Treasure

Solomon sought meaning for his life; he wanted to believe that his life would be more valuable than its mere length. Perhaps he measured himself by his father’s accomplishments – driven to achieve. But Solomon approaches meaning from a broad perspective, in some ways like Victor Frankle’s work, Man’s Search for Meaning. In Ecclesiastes 2 he briefly mentions his search for meaning through pleasure, only to turn abruptly, “Laughter is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?” So he searched in other ways:

I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man.
I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.

But in the end he says, “…when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:3-11).

Verse 8 reveals a lot about humankind, Solomon drew to himself all the delights of the heart. Interestingly, this is the only verse in the Bible where “treasure” and “heart” both appear, other than when Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Solomon’s search for meaning is really a search for what to worship.

Where do we search for meaning in our lives? That is where we keep our treasure, and that is our god. Remember…We follow Him!

Don Morrison

Help Me Out!

makegodsmile gave a great suggestion that we can start right here. Whether for good or for bad, please fill in the dots on this statement: "My experiences with my Mom/Dad have left me..."

Don Morrison

Father's Day

The following stories were submitted by readers to the Houston Chronicle. (edited for length).

"Daddy saved me!"

A few years ago, my 3-year old daughter taught me how easily I could lose the precious title of father. Vacationing in northern Michigan, Casey and I headed to the boathouse with supplies for a picnic. As I entered the boathouse, right behind my daughter, I saw her fall into the dark water between the boat and the dock. Immediately I dropped the supplies and fell to the dock, reaching into the murk to pull her out. To my horror, she was not there. I rolled into the water, pushing the boat away as I fell. I searched the green water for Casey for what seemed minutes until I finally spotted her under the hull, suspended motionless in the water like a large doll, her eyes staring widely at me.

Grabbing her, I pushed her to the surface, when, to my relief, she let loose a scream of fear and anger. Gently, I then lifted her onto the dock. Unfortunately, the weight of my wet clothes prevented me from climbing onto the dock myself. I instructed my still-crying child to go get Mommy. She took off for the house crying but repeatedly yelling almost triumphantly, "Daddy saved me!"

My deep appreciation for the privilege of being a father was set in place for the rest of my life.
- Dr. Ken Grier, Spring, Texas


My Hero

From taking the training wheels off my bike, to letting me off punishment a couple days early, to putting me through college, my Dad is truly a hero.

He has never once "not had time" for my brother and I. For 21 years he has made sure we were provided for, and not just financially. He insisted that my brother and I attend college, only it was never a fight because all through our lives he has shown us what it takes to succeed so my brother and I always knew that we'd go to college.

I catch myself thinking sometimes that his friends must think my Dad is pretty great to be putting both his kids through college and then I think, many parents never get the chance. My dad has always said that he wants my brother and me to succeed even more than he did. For 21 years he has not once let my brother or I down, so we won't let him down either. Our father is truly a hero.
- Carrie and Richie Vincent


I received a phone call the other day from a wonderful person who reminded me that not everyone has memories of wonderful fathers. My friend had a good point, that on occassions such as Mother's Day and Father's Day, those who lived with ungodly/abusive/negligent/absent parents may relive their pain all over again, especially when at their place of refuge, their church family, they are inundated with words and symbols of fathers and mothers and seemingly everyone around had only good to say.

What do you think...How should we help those who hurt on Father's/Mother's Day?


Don Morrison

more stories can be found at this link http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/special/holidays/97/dad/stories/

Humble Yourself

I read a prayer called the "Litany of Humility," written by Merry Cardinal del Val (1865-1930) and I would like to share it here:

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being loved
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being extolled
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being honored,
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being praised
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being preferred to others
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being consulted
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the desire of being approved
Deliver me, O Jesus.

From the fear of being humiliated
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being despised
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of suffering rebukes
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being calumniated*
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being forgotten
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being ridiculed
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being wronged
Deliver me, O Jesus.
From the fear of being suspected
Deliver me, O Jesus.

That others may be loved more than I
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be chosen and I set aside
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be praised and I go unnoticed
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be preferred to me in everything
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

What do you think of this idea of humility? Is this a prayer we can or should pray?

I have not achieved humility, so I speak as an outsider, but I think that perhaps humility has less to do with me and more to do with the will of God being accomplished. If pride is the contrast to humility and if pride means to think highly of oneself, then does humility mean to think lowly of oneself, or, instead, to not think highly of oneself?

