25 random things about me

So this has been going around facebook for some time, so I decided to incorporate it into my blog. Here ya go!

25 random things about me:

I remember most everything…so long as whatever it is I’m remembering is of little consequence. (old convos, things I did, sports trivia, music trivia, etc.)

In middle school, I was a scholar’s bowl champ

I’ve never broken a bone

I’m rarely nervous…unless I’m doing anything involved with music…where I have 0 confidence

Speaking of music…last week a man came into our office to ask if someone could sing at a funeral…right then. So, with some help, I did.

I really like bowling

I really like lime Jell-O…it’s totally underrated

I think American cars are poorly made…and with a friend correctly predicted GM’s bankruptcy (including the reason) 5 years ago

Every day I filter what I say less and less

I love spontaneity…and feel like planning is overrated

I want to be a published writer one day…though I feel like I rarely get unbiased feedback

I’ve been called girlish regarding my shoes…I have a good few pairs, but none that are particularly nice

I dislike The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the like…and often catch flak for it.

I often think about coaching football again

I love to play basketball…and love it when I’m the last pick…cause I’m a lot better at it than I look

I once brought a rusty brake rotor, a panel from a washing machine, and a porcelain sink to a $5 “rasslin” match.

I laugh at Strong Bad emails way more than I probably should.

My days with Los Locos were among my best days ever

My taste in music is really eclectic...though I don't like country, but I do like bluegrass

My favorite job I’ve ever had was when I was a mower repairman for JBC

I plan on running a full marathon this year

I often am stereotyped…and they never seem to fit

I am totally ok with living without much of a bank account, knowing what my life will look like next year, and not owning much of anything.

I didn’t start drinking coffee til a little over a year ago…now I love it

I’m a jack of all trades, master of none…sometimes it’s great, sometimes it’s really frustrating.

Cheap Flights, Bright Lights, and the Least of These

Sorry, this blog is a few days late…the past week at NMSI has been rather chaotic. The second week in January is our “blackout week." All Florida based staff are required to be in the country at this time for crucial meetings, discussions, and vision casting for the year. We were able to get a lot accomplished in our division meetings and I’m looking forward to what this year holds!

The weekend prior to blackout week was one that I won’t soon forget. Ryan and Kyle (two of my housemates and closest friends) nearly share a birthday (Kyle’s is Jan. 10 an Ryan’s is Jan. 11) so we were looking for something great to do for a celebration. The week before, I wandered to http://www.spiritair.com/ and found flights to Atlantic City NJ for $57 round trip! Since neither of these guys had ever been to New York City we decided that it would be a great place for a celebration. We combed the internet for a couple more deals needed to complete our journey ($50 bucks for 2 nights at a hotel, and just over $100 for a rental car) and set our sights on the frigid northeast.

So now, I could write, telling you of the sights we saw, the food we ate, the sketchy place we stayed, the convoluted NJ highway system, or the adventure of driving a PT Cruiser full of 5 guys…but I’ll pass. I’d rather tell you about where I saw Jesus while we were in New York/New Jersey.

I saw him at 3am in the kind smile and cheery disposition of the server at Denny’s
I saw him in the eyes of the 4 strangers who sat across from us and kindly gave us directions on the subway. (yet never spoke to one other)
I saw him in sincerity and sharp mind of the older man wearing the preverbial “NY” hat who spent several minutes telling us the best way to get to Washington Square.
I saw him in the moment when we got immediate seating at the ESPN Zone in Times Square during a Saturday night NFL playoff game after being told the wait was 90 minutes. (it was like God's birthday present for Ryan and Kyle)

