Why You Should Sign Up for the Daily Devotional

Maybe you're out the door at 6:00 am for school. Maybe you're swamped with your to-do list. Maybe you can't seem to find time to spend with God every day.

If you want a short devotional to show up in your inbox every morning, Morning Glory's Daily Devotional is for you. It's not a substitute for your quiet time--but if you're very busy, it can help refocus you when you do not have a chance to have a quiet time first thing in the morning. 

 Click here to sign up!

Ways to Use It:
-As a discussion tool for mom and daughter on the way to school.
-As you eat breakfast.
-As part of your quiet time.
-While you're waiting for class to start.
-On your lunch break.
-Let me know when you read it! Use #MGDailyDevotional

Why You Should Sign Up:

-It's completely free!
-It's completely fresh every single morning.
-You can decide what days you receive it.
-It's written by girls in all walks of life.
-It's Biblical and relatable.
-You get to see the hearts of girls walking through tough times.
-It's a great place to start writing and getting name recognition in the Morning Glory world.

"For me it has been a blessing to see and read about girls who are just trying to follow Christ, and are struggling with some of the things I am. I would sign up not just to be blessed but you also have an opportunity to bless others with your comments and thoughts if you choose to write."

"It helps me know how to better praise God in His attributes and how to pray using Scripture."

What People are Saying:
Morning Glory has really taught me many things in many different areas. It really has inspired me to pursue Jesus with my whole heart. God is doing tremendous things through this blog and Daily Devotional!

Wow, you must have read my mind and my heart. This was exactly what I needed today.

Morning Glory has built me up in a lot of ways!  It's SUPER encouraging and helpful to read these two-minute devos to start my day. It's fun getting different girls' perspectives and reading these paragraphs. The growth of Morning Glory has been astounding over these two years, and I'm glad to see it flourish.

I have been writing for a while now. And the most rewarding part is when someone likes my devotional and sends a note saying so. I remember when I got the email, I was so blessed to see that someone actually read my devotionals and were blessed by it!

Morning Glory is the only Godly influence in my life right now.

I started getting Morning Glory Daily Devotional emails about a year ago. I had been looking for a good daily devotional program thing, and was super blessed to find this! I try to read the devos every day they're sent out and I have been SO touched by all the blog posts. It has been SO encouraging seeing what verses have stuck out to people and what it means to them. There have been many days where I read the verse and the devo to go with it, and I can tell it was completely an answer to prayer for that day-- just what I needed to hear. They always remind me of important lessons or refocus me on what really matters. They help me keep my eyes fixed on GOD. They remind me of God's promises, His blessings, His mercies, and His love. All the posts are encouraging. They are convicting. Some bring joy. Some bring tears. All in the very best way. Every day, I hear truth spoken from the verses, and some REAL person's thoughts about it. With the devos, it has been such a blessing to hear what Christian girls my age have to say about their favorite verses, and how it applies to their lives. 

Being connected to so many girls, my age, has been wonderful! Knowing that someone, quite far from me, could be reading the same things I am......is just so cool!

The Daily Devotional is completely free and completely fresh every morning. You can also customize what days you receive it if you do not want to get it every day.

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4 Reasons Scripture Memory is Absolutely Critical to Your Walk with Christ

What if I were to tell you that I have a friend who has memorized Psalm 119--the longest chapter in the Bible with 176 verses?

          What if I were to tell you that that same friend has memorized the book of Ephesians?

          And the books of 1 Peter, 1 & 2 Timothy, Philippians, Colossians, Obadiah, Jonah, and Nahum.

          Not to mention the first fifteen chapters of John and the first ten chapters of Romans.
          I don't even have time to list out all that she's memorized.

          And what if I were to tell you that THIS SAME FRIEND is with us today on the blog to talk about why Scripture memory is important?

          If anyone knows anything about memorization, it’s her.

          Let me present my friend Dani to you. She just turned eighteen and lives in Alaska. She is also the founder of A Hoe In My Hand—a wonderful magazine for girls. I just received it today and loved it!

          I have long been wanting to write a post about memorizing verses because it has absolutely changed my life and has been huge in my walk with Christ.

