A Conversation with Jay Morgan

What are some of your first experiences of God, church, and Christianity?

Three times a week, beginning with my birth in 1957, my parents and I attended the very conservative 2nd and Walnut Street Church of Christ in Paragould, AR. I became a Christian during a gospel meeting in the early 1970s baptized by Rev. Jim McDonald following his sermon.  While my mom taught me about Jesus, including His love and compassion, most sermons I heard (prior to attending ACU and Highland Church of Christ in Abilene my freshman year) were “fire, brimstone and thou shalt not”, so it was more the fear of God and the desire to spend eternity in heaven that initially propelled me down the aisle.

In what ways have you grown in your faith journey?

While the first decade of my Christian walk was a vertical and private one-on-one relationship with God and Jesus, certainly since moving to LR in 1983 and attending PVCC I’ve (a) tapped into God’s indwelling Holy Spirit and (b) experienced how true Christianity is not only my relationship with God the Father, His Son and His Spirit, but also is loving and caring for the men, women, boys and girls that cross my path … understanding and striving (even though often failing) to look at each person as having been created by God in His image and destined to spend eternity in one of two places.

What moments or events in your life have shaped your journey of faith?

The Jesus my mom first told me about has come alive in my heart through Bible study, prayer, the Holy Spirit, grace-filled sermons, Christian music, and spiritual mentors. Multiple times each day, I ask God to “search me and know my heart; direct my footsteps accordingly to His Word; and let no sin rule over me.”  Life events drawing me closer to God include:

  • My proposal and marriage to Victoria; her baptism and her daily walk with the Lord I get to live with and experience;
  • The births, baptisms and spiritual growth of my boys, along God being the foundation of their marriages;
  • My precious and magnificent grandsons;
  • The deaths of my parents;
  • Job loss, challenges and new adventures (I learned my current job is being phased out as I turned 62 recently)

Share any final thoughts or conclusions about your relationship with God and His impact on your life.

God wants us to trust in Him, praise Him, depend upon Him, need Him, draw near to Him.  Bible study, His Holy Spirit and life events, including those I reference above, have driven me to my knees and implanted in me the reality that God is good, He has always taken care of my family and me, I don’t need all the answers now, time on this earth is but a vapor and is quickly coming to an end, and I want to spend eternity with my Creator and Savior, with His Spirit leading me each day I have left on this earth.

So, I follow Him not just because of the eternal destination I desire, but because of who He is, what He’s done, His great love, and because of the abundant life He provides now, including His help, strength, comfort, and peace of mind. It’s a sin fallen world we live in, and problems remain a part of our lives, but they truly become secondary to knowing Him and rejoicing in the relationship He so freely offers us!