Where I saw him most, however, was on the subway at 11PM, while headed back to Jersey. The five of us jumped aboard the train, our bodies tired and our bones chilled from 17 hours of devouring NYC. I took my seat and several seats down, a man caught my attention. His white, unkempt hair fell to his bony, slumping shoulders that didn’t so much support his thickly bearded, blank face, as it did keep it loosely attached to the rest of him. The man’s clothing was tattered and disheveled, partially falling off his frail body. I confess, my immediate reaction was not good…I assumed he had drunk himself into a stupor and was now suffering the hell that comes with that sort of abuse. How arrogant of me. After a couple of minutes of seeing this man sway and shake with every movement of this subway, his body giving no resistance, my heart softened. Kyle, Ryan, and I shifted eye contact between us, each feeling that we had to do something. After a few minutes, Ryan made his way over to the man and asked him a few questions. Turns out he was sick and weak…so weak that he said he could hardly move and probably needed to go to the hospital that night. Though his body suggested otherwise, his mind was sharp and his speech articulate…he was in bad shape and needed help. Our stop approached and we had to get off the train, but not without giving him a couple of jackets and covering him up. As he thanked us, we made eye contac and his vibrant blue, coherent eyes struck me as strong, competent, and well. As soon as we got off the train we found a subway employee who directed help to this man. And that was it...

I’ll not soon forget this moment…we had compassion…but could we have done more? I feel like I was directly confronted by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

So did we deny Jesus? Did we deny man? Neither have defense. This question remains.

Grace for me abounds...should my grace for others not also abound?

Happy Birthday Mom

On Tuesday my Mom had a birthday….so in honor of that great day I made her a cake! But since I couldn’t be there for the festivities, here’s a post for my mom! (and an old school picture haha)

10 of the top things I’ve learned from Mom:

10. If you’re gonna be a Hickman, it’ll go a lot smoother if you’re a football fan.
9. That App-ah-latch-ian is correct
8. That dusting is important (even though that one didn’t really take haha)
7. That God speaks loudly at the beach
6. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, The Temptations…that’s all I need to say
5. That an absolutely perfect meal can be adequately complemented with burned bread :o)
4. To appreciate the stars
3. Starting out on a road trip in the middle of the night is completely appropriate
2. That serving others is far more important than serving yourself
1. To love others with abandon…no matter the risk


From Mom I've learned more than I could ever type…thanks…

I hope these 10 made you smile!

Love,
Your youngest/craziest kid.

Farewell 2008

Every December, the one line from a particular song played at Christmas haunts me. “So this is Christmas, and what have you done…another year over, and a new one just begun.” When I hear John Lennon’s melody I tend to look back and see what all has gone on in the previous year. Some years I’ve felt fairly accomplished…others, not so much. So here goes a recap of all that’s gone on in 2008.

In 2008 I:

*Left a ministry I loved
*Went to the 24 hrs of Daytona race with my dad, nephew, and brother
*Moved to Florida
*Loved watching the Patriots go down in epic Super Bowl XLII
*Spent 9 weeks in a missionary training program with NMSI
*Learned that a guy from Brazil and a guy from Tennessee aren’t all that different
*Understood what it means to be “open, honest, and vulnerable”
*Affiliated with New Mission Systems International
*Fell in love
*Moved back to Tennessee
*Had the privilege of being the best man in my friend Jeremiah’s wedding
*Had the privilege of helping out (in a minor way) with my friend JoHila’s wedding.
*Had the privilege of being the best man in my friend Logan’s wedding
*Re-examined my theology
*Got a job at Applebee’s…and met a lot of good people there
*Saw the birth of Gracie, Chris and Emily’s baby girl
*Went to a CD release party for my friend McClure, and his band Northfork Switchgrass (seriously, check em out…they’re great!)
*Lost 30+ lbs
*Was devastated by the news that Chris had brain cancer
*Was overwhelmed by God’s answer to prayer when Chris came through the surgery
*Co-lead a mission project to Costa Rica and saw God at work in that nation
*Had a fight with Delta airlines…which I lost
*Somehow got Mono
*Was overwhelmed by the love and support of my friends and family as I raised finances to come to NMSI
*Moved back to Florida…into a house with 4 other guys
*Learned that there are 4 seasons in FL: Crowded, Hot, Fire, and Hurricane
*Spent a week in Bulgaria at the NMSI Triennial conference
*Turned 25…and had a blast doing it
*Spent a week in Greece for the 2nd half of Triennial
*Went to the Tennessee-Alabama game with Chris
*Saw Coldplay for $5…again…Coldplay!
*Was devastated by the news that Chris had another tumor…and it didn’t look good
*Went to the National Missionary Convention
*Ran a half marathon
*Was absolutely floored by God when the doc went to remove Chris’s tumor…and couldn’t find it
*Watched a sunrise in Palm Beach
*Had a great Christmas with people I love…and did so without giving gifts!

