What I Love: The Spark

Today's blogging assignment is "What I Love."

I had to think about this one for awhile because there are SO many things that I love. There is a thread that runs through them all and that is the spark.

You know the spark.

It is the twinkle in a person's eye when they look across the room and have a silent shared moment with the one they love.

It is the even brief moment when a dream is realized. When a person does what they were created to do and in that moment they are fully alive.

It is the life giving laughter and illuminating smile that a child clothes themselves with when they are embracing their innocence and expressing pure joy.

It is the moment when a person tries something for the first time and realizes not only was it good but it brings them life in a way they have never experienced

.

It is the child who makes a 100 on a report and stands proudly on your door step believing for the first time that maybe he really does have what it takes.

It is taking a leap of faith and landing with two feet.

It is the way your heart leaps when it experiences something too beautiful for words.

It is a person rising above seemingly insurmountable obstacles and coming out stronger on the other side.

It is opening yourself up to listen and get to know someone very different than you and realizing that maybe you have more in common than you thought.

It's the rush of energy you experience when your words start to flow and brush strokes start to form at a rapid pace. It is standing back and realizing that you can create.

It is looking through a lens and capturing a beautiful moment and then sharing the moment that the person realizes that THEY are beautiful.

It is the times when as adults you get together with family and realize you are also friends cut from the same cloth.

It is writing the final words to your book.

It is staring into your babies eyes for the first time.

It is a sunset or a shooting star that feels like it was just for you.

It is seizing the day in the best possible way.

It is discovering a child doing the right thing because it is in his nature, not because anyone was watching. 

It is knowing that there is brokenness in this world but choosing to see the good instead.

It is connection.

It is individual.

It is loud.

It is soft.

It is found in crowds and in silent corners of a coffee shop.

It is what makes you get back up and try again.

It is the light inside that only you can carry.

I love it because it is what makes people so diverse, art so unique, words so powerful and life so beautiful.


The Spark.

The Big Ten

I am part of an online writing community called The Story Sessions and I signed up for a class on Blogging. There will be some changes around here: new look and name in the near future. The class is "40 Days of Blogging" where we will be getting a daily writing prompt. So...what that means is that I am going to try my very best to blog almost every day for the next 40 days. Some of my topics and posts may be a little different than normal but bear with me as I grow in this area.

Today's prompt was "Ten Things About You."

So...I'm going to try and think of 10 Random things you may not know about me. Feel free to share some unique things about yourself as well.

Here we go:

10 RANDOM THINGS ABOUT ME:

1) In my early 20's, I used to make a special guest appearance on an online radio show called, "Clowning Time" based in Montgomery, AL. The host was a rodeo clown and I would be his co-host at least one night a week.

2) My high school mascot was a Skipper. That's right, a skipper. (That in and of itself could be a fun fact, but there is more). Remember the dress up days for homecoming week? Well, our library staff tried to piggy back off of that idea and they hosted an "El Nino" day. Being the incredibly spirited person I was, I sported a yellow poncho around the school halls ALL DAY. I was recognized for this effort in front of my peers and presented with ..............(drum roll)...................an umbrella. (face palm).

3) When I was 12 years old, my dad took me to pick out a new car for my mom. Once the car had been selected, my Dad gave me the honor of picking out the color. I was 12. Sparkly things were pretty. I chose a very shimmery aqua. Little did I know that I would be driving that as my first car in high school. It was deemed, "The Aqua Bomb."

4)"Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh...Hangin' Tough"...."Step by step, ooo baby, gonna get to you girl".....Yep. I was a die hard New Kids On The Block fan in elementary school and my 9th birthday party was none other than a New Kids on the Block themed party. We did trivia games, dances and my cake was topped with one of those really big pin on buttons that used to be "the thing." My favorite gifts included my very own Joey McIntyre sleeping bag and NKTOB towel set. "I got the right stuff....baby."

5) My signature dance move is what I refer to as "The Donkey Butt." It's kind of a hybrid of a gallop mixed with an occasional rodeo rope swing action. This has been my dance move since the mid-90's and I still like to rock it in large groups. I don't photo bomb. I donkey butt bomb.

