ending

i am quite embarrassed that i have not posted in so long. in preparation for ending my freshman year, a lot had been going on and a lot of things have happened. however, that is no real excuse not to write.

i have been really working on getting ready for uganda. i leave in two weeks. in two short weeks i will half way across the world, teaching and preparing hearts for the coming of the King. i honestly forget sometimes that i am going. next sunday is our commissioning service at cornerstone. then that afternoon we have our last meeting before we leave. it's remarkable to me how the Lord takes a desire in your heart and makes it happen. He is so faithful! the Lord does give you the desires of your heart when you seek after him with your whole heart!

i am looking forward to sharing the good news with the people in uganda.we practiced the other day and i starting think, Lord, what if i cannot do this. but then Christ showed me a picture of him on his knees with the children, just as i will be, just telling them the story of his Father. and that is all i have to do. share the story and show the story through my life. i am so eager to be there.

i heard this song today and it touched my soul. i wanted to share.

When there's nothing to believe in, I be live in you
Forget the past and let my hand in yours be the proof
Though the strong could be my company, you're the one I choose
So remember, I believe in you

I know it feels like every eye is watching you
Waiting for you to fall, expecting you to lose
But I see victory, so all you have to do
Is remember, I believe in you

I believe, even when I see you crying
I believe, let me dream for you
When nothing comes from trying
Remember, I believe in you

There will come a day when love will lift you out of here
There will come a day when love will bring the truth
There will come a day when love will free you from your fear
And you'll remember, I believe in you

I believe, even when I see you crying
I believe, let me dream for you
When nothing comes from trying
Remember, I believe in you

well until tomorrow, God BLess

rainy day

it's finally spring here, which means tons of pollen and thankfully tons of sun. with the exception of today of course. woke up to one of those stay in bed days, but i had class at eight. so i trudged through the rain to class, enduring the cold wet hours to follow.
although it is raining, and it has been for the past two days, there is something so refreshing about it. for example, i was sitting in music appreciation class when mr. dickerson quoted dolly parton. random, i thought, however the words were quite meaningful. he said, " you can't have a rainbow unless you go through the rain." perfect, i thought. that is life right there. a great application to our lives. our lives have rain like today and rain like ivan, but in the end, God always provides a promise of a rainbow in the end.

the other day i was thinking about uganda and i was praying for my team. then it hit me how close i am to leaving. it's less than two months away. two months! i am so eager to be there, soaking up the joy and pouring out the love of Christ. and in my eagerness to be over there, i did some research on Swahili words that i may use in uganda. i learner my favorite one, thank you very much... asante sana. it flows so well and i know that i will use it a lot. i know i use it a lot already, asante sana.

enjoying the rain the lord gives, as the earth soaks up the rain, i am soaking up the joy of the Lord through his salvation. Asante sana Jesus.

radical

winter retreat 2009. radical.
the weekend proved to be as wonderful and moving as i had expected. i had the opportunity to be a lead worshiper with over 400 people who were honestly and humble seeking after the Lord. i heard the beautiful melodies being sung by precious children of the Lord and saw hearts break across faces in the crowd. i experienced radical change within my own heart. within my own soul the Lord worked and moved in a way i knew He would.

falling now has a new meaning. i am trusting that when i fall into the will and plan of the Lord, He will catch me. that seems so elementary, however when you are actually faced with the trust-fall, will you be ready? i thought i was, and turns out when i turned around to fall, He was there. then the Lord asked me to turn around and face Him. then he asked me to fall back. i know that God wants me to fall back and trust He will catch me, and i do. i truly got to the place that weekend with God that i knew i would fall back into whatever His will has for me. i just don't know what exactly that is.

now i am radically seeking after Him. because when i search for Him with my whole heart, He allows me to find Him.

what else is there going on? because it's been awhile...
uganda meeting went amazingly well. the Lord has brought a truly diverse and strangely connected group together. each has our own strengths and weaknesses brought to the table and we have all become very vulnerable to the Lord's will for us. our lives will never be the same after the trip and i can already see what the Lord is going to do. the precious lives that will be changed and the hearts that will be opened to the remarkable love of the Father. may His light shine.

standing

as i am preparing my heart and mind for winter retreat, there is this song that just keeps coming at me in all directions. i know that at some point during the weekend we will sing it in worship, but as i am going over the things the Lord wants to be said there, this song comes to mind over and over. almost as though it is a canvas for this weekend, a canvas for me to base all my dealings upon for winter retreat. it may not be for the whole group or even my family group, but maybe just my heart.