          So I am thrilled to share an interview I held with Dani that will help you understand why Scripture memory is CRITICAL for you, and she even shared her tips and tricks for how she has memorized so much of the Bible before finishing high school in this post.

          Let’s get started then, shall we?

Glad to have you on Morning Glory, Dani! So glad to have the opportunity to pick your brain about Scripture memory. I have a big question for you: When we can just google any verse, why does it matter that we memorize them?

          “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11) Not “googled it on my smartphone”, but “hidden it in my heart.” And that helps us not sin! How great is that?

1. Memorizing Scripture puts it directly into your head. 

          When you’ve been memorizing a passage, it will play through your head, influence your actions. It will be something you’re actively dwelling on. Psalm 1 says that the man who meditates on God’s law is blessed, but you can’t meditate on it if you don’t know it.

          “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8) When God’s word is there in your head, when it is on a live feed in your mind, you won’t be nearly as likely to act against it! It will always be there, strengthening the prompting of the Holy Spirit on your conscience!

2. Scripture is POWERFUL

          The word of the Lord is proven (Psalm 18:30). You can always trust it. It is the instruction manual for all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is given that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

          “For the word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Scripture is POWERFUL. There is no greater weapon you can wield against the attacks of Satan. (Ephesians 6:17) The voice that created the world, breathed the breath of life into man, and healed the sickness and sins of many also wove the beautiful tapestry of words that we call the Bible. Only those words have the power to break the chains of sin and death. When you memorize them, they are in you, and you can pour them out to those around you!

3. The Word of God should be our treasure

          David, the man after God’s own heart, loved the Word of the Lord, meditated on His law. Also, the writer of Psalm 119 loved the Word of God, and Psalm 119 illustrates that vividly. Just go and read the whole thing attentively. It is a love song about the Word of God! Shouldn’t we all desire to ‘be after God’s own heart’? Shouldn’t we all love Scripture in that way? When you love someone or something, you will have their every detail memorized. How much more should we treasure and memorize the Word of God?

4. Scripture is eternal

          “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will be no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) Scripture is the only thing given to us on this earth that will be enduring. Treasure it up, put your effort into it – everything else will be worthless in the end.

          When you have scripture memorized, it will always be there for you to use, while Google might not always be. I often think about the persecuted Christians both in the past and present who didn’t have the written Word directly available to them, but had huge portions memorized, and so were still comforted through the Scriptures, able to share the light of the gospel with those around them, and still growing through the nurture of His Word. That benefit was one that was pointed out to me by my Sunday School teacher back when I was 10 years old, and it has stuck!

          “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6) 
          God’s Words are so much better than any other words we could have in our minds! Why would you even want something else there?

Dani is an Alaskan MK who loves the Lord with all her heart. A large part of her childhood has been spent competitively memorizing Scripture through the National Bible Bee. She has seen the immense blessing of the Lord in her life through it, and wants to share that blessing with others in whatever way possible. In her spare time, she does school, learns languages, and practices piano, violin, viola, or various other instruments. She also heads up a team of girls that publish A Hoe In My Hand magazine.

 

          Thanks so much for your wonderful words of wisdom, Dani! I think you can tell that her mind is full of Scripture by just how many verses she referenced! Check this post for tips and tricks for HOW to memorize the Word of God. And don't forget to check out A Hoe in My Hand!

Until then, let's chat girls! Do you memorize Scripture? Why do you memorize? What have been the greatest benefits of Scripture memory? Share in the comments!

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Book Review: Grace Triumphant

From the back of the book:

      “Profligate London, 1788. Slave ships haunt the seas, bearing human cargo to further the wealth of the rich and destroy the souls of the slave traffickers.

      Russell Lawrence is an avid skeptic. Captain of the slave ship Barbados, wealthy, and a respected leader, he views religion as a crutch for the weak. But when the debauchery of the slave trade begins to destroy his good morals, his battle becomes more than fighting pirates and mutineers. What if there really is a God?

      Impressed as a cabin boy, Jack Dunbar sees his forced service on the Barbados as a God-given opportunity to witness Christ to the crew. But his efforts to influence the hardened slavers seems to be doing little good. How is it possible to live as a Christian on the sin-ravaged seas? Can his light shine bright in Africa's dark interior?