6) Every thing makes me think of a song. You can ask my husband. There was a period during our first year of marriage where I would pull up youtube karaoke songs on my kindle and sing one or maybe 8 to him every night before bed. (And THIS is exactly why I said I wanted to attach a camera to my head for a day. I really think I could be the next YouTube star).

7) For my 30th birthday, my husband gave me a pack of markers and let me color in the tattoo on the back of his leg. I laughed like a kid the entire time and he usually presents me with this opportunity at least once a year. I am 33. I see no problem with this. Is that a problem? Should it be? :)

8) I have this weird thing with my toes that if one of my toes is popped, ALL of my toes have to be popped. If they do not willingly pop, I enter into this weird panic of "the world is going to end because it drives me crazy not to have the same thing happen to BOTH of my feet." That is the ONLY thing I am remotely OCD about...except towels. Don't fold my towels. There IS a right way.

9) Once upon a time I mentioned to my husband that my nose was cold. Well, maybe I was like a broken record and then he decided to fix the situation with this gift and I occasionally break it out on cold nights....in my bed. lol

10) I am fascinated with weather. I am glued to the Weather Channel when there is a hurricane. A few of my friends refer to me as meteorologist Morgan during these times. I actually tracked down a weather channel anchor who was doing coverage of the "Snow" we were supposed to get in Savannah this past winter. Tracked down is kind of a light way to put it. I basically stalked the weather channel on Twitter and camped out at the park until they made their return. Then I tried to act normal for a picture. It was on my bucket list for crying out loud. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

What are some fun facts about you?

Taking Back Your Key

I've been traveling for the past 3 weeks. I learned a little something about truth.

In Europe, I spent time with Holocaust Survivors. I will write more about this incredible experience later, but for now, I want to focus on one idea.  The first night someone stood up in front of them and said, "We are not the Christians who wore the black crosses." This would be a reference to the Nazi's who did horrible things to them and their families in the name of Jesus. These precious people spent a time of their life being told that the truth was that they were worthless and had no place on this earth. That was the "truth" to the Nazi's and it was being "PUT ON" the Jewish people. The Nazi's took "their" truth key and locked the Jewish people in a cage of torment.  Then, seventy something years later the same Jewish people were sitting at a retreat with Christians who had a very different opinion of that awful "truth". We spent the week loving on them, serving them, walking with them, laughing with them, doing all sorts of charades due to the language barrier and ultimately hoping to give them back a key to unlock the truth of what Christians really believe.  I'll never forget the Jewish women touching their heart and extending their hand to my heart to express that we are connected in truth and love. That is the type of truth that brings freedom. 

There is a different kind of truth. A truth where people feel like "their" truth is more important than "your" truth. This is the truth that comes without regret of the damage that can be done when it is unleashed. This is the truth that is unapologetic and cares more about being heard than the heart of the person receiving it. There is no clean up crew for the damage left behind. Maybe you've had that kind of "truth" spoken over you. Maybe you have been the one who feels compelled to carry the message. This kind of truth only results in one thing: being caged. I would venture to say that this kind of truth, really is not truth at all. 

There is a quote by Dr. Seuss that I absolutely love.

Friends, I know that sometimes we have good intentions in what we say, but the only thing we need to "put on" is love. Are the words coming out of your mouth meant for good? What will the result be? Is the person you are saying them to in a place to receive them? If you can not answer those questions then for the love, PLEASE choose silence. Don't slam the door shut on someone's cage and take their key.

If you have been hurt, know this....no matter how well someone else knows you, they do not know you better than you know yourself. Take back your key. Know yourself well enough to know the truth about who you are. Surround yourself with people who remind you of that, so that when the naysayers come, you can rest in the fact that it is more about them than you. 

It is  too easy to lose our key and feel caged by other people's opinions. It is too easy to slip into that place of competition rather than complement. Opinion rather than truth. Selfishness rather than selflessness. 

So go on and pick up your key. Unlock your cage. Maybe you have a friend whose key is laying in the dirt while they succumb to the cage around them. Pick it up, dust it off and hand it back to them. They may need help unlocking their cage. That's what friends and sisters do. 

You will know the truth and the truth will set you free?

Notice that FREEDOM is a result of truth.

Let's not cage the captives, but set them free.

I'm thankful for the people who drop keys back into my cage and help me unlock it from time to time. 

Which one will you be? A thief of keys or a lock smith?

