I love Saturdays because I get to read and today was pretty cool because I had a revelation from a small line I read in a book on my Kindle. It was talking about a vitamin called B2+ found in a certain type of food and if it was good for you or not and it had a side remark about what a true Vitamin is; it must be something that is essential to a healthy life. I don’t know why that short statement struck me but it did. I thought about my walk with God and what would I consider “vitamins” in my relationship with Jesus and what are things that are not essential? I also considered all the “things” I have in life, such as regular TV programs DVR’d and ready to watch, a passion for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team, a love for technology (including my iPhone and Apple products), etc. You know…just stuff. I really want the coming fast that I will be starting with my church tomorrow for 21 days to be a time of evaluating what things in my life are “vitamins”, things that are OK for me but not essential, and things that are not good for me and are just time wasters. I truly believe that we need to be mindful of what we physically put in our bodies that are essential for life but also the things that consume our lives and if they have a “vitamin” quality to them or if they are just things that need to be discarded for the good of the whole emotionally and/or physically. I can say that fasting is one of my LEAST favorite disciplines as a Christian but know that it is something that needs to happen in my life and really in the life of every believer. I believe it is a time of evaluating the “vitamins” (or lack of) in your life and if you are as healthy as you think you are. I want to challenge you to really spend time in 2011 taking deliberate pauses to evaluate your life and see just how healthy or unhealthy you really are. To me, regular evaluation of your life is a “vitamin” in itself and critically essential for living the life that you will be proud of this year.
What I learned from my Free Ski Lesson
I had a great day skiing at Copper Mountain yesterday and thought I would write a little blog about what I learned from a free ski lesson I got from a guy I met on the hill.
I would classify myself as a great non-mogul skier. I am not afraid to go down anything but it just may take me a little longer than some. I can ski anything very well as long as it doesn’t include trees or those little white devils known as moguls. I was trying to ski a Black Diamond at Copper (actually, I was more “surviving the run” and not really skiing it) when I came up behind a guy and struck up a conversation about how great the day was the condition of the snow. He noticed I was doing my “survival routine” and asked if I wanted any pointers.
Lesson number one learned: I had the option to be prideful and tell him “no, I’ve got this” when I knew in my mind and the obvious show of my lack of mogul skiing, that I needed all the pointers I could get. I said, “definitely” and he proceeded to help me for about four hours teaching me some of the fundamentals about skiing bumps as well as jump turning and skiing in the trees. Pride is THE #1 obstacle to growth in life. When we think we have it all figured out or don’t want to admit to being insufficient in something, no matter what it is, we have just put a limit on our learning and stunted our growth in life.
The second thing I learned from my ski lesson was that I could hear the instructions being told but if I didn’t apply what was being said to my actions it was pretty much useless information. The same is true with a follower of Christ and the Bible. I can read the Bible, see and even believe what it says but if I don’t apply what it is telling me I am never going to get “better” with my walk with God. Always remember that our walk with God is organic and is either growing or dying. That is an important element of life that we sometimes forget and really is the foundation of a mediocre walk with God. The third thing I learned was that the more comfortable I got with how I was skiing the more adventurous I was willing to be. The same is true with knowing and following Christ. I have heard people say that they think a life following Christ sounds like a bunch of boring rules. Skiing a groomed run and skiing moguls have some “rules” you need to follow but once you learn them the sky is the limit! When I read in the Bible about what the boundaries are for my life and live by those rules set out for me, my relationship with Jesus takes on a whole new level and I can enjoy listening to God and doing what he says. I feel even after a one day lesson that I want to go back up to the hill to practice what I learned so I can get even better and enjoy myself even more on the hill and skiing even more terrain. A life with Christ can be the same thing. A hunger to know God even more so I can go out in the “terrain” of the world and “tear it up” for Christ!
I know my meeting Howard was not a coincidence and I have a new ski buddy and a foundation to hopefully lead him to Christ someday which is super cool and as an added bonus, I feel more confident than ever about my skiing ability and can enjoy my days off when I hit the slopes which is a great feeling as well!