So there it was…my 2008. It went in a blur. So, here’s to 2009…there’s reason to believe that maybe this year will be better than the last…

Christmas...no small deal

Isn't it interesting how Jesus' popularity skyrockets for 5 weeks at the end of the year. Granted, the holiday vernacular has changed in recent years to bypass His name, and once in a while a baby Jesus is stolen from a nativity scene, but by and large, Jesus is a pretty popular guy in December. Now, this isn't to say that he's not a popular guy the remaining 47 weeks in a year, but clearly, this is the time of year where His name is heard more. To put it mildly, celebration of the birth of Christ is a big deal. Most likely, from the very place where you read this, there will be some sort of Christmas reminder nearby. That could be a nativity scene on your coffee table, Elvis Presley singing "Blue Christmas" in the background, or perhaps it's the array of lights assaulting all darkness from your neighbor's home. With all the fanfare and celebration that revolves around the Christmas season, you'd sure image the first Christmas was a big deal. However, that wasn't the case. The most influential person ever to walk the earth entered it among no fanfare. There weren't songs playing, there weren't elaborately decorated trees, his name wasn't in lights, and people weren't gathering to light candles the night before. No, when Jesus entered this world, it was not a big public event (even though there were prophesies). Simply, a boy was born in a barn, and some visitors arrived. As my former college professor said, "With all that he was and that he would be, you would have at least expected him to glow in the dark." Instead, he arrived like any other baby; crying and vulnerable.

Perhaps that is the reason that Jesus' popularity is so high during this season. Many of us like to think of the unassuming and vulnerable baby Jesus instead of the controversial and powerful grown up Jesus. Baby Jesus is sweet and soothing. Grown up Jesus, when you get to the core of his message, transforms your life. You see, we're not always comfortable with transformation, or change that alters our worldview. When the Jesus the man says "...any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33), he's suddenly not as sweet and soothing as he seemed as a baby. Jesus the man destroyed the former the lives of those who followed him and rebuilt new ones. The baby Jesus did not. Maybe that's why we latch onto his name during the Christmas season. We'll conveniently forget about the man who calls us love our enemies, give away our wealth, and concede our wants so that we can celebrate him as a baby by giving and receiving presents.

This year, let's not only celebrate the baby whose conception was immaculate and whose birth was unspectacular. Let's celebrate the arrival of the man who changed the world by loving people. Let's celebrate the arrival of the most influential man in history. Let's celebrate the man who brought redemption. Jesus, God incarnate.

Mircales Don't Have to be on Christmas Day

Standing in a hospital lobby and soaked by cold November rain, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. My stomach knotted as I saw that Emily was calling…I knew that meant news about Chris. His operation began at about 8 am and all we knew was that the surgeon had finished about 10. With the knowledge that the surgery was anticipated to take between 3 and 4 hours, I had a bad feeling about the doc being finished so early. Before I even had a chance to say hello, Emily, her voice full of excitement and relief said: “You’re not going to believe this…they can’t find anything!”
“What do you mean they can’t find anything?” I replied.
Emily: “As in the tumor is gone…the doctor said it isn’t there!”

The following day an MRI confirmed what the surgeon had found…rather what he didn’t find. Dumbfounded, he stood before Chris and Emily saying that he didn’t know what to say. “On Tuesday the tumor was revealed on the MRI…it was focalized (as he made a circle with his thumb and index finger). Today we can’t see anything but normal brain.”