Being the Bad Guy

"You didn't help me get a job."

"You didn't give me money."

"Now, I'm homeless."


These were the words said to me yesterday after I had to draw a hard line in the sand between a daughter trying to get her life on track and a mother who keeps pushing her backwards.

I refused to move her things into her daughters new house because the agreement was that the only people on the lease to live in the new house were the daughter and her four kids. She seemed supportive of this new opportunity for her daughter until it became a reality. She thought she would get her way, again. She had plenty of notice to find an alternative and chose not to and we could not allow her to have one foot in the door of the new place. So with me and Glenn standing in the street (I brought Glenn for physical support), I made it very clear the boundary lines that exist in this new chapter. I hate having to be the bad guy and honestly, two years ago, I could not have done it. This came after lots of conversation and pep talks and encouragement to the daughter.  I expressed to the mother that I had all of her belongings in my car and I would be happy to hold on to them for a week until she figured out where she and her boyfriend would be living. I told her we could help her find a place to stay in the meantime, that there were several different organizations that not only offered shelter but could help with finding a job. She let me know very quickly that under no circumstance would she go to The Salvation Army or any other shelter for that matter. She got on the phone, started calling everyone she knew to inform them on the injustice WE put on her. She disappeared with her daughter standing in the street, tears streaming down the daughters face and all of  her belongings in my car. She never came back. So we left and put her belongings in our shed.

After pouring encouragement into the daughter, we returned to her new home where her very happy children were unpacking their things, enjoying air conditioning (which they did not have in their old house) and relishing in their new space to be a family. We had a dance party in the living room to the song "Happy" to celebrate the promise of new beginnings and new mercies. The oldest son kept saying "Welcome to my Mansion" (A 2 bedroom apartment, mind you). Smiles were abundant. They immediately wanted to hang their signs they had painted at a block party a few weeks ago  in anticipation of having their own space.

A few people stopped by to hug her neck and offer a word of encouragement and blessing. We had lots  of "You can do this" conversations throughout the day. It was a testimony of the body of Christ and what we should do for one another. There were moments of intense joy and intense grief. I walked through Walmart picking up some immediate needs and I could not stop the tears. When Glenn and I finally sat down to eat dinner at 9pm at a local restaurant and one point during dinner I put my face in my hands and the tears came rushing again.  Sometimes I have to dig in deep to be strong for other people and it is only the strength of the Lord that gets me through those moments and at the end of the day I feel it all. Yesterday was that day.

I felt Satan try to whisper in both of my ears that I was a horrible person for making the older lady have to find somewhere else to stay. I questioned if I had done everything I could do. Should I have tried harder to help her find a job? Should I have put her in a hotel for a few days? What God really pleased with what happened that day or what I going against what the Bible said about helping someone in need? It can all be a bit draining and leave you a complete mess.

Here is what I know. So many people that we work with are caught in a cycle. If nothing ever changes,  the cycle continues and is typically passed on to the children. There are people that want to make changes, but so often their support system is not in place and they crack under pressure. People who start to make a change usually revert in a moment of desperation. Desperation causes people to be really mean.

The single mother and four children we helped this week are desperately trying to make that change. They are suffering some serious ridicule from family members who are pointing fingers, jealous and desperate. They are also being completely bombarded with love and blessing from complete strangers in the Body of Christ and IT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. The children are growing and becoming more comfortable and stable.

But this family needs prayer. Prayer for mom's strength to continue to do the next right thing. Prayer for blessings to flow and follow obedience. Prayer for the desire to continue to seek out a new community of support.  Prayer for the grandmother to own her decisions and get the help she needs.

Pray for us too. This has been incredible but very draining physically but mainly emotionally. I have never felt the depth of grieving with someone like I have with this single mom. We have shared many moments of hugs and letting her know she is NOT alone. I had a slight fleeting thought last night of concern for safety because I thought, "I may have just ticked off the wrong person." Glenn assures me I have nothing to worry about, but still....I pray for a heightened awareness.

The balance of truth and grace has always been a really tricky one for me. Maybe I did mess up. Maybe it wasn't what Jesus would have done, but I really don't know what that would be in those moments. I think we are called to say the hard things for those who can not yet find their voice and sometimes that means drawing a line. I pray that God brings peace to mind and heart over things that I can't control and are not responsible for.

