Interview: Morgan Hurley

Feeding Alpacas in Peru

How old are you? 18 – I’ll be 19 at the end of February

What is your favourite food? Does sweet tea count? Absolutely ANYTHING Italian!

Where is your favourite place to travel? I’ve been to ten different countries – Italy, France, Monaco, the Vatican, England, Costa Rica, Canada, Peru, United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka – traveling is one of my passions.  My favourite recurring place to travel would definitely be New York City.

What is your favourite book? Either Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, or Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë – I’m a sucker for classic love stories.

What is your favourite quote?
“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry
For beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it for a day
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you’ll never walk alone.”
-Audrey Hepburn

What is your favourite scripture?   This is probably the hardest question in this interview.  I have particular verses that help me get through, depending on what type of situation I’m in.  Honestly, my “favorite” changes as often as the changing fashion styles.  However, my current “mantra”, you could say, is Psalm 13:5-6 – “But I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation.  I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

What is your favourite song? Choosing ONE song as my favourite has always been difficult but one that always encourages me is I Am Not Alone by Kari Jobe.  Every time I hear it, I’m reminded of God’s enduring faithfulness. Even when I don’t understand, I know that He makes all things work together for our good and that He is ALWAYS with me.

What is your favourite item from your closet? I love my cotton pencil skirts from Old Navy because I can wear them year-round with just about anything – and their inexpensive! My fur and lace vest are also absolutely amazing because they can go with SO much and can add a LOT to the overall feel of an outfit. Each time I wear either of them, it’s like wearing a new outfit.

Why modesty? How a person dresses says so much about their character – most of the times, it’s how we make first impressions, right? If a boy has sagging pants and big shirts, people label him a “thug.” If a girl wears a deep shirt and a skimpy shorts, most times, our society would label her as words I can’t even say.  When people see us, shouldn’t that we be a reflection of HIM? (Romans 12:1 – “…present your bodies as a living sacrifice…”)

However, if you’re dressing a certain way to merely follow guidelines and rules, you’ve got it all wrong.  The Bible gives numerous accounts of vessels being clean and polished on the outside, but filthy on the inside.  Jesus said to the Pharisees in Luke 11:39-40 (NKJV) “you make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?”  What good is it to look modest but not to THINK modestly? Outward modesty should reveal what lies inside of a person’s heart and mind.

Talk about your family. My household family consists of six people – both my parents, two sisters, and one brother.  I’m blessed and thankful to say that my parents have been married for nearly 21 years and are both incredible examples of godly parents.  I’m the oldest of my three siblings and I wouldn’t change that for the world.  My sisters are in high school – Miranda is 16 (skinny as a bean pole and blonde, unlike the rest of my family) and Madison is 14 (so much like me that it sometimes scares me).  Lastly is Grant, my six year old brother.  He’s in 1st grade, the cutest, funniest boy in the world, and yes – slightly spoiled.

What are you involved in at church? 

(1)My biggest involvement is in music ministry. I play a little piano when needed, but my singing is kind of “my thing.” More specifically, leading worship is my passion, even if I’m not specifically leading a song.  As much as I’m very detailed when it comes to harmony and set lists, if there’s no worship, nothing else matters. 

 (2) I’m part of our Hyphen group, although I don’t teach lessons or coordinate outings – I’m there to be involved and to strengthen relationships within the church.   

(3) Although it’s not sponsored from my church, I am involved with the campus outreach on my college campus.   

(4) I’m avidly involved in missions.  I’ve been on four mission trips and have a HUGE passion for our missionaries.

Those are the four major and consistent involvements but I always have my hand in something!

How/why did you get involved in ministry? I grew up in the truth under the leadership of my grandpa – seven years ago, my dad took over as full-time pastor and my papaw stepped into the role of Bishop.  So, at a very young age I was surrounded by the activities of the church.  I sang on the platform for the first time when I was three, and I haven’t stopped since.  Although everything didn’t go the way I thought it should all the time, or occur when I wanted it to, God has always known what He is doing.  The best way to become great in God’s eyes, is to become humble before men.  I’ve always taught that what you do behind the scenes will one day become front and center.  I’m still not completely who God wants me to be, but every day He’s molding me and shaping me into what He wants me to be.  

Being involved in the church, in ANY way, strengthens your roots and relationships in the church.  The more distant and unattached you are, the more reason and chance you have to stray away.

What/who inspires you?  As typical as this may be, my mom inspires me.  She was raised in an abusive home, filled with alcohol and inattentive parents.  She has told me that she remembers nights where she and her brother slept in a car during the night because she didn’t want to go home.  Around the age of thirteen, she was introduced to Pentecost and once she had a taste of true and undying love from God, she never looked back.  My parents were married when my mom was eighteen, and now pastor our church of 200 people.  She was, and still is, a light to her unsaved family and has used to her past to make her who she is today.  Beyond what statistics say my mom should have been, she is now a loving mother, faithful wife, and the first lady of an Apostolic Church.  

What do you do in your spare time? Balancing school, a social life, church, and family can be extremely difficult – I’m in nursing school so I know all about it.  However, I have to find a balance between them all, if not, I’d probably drop one of them (even if it is unintentional).  In my spare time, I love hiking and reading – I could do either all day long, especially in the summer.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I was born on February 29, Leap Day, which only occurs once every four years.  So, in my lifetime, I’ve only had 4 actual birthdays.

Testimony of how you were saved or a significant moment with God in your life.  I was born into the truth, my parents and most of my family not only serve the Lord, but are highly involved in the church.  Alcohol has never touched my lips, a needle has never been stuck in my arm, I’ve never taken a drug beyond necessary, prescribed use, and my parents have never had to go out searching for my siblings and I. To say I’m blessed would be an understatement.  I’ve never had extreme tragedy, I still have all four of my grandparents, not including two great-grandmothers. My parents never struggled to pay the bills and I’ve never truly had to experience physical pain.  Until January of last year, my life seemed ideal.  

I’ve always loved the truth and sincerely wanted to please God in everything that I’ve done.  Since January of 2014, God has shaken me to my core, testing everything about my character and walk with Him.  You see, there comes a point in everyone’s life where we come to a cross roads – there we decide if we are going to follow Jesus because we’ve tried Him, and know He’s true for ourselves, OR we take the road that is more travelled, a road without Him.  In the past year, I came to that crossroad.  Even after choosing my way, I was anxious about my future (my career, husband, family, and ministry).  A friend who I had confided in, sent me a link to a blog that had 10 verses for an anxious heart and boy, were my eyes opened.   Verses like, Isaiah 45:2 (NIV) – “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of heaven and earth.  He will not grow weary and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youth grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” and Philippians 4:6-7 – “Do not be anxious about anything.  But in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”  There was a period where I carried that last scripture around with me for over a week, quoting it multiple times throughout the day, and it got me through.
Right now, I feel as if I’m in a wilderness, facing a spiritual test and trial like never before in my life, BUT knowing that He’s leading me every step of the way, and with every step I’m farther in His will, is worth it.   

Parting words of encouragement.   Life isn’t necessarily easy, but always remember you only have one.  Think of how long the world has been into existence – if you’re lucky and live to be 85, that’s a blink the eye of infinity.  James 4:14 says “For what is your life? It is a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.”  At the end of my days, whenever that may be, I want to know that I’ve done everything I possibly can to make God happy.  Don’t waste life being stuck in the past, depressed about what could have been, or constantly pining for what you don’t have.  Your life is what you make it out to be.  I love how President Abraham Lincoln said it, “For in the end, it’s not the years in your life that matter, but the life in your years.”