Morris Mission

Now #WeAreN – what’s next?

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Peter Morris

Based on questions I received and my own reading, I wanted to share a few additional thoughts in follow up to my post this weekend.

Some resources on giving

More than tears and Facebook posts – a worthwhile read from a ReachGlobal colleague with a helpful challenge to give:

This is the truth of it, friends. It’s easy to post the Nazarene symbol on Facebook. It’s easy to share news articles, and it’s even easy to pray because it doesn’t cost us much.

But what I am asking myself today: Do I care enough that it will affect my checking account? Am I willing to sacrifice?

Yes, it all makes me really sad and angry. But do I really, truly care?

The post also provides a link to a list of organizations working on the ground.

Not all the organizations listed are explicitly Christian. And while I respect the impulse to ensure maximum impact of the resources entrusted to us, surely if the organization is trustworthy and doing work on the ground, acting is better than waiting.

If you are looking for specifically Christian organizations, I’d stand behind the Bible Society’s campaign (which includes some specific prayer suggestions) and the Anglican Aid campaign (included in the earlier post). There are also good UK organizations (organisations, really!) listed in this Christianity Today World article.

I recently came across this post that lists answers to 11 objections to giving to the poor by Jonathan Edwards it’s worth reading in full but relevant to giving and the situation in Iraq, it summarizes Edwards as follows:

[Giving] is one of the highest duties of the Christian…and even heaven and hell lie in the balance with how we respond to the poor (Matthew 25: 41-46). Further, Christians are not just to help the poor from a little bit of their surplus, but are to be abundant, liberal, and utterly generous in giving to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-11; Psalm 37:21, 25-26; 112:5; Proverbs 11:24-25; 2 Corinthians 8:1-7; 9:6-11).

A brief defense of the #WeAreN campaign

I completely understand the skepticism of those who say “it’s easy to change your profile pic” because, well, it is! And I agree it is insufficient. But, as an excuse not to act, it’s pretty sad.

Think back over historical social movements and many were propelled by individuals taking simple collective steps to bring awareness. Some of those steps alone seemed insignificant, even foolish, but I’d rather be on the side of the “fools” that did something than those who did nothing.

I’m not saying posting the “N” symbol is a necessary step but this letter from an Iraqi Christian convinces me it is a worthwhile first step. When they can say:

It’s encouraging to see that around the world people are supporting us. We are still proud to be Christians. We will always be Christians.

I can change my profile pic!

Praying and giving are necessary next steps, but surely we can all take those three steps together!

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What can we do?

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Peter Morris

Maddy admiring a bike on our Daddy/daughter coffee walk!

I spent a lovely day with our children today. We took Sam to swim class, Madeleine and I did our regular Daddy/daughter walk to Starbucks, and I spent hours holding our three week old, Benjamin, as he slept.

In the midst of those precious moments – at the back of my mind – was sadness at the experience of other children. Especially children in Iraq.

Despite our sleep deprived state, we have tracked with the news of violence in Iraq against Christians and other minority groups. I’ve read a number of articles (including this one by Russell Moore). The use of the Arabic letter ‘N’ ن on social media has steadily increased.

But over the last few days the news has reached a crescendo. The United States is taking limited military action. There are increasing calls to deal with the humanitarian crisis. And there are shocking stories, including the death of a 5 year old boy (not much older than my oldest son) – cut in half at the hands of ISIS.

I felt compelled. Not only to change my profile pic but to reflect on what more we can do.

Our family is preparing to serve in Costa Rica in part because we want to bless our children by giving them a heart for the nations. We want our kids to see that the gospel transcends race, creed, culture, and geography.

We serve a God who loves children (Matthew 19) and who urges His people to have a heart for the next generation (Psalm 78). And yet we live in a world where many children are not safe, not loved, not valued as those made in the image of their Creator.

As I continue to turn these events over in my mind. I would suggest Christians prayerfully consider (at least) these three responses:

Pray – pray for these persecuted believers and other minority groups affected by this crisis. Pray for government leaders around the world that they would make wise decisions. And pray for Jesus to return soon. (Prayer is the most practical thing we can do.)
Raise awareness – the use of the Arabic letter “N” is a great start, but we can do more. We can give to relief efforts in Iraq (like this one). We can talk to our friends and neighbors about this crisis. We can urge our leaders to act courageously.
Talk to our children – the folks at Children Desiring God posted a great blog earlier this week that guides parents in engaging their children on this issue. It’s important we prayerfully consider age appropriate ways to talk with our children about these tragic events.