Above all, I pray that God is glorified, in our mountains and valleys and that all of this will result in His name being glorified. The tough times, the conflict, are big parts of the story and I pray that He is made famous in the results.

These Are The Days...

These are the days when my head will hit the pillow with tear filled eyes and I will wonder if it matters.

These are the days when you pray that the support you are offering to a single mom will not enable her but will bring to life the power of the body of Christ and the verses about helping a brother in need. That through the actions of others she will be more compelled to engage in Christian community. Trusting that she will next right thing to develop a pattern of walking with the Lord versus the world. That her kids will see her rise up with the strength of God and choose him and them.

These are the days where your body is tired from running from one thing to the next. Trying to juggling emails, texts, messages and not fully engaging in where you are because of trying to mobilize and organize....feeling the exact opposite at the end of the day.

These are the days when discussing the whereabouts of former students, you realize that many of the girls have become teen moms, ran away or become involved in gangs. The what if questions threaten to overtake any amount of positive moments you can recall.

These are the days when you watch a group of boys graduate a program that so diligently tried to help young men develop job interviewing and life skills. As they left the interview room some of them immediately showed exactly where their hearts and head were. As you sat in that room and looked at the sharp wire surrounding the entrance to the Youth Detention Center, you feared how many would end up there again.

These are the days when you return home from dinner with your mom to find the basketball goal lowered all the way down, knowing that the same kids you went over the rules with when you left, lowered it as soon as you drove off. This may seem trivial but it goes so much deeper. The disappointment you feel as you make a sign that says, "Court Closed. You broke the rules," and attach it to the now raised goal. All the feelings that come knowing that they will look at it and walk around the corner, not caring about the consequences you have instilled. Consequences that are for their benefit. Boundaries that must be in place.

These are the days when one of the kids you have poured more time and resources into than anyone else figuratively and literally shuts a door in your face. You feel guilty for the anger you feel towards them. You try to find the words to draw them out but fall silent and find yourself sinking into a pit of self pity and apathy. You are frustrated that what seemed like the start of a promising conversation about salvation just days ago has ended with silent frustration.

These are the days when you think about everything going on tomorrow and all you want to do is get in a car and drive....very far away.... just to breathe a little lighter. Just for a day. To get a pedicure, sleep in without knocks on the door, feel a tiny bit selfish, read and be lazy for just a day. You look at other people's lives and wish you could trade places for a few hours...just a few. Just feeling that makes you aware of the heart check you need.

These are the days when you are honest that you have been doing things in your own strength this week instead of the strength of God and feel frustrated that you let yourself get to this point....yet again. You worry about typing a blog that is raw and not celebrating all the good and afraid people will judge you in the weakness you display. Afraid they won't want to send support of volunteer with such a Debbie Downer. The other part of you feels like you will explode if you can't be real about the tough days.

These are the days when you battle between, "Was it enough or too much?"

These are the days when you want to put a band aid on your heart because it hurts. A lot.

But, these are the days when you know that as much as you feel like giving up, you won't.

Because..These. Are. The. Days.

Each one comes with its beauty and despair. Hope and Joy. Pain and Laughter.

You remember that God never said it would be easy, just that He would be with you in the midst of it.

You realize the same message you are trying to share with others is the one you need yourself.

He is enough.

For them.

He is enough.

For me.

God Can Use A Hotdog

There have definitely been moments when Glenn and I look at each other and say, "Is any of this making a difference? I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall."

Change does not come swiftly or easily. We often watch people take 2 steps forward and 2 steps back.  (I apologize to all of you now singing Paula Abdul's memorable hit). We are in a season where God is allowing us to see the fruit of some of the labor. I don't want it to pass by without taking note and encouraging others who have been a part of planting seeds through prayer, volunteering or donating.

Sometime I feel like a broken record asking for money or donations. I was never that person. I have always prided myself on being independent. I had a job and was able to pay my bills. Now we live completely in dependence on God and He often provides through others. So I thought I'd share where it all goes and why it all matters.

