting impact on us, and we hope we will carry that warmth over into our new church home.

I pray you are continuing to work together as one body for the sake of the One we love so dearly-Jesus Christ.

I pray you are standing firm in His Word and are continuing to share the Good News with all who can hear.

I hope you will encourage and embrace each new member of the body coming in, and will stay in constant prayer for the members of the body whom God has called elsewhere.

I hope you will make yourselves available to God so He can do great and mighty things at First Baptist. I pray He will move you beyond your comfort zone and into a place where true revival will begin. May you never grow complacent as a body, but continue on in your work for Him with joy, passion, and motivation from the Holy Spirit 

Know that each one of you are loved and dearly missed by the Morgan’s. We pray for you and your precious leaders whom God has called to lead you. Support and pray for them, they are very rare and extremely precious.

Just as you are to us!

May God’s richest eternal blessings fall upon you, showering you with His amazing, undeserved kindness that leaves wisdom and understanding of His greatness!

I pray your deepest need will be met and that you will continue to live a life worthy and pleasing to the Lord.

Enter His throne room often, and be sure to always tell Jesus you love Him and thank Him for loving you, just as Brother Collins did every Sunday.

With all of our love from Christ alone,

Garrett, Kristi, Avery and Dax

The Main Topic

 "But watch out! Be very careful never to forget what you have seen the LORD do for you. Do not let these things escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.” Deuteronomy 4:9

How often is Jesus the main topic of our conversation? The more I step back and listen to all the conversations that go on around me, I realize how little Jesus is in them and it leaves me wondering why.

Why don’t we talk about Jesus more? We talk about our jobs, our hobbies, our plans, our families, each other, even ourselves. Yet we leave Jesus out, except for on Sunday’s, or in times of disaster, or crisis.

I can tell you in my home a majority of the conversations we have revolve around football. And when Garrett’s whole family is together it seems that football and work is the only topic ever discussed, so it seems.  I often ask Garrett if there is anything other than football or work that we could talk about.

It seems as though talking about Jesus is unnatural and uncomfortable to so many of us that we avoid it as much as possible. Why is that? Is it because we don’t enough about Him or His word? Is it because we don’t want to make people feel uncomfortable?  Do we find talking about Jesus boring or not as interesting? Why do we not talk about Jesus on a regular basis?

Jesus does so much for us, is involved in every part of our lives and our day. He is always teaching us things, He is the reason we are able to even have conversations, and yet we talk about everything but Him.

Does the absence of Jesus in our conversation, fulfill the plan of Satan?

How often does Jesus make your conversation?

What happens when you bring Jesus into a conversation?

How can we make Him become the topic of conversation?

I love what the LORD tells Moses in Exodus 13:8-9, “This is a celebration of what the Lord did for us when we left Egypt. This annual festival will be a visible reminder to you, like a mark branded on your hands or your forehead. Let it remind you always to keep the LORD’S instructions in your minds and on your lips. After all, it was the LORD who rescued you from Egypt with great power.”

Today as you and I stand on this side of the cross we too have a lot to celebrate. The cross is our visible reminder of what Jesus did for us. His blood is our mark; it has branded our entire body. We should reflect upon it and on Him daily and always keep it on our minds and our lips. We should speak of the great things and great power Christ has done for us in every conversation.

Jesus would You take us as far as not being able to even carry a conversation if You are not the main topic. Jesus You have done so much for us and You are about to do even more for us. That in itself is worth talking about. Amen

Count your blessings over your burdens

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Today I had the privilege of meeting an 86 year old man who has suffered from two strokes and a heart attack. As I took him back to the exam room, I noticed he had a cup in his hand. I asked if I could throw it away for him. When he replied, “Due to the two strokes they had to remove part of my esophagus, which has not allowed me to eat, swallow or drink for over 7 years now, this cup never leaves my hand.”

He is fed through a feeding tube. He is never hungry, never thirsty, and has no idea if he ever gets full. I wondered what that would be like to never be hungry, full, or thirsty. When he grabbed my attention back and said, “It has been a hard 7 years. 7 years of not swallowing, chewing food, or drinking, but I am so blessed. There is always someone who has it worse than I do. After my second stroke the Lord revealed something to me that changed my view of things.” “What is that?” I asked.