This afternoon I was singing Benjamin the hymn we chose for him before he entered the world – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God. The closing lines seem appropriate as we pray for those suffering all over the world:

The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Posted in kids, prayer, world events | 4 Comments

Brighten up your fridge or inbox!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Peter Morris

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The wait is over!

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Peter Morris

Last night, July 21, we (finally) welcomed the newest addition to the Morris family.

Benjamin Elliott Morris arrived in 75 minutes from start to finish. He weighed in at 9 lbs, 2 oz and 21.25 inches tall. Mama and baby are doing well. Proud Dad, big brother, and big sister are very excited!

DSC_0002-001

Many thanks for all the prayers and messages of support we are thankful, excited, and tired.

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Waiting…and sleeping!

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Peter Morris

We’re in uncharted territory. Baby #3 was due on Wednesday, and here we are on Friday afternoon, still waiting!

Maddy (top two photos) and Sam (bottom two photos) both arrived early!

Sam and Madeleine both arrived early (Maddy was almost a week early!) so this is new for us. We’ve actually been prepared since late June so we’ve been in this state of hyper awareness for almost three weeks now.

I’m super attentive to my cell phone (jumpy, even) at work. We are maintaining a fairly tight radius around the house (the last two labors were fast so we don’t want to stray too far from the hospital!) And everyone – the kids, family and friends here and around the world – is just…waiting.

It’s hard not to be anxious. Hard not to be frustrated. Passing the 40 week mark for the first time has brought into sharper focus what has always been true of this pregnancy (and all of life) – God is in control, and we are not!

And that’s where sleep comes in. It’s hard to sleep! Both of us have had our share of fitful nights (Melanie’s “share” is greater than mine, for obvious reasons!)

So my mind goes to two of my favorite Psalms that say some very important things about sleep. Psalm 127 calls our efforts to assert control in life “eating the bread of anxious toil” and reminds us that God “gives to his beloved sleep.” (A verse I share regularly with my children!)

The words of Psalm 121:1-2 in Spanish at ILE, where we will study Spanish in Costa Rica

We can receive the gift of sleep when we know the God of Psalm 121. He will keep us from evil, He will keep our lives, He will keep our “going out and coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

We can be confident in YAHWEH, our Keeper, because He does not slumber! The Psalmist emphasizes the point – He will “neither slumber nor sleep.”

So pray for us – as we pray for you – that we will know the peace of trusting in God. Accepting His gift of sleep, knowing He will keep us, and we can depend on Him.

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Happy 4th!

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Peter Morris

This gallery contains 8 photos.

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Overflowing

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Peter Morris

June 30 is a day we have been waiting for.

Flickr user: DafneCholet

In April, when we started engaging potential partners, we knew that we’d need to reach 50 percent of our monthly support goal by June 30 to stay on track to leave in Spring 2015.

Through the journey, we were overwhelmed by the turnout at our “kick off” gathering at the Lee’s home, blessed by unexpected one-time gifts, and encouraged by all the faithful people who stepped up and said, “we’re in!”

And then, late last week, we crossed the 50 percent mark!

At that point, we weren’t thinking about whether our ministry account was half-full or half-empty, our thankfulness was overflowing!

We have waited for this opportunity for many years, we have prayed over it, so many of those reading this post have been with us on this journey. And now, we have passed a huge milestone!

Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of work left to do! Many more conversations, emails, calls, church visits, blog posts! But today, we rejoice.

Image from Flickr user: jordandouglas

We are thankful to the God who works all things together for good for those that love Him (Romans 8:28). We are thankful for every good and every perfect gift that comes from Him (James 1:17). We are thankful for each and every financial partner that got us to that 50 percent threshold.

More than that, we are thankful for what those partners represent. They’re not just numbers in a spreadsheet. They are individuals and families, generously giving their resources for kingdom work. They are people sending us to the field and committing to partner with us once we get there.

One of our ReachGlobal colleagues recently posted a blog entry called “The Senders” that expresses our sentiments well:

God has given us the privilege of going. Yet we don’t forget, not for one minute, that we could not go without an army of senders.

We are overflowing with thanks for our growing army of senders!

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Life Is Sweet

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Melanie

Right now, life is busy.

Picking strawberries. (which were delicious, by the way!)