We can start by considering God’s will above our own. That sort of humility will surely teach us a lot about finding our proper place.

Don Morrison

*falsely accused

(The full version of the Litany of Humility can be found here along with some interesting comments and links.)

Candy Coated

I don’t know if you are old enough to remember what life was like before Skittles, but I am. I also remember before they removed the red M&Ms because of fears about a certain red food coloring. Anyway, I am not a fan of Skittles; they are okay and my family loves them, but I am more of a chocolate man. I remember the first time I ate a Skittle, when they first came on the market – it wasn’t at all what I expected; actually, it kind of weirded me out. I expected candy covered chocolate that would melt in my mouth, not my hand, instead I got this sugary sweet and sour fruit burst.

I have been thinking about hypocrisy: What does a hypocrite look like? How can I know when I am being hypocritical? The word, hypocrite comes from the greek word for actor, but we would not call actors hypocrites just because of their occupation. I suppose we could think of a hypocrite as superficial, putting up a front that doesn’t really reflect what is deep inside.

Why would someone want to act like a disciple of God superficially, and withhold what is deep within from him? Does that make sense to you? It seems to me that there is very little benefit to looking like a Christian when you are not really (unless you are running for office.) I have noticed that the idea of hypocrisy in the New Testament is almost exclusively aimed at Jews. Now, I don’t believe that Jesus was picking on them in particular – he did spend most of his time with them – but they had the greatest incentive to be hypocrites about their true devotion to God. The other cultures that are represented in the Acts and the epistles were not saturated with believers so that there could be any benefit in acting like a follower. Instead the opposite is true, the believers had every worldly incentive to hide their faith and act like the world around them.

So hypocrisy might be something like a candy shell that covers the inconsistencies on the inside.

But in our culture, we have become so accustomed to corruption, immorality, self-promotion – there hardly seems to be any purpose for hiding it anymore. Why would someone go to the additional trouble to trying to look like a Christian when the inside simply is not devoted to that faith and lifestyle?

I wonder if you have any ideas about hypocrisy that can help us to be aware of its allure.

Jesus' Example of Suffering

The question of human suffering will always provide ammunition for unbelievers and questions for the faithful. In the movie, Shadowlands, and in his book, A Greif Observed, C. S. Lewis comes to deal firsthand with suffering after having lectured about it rather objectively for years. He had fallen in love with and married Joy Gresham only to lose her to cancer. Watching her courageously endure an agonizing death did not detract from his understanding of pain and suffering, but his objective knowledge had not fully prepared him for the intense feelings, questions, doubts, and fears that came upon him in his own personal suffering.

1 Peter 4 says that the result of suffering is that we do not live the rest of our earthly lives for human desires, but rather for the will of God. Now, I have suffered very little in this life, so I cannot pretend to fully understand this passage. Most of us have grown up privileged in that we have found access to everything we have needed almost every moment of our lives. For the most part we have also received more material blessings than we have been able to keep track of. Additionally, we have rarely, if ever, lived with fear for our own safety or our family’s. Our jobs have some security. Our economy is stable. Our place in this world has been an advantage for more than half a century. I can hardly understand the turmoil of those in Myanmar or Sichuan, China.

Even though I have suffered little, I can see the result of sin in my life and in our culture. Peter seems to indicate that is at least part of the suffering that leads us to turn toward God and away from the flesh. Perhaps we should make the time to reflect on the results of our pursuit of privilege and comfort – certainly Jesus did not follow that path: 1 Peter 4 starts by exhorting us to prepare ourselves to follow Jesus’ example of suffering so that we might be finished with sin. That is not often the way I have fought temptation when left to my own strategies.

The Humble Path

He was one of us
A man of the people
He surrounded himself with us all
Common folk
They listened; they received

He was not like us
A spiritual man
He retreated to the mountainside
Holy Father
He listened; he received

He was a part of us
A man of flesh
He walked a dirt trail
Simple man
Using the common; making the sacred

He was taken from us
A submissive man
He walked a lonely path
Silent lamb
Killing the sacred; making him common

He is the new us
A creating man
He opened a new door
Humble servant
Seeing the common, perceiving the sacred

Don Morrison
2008-05-20

Humility Or Humiliation

How can such similar thoughts be so very different? Both have to do with appearing “less than.” But the differences are many:

Humility is when someone is asked to take a back seat, and the person realizes that is not a reflection of his/her true value. It is the belief that by taking a lesser role and serving the roles of others we are imitating the character of God and advancing His kingdom by faith. Humiliation is the feeling a person may have when they are asked to take the back seat.