People across the country and scattered globally were praying for Chris…fervently asking for healing, or for a miracle such as this. What an amazing example of God’s power!
Here are a few comments/ text message responses by people that know/love Chris:

“If anyone deserves a miracle, it’s Chris Morgan” - Lee Johnson

“I’m all over the place…smiling but crying at the same time. Just awesome! I’m mad at myself for ever doubting God’s power in this.” - Matt Bentley

“UNBELIEVABLE!!”- Loni Garcia

I wish I had the same faith my mom has…who said she was “going to pray for this to just disappear.” That sounded good to me, but I can’t say I ever truly believed that was a possibility. Looks like you were right mom.

Perhaps God is easiest to see when reality is without rationale.

How bout you? You see Him?

God wins.
Amen.

True Friendship

Today I write to ask for your prayers for a brother. Chris Morgan went beyond being my friend years ago…when someone is more familiar with the contents of your refrigerator than you are, it’s safe to say that they’ve reached family status. My brother Chris is battling brain cancer…and he needs your prayers. Thursday he will undergo his second operation in four months, this one to remove a 2 cm tumor.
Chris is the most loyal person I’ve ever known, and has always been there for me….even when I didn’t know I needed a friend there. For example:

We lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs in 1999 (Chris‘s senior year and my soph)…we were miserable…so after eating our weight in Applebee’s riblets, Chris sang off key the whole way home from Oak Ridge…I felt a little better.

In High School, within a span of 24 hours I went from having 3 dates to 3 different proms to 0 dates. Chris told me that I would have just spent a bunch of money, said something stupid, and that none of the girls really liked me anyway…I felt a little better.

In middle school, I got really mad at Chris for saying that I was too fat to be getting in a go-kart. After fussing at him he said, “Buddy, some guys are fat…and that’s ok”…I felt a little better.

We went fishing one hot summer afternoon…I was bummed because I didn’t catch a single fish. I looked to my left and see that Chris somehow fell in the water and got his shoelaces caught around a log. He had to carry the log to the shore to free himself…I felt a little better.

I was upset after a breakup in college. I didn’t care about the Steelers game on TV and I barely ate any of the pot roast and mashed potatoes on my plate…Chris knew that the situation was dire. That’s when he called me out for not putting enough effort in the relationship…and told me that he knew I felt guilty and that I had a phone that worked if I wanted to use it…I felt a little better.

We watched Tennessee blow an undefeated season by getting clobbered by Auburn on a rainy night in Knoxville…Chris said let’s eat as much pizza as we can…I felt a little better.

I was ditched for another guy by a girl I was kind of dating on New Years Eve 1999. Chris showed up at my door ready to drive wherever to whoop whoever. Instead we celebrated the millennium in downtown Kingsport with a random group of friends we found…I felt a little better

My beloved Black Lab Jake died on his 8th birthday. Chris cried too…and to this day he can’t ring the doorbell at my parents house because he expects to hear Jake’s bark and frenetic clatter of claws on the hardwood…I felt a little better

We were digging a hole in South Carolina and hit a gas line, breaking it. I beat myself up for not knowing the gas line was there. Chris said “Well, now you know it's there”…I felt a little better.

I have a million more of these stories, but I’ll stop. Notice that Chris didn’t really say anything too profound, and that he didn’t really do anything heroic here. (though there have been times where he has done both) What he has said or done hasn’t really mattered. What matters is that I’ve always known that he’s my brother , that he loves me as a brother, and that he cares. Right now the least I can do is to show him how much I care and love him as a brother. I do that now by asking you to pray for Chris…pray for the surgeons, pray for his wife Emily, and pray for his baby daughter Gracie. Ask God for healing. Chris has always let me know that I’m not alone in a tough time…Thursday I want him to know that he is anything but alone.