Today I'm an independent Christian minister trying to live a good life and witness the gospel of Christ to other people. I used to be a foul-mouthed, heavy drinking, stipclub patroning, irreverend sinner. This wasn't that long ago either. So, that brings me to one of those monumental life questions; JUST HOW DID I GET HERE FROM THERE?
When I was in my twenties, I fell into a habit of going out with some friends to this redneck country bar and dance club 2 or 3 nights a week. It wasn't really my kind of place, but the beer was cold and there were some pretty women there, so I tagged along and hung out with my friends. Though I never got cuaght, there were plenty of nights where I probably had no business driving home; not good. During this time, I also talked nasty enough to make a sailor blush. The more obnoxious and offensive then language, the better was how I was back then. I was so mad at the world for so many things, like the death of my dad when I was only 17, and I didn't even realize it. It was like I was being so self-abusive, I was tempting and almost even welcoming death.
When I was in my late twenites, I got into a steady relationship with a young woman and started calming down a bit. I was still foul-mouthed and still drank heavily at times, but I wasn't self-destructing anymore. I felt like I had a place and purpose in life I guess. We were together for a few years and were eventually engaged, but in time, we drifted apart and went our seperate ways. I have no complaints about that relationship and wish her all the best in life. The only thing is though, after we split up, me and a buddy who was in a rocky relationship started hitting the stripclubs pretty regularly. Needless to say, with consumption of much alcohol and getting to know some of the strippers on a first name basis, I ended up wasting a whole lot of time and money.
Oh, and did I mention that I spent my time in between all of this doing fundraisers for charitable organizations and calling myself a Christian? Yes, while I was living this life of sin, I was still talking to God and doing God's work by helping orphans. During all of my sinful times, when I was alone, me and God still chatted. I knew my life wasn't