Humility is a decision; the ability to set aside feelings and think less of oneself than of others; to be aware of their needs and attentive to them instead of merely thinking of one’s own desires or needs. Humiliation is a mixture of feelings that can produce a variety of behaviors: anger may lead to retaliation, shame may lead to isolation, embarrassment may produce retaliation, defensiveness that stems from pride, or even humility that reflects a greater concern for others who are involved.

Humility costs in advance: it must be exercised daily for it to gain any strength in one’s life. It pays in arrears: one reason we use it so little is because the benefits are not always clear and they almost always go unnoticed by others. Humility is closely related to meekness and so is often seen by others as weakness. Humiliation costs in the moment and later, but our reaction to our humiliation can make a difference to the cost – self-control and graciousness toward others (both of which are produced by humility) can actually pay more than the cost.

Jesus chose to exercise humility long before his public humiliation. (cf. Philippians 2:1-11, John 5:31-47) It was his mastery of humility that allowed him to humbly say, “Father forgive them.”

Moms Can Do That

Of course she gave me life, yet it is difficult to imagine my mother carrying me. King David imagined himself being knit together in his mother’s womb by the wonder of God’s creative power. My mother had just turned twenty-three a month before giving birth to yours truly, having already given birth to my older brother . When I turned 23, I was looking forward to graduation and marrying Donna – I had not yet found my first ministry. I was only beginning to learn about life and responsibility at the age when mom was already raising 2 children. But it’s not how young she was that makes her special to me, it’s how she loved me and cared for me – and still does.

Mom’s get away with things most of us would never allow anyone else to think about. Mom would take a tissue out of her purse and wet it to wipe some smudge from my childish face. Not many people could do that, but mom could. She could tell her friends some embarrassing story on me while sitting around the kitchen table. Of course I would be self-conscious, but who can stop a mother from telling stories on her children? Mom’s can make you hug them when you’re in front of your teenage friends – and while they have their arms around you, they’ll place a wet kiss on your cheek and give you all sorts of motherly instructions (for which your teenaged friends are certainly grateful) like, don’t drive too fast, or stay out too late, or go to some place not pre-approved by mom.

I truly felt ashamed of those expressions of love. They seemed so juvenile, when I felt so grown-up. But now, when I see some young mother tenderly loving her unhappy and unappreciative child, I often think of how my own mother cherished me when I was the squirming, complaining, unhappy one. I knew I was loved, but I didn’t see it up close in those moments.

Maybe that’s a little like Peter saying to Jesus, You’re not going to wash my feet! To which Jesus replied, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” Mom would have said, “Get over here; I’m your mother.”

Thank you, Mom. And thank you, God, for moms.

(I realize that not everyone has a mom worthy of honor, but I must honor my own.)

I recently wrote my final assignment for a class I have been taking, Christian Spiritual Formation, taught by Dr. David Wray. It has been a wonderful and challenging experience to learn about a variety of spiritual traditions and perspectives. This final paper, which I have included below is a statement of principles for me to measure my life by. I expect that it will change over time, but it will help me at the present time.


Don Morrison’s Rule of Life

Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33, NIV) That is the essence of my rule for life. I do not anticipate perfection; I simply want to measure my thoughts and actions by the direction I have chosen. I have found that this simple rule sustains me when I am confused by life, when I have failed to be righteous, when I doubt God or his motives, even when I feel defeated. This straight-edge gives me direction when I am lost. It is a grace from God to straighten my bent. It is comfort, since Jesus is not speaking to those who have found the kingdom already, but to those who, like me, may experience moments under the reign of God, yet often find ourselves submitting to the world and its values. This rule is for broken seekers who are still worried about this life, but who want to trust in the promise that God will give to us what we need.

I will seek God through worship. While there are deeply personal elements of worship, I find they are often intertwined with those parts of worship that are communal as well. So as I seek God through worship, I will do so as an individual who is not alone or disconnected from the body and as a member of the body of Christ who is to some extent self-responsible.

