Bloglovin' Made Easy

Man am I behind!  Behind on writing posts, reading my favorite blogs, cleaning the house, cooking, eating (HA, yea right!),  keeping up with friends and I'm sure many more things that I just haven't gotten to lately.  Once you're sick and out of commission for a couple days it seems all the more difficult to get back in the swing of things when you are having you catch up on the days that you lost.  As if we don't try to cram enough into our day, we try adding 2 more days worth of "to-dos" and ipsofacto (yes, I claim this as a word) we are stuck on the ever inclining escalator.  So how do we make "catching up" easier?  Heck, how do we make our crammed every day lives easier?  I may not have the answer, but I will tell you about a recent discovery that has saved me bundles of time and energy!

BlogLovin

 Most of us do not have the time to sit at our computer and remember (let's be honest, remembering is probably the hardest part) to look up all of the blogs that we want to read and catch up on.  I used to go for weeks and sometimes months before I would sit down and go through some of the blogs that I enjoy reading.  And although I can still go a while before I catch up on a blog, the whole ordeal has gotten soooooo much easier since I discovered Bloglovin.  With Bloglovin you create an account and on your account you add the blogs you like and want to read (*cough, like this one, cough cough*) :).  You will then receive daily emails notifying you if any of your chosen blogs did a post for that day (you can opt out of the emails if you don't want them) and it also magically keeps track of the posts that you have read and not read.  This has changed my world in the blogging realm because all of the blogs I want to read are conveniently in one place and even better, I don't have to remember which blogs I want to look up!  Once I add them to my list, I will always have their blog updates!  Yup pretty awesome and did I mention its FREE?!  And if that wasn't enough, they have a free bloglovin app for easy reading on the go! (The iphone app is what I use most and it is very user friendly and convenient.)

I definitely recommend getting an account so that you can get all your favorite blogs in one place.  And hey, while you're at it you can always click on the link below to add me to your list! Happy Blogging!

The Uncomfortable Calling

Day 3 of the blogging challenge:  What makes me uncomfortable?  

Hard-working poor people make me uncomfortable.  And I don't mean just homeless people.  And I don't mean the uncomfortable feeling most of us get when a red light stops us right by a beggar with a sign or we walk by a homeless man sleeping on a street.  I am talking about the woman you see carrying her grocery bags on the side of the road in the rain.   The man whose beat up, barely breathing car is broken down on the side of the road.  The co-worker who has 2 jobs to make ends meet and they never see their family.  The friend who just had a major expense come up and they are terrified of how they will come up with the money.  The single parent who struggles everyday to curb the hurt and pain of being left alone all while having to face the reality of providing for and loving a child on their own.  The child working to support their family and siblings because their parents are strung out on drugs or absent.  This makes me uncomfortable.  Why?  Because I drive a Mazda 3 that has not broken down on me yet and it gets me easily from the grocery store to home.  Because I only work one job and it allows me to save money.  Because the Lord has provided for us financially so far and I have never gone hungry.  Because I don't know why I am blessed with so much.  I do not know why I have two loving wonderful parents who gave me a great start in life and taught me wisdom about money.  And then when I start thinking of all this I get extremely uncomfortable because I know I am not doing enough.  There is so much pain and hurt and hardship going on all around me and I am not doing enough.  

Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

1 John 3:17-18 "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?  Dear children, let us not love with words and tongue but with actions and in truth." 

Hebrews 13:16  "And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased"

Galations 6:2  "Bear one another's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ."

I am not giving enough of my time to serve.  I am not giving enough of my money to help- whether it be charities or a friend down on their luck.  I am not spending enough time investing in others and listening to their needs and hurts.  I am not being the love to the unloved.  I am not being the mentor, the encourager, the prayer warrior, the kind word, the friendly hand, the quick lift.  I am not keeping my eyes open to the opportunities the Lord presents to me throughout everyday to be these things.  I am way too busy with my day and my life to be used in these ways.  And that makes me uncomfortable; because I know the Lord asks this of me.  Because I know that this is important to my God and my Savior.  And because it should be important to me. 

Matthew 5:13-16 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven."

Matthew 25:35-40 "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.  Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you?'  The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Blog Every Day in May Challenge

   I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Fairy Tales are True, and saw that she was participating in a Blog Every Day in May Challenge.  I did some research on what the challenge entailed and by golly it looks like a lot of fun.  Sooooo, Get ready for a blog post every day in May folks! Yes, I realize that today is May 5th and I am already 4 days behind but the rules state there are no rules.  So here goes it....

The Story of My life in 250 Words or Less

Born on the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I, Devon Chalyn Morgan was born an Airforce Brat.  The only girl and the youngest of 3 children, I was the stereotypical daddy's girl and always will be.  Love and support were not hard to come by in my family, with two protective brothers and amazing God-loving parents who raised me in the christian faith.  A family like this was truly a blessing because good friends were hard to come by with all of the moving that we did.  My military background produced in me a love for traveling and change and a high respect for the Armed Forces.  In middle school my father retired from the Air Force and our family settled in good ole' Knoxville, Tennessee. (Go Vols!)  Although it was hard to adapt to a settled lifestyle at first, I eventually found my place in my church's youth group.  The Lord blessed me with some incredible friends through our church, whom I still love and adore to this day, and some top-notch mentors who helped me through my school years with only minor bumps and bruises.  

The Lord took a stronger grip on me in my college years and a greater love and commitment to my Savior started developing.  At the same time, but in different ways, the Lord did the same thing with my favorite friend from youth group.  A greater bond started developing with this friend and eventually the Lord flourished the relationship into so much more.  Wil Davis Glafenhein and I fell in like and in love and chose to commit the rest of our lives together.  We got married, I got a new name and we both got a start to a great new adventure.  In the 2 1/2 years we have been married we have lived in downtown Knoxville, Farrugut Tennessee, Dandridge Tennessee, Dalton Georgia and now Chattanooga Tennessee.  We love the south, especially Tennessee, and look forward to what the Lord has in store....