He said, “The Lord told me to count my blessings and not my burdens. When you begin to count your blessings you won’t have time to count or worry about your burdens because you will never get done counting your blessings. It was the one thing that brought me out of depression and made me smile again.” (And he has the cutest side smile I have ever seen, maybe that is why, because he counts his blessings.)

At this point I am crying and nodding my head because the lump in my throat was so big it blocked any words from coming forth.

Count your blessings over your burdens! What a powerful statement. Jesus knew I needed to hear that. Actually I think He wants us all to hear that.

We are blessed, and there is no doubt our blessings outweigh our burdens.

So maybe when you take your 30 minutes to pray today you could praise God for every blessing by naming them one by one. I bet it just so happens your time will go so quickly, you will stay at His feet a little while longer.

Try it and see what happens.

Jesus I have no doubts that so many of our lives will be transformed when we begin counting our blessings and not our burdens. I know that our hearts will begin to overflow with a new type of joy that can’t be explained, yet will be seen for miles away. I am excited and I am so thankful for this precious man. Thank You for using him to minister to my heart today. Thank You that I was listening and looking for You. I found You and heard You and I am blessed and better because of that conversation. Thank You. Amen

The Good Person Test

Written by Ryan Burchett-


(Cue the Andy Griffith Show theme music in the background)

*Meet Mr. Nice Guy. If good people go to Heaven, he will be the first in line.*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Well, I try to do what's right. You know, do nice things for others, and keep out of trouble, that sort of thing."

*Well Mr. Nice Guy, may I test your 'goodness?'*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Sure thing!"

*Have you kept the 10 Commandments?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Pretty much, yeah."

*Really? Do you mind if we look at them?"

Mr. Nice Guy: "Um...alright."

*Have you ever told a lie?"

Mr. Nice Guy: "Yeah, who hasn't?"

*What do you call someone who tells lies?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "A liar."

*Have you ever stolen anything?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Nope."

*But you just told me you're a liar."

Mr. Nice Guy: "....."

Mr. Nice Guy: "Well, I did steal some candy once as a kid."

*What do you call someone who steals things?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "A thief."

*Jesus said, 'Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart. Have you ever done that?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Of course man! Every day!”

*Have you ever used God's Name as a curse word?*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Yeah, only a few times."

*That's called blasphemy. 'The Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His Name.'*

*So, after taking the test, by your own admission, you're a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, and an adulterer at heart, and that's just 4 of the 10 Commandments."

Mr. Nice Guy: "Ok, so I'm not perfect! Neither are you or anyone else!"

*Actually, it's worse than that...*

*Sin isn't just doing things we shouldn't. It's also not doing the things we should. 'Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

Mr. Nice Guy: "Ok...."

*There's more.....suppose we could put a device in your brain that would record all your private thoughts for a week......and then play them on a movie screen for your friends and family to see.*

Mr. Nice Guy: "That would be embarrassing!"

*'God knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21'*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Well, compared to people like Osama bin Laden, Hitler, and Saddam Hussein, I'm a saint!"

*True, but the standard is God's Law, not other people.*

*Besides, even if you sin just 5 times a day, in one year, that's 1,825 sins! If you live to be 70, you'll have broken God's Law over 127,000 times!*

*You'll have to answer for every sin on Judgment Day, when 'each of us will give an account of himself to God.' Rom.14:12*

Mr. Nice Guy: "But won't God just forgive me?"

*Try that in court: 'Judge, I know I raped that 1 woman, but I'm really sorry! And since that time, I've helped 10 extra people!'

*Only a corrupt judge would allow you to go free.*

Judge: "Justice demands that you pay for your crimes!"

*God is a holy and righteous Judge. He hates our sin! Jesus warned that God, in His wrath, will cast all who sin against Him into eternal fire 'where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' Matt.13:42*

Mr. Nice Guy: "Then how can anyone get to heaven?"

*There's only one way......if a sinless person offered to take your punishment, then justice would be served and you could go free!*

*God loves you so much, He sent His son Jesus to suffer and die for your sins.....then He rose from the grave - defeating death!"