Last Nepal Post! Time to come home
Well, we have had a great time in Nepal and its time to come home! We went around town for a final day of personal shopping finding shoes for the kids for school and buying one more game that is a large board that is played like pool but with small plastic disks. I really feel a connection with the kids here now more than ever. I definitely believe more than ever that us being here consistently will help with making a connection with the kids. We were able to pray over them and then all the guys gave me a big group hug which was awesome. Yolanda tried to hug the girls but they are so painfully shy that only a few wanted to hug her. It feels so good to know that you are making a difference in the lives of children on the other side of the world. I am already exicted to come back in May!! Denver, we will see you in about 31 hours 🙂
Nepal Update – Day 4
Well, we are almost done with our trip and it feels like we have been here about 1 day (Yolanda said she feels like its been a month :). Today we went to the Botanical Garden for a picnic with the kids about five miles out of town and it was beautiful. We were surprised at how lush and green the forest area was in comparison to the city. We also experienced the “price gouging” of foreigners with the fee to get into the park. For the kids and managers it was 10 rupies and for Yolanda and I it was 100 rupies (this is still like $1.40 but still way more expensive) It was another wonderful time hang out with the kids, playing games with them and just loving on them. We then had a great dinner of chicken curry, rice and lentils for dinner with fruit cocktail for dessert.
I have found since being here that its not necessarily what we DO with the kids as much as BEING with them. Its a lot like our relationship with God. We often get caught up in doings things for God instead of just desiring to spend time with him. When I first came to Kathmandu I didn’t really know the kids and just thought they wanted me to DO things for them. As I spend more time with them, I can see that the things I do for them are ancillary to just being here with them. When we really get to know God we learn that all He wants from us is our time and the rest will be an overflow of that time spent with Him. God wants us to live our lives for him not out of duty or a sense of “have to” but because of the progressive and organic nature of a life surrendered to him and ready to do things based on love.
Today, take a few minutes and just spend time with God. Listen, maybe write down some things God shares or just sit and be silent. It will make all the difference in your relationship with Him. Have a great day and tomorrow will be the final update from Nepal!
Nepal update Day 3
Today was another great day with the kids. Its like I can’t spend enough time with them! Today we went to a field of cows, goats, lots of dirt and hardly any grass which to these kids is a palatial plot of land to play soccer and other field games. I tried to play goalie but was not good at all. My team lost and I owed the winning team 5 bottles of coke which to these kids was like winning the World Cup itself! The more time I spend with them the more comfortable I can sense they are with me. Mina, the little girl I just adore here, held my hand all the way back from playing games. She was repeating everything I said and was laughing and talking with me which was much different than last time. When she smiles my heart just melts. All of them are really good kids and I can see future potential in each one of them. Emmanuel and Hannah, the orphanage managers, do such a great job with them and we can see greatness in their lives.
I was thinking about the greatness that God sees in us if we would give him control of our lives and let him adopt us into his family. When we commit our lives to Jesus we make changes in our lives and choose to live with him and have him take care of us. As we walked back from the field where we were playing games the level of despair and the condition of the city is so apparent and just breaks my heart. I think of each one of our kids and the life they would be leading if they were not in the orphanage. Then I consider the ways my life would be different if I was not under Gods covering and care. Just another reminder here in Kathmandu of what God means to me and what the orphanage and care we can give these kids means to them. God has been so good to the children’s home and we know that the greatest days are yet to come!! See you tomorrow with another Nepal update! Have a great day
Nepal Update day 2
Our second full day in Nepal was all about spending the money we brought on games and food supplies for the picnic we are doing tomorrow. We were so blessed to have people give us supplies as well as money before we left to be able to buy some things for the kids. They are so rough on everything! We bought them a soccer ball in February when we were here and it had all of the leather disks off of it! This is why we are always open to people donating things including money so we can help improve their level of daily living. With them being out of school right now they don’t have bikes or a city park to go play in. They have to stay inside the compound pretty much everyday which can get monotonous.
Also, we apparently had 2 earthquakes last night while we were asleep! Yolanda and I slept right through them but our waiter this am said he felt them last night. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing that we didn’t feel them. 🙂
So for today, I wanted to share something I read in my devotional when we first got here and I have been thinking about it ever since. The city just finished a Hindu holy week and I was listening to our orphanage manager tell us about how confusing it is to be Hindu and the rules that are a part of that religion. Then I read in my Watchman Nee book an interesting concept; God gave man the law in the Bible as an order to live by, but did it with the full knowledge that we would break it! If the law was able to be kept in our own power (or now days, that we would be able to follow Christ if we could just “do the right things”) then we wouldn’t need Christ. This just blew my mind! My success as a Christian doesn’t come from just doing the things that make me a Christian. It comes from me totally surrendering my life to Christ and asking Him what to do next. It is simple from the standpoint of surrender to God but difficult in calming my mind to think like Christ and have my actions be an overflow or reflection of the change that has happened in my heart. So today, think of what motivates your actions? I want Christ to be the light in my life and for my life to be the mirror that reflects his love and power to lost, dark and hurt world. See you tomorrow!!