Purity of life is my worship to God. I give my body as a living sacrifice to God as a spiritual act of worship. It is a grace from God to discipline what goes into my body and what comes out of it. May my speech reflect his purity. May my hands reflect his care. May my feet reflect his perfect ways. Keep me from unrighteousness and fill me with your Spirit so that I may seek purity.

Taking the spiritual nourishment of the body and blood of Jesus is my worship to God. When I think that the things of this world can offer me fulfillment, I need the Supper. I eat the bread with God’s family to remind me where my righteousness comes from and how much it costs and to proclaim this to the world. I drink the cup and its sweetly, tangy flavor traces over my tongue and down my throat, into my stomach where is becomes a part of me. So different from who I am, yet absorbed into my being, like the righteousness of Christ which becomes mine. I need the Supper to remind me that I live because he sustains me.

Prayer is my worship to God. I will seek intimacy with God in confessing my life to him and pouring my needs and my heart’s desires before him in spontaneous encounters and in scheduled times of prayer.

Reading from the Holy Scripture is my worship to God. I will find new expressions of the Father by daily receiving his word into my spirit.

Yielding to the work and guidance of the Holy Spirit is my worship to God. I will listen quietly for his wisdom in the words of scripture, his created children, and the world around me. I will exercise my yielding in the most obvious guidance so that I can hear him better when he speaks quietly, subtly.

Fellowshipping with other seekers is my worship to God. It is good to be with those who love the Lord, but it is not always easy, since we are made of human flesh. We can make each other comfortable and we can challenge one another’s comfort. We need a full diversity of fellowship to balance our egos. We need a full diversity of fellowship to make up for our own weaknesses.

Exploring new ways of engaging my spirit with his is my worship to God. Practicing a variety of spiritual disciplines: finding those I am most comfortable with and stretching with those I find challenging will teach me new facets of God’s divine being. Asking questions about my beliefs or about doctrines can free me for fresh answers from God.

Caring for my very self is my worship to God. My ability to seek God is a gift from God that I should cherish and nurture. My ability to seek God feeds my ability to minister in his kingdom so it is worthy of special care. Caring for self does not place self at the center of life, rather it stewards the body and spirit God has given me for his purposes.

I will seek God through Ministry. I will find ways to participate in God’s mission on behalf of humankind, that he is reconciling all things to himself. I will open my heart to compassion for the world, one or two at a time, as God enables me. I will live in such a way as to validate the message of God’s renewing work.

I will seek God through imitation of his holy character. I will humble myself before God and people to serve where I can. I will share my life with others in such a way as to draw us into shared paths so that we can seek God together. I will be a peace-maker to help reconcile people with people and with God: bringing diversity into unity; brokenness into wholeness.

I will honor righteousness, faithfulness, justice as I learn to love what God loves. I will protect the weak from the oppressor and the destroyer as I learn to hate what God hates. I will place first things first as I learn to be ambivalent about those things God is unconcerned with.

What is Real

Sabbath helps us sort things through. That is to say a period of rest gives us time and opportunity to contemplate our life and actions. When we take time off from everything we can talk and remember together. Time off puts work and productivity into perspective, especially when we are compelled by someone else to rest when we would rather be doing something. God gave Israel two explicit reasons for observing the Sabbath – Creation and Recreation.

“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he abstained from work and rested.” (Exodus 31:17) One might think that God didn’t really need to rest; that he was finished with all his work anyway; that his fence wasn’t broken; or whatever one wants to think about why God’s rest is different from the rest he commanded his people to take, but the point is still the same – God is saying he set an example for people and then commanded them to follow it: remember the rest and consider that time differently than any other time.

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15) God had re-created Israel as a sovereign people from out of slavery because of his purposes for them and his promises to Abraham. Here, God instructs them: Keep the rest of God because you used to be slaves to labor, receiving only tenuous rewards for it, but as my people, I will provide for you and give you rest.

Sabbath is an important gift from God because it reminds us of what is real. God created us in his image to work and to be restful with him. God has re-created us further into his image by the work of Jesus, our Savior, so that we might find restfulness in him. The work we accomplish here will end and pass away, but our rest in God is more real. It is with God and in God; it transforms us out of this world and into his.