*You can't earn eternal life. It's God's gift to all who humble themselves and come to Jesus. 'Turn to God in repentance and have faith in the Lord Jesus.' Acts 20:21 He will forgive your sins and give you a new heart with new desires! 'If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation!' 2 Cor.5:17*

*Then, read the Bible and obey it. Find a good church to help you grow, and tell others the good news you've just heard!*

Let's meet

"Then all the believers were united as they lifted their voices in prayer." Acts 4:24

Hey brethren, how about meeting me at 7:30 a.m. at the feet of Jesus to chat? It would be great if you could come. There will be lots to chat about, so think about it. Jesus and I will be there.

I hope you can make it. I know you will be blessed.

I love that You love me

Jesus,

I love that You love me. I love that You get me. I love that You understand me. I love that You adore me, desire me, and value me. I love that You made me out of Your image. I love that You made me wonderfully complex. I love that You fulfill me. I love that You feed me. I love that You forgive me. 


I love that You died for me. I love that You hear me. I love that You gave me Your word so I could be more like You. I love that there is no one like You. I love that You never leave me. I love that You use me. I love that I am beautiful to You. I love that You love me. I love that You called me. I love that I am Yours. I love that You see deep within me. I love that You rose again, for me. I love that You have blessed me with Garrett, Avery and Dax. I love that You love them, adore them, desire them, created them, and value them. I love that they love You.


I love to be loved by You. I love that my purpose comes from You. I love that You are coming to get me. I love that You speak to me. I love that You guide me. I love that You teach me. I love that You help me. I love that You protect me. 


Jesus I love that You love me!


Why do you love Jesus? Have you told Him?

I bet you can't do it

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Colossians 4:2

Are you willing to devote at least 30 minutes in prayer every day for the next 5 days? 

I bet you can't do it? 

Why do I say that? Because I know that is what Satan will tell you. Except he will say, "You are too busy, there is too much going on. You don't even pray good and what would you even pray about for 30 minutes?" He is probably even saying, “Awe he or she won’t last!"

I know that the minute you commit to the challenge he will do everything he can to keep you from it. He will distract you and discourage you from it. Why, because it will begin to weaken him and magnify Christ.

So, brethren what do you say, let's prove him wrong and weaken his defeated hinny! (Yes I said hinny)

If you need accountability, grab your husband/wife, a friend, family member, or you can email me and we will do it together!

Jesus let today begin the first day of a prayer revival. Amen

More than a conversation

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Colossians 4:2

There is just something so moving and powerful when in conversation with the Lord. For most, it is known as prayer, and it is just that, but in a deeper sense, it is an ongoing conversation between us and Jesus.

Just the two of us wide open, raw, real, and vulnerable. It requires nothing spectacular, showy, wordy, or elaborate, just a simple, pure, and open conversation that never ends.

We talk, He listens. He talks, we listen and we go on and on forever.  

It is powerful and life-changing. Soothing and comforting. There is just nothing more important and the fact that we are able to enter the Most Holy Place ourselves, well…

It transforms us, changes us, heals us, restores us, binds us, unites us, strengthens us, and humbles us.

It places us right at the feet of where the Most Holy God dwells. It moves our souls to a place beyond our comprehension and every word spoken is taken and transformed into the ear of God and is precious, valued, heard, adored, and ever so pleasing.

These conversations bring joy to my heart. There is no greater honor or thing asked of me than to pray. I am spend alot of my day hanging out in the Most Holy Place, which is the Most awesome place by the way, so to be able to visit a little longer is great!

I am able and you are able to go directly to Him and speak and I promise there is nothing greater or simpler than visiting with Jesus. It will come natural the more you do it!

I know the power of prayer; I know the intimacy that comes from visiting with Jesus. I know and believe great and mighty things come to those who sincerely believe in the power of prayer.

Do you?

Jesus for me the second greatest You have ever done for us, was tearing the curtain so we could enter the very place where You dwell. You opened that door for ALL to come and sit at Your feet and visit. I just can’t think of anything better than being in Your presence and visiting. Thank You that we are always welcome 24/7 and that every conversation held is so precious. Amen

It was never ours to begin with

Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 NIV

Just in case we get too caught up in the "this is mine" mind set,we should recall this amazing passage and remember nothing was, is, or will ever be "ours."

