Time of Refreshing

/ Jason Morris / Leave a comment

I spent part of the weekend at Methodist Theological Seminary in Delaware, OH for a preaching course.

Each day started with a time of spiritual transformation (basically a worship service…done in a very “high” church, traditional, liturgical method). Then, we would dismiss into our classrooms. We crammed a lot of “stuff” into a two-day gathering.

I am one that has great difficulty sitting for long periods of time. After 15-minutes of sitting, I’m ready to get up and run. Whenever we had a break, I would venture out into the “wilderness”. While the campus is pretty much “in town”, they are next to a golf course on one side and have some wooded area on the other. I walked along the creek and around the pond every chance that came.

It was in those moments where I would pray and find my spirit renewed and refreshed!

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“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19)

An Odd Mix

/ Jason Morris / Leave a comment

So, I have about 35 minutes to kill before I head into a class. As I drove into town, I passed by this rather hip looking coffee house called the Mean Bean. I decided to stop in, grab a cup of coffee, and do a little bit of work.

From the moment I walked in, I liked the place. It’s very trendy…has a nice urban feel.

And then I noticed the music selection…

The environment screams that this would be a place filled with indie rock snobs…or at the very least folk music loving hippies.

Instead, the barista is slinging out today’s hottest country hits. Not only is he playing these horrible songs that represent the absolute downfall of country & western music, he is passionately singing along.

I never expected to hear “What Hurts the Most” in one of the coolest looking coffee houses I’ve been to in a long time.

It reminds me that, while we can present any kind of outward image that we desire, the inner self will always be revealed.

Okay, while typing this, the barista changed cd’s and is now listening to Stevie Nicks. And I didn’t think it could get any worse…

Things I Don’t Understand

/ Jason Morris / Leave a comment

1. John Calipari’s salary at Kentucky. This guy isn’t bringing in a bunch of national championship rings. He recruits well, which is crucial in NCAA sports. But, does it justify the salary. I believe that our nation (and world) needs to get the salaries of our sports figures (coaches, athletes, owners, etc) under control. When athletes are among the highest paid individuals in society, I believe it indicates a problem.

2. Bonuses given to leaders of failing companies. I thought bonuses were supposed to be based on job performance. If one does a great job, they get “rewarded.” If one does a poor job, they do not get “rewarded.” As I look at the bonuses given to top executives in various fields, I wonder how any of this is justified. I feel that one and two are both related to over-consumption…and I could go on for hours about that.

3. People slamming wealthy Christians. I read a blog recently that posed the question, “How can there be wealthy Christians?” It’s really a pretty easy question to answer. Scripture is full of references about faithfulness…to those who have been faithful with a little, more will be given, etc. I think the more important question is “Why do we need wealthy Christians?” If we all took vows of poverty, how would we support the needs of our church, community, and world? And, let’s face it, even though many in the US would not consider me to be a wealthy Christian, in a worldview…I am a wealthy Christian. We need Christians at all socio-economic levels who demonstrate faithfulness.

4. That Adam guy on American Idol. He keeps getting the praises of the judges. He keeps receiving America’s vote. And, I just don’t get it. They keep saying that he’s “hip”, he’s “relevant”, he’s very “now.” All I can think of is that he should be fronting a reunion tour of Whitesnake or some other 80’s hair metal band. Yes, he hits high notes…but he’s kind of a one trick pony. Every song you know he’s going to start screaming like Mariah Carey. I’m so over it.

5. No quotes on my Peace Cereal box. It used to be that whenever I opened up a box of Raspberry Ginger Crisp that there would be a quote from some noteable world leader who worked for peace. It would be something that would start my morning off in the right direction. Now, the quotes are gone. The cereal is still my all-time favorite. But, I wonder why Peace Cereals decided to stop printing the quotes.

Peaceful Vacation

/ Jason Morris / Leave a comment

Our family is currently enjoying a relaxing week of vacation at Hilton Head Island. Emily, Sammie, and I hit the road early Saturday and took a nice an easy drive to Knoxville, TN. Along the way, we stopped for a picnic and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. Saturday evening, we stayed in a lovely hotel and enjoyed the indoor pool and a meal at everyone’s favorite…the Cracker Barrel. Sunday morning, we woke up, had breakfast at the hotel, and hit the road. We stopped for another picnic in North Carolina (around Asheville). We stopped again in Columbia, SC for some ice cream and then floored it the rest of the way to the condo.

Hilton Head has been absolutely wonderful. We have made daily trips to the beach (which is maybe two blocks from our condo) to play in the sand (Sammie put her fit in and said “I don’t want to go in the ocean anymore”). Emily and I have taken long walks each morning along the beach (it’s been nice being able to leave Sammie with my family so we can hit the beach alone. it’s almost like we’re one of those wealthy families who take their nannies on vacation!). Around 8am, we have spotted a good number of dolphins fairly close to the shoreline. And, when we arrived, my dad told me to look in the fridge. He said, “Since you always complain that I never have any thing you like in my fridge, I bought you something at the store!” A nice six-pack from a local microbrewery!

Last night, we walked down to a nice little seafood joint. We consumed mass quantities of fresh fish and bottom-feeders while sitting outside. And, to make the deal even sweeter, my sister picked up the tab!

Today, we went to a stable and Papaw Bob and Mamaw Jan purchased some pony rides for Sammie. The pony ride went around a small animal farm (llamas, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits, etc). Sammie was loving it! As she got more and more comfortable, she began to only hold onto the saddle with one hand! She was thrilled. After the pony ride, we went to a playground near a “harbor”. I walked around and admired the large yachts! After spending time on our friends boat this summer, I truly understand the desire to be “boat people.” It’s peaceful, relaxing, and fun! So, I have a couple of boats picked out down here!

Right now, everyone is napping. I went for a bike ride around the island. It was beautiful. I saw a few alligators in small ponds along the bike trail.

Overall, this has been a very relaxing and peaceful vacation. We have been blessed in being able to come to Hilton Head. We needed some time away. I have a tendency to get fairly apathetic about Muncie and need to get away from time to time. It brings about a certain type of refreshing and regeneration that gives me the drive and energy I need to keep on keepin’ on! In other words, time away from Muncie, the church, etc., makes me a better person!

So, I hope to continue enjoying some much needed rest and time away. My cell phone is off (I check my voicemail once a day). I’m not responding to e-mails (I check it, but I figure it all can wait). I’m taking some time here and there to work on my sermon for Sunday (I did a lot of work before we left so I could just do some minor studying and tweaking after everyone else goes to bed).

Right now, I plan to shut down the computer, pour a nice pint of my favorite beverage, and try to decide if I’m going to have cannoli, tiramisu, or German chocolate brownies for dessert!

Pictures will be coming soon!