Thursday, July 15, 2010

uhoh.


in journalism class, which i hope will come to an end next week, we talk about word usage. i learned i have been used a word improperly my whole life. and i am sure that many other people have done this as well.

nauseated vs. nauseous.
nauseated is an adjective meaning sickening or disgusting.
nauseous means you make other sick.

so when i say things like "oh my gosh that is making me nauseous" that means "oh my gosh that is making me make others sick."

just thought that was interesting.

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sometimes i get lost in what i think i want to do with my life. although i know that i have to rely on the Lord to get me from point A to point B, sometimes i think i know what i want.

you can work your whole life for something, and then it ends up not being what God wanted for you. although i am not to the point most of my roommates are (in 36, most of them have graduated or will in august), i become eager to learn what my future holds. i am assuming that this is just a human nature thing. we want to know stuff.

i was talking with my old friend Jeff about knowledge and learning. and he said "isn't it crazy you can work and study for years upon years and yet we will never know everything."

i guess sometimes we put so much weight into school, and into our performance in school, but in reality, it puts us nowhere closer to attaining true knowledge.

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you know sometimes how God just jumps out of a page at you. well i was breaking to read the devotion for this morning from my Jesus Calling book, and guess what. His grace is sufficient.

this is what i read today.

Do not worry about tomorrow! This is not a suggestion, but a command.
I divided time into days and nights, so that you would have manageable portions of life to handle.
My grace is sufficient for you, but it's sufficiency is for only one day at a time.
When you worry about the future, you heap day upon day of troubles onto your flimsy frame.
You stagger under this heavy load, which I never intended you to carry.

Throw off this oppressive burden with one quick thrust of trust. Anxious thoughts meander about and crisscross in your brain, but trusting Me brings you directly into My Presence.
As you thus affirm your faith, shackles of worry fall off instantly. Enjoy My Presence continually by trusting Me at all times.


he will lead us on the right path....

faithfully


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

chi town.


i really want to go back to chicago.

it is one of my favorite places to go. 1. because it is vastly different from montgomery, or anywhere else in the south for that matter. 2. its diversity attracts people from all walks of life, making chicago one of a kind. 3. where else can you get the BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD?? yeah i did not think so....

love this picture of the bean...this is when i fell in love with mom's camera


but i do love chicago. from the navy pier to michigan avenue and all the way to wrigley field and back to that shiny bean again. so many awesome memories. so many awesome places to re-visit. i cannot wait to find myself lost in a giant department store or sitting out next to the great lake. oh chi town how i long for you...

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monday i finished a book called "my sister's keeper." there is a movie now that was made after the book with cameron diaz and abigail breslin, but i have not seen it yet. so i got the book from kimmy because she said it was excellent. i finished it in about 3 days. it was spectacular. extremely sad though. i even cried. but it is worth the read.

all that to say that i began reading another book yesterday. it is one that i began, got frustrated with the author, and quit. i picked it up yesterday after my test and the face that i did not want to watch tv.


blue like jazz. written by donald miller. i have heard it is one of those "you gotta read" Christian books or whatever.... i am not big into trends, however a friend offered it, so i took that chance. like i said, i was not impressed. it got about 50 pages in and put the book down. it did not do anything for me, challenge me, encourage me... nothing.

but i thought i might give ole donald another chance yesterday. and you know what? he surprised me. now about 100 pages deep, mr. miller is really interesting to me.

for example, i read this last night and it stuck with me....

i found myself trying to love the right things without God's help, and it was impossible. I tried to go one week without thinking a negative thought about another human being, and i couldn't do it. before i tried that experiment, i thought u was a nice person, but after trying it, i realized i thought bad things about people all day long, and that, {was} my natural desire to love darkness.

when i read this paragraph, i started to understand that whenever you try to accomplish something without God, you fail.
i have always known this, it is something you learn in 5th grade sunday school.
but when i read someone else who was struggling with that, it hit home.
he continued...

i could go through the motions for a while, but sooner or later my heart would testify to its true love: darkness. then i would get up and try again. the cycle was dehumanizing.

another something reached deep into my soul while i was reading. after i read the words "dehumanizing" i thought about humanity. how many times to i blame things on humanity? on "this world we live in". i look for an excuse in my "human flesh" because we were simply "made like this."

but what an honor it is to be a human. we are the ONLY part of creation that has a direct relationship with God. we are the ONLY ones created in His image. what a great responsibility it is to be a human. miller wrote "i am a human because God made me. i experience suffering and temptation because man chose to follow satan. God is reaching out to me to rescue me".

and that only happens for humans. God did not send His one and only son to die on the cross for the sins of the trees. or the dirt. or even the birds. but for ALL OF MAN.

HUMAN. us.

it hit home with me. so many times i complain. and blame. but i should be thankful for the fact that God decided to create me. in order that i could worship and glorify Him.

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tomorrow is my comprehensive test for journalism. i aced yesterday's, which was super exciting! so i am going to study for that... until tomorrow


Monday, July 12, 2010

green tea. shaken. not stirred.


i just ordered a shaken green ice tea. or however you say it. it's pretty good if you like green tea. and an excellent alternative to drinking something hot during the summer. so shout out to starbucks for filling my belly with delicious liquid.

that was my attempt at blogging yesterday. epic fail.
some days i want to blog my thought. the amazingly exciting events that make up my life. or even something powerful i read during my QT this morning.

however, the most interesting news i have for today is that i do not feel like blogging this morning. nor did i even touch a computer or camera this weekend. all i did was sleep.

so. i am going to take a journalism test in awhile and i do not want to do that either. so is life. full of things we want and don't want to do.

yet, as i am sitting here, i find myself blogging about this....



anyway. i am out. peace.

Friday, July 9, 2010

mark.

my cousin mark is getting hitched in a week and one day. it's hard to believe. there are stories about mark feeding me cheerios one at a time as i waddled around the house. every time i would come over the mark's house, he would give me a "present." apparently, according to mom and aunt j, it would some sort of little thing he would find in his room. i have memories of us making "lunch" after sunday lunch at mamaw's house.

three years my senior, mark was the older brother i never had. he was always there to pick me up for church, take me to moe's, let me hang out with his really cool girlfriend, and tell me when i needed to keep away from certain boys. over the years, i have watched him grow into a strong and wise man of God. his wisdom astounds me in so many ways. he is a leader, a role model, a teacher. i am so proud to call him my cousin, but more like my brother.

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speaking of mark... there is an acquaintance of mine who writes a blog. he is doing a chapter by chapter study of mark. he wants it to interactive, so i decided to start reading it chapter by chapter sort of following him on his blog.

this morning i read chapter one. mark is talking about john the baptizer, the temptation of Jesus, and how Jesus begins his ministry. the first thing i noticed while reading the first chapter was that when Jesus reacted, he reacted immediately. the chapter has seven mentions of Jesus and his new disciples acting immediately after being moved by the Spirit.

the Word does not say Jesus went in a few hours. or even the next morning, but right then. immediately. as in all things, we should follow Christ's example and act immediately. we should obey without stopping for a second to question our actions. we just act because, through faith, we know that it is what God wants us to do.

another thing-

v. 34. "and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him"
- alright. Jesus shuts up hell. literally Jesus is already known by the demons, and he shut them up. he cast them out of people, and they already knew who Jesus was. they did not argue, because Jesus' power is so great. i just love that part of the verse, Jesus basically said "shut up."

and in v. 35- people came out of the woodwork to see Jesus. his fame was spreading like wildfire. and with good reason. it was so crazy that Jesus could not even go out to public without being noticed as the Healer. people were coming to Him, and He was doing His work.

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and i miss my brother and sister pretty badly.



Tuesday, July 6, 2010

friend time.


tonight i had the wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with my dear friend kimmy. she is a beauty. we watched the bachelorette on the tevo are her apartment, which is going to also be my apartment in a couple weeks!

i am so excited about it. we talked about everything we wanted to do in the place, what i wanted to bring, what we needed to purchase... it made us both excited. it is going to be one hopping joint come august. you'll want to be invited to our parties. they will be fun.

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i talked to a friend about taking time off from school. logically, it is not a good idea. but when does your heart ever speak logically? i would love to take a semester or two off and go do mission work somewhere. i would love to learn the ins and outs of being a full time missionary. and really breathe in what it means to serve overseas or in america as a missionary.

but school is kinda important, i guess. not that it would not be worth taking time off, but i feel that i need to finish what i have started before i start something else. but we will see. the Lord can always open doors. or close them.

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i think one of the most amazing things in all of the creation God has bestowed on us mere men is a sunset. today when i ran down gay street i turned to face the sun above town creek park. the rays exploded from behind clouds. the light burned my eyes and forced me to squint and place my hand over my brow. the sky, painted pale pink and blue, was spotted with fluffy cotton candy clouds.

it is the sign of an ending day, and the beginning of another. that sun has seen thousands of years ago, and it sees me. the sun that Jesus played under, and welcomed His days, welcomes me and says goodnight every single day. what an awesome concept.

the sun is a marvelous piece of creation. but, it is only a small glimpse of what glory looks like. we know that creation is just a picture of eagerness to glorify the Lord. creation will one day burst into worship in its full capacity, in of which we only see a small part now.

what a day that will be. when the sun sings, and mountains bow down, and the grass and flowers dance in praise and adoration to our Lord.

just something to think about.

God must have been an auburn fan....

until later...

Monday, July 5, 2010

ninty.

well my faithful blog followers... this is blog post number 90. thank you for continuing to read and follow my little humble blog. it's people like you that make this worth while.

yesterday was the fourth, and we had a out of the ordinary celebration. stead was at the lake with friends and emily was babysitting so most of the day was dad, mom and me. dinner was good and hunter joined us, but emily was occupied with a crying baby most of the meal.

after i cleaned the kitchen, the three of us went to wynlakes to watch the fireworks. it was a real long show. but, as always, i love my fireworks. i even brought my camera in the car, but i decided against taking any photos. so, none to post.

but speaking of celebrating our country and freedom... my cousin is leaving for Iraq this week. he is about 27 years old and is from birmingham. he is really my step-cousin, but we were close when we were young. his name is logan and if you think about it, we are asking that you pray for him as he fights for our country. he is in the army, and will be serving for a year.

we have been praying this scripture over him daily-

91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say [1] to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge
[2]
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,no plague come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”


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brian spoke on sunday morning at cornerstone. we have been learning about nehemiah and he talked about chapter 5. the thing that spoke the most to me was when he discussed justice and righteousness and that they coincided. as in, the search and pursuit of righteousness is the pursuit of justice.

he defined justice as LOVE SEEN IN PUBLIC. what a perfect definition for something you almost cannot put a definition on. justice carries equality, fairness, but as brian said, most importantly- LOVE.

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in church they showed a picture of brian's wife's sister (confusing? yes) and she had gone on the trip with the church to uganda. to my kids. and in that picture was sweet little mercy. she was the little girl who kinda picked
me to hang on to. i loved seeing her smiling face on the screen. it brightened my heart.

i went back and looked at some pictures from africa, which i do often. and as i stared into the faces of the children that i love so much, i saw hope. i saw courage. and most importantly, i saw love. childlike, innocent, faithful love.


it reminds me that when it all goes away, when you feel like you can't move on, there is always love. i want to be that love. i want to be remembered as one who loved, who always accepted others and loved them with my whole heart, as Christ would love. love is the basis of all things, when you think about it. the reason we are on the earth is love. the reason God sent Christ to die is LOVE. Jesus conquered death for the sake of LOVE!! God is love. therefore, every single thing that comes from Him is manifested in us through LOVE. patience, self-control, justice, righteousness... it all stems from LOVE.

live in love. share your love.


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but i am off to study for journalism. i am looking forward to a fun week:)

until later

morgan

Sunday, July 4, 2010

pink icing.

yesterday morning, mom and i woke up early and made our list of foods we wanted to eat at our dinner for the fourth. we decided on the usual: burgers, coleslaw, baked beans, and twice baked potatoes. however, for dessert we wanted to change it up. maybe be a little patriotic?

we came up with red velvet cupcakes (because cupcakes are better) with white icing and blue berries on top. red, white and blue. always.

well, we have endeavored to create some terrific masterpieces some might call cupcakes.

but mom was in a hurry while making the icing apparently and poured some red food coloring into the icing, instead of vanilla. ergo, we have pink icing on our red velvet cupcakes.



but, we just ate our dinner and the cupcakes were divine. honestly, the best ever.


so be jealous you were not at bethea dinner tonight. it was awesome.
mom, dad and i are headed to wynlakes to watch fireworks! more later...

-mo