It is the Lord's, and the glory belongs to Him and Him alone.

Precious Jesus I often need to be reminded that all things are Yours and they are to be used to bring You glory not me. Keep me from ever becoming so consumed with this world and me that I fail to remember it all belongs to You. Amen

It's late

It's late, but you are on my mind (Yes you sitting on the other side of the screen) so I sent up a prayer, asking for Jesus to bless you and meet you where your heart is most vulnerable, desperate and in need of nothing more than His very presence, comfort, encouragement, and of course the very thing we need most, grace.

I hope at some point throughout your night you will be awakened by His calling. And if so, arise sweet brethren and take in all He wants to say to you. I hope you will not ignore His gentle nudge, as to wake you. There is healing and so much hope lying in that one conversation. Arise and listen, take in all that He says and grab hold of the love He is extending out to you.

Sweet Jesus dreams, and awakenings, and love!

Be careful not to confuse the two

"My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it-and I won't take it away from her." Luke 10:41-42

The time we spend with the Lord is more important to Him than anything we do for Him. We shouldn't confuse the two.

Jesus redirect me when I get caught up in the "doing" and begin missing out on what really matters, spending time at Your feet. Amen

A year’s worth-52 weeks 365 days and counting

“Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts.” Psalm 119:2

As I sat at the feet of the Lord one year ago, seeking to know Him and His word more, He impressed upon me S.S.A.L.S. A call to commit to one year of nothing but studying, storing, applying, living and sharing His word. So I committed myself to Him and did just has He had called me to do. 52 weeks, 365 days!

Honestly at the time I did not think much about all the details, the true commitment it would take, the changes, purifying, or growing that would take place in my life, I just agreed and went forward.

As I sit here today ONE YEAR later…WOW! He remained faithful in speaking to me EVERY SINGLE DAY.

He was always the first one at our special place of meeting, ready and waiting with the biggest smile on His face. I don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing that smile or His presence.

There has been lots of teaching, lots of learning, lots of questions, lots of change, lots of confession, lots of tears, lots of letting go, lots of humbling, lots of comforting, guiding, and A WHOLE LOT OF protection as Satan has so desperately tried to ruin our time together.

 I have seen God’s word spread to greater lengths than I ever imagined in one year. I have heard from so many of you that have been impacted by His Holy presence as it made way into parts of your soul.

I have learned the difference between true fellowship and partial fellowship, condemnation verse correction, discernment verse feeling, Jesus given needs verse selfishness, how to love above what my  humanness finds suitable, and the greatest of all…how desperate and in need I am of my Savior and His word.

Honestly it is of no surprise that I endured a whole year, what surprises me is where I am at, what fire I am in the middle of and how amazing God’s grace is and has been.

Christ-likeness is still in process and will continue until I am made whole in Him.

Change has played a very important role in my life this year. Though I was hesitant at times and even questioned the reason for the change, the Lord always showed me the reason, not always right then as I would have liked and even asked, but in His time. Which of course always made more sense, so much it left me EXTREMELY thankful for the change(s) that were made. Not only in my life but in the life of others who were experiencing Jesus change as well.

When we understand that change is for our good and His glory it brings joy, healing, hope, and a deeper understanding of why we are to enjoy it and not complain about it. I have come to love Jesus change!

Brethren the Lord has been so good to me, and though more times than I care to share, I have found myself in a battle with Satan’s attacks, lies, and many attempts to weaken my faith. BUT…victory has been won in every battle and will win from here on out because Jesus already fought and won the battle for me along time ago.

Yes there will still be battles to fight, but I can assure you each battle will be done in Christ’s strength and not my own, I learned real quick, okay not so quick that it is way easier to fight the battle WITH Christ than on my own.

So as the Lord brings this season of my life to a close, I anxiously await to see what His new assignment will be. Where He will take me, show me, teach me and use me for.

Jesus thank You for allowing me the honor to walk closely with You over this last year. Thank You for directing my steps, taking delight in every detail of my life, catching me when I stumble and for holding me by the hand every step of the way. May Your name be honored, adored, praised, glorified, celebrated…throughout every part of my life! In Your name Jesus, Amen