Monday in Nepal
Its so great to be back in Nepal to see our kids at the orphanage. It was a total of 23 hours of just flight time and 2 days total of travel with layovers but worth every moment to see the kids. We had 18 kids when we were here in February and the orphanage took in 3 more kids since then so they now have a total of 21. Its interesting that the things with the greatest impact for me when I come here is the little things. Like seeing the kids faces when we brought in a few footballs, popcorn, 3 movies and vitamins. In America we would have been like “woopdie doo” but those kids were so excited and I thought about how grateful I am for all the things I have back home. I was thinking in the back of my mind how it was inconvenient to not have a computer at the hotel where we are but I am typing this blog on my Blackberry from work and if I got bored with this phone I have my iphone I could use as well. I also called my sister and my parents yesterday over the internet on my blackberry for free. I guess I don’t have it so bad after all. I mentioned on my facebook about a girl from America who was complaining about everything at lunch yesterday and I wanted to walk over and tell her that she was embarassing herself, first of all, and then invite her to the orphanage to see just how good she really had it. The pace of life for me is the greatest deterrence to keeping a healthy perspective about the way I am blessed. Yolanda and I have planned trips back here at least once a year for the foreseeable future and have also had some people say they want to come with us when we come in May of 2011. So, for today, take a step back from whatever you are doing to appreciate the little things in life and don’t let your desire for convenience get in the way of your understanding of gratefulness.
Going Through Pain is not enough to bring Glory to God
I have had two people I know who were followers of Christ in the past few weeks go home to heaven. I was considering their lives and the immense testimonies they each were to the people around them in the face of imminent death. I was thinking about how everyone, at some point in their life, will go through pain. It really isn’t a question of “if” as much as it is a question of “when” because we live in a world where things don’t seem fair at times. When I went through my eye challenges a couple of years ago I thought that because I went through the “pains of life” that I brought glory to God just for going through them but I don’t think that is true now that I look back. I can remember sitting at home when I was out of work and instead of asking God for strength and to use my situation for HIS good I was wondering what it would be like to go blind and considering all the life adjustments I was going to have to make. (I would actually take showers with my eyes closed to see if I could function without being able to see. That’s how far I had come from faith in God taking care of me. Not good) I had a perfect opportunity to give God glory and instead I complained about the condition of my flesh.
Think about it; if everyone goes through hard times and you are just another person who made it through, how is that a reflection of God’s glory in your life? Maybe you just got lucky and barely survived like everyone else. The only thing that would set you apart is that your attitude lined up with God’s word and example of focusing on His greatness and not your life’s goofiness. There were definitely times where I was giving the example of a selfish person who was only thinking of myself and how the pain I was dealing with was affecting me and not thinking of my wife, my parents, my sister and the other people around me who love me and didn’t want to see me sick.
Appreciating pain leads to being thankful for pain. In other words; if I can appreciate, or value, what God is allowing to happen to me I may not be pleased about it but I can learn to be thankful for it. The degree that I appreciate pain is the degree that God can use pain for my good and not for destruction. The key comes from developing that trust relationship with God so that when pain comes I don’t see it as punishment but an opportunity to let Him shine through me and through the circumstances of life. Pain in life where we don’t see the healing we are expecting are perfect situations for people to watch our lives and see how we deal with pain and be encouraged by it.
So here is the reason for the blog post today: if you are going through pain now in life congratulations! You have the perfect opportunity to give God glory that you could never give him if everything was going well. If you are not going through something in life right now, you have the chance to develop your relationship and trust in Christ to a point that when your day of testing comes you will have a chance to lead others to Christ by a Godly attitude in middle of your storm. This stuff is never easy, but that’s why, as a man of God, I want to learn how to deal with pain so that even in the bad times I can give God glory in my life.
The Day Brian Morris Grew Up
I was wrestling all day whether or not I should write this blog but I feel like it could encourage someone else in their journey with God so I decided it was necessary.
It was my birthday this past Monday and I was blessed to receive money that I was steadily spending in my mind as the checks came in. I have a craigslist app on my phone that was telling me about all the iPads that were for sale. I started getting a picture and idea of how much I wanted to spend on it. I deposited a couple of checks that I had received but had one come in on Friday and wanted everything to be deposited so I could get my money out as soon as possible which was keeping with normal immature Brian fashion. Yolanda was going to make a deposit for me on Saturday so I could have the check processed right away. I called her Saturday and asked if she had made the deposit but she said she hadn’t. I snapped at her and told her I was unhappy about the fact that she didn’t make the deposit. I stayed kind of upset because Brian needed his iPad in a hurry because it was his post-birthday week and he had cash to spend!!