We are preparing to become a family of five, our anxiety is growing as we remember what the sleeplessness of having a newborn entails. We are in the midst of raising support. In the summer, Peter teaches as an adjunct professor at a local university, which means he has three (3!) jobs. Of course, if you include his role with ReachGlobal, I suppose he technically has four (Not lazy, my hubs!)

Even though life is packed. It is oh so sweet. It’s summer. I love summer for so many reasons– long days, warm (even the uncomfortably hot for this preggo) weather, outdoor concerts, the liveliness of the city, but most of all I love it because my kids activities come to a screeching halt. I love that there is no preschool!

Reading books together.

I love having the long days with them. We have so much fun. Our days are packed with learning, exploring and adventure and I love it. I think they do too.

We are treasuring these final (hopefully) weeks of being a family of four and are looking forward with excitement to our new sweet baby due next month.

Soccer

Madeleine at the zoo.

Riding the Mount Vernon Trail.

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Why we mean it! The second best book I’ve ever read

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Peter Morris

As we prepare to send out our first “official” newsletter to our partners, this is the beginning of a series of posts about why we truly mean it when we say “the most practical thing you can do for us is to pray.”

I remember the moment vividly.

It was winter 2011. I was in Minneapolis at the Children Desiring God conference. My sister had called from Japan just after the tsunami had hit and before she and her husband left Tokyo to stay with my parents in Sydney.

Sessions were going on as I visited with her and reassured her as best I could.

As we talked, I milled around the bookstore and was drawn to one book in particular – Paul Miller’s A Praying Life.

On many levels, that moment was God-ordained. Throughout my Christian walk I had had some rich seasons of prayer but the norm of my prayer life – even when my devotional life was rich and full – was sporadic, distant, and clumsy. I didn’t know what I was doing, I was so often distracted, it didn’t seem worth it.

When I opened the pages of Paul Miller’s book – and listened to his talk at the Desiring God Pastor’s Conference – God turned the light on! Suddenly I saw that to not pray for my wife, my kids, my ministry partners, was to be unloving. I saw that prayerlessness was faithlessness.

In some senses, I was living a lie. No matter what I said from the pulpit, in my small group, in every day conversation, my prayer life was revealing that I did not trust God. I was preaching about a sovereign God but I wasn’t praying to one.

Miller’s book wasn’t like other books on prayer. It was certainly convicting, but it was also richly practical. It’s not only the best book I’ve read on prayer, it’s also one of the most influential books on parenting.

I “found” Miller’s book at a CDG bookstore, just like this one!

God used that moment in 2011 to bring change in our family ministry team – and our church. I picked up a box of more than 50 of the books and put them in the hands of our volunteer team. Many Ambassador small groups went through the book using the discussion guide.

Over the last three years, God has established a rich prayerfulness in my life, my family, and my church. It’s not perfect, but it’s beautiful and I pray (really pray!) that God would deepen it in the months and years to come.

That is why we mean it when we say “the most practical thing you can do for us…is pray!” We desperately need the prayers of God’s people because we need regular reminders that we depend on God.

I commend Miller’s book to everyone who hasn’t read it! You won’t regret it!

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What we desire for our kids

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Peter Morris

Over the past few weeks, our kids have experienced the early stages of their transition to being “Missionary Kids.”

Our kids enjoying the local park earlier this year. The map to the right represents the international awareness we hope God will foster in them in the years to come.

In early May, I preached at the Chinese Christian Church of Germantown (CCCG). Sam spent two hours in a new class with kids he didn’t know. Madeleine spent the first hour in the toddler class and the last hour playing at the back of the high school Sunday School class I taught while Melanie tried admirably to keep her quiet and entertained! The next weekend, Roger & Caroline Lee hosted a dinner for almost 100 people to hear more about our calling.

After the Sunday School class at CCCG, Sam shared with us he was “a little scared” because they spoke “words he didn’t understand.” When we probed further he said they spoke Chinese, and he didn’t know Chinese. “I wish they spoke Spanish…or English,” he told us (he attends a Spanish immersion pre-school, is comfortable in an environment with Spanish, and often blends Spanish and English). He expressed a desire to know Chinese, and he seems very passionate about learning French too!

These early experiences underscore, something I said in my sermon during Ambassador’s Missions Month:

We are drawn to missions in part because we want to bless our children by giving them a heart for the nations. We desire that they would grow up knowing that the bond of the gospel is stronger than the bonds of geography, culture, or citizenship. It’s our desire that they grow up knowing a second language, and connecting with people across cultural and language barriers.

I shared this sentiment, and a cute story about Sam in the sermon excerpt included below.