      Back in Grosvenor Square, Elizabeth Grey battles opposition from society and her self-seeking fiancé. Her work with John Newton to end the slave trade is being harshly attacked. She faces life branded as a jilter and radical if she stands up for what she believes in. Will she ever glean the strength to call sin by its rightful name?

      A tale of adventure on the high seas, redemption, and faith. Sin abounds. Is grace enough to conquer doubt and triumph over evil?”

From the back of the book:

      “Profligate London, 1788. Slave ships haunt the seas, bearing human cargo to further the wealth of the rich and destroy the souls of the slave traffickers.

      Russell Lawrence is an avid skeptic. Captain of the slave ship Barbados, wealthy, and a respected leader, he views religion as a crutch for the weak. But when the debauchery of the slave trade begins to destroy his good morals, his battle becomes more than fighting pirates and mutineers. What if there really is a God?

      Impressed as a cabin boy, Jack Dunbar sees his forced service on the Barbados as a God-given opportunity to witness Christ to the crew. But his efforts to influence the hardened slavers seems to be doing little good. How is it possible to live as a Christian on the sin-ravaged seas? Can his light shine bright in Africa's dark interior?

      Back in Grosvenor Square, Elizabeth Grey battles opposition from society and her self-seeking fiancé. Her work with John Newton to end the slave trade is being harshly attacked. She faces life branded as a jilter and radical if she stands up for what she believes in. Will she ever glean the strength to call sin by its rightful name?

      A tale of adventure on the high seas, redemption, and faith. Sin abounds. Is grace enough to conquer doubt and triumph over evil?”

About the author:

Alicia A. Willis is a homeschool graduate and an avid historian. From an early age she has had the desire to write family friendly, accurate books about the past. When not writing or doing endless historical research, she enjoys singing, being a church pianist, and teaching music. She and her husband live in Tennessee.

 My thoughts:

Alicia Willis is a dear friend of mine and I’ve read a number of her books—all of which I recommend. However, Grace Triumphant is probably her best (though it’s a close race with From the Dark to the Dawn). Her writing style grows more potent with every book.

I enjoyed Grace Triumphant very much. It is not a light read; it’s very heavy. It is about the slave trade and the majority of the book is on a slave ship.

      Alicia’s characters were very strong. They had personality, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. I particularly liked Russell and Jack, who seemed very real.

      I was particularly impressed with the development of Russell throughout the story. He started off basically as a moral atheist. He refused to participate in the normal evils associated with slaving. However, as circumstances got harder throughout the course of the book, Russell was left with one question, “Why am I being so moral?” When his morality was put to the test, he realized that he had no reason to be upright. And thus he declined slowly throughout the book. Without unnecessarily giving away too many spoilers, I was very pleased with how he was changed at the end. I was expecting the change to be forced, since he was such a hardened character. However, the author handled it beautifully, which left me pleasantly surprised.

      As always, Alicia’s book was highly researched even down to social customs and sea faring expressions. It has a strong Christian message which is woven beautifully throughout the book without sounding “preachy.”

Sexual content/language/profanity:

      This IS a story about the slave trade…

      There are no curse words or swearing explicit in the text. There are also no explicit sexual descriptions. However, there is a strong immoral theme on the slave ship. There is a scene on the coast of Africa where the African women are trying to seduce Russell. While nothing is explicit, this is not a scene for young children.

What I didn’t like:

      Considering all the things I loved about this book, the minor things I did not find ideal were very insignificant. The only thing was how long the two storylines of Russell and Elizabeth were separate, and how little they ended up connecting at the end. Either way, it did not take away from their individual journeys and the way each character grew along the way.

Final thoughts:

Grace Triumphant was an excellent book that I highly recommend. I also recommend reading From the Dark to the Dawn, as well as checking out her other books. You can connect with her on her blog, or on social media. Her writing is exceptional and she is a wonderful person to get to know! 

Blog

Grace Triumphant

From the Dark to the Dawn

Comrades of Honor

God of Her Fathers

Remembering the Alamo

I'm sorry, the comment section is still disabled. Thank you for your patience! Until then, please feel free to hop over to Alicia's blog and connect with her!

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