Last night and today God was speaking to me and I was not in the mood to listen. I was thinking about a need the Orphanage in Nepal had of a solar panel that helps give power to the house they are in when the rolling blackouts happen every single day in Kathmandu. They sometimes have twenty two hours with no electricity which stuck in my head when I was there. When we visited in February I thought it would be so awesome if I could afford to pay for that item, but as always humanly happens, when I got home and back in the “race of life” I had forgot about the need. So fast forward to this weekend. I REALLY felt God pulling on my heart to give my birthday money to the orphans and buy this solar panel. I did what any good Christian would do; I questioned whether it was God and tried to make “deals” with Him. I was like, “let me just get my ipad and give the rest to the orphans.” As I tried to do the deal, I felt an even greater pit in my stomach to give away my money. Immature Brian needed to fill a techno need that only an Apple iPad would fill. The funny thing is that I was not trying to sell anything or try and talk Yolanda into giving me money to get something that was beyond our budget. I had the money. I had the resources to get what I wanted, but I didn’t have a peace in my heart and mind. So tomorrow, I am going to have Yolanda write the check from my birthday money for the solar panel. I stepped back and thought, “I want another gadget to add to my current collection when there are orphans on the other side of the world who don’t even have the ability to turn on a light switch to light a room when the town is having blackouts.”
I am not telling you this to feel sorry for me or for you to think I am bragging about what I’m doing. I just wanted people who know me to know that I feel like today I grew up and made a difficult, adult and obedient decision that will be a blessing to someone else.
It’s funny, but I really feel like my decision started being about money but it really ended up being about obedience and that God set me up to see if I would do what He wanted and give me enough money to bless the orphans in a way I would normally not be able to.
My word to you is that if you have an opportunity to bless someone else and you call Jesus the Lord of your life, then please ask the question whether or not you need to do something. Before today, I could say these things as a pastor telling others what to do, but now I can say these things as a man of God who had to ask that question and actually act on it. 🙂 I am not saying that I have arrived as the man God wants me to be, but I sure feel like today I am a little bit closer to who God needs me to be to touch a hurt and dying world around me.
Free will versus The Devil Made Me Do It
I was thinking and meditating today on what causes people to make bad decisions in life so I thought I would share some of my thoughts. In the church, we often say that “satan stole” a persons vision, direction, ministry, etc. but I don’t really believe that satan steals as much as we give. It’s funny how much we see the power of free will until we mess up and say “the devil MADE me do it.” We have choices throughout life. Opportunities to make good decisions or make bad ones and if you think about it, if you made a string of good decisions today they don’t automatically translate into good decisions tomorrow. Since im a pastor i know i must be especially mindful of my actions good or bad and the desire for the devil to trip me up personally and professionally. I was talking with our Senior Pastor and we are both in agreement that there are really only four things that cause someone to get tripped up in ministry: the Gold, the Glory, the Girls or the Guys. I am not above any of the Indiscretions that men and women of God sometimes get caught in and I have an accountability group around me to help keep me honest and focused in life. I think it’s sad how many times communities as well as the entire world has watched while pastors and evangelists have made extemely poor decisons based on their desire for money, fame or an illicit relationship not considering the consequences of those actions.
The Bible says it all in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
8 Be self- controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Notice that it starts with “Be self-controlled and alert” so it starts with
preparing your mind and heart each day for the attacks of the enemy. The verses end with the fact that there are people everywhere dealing with the same temptations which says to me it’s important for men and women to have accountability in there lives because we all deal with the temptation to do wrong. If it was just the power of the devil to devour it may say something like… “be alert! The devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
One last thought for today; there is one word in those scriptures that I find awesome and it’s the word “like” when it reffers to the devil and being “like” a lion. There is only one Lion of Judah and that’s Jesus and His power is in operation in you if you have a relationship with him. Don’t let the king of fakers, the devil, fool you into giving away something that your free will has the power of keeping with the help of God. And pastors, none of us are above falling and making mistakes so we need to stay humble, alert and not judge when we see other ministers fall and make poor decisions. Let’s all ask God to have our free will line up with His will and stay alert for the days ahead.
Holy Crap 