If you read my Facebook posts, you know that recently a young girl in the neighborhood knocked on our door one Tuesday night to ask for prayer. This is a girl who we know, usually has a defensive demeanor, sometimes walks right past you without responding to your, "hello." To see her at our front door was a shock. The request for prayer was even more shocking.  She didn't want to put in a prayer request for later, but stuck out her hands and asked me to pray with her in that moment on our front porch. Thank you for providing a porch for prayer and a door that can receive those knocks.

The next day, I went to the book store and bought her a teen girls devotional and some christian fiction novels. You should have seen the look on her face. Pure joy. That same girl knocked on our door Sunday night to tell me she had a good time at the block party and we sat on the back porch and talked for 45 minutes about life, God, the devotionals and she asked me to be her mentor. Thank you for providing the books.

Every Sunday we gather in our yard and have youth group from 3-5. Children from ages 1-16 come and play, hear the Word of God, eat, listen to positive music and lately even some of the mom's and grandmothers have started attending. The activities in the yard and a simple meal provide a safe place for kids/families to land and spend time together. Mom's are interacting and playing with their kids which is an answer to prayer in so many ways. Thank you for providing the picnic tables, the hotdogs and other food, the jump ropes, crafts and more.

On any given day after school or on the weekends, we open up our back door to find kids playing basketball behind our house. Before our court was built, kids would walk up and down the street bouncing a ball, playing IN the street with cars speeding by and there was no safe place for them to do something they love. Thank you for the basketball court and the balls. This has been one of our biggest outreach tools.

Whenever students are with us, we have a standard rule that we all sit down together around a table for a meal. We turn off or put away any electronic devices. We hold hands and prayer together and we engage with each other over the meal. Thank you for the table. Thank you for the meals and the opportunity to instill this value in them that they might do the same in their own families someday.

Men love a fire. Every monday night men from our neighborhood as well as all over Savannah gather around a fire pit to study the scriptures together, challenge, encourage and pray for one another. I'm not allowed to attend but the men all say it is such a great fellowship time to be open and honest about their struggles and receive prayer, support and guidance from God's Word. This has also been an excitement for the neighborhood kids! Many of them have roasted their first marshmallow or had their first smore here! Thank you for the fire pit and the benches.

It has taken awhile, but we have finally instilled in some of our students the importance of doing your homework and trying your best on projects. Good grades are possible. Parents have come over and asked for help finding a job online or a place to live. Thank you for providing computers that can be used in these endeavors.

Transportation is an issue for many of our families. Most people rely on the bus system or friends/family to get them from point A to point B. If we put the issue of transportation on families, our options would be limited in what we could do. We do everything from picking up from school, delivering donations, taking kids to mentoring, taking kids to church, helping families move. Thank you for the donation of a vehicle and the gas that goes in it. We fill up at LEAST 2 times a week sometimes every other day depending on the season. We have outgrown our current vehicle so we are praying for and additional van or mini bus. Add that to your prayer list please :)

The Dream Campaign started in Atlanta. We have several students there with whom we keep in contact. One of those kids wanted to come and see us before he goes to TN to do job corp, get his diploma and start college. He bought him a bus ticket to spend a week with us. The first 24 hours here has provided us with answered prayers for two years. His desire this week is to understand salvation and what living for God means in his life. Thank you for the bus ticket, the meals while he is here and for investing in a dream two years ago to introduce these students to Christ and help them pursue God's dreams for their lives.

As you can imagine, we go through lots of plates, paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. Thank you for making me feel like it was Christmas when all of the boxes and bags arrived filled with these items to stock up our supply for a few months so that money could be freed up in other ways.

Our ministry is not just to kids but to their families. We have been fortunate to work with a single mom who is fighting for the best interest of her children. She has been baptized recently, is moving this week and starting over with her kids after a pretty trying year and she is SEEKING God, the fellowship of believers and learning that God will never forsake her. She is yielding, learning, bending and struggling well. We are trying to affirm her and show that when she does the right thing, people want to help and encourage her. That there is a big body of family that is now hers who will stand in the gap. We are hopefully moving her into an apartment by Friday that is a little more than she is used to paying, but it is a step in the right direction for her family. A nurse is tutoring her to get her CNA license and she is being discipled by Christian women. She is actively involved in her kids lives and is partnering with us in every way to show that support to them. Thank you for helping with the overage of her new rent, furniture, food, prayers and support. When words and actions match up to the Word of God there is No greater testament to the church. Lives are changing.

Every week there are adults that pick up students and give them one hour of undivided attention. We call this mentoring. They do homework, play games, get ice cream, shoot hoops, color, etc. We get the see the smiles of these kids when they know its mentoring day. We get to hear them tell the other kids, "Hey! You need to get a mentor." We get to watch some of their hardness melt away over time because know they are special! Thank you to those who sacrifice that one hour which pays off in such big ways. You truly are making a difference in the lives of our students.

There are a lot of "Firsts" for our kids. A big one here in savannah is their first baseball game! The excitement of seeing their first home run or getting a fly ball is definitely an unforgettable moment!
Thank you for the tickets!

I could go on and on about summer opportunities, free lunches, tutoring, camps, etc, but I hope you see that all of you are a part of what God is doing. Everything from finances to prayers are important. The encouragement that you give me and Glenn is so appreciated. The reminder that we are not alone and that there are others who see the vision.

We have committed our lives to serving the Lord full time, with or without a pay check. When you provide the physical needs for us to do ministry the biggest gift you give us is availability to say, "Yes" in a moments notice. Glenn has been able to homeschool a little boy 4 days a week who may not otherwise have an option. I am sometimes speechless when I reflect on the past few years. Tears of gratitude fill my eyes when I fully realize that God can use even a hotdog to show His love and provide an opportunity to engage with those he puts in our path.

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please fill out the volunteer application HERE

Blessings,
Morgan

For The Days When You Feel Yourself Sinking

When I was a little girl my mom enrolled us in swimming lessons every summer. Even after we were able to swim, she continued to enroll us. It may have been that we loved it, it was summer camp activities or that she wanted to be sure we knew how to swim. I remember one lesson better than all of the others: learning to tread water. More important than the backstroke, butterfly or the breast stroke, treading water could save your life when you were in danger.  I can vividly recall the day I had to tread water for a certain amount of time in order to pass the swim test. When you tread, you move your arms and legs in certain ways to keep your body vertical.  You are moving, but your body stays in the same place and you are able to keep your head above water. Little did I know that treading water would be used in my life in more ways than one.

“All hell has broken loose.”

These were the words spoken by a dear friend of mine on the other end of the telephone line this morning. In fact, I have spoken this phrase more times than I can count. Maybe you have been there, when you feel like one more thing couldn’t possibly go wrong. The odds do not appear to be “Ever in your favor.”  The shear magnitude, weight and stress of it all makes you just want to go belly up. You can’t take one more bit of bad news, one more stressful decision or possibly muster up the energy to do one more thing and God forbid you have to slap on that “I’m ok” smile for a single other soul when inside you’re screaming “If you only knew…”

You have two decisions to make: 1) Give up or 2) Tread Water.

Throwing in the towel, giving in to your desires or diving straight into self -condemnation and harm seems like the easiest thing. It is. Floating is always easier.

The real growth the real fight is when we tread water.  

According to an article on ehow.com here are some important notes about treading water:

“When treading water, your body pushes against the water, increasing resistance and ultimately burning more calories.”

 "Water's continuous resistance forces you to engage more muscle fibers through a larger range of motion."

“People underestimate the effort treading water requires. This form of exercise takes strength and stamina to sustain a moderate or fast pace. As a person builds strength treading water, the ability to maintain the motion for longer periods will increase.”

See, when you are treading, your body is working, strengthening, increasing flexibility and building muscles in important places. When you feel like you’re not moving you’re gaining so much more…you are keeping your head above water to breathe. You are conditioning yourself to endure it. It is exercising those muscles of strength, trust, dependence and faith.

Treading is not fighting, nor is it giving up…it is meant to sustain. You can endure longer if you can keep your head above the water to breathe. If you fight too hard, you’ll grow weary fast and if you only go belly up and float, you can’t see where you are going.

The thing is, we need to exercise those muscles because we NEED the endurance.

“For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” Hebrews 10:36 (ESV)

Here is my prayer for the days where we need to suit up, put on our goggles and tread.

“We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.”  Colossians 1:11-12 (The Message)

Don’t forget that you have a swim instructor and a lifeboat.

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4 (ESV)

Tread on, sweet friends.

A fellow member of the swim team,

Morgan