the song is Jesus Paid It All. there, in that title, is everything. Jesus Paid It All. and though there are several miraculous verses to this hymn, the one doing the brain popping is as follows:

and when, before the throne,
i stand in Him complete, Jesus died my soul to save,
my lips shall still repeat

now i just want to break down these words. when, not if but WHEN, i go before the throne of the one Living and True God, i will stand in Him complete. because of Jesus i will be able to stand with Him in the presence of the Living and True God. i have this in me, by accepting Jesus as my savior, i have the power to stand with Him. but not as a sinful human, who should be despised, but whole. without blemish or mark....complete. and then the kicker...the reason Jesus died. my soul. that's right my soul....morgan bethea's soul. my soul, which is tainted and gross. but God loves my soul and seeks after it passionately.oh every time it gets me.

and when each person sings that song...it is for their soul.

to be completely honest, my heart starts beating super fast when i start talking about it. our salvation is defined there in those words. Jesus died for our souls...and makes us complete. and note that it does not say "i stand with my stuff and my awards and my car and my friends in Him". it says i STAND WITH HIM. that's all.

truly, that is my cry to the Lord tonight. i want to stand with Him...alone.

ticking clocks

it has been a while since the last time i posted. no particular reason other than the fact that i have been forgetful. this new year has been full of new things, which in turn brings new activities and less time.

time is an interesting thing. time is what we live our lives by. how much time is left, what time we are leaving, what time we will be home, how much time it is going to take... see? we are so fixed on this time schedule we forget the one who holds time in His hands. there are many things in our lives that we want to "get finished" with quickly, so that we can move on to other more "interesting things". for instance when we start junior high, we are already preparing our minds for high school and then getting out of high school and then college, grad school and then we want to get through our jobs so we can retire. before we know it, we have wished away the time we have and we loose some of the wonder time brings.

time does a lot of things. it heals, it brings acceptance and forgiveness. time is sacred right? however many times i get so caught up on my time. what do i want to do with my time and my life. and then i am reminded there is this perfect creator of time, to whom time does not even apply, who knows what to do with time, if i hand it over. we put timers on things, "if this doesn't happen by this time than i am not doing..yada yada..".... sound familiar? of course it does. our lives are so fixed, and we need to become fluid to God's time.

we all say be flexible... but that is SO wrong. be fluid: like water. water is able to do whatever you want it to. it can fit into any container you put it in and can go anyway you want to direct it. we must be like water, in God's hands. going where ever, when ever, how ever He wants: with out question.

so i pray today that we all put away our clocks and rely on the Spirit to lead and guide our actions according to the Lord's perfect and timeless will.

the ransomed heart

just got this devotion called the ransomed heart. i read the first one tonight and it was beautiful. it talked about our lives being a story. and they truly are.

these were my thoughts..

our lives are our story to God. and what we do in that story, how we live our lives and what we do for Him in His name, is how we glorify Him. our story is our worship, because, after all, worship is our response to God, for who He is and what He has done for us. so when we say that we are not good at telling stories, we lie, because WE are a story. we are the actors in this story that God, in His perfect will, has placed and written for us. really, how cool is that?

so cool.

reunion

it is amazing how a group of friends, no matter how long they have been apart, can come together again and go right back to where they left off. tonight was remarkable and memorable for sure. our laughter filled the rooms and vacant corners of my house and reminded me of the love and joy that comes with friendship. i believe that the Lord gives us fellowship and friendship in order to further reveal himself to us. what a blessing friendship is and what a gift from Him.

as Christmas comes closer everyday, i am reminded of a simple thing: giving. today while at the store with emily, i found myself almost jumping around looking for the things to get my dad and brother. but why? is it the gifts, or the things? no, it is the fact that giving reminded me of what Jesus did. so much giving in the life of Christ, so much selflessness. God gave us Christ, Christ gave us life, eternal life, and they gave us the Holy Spirit, who counsels us and bestows wisdom upon us. the Christmas time is not only a celebration of His birth, but of His whole entire life on earth; from the birth to the resurrection. He is the gift that keeps on giving.

so remember the blessings and the gifts he gave and gives us. not only material things, but eternal things.


oh come and see this child; called the son of God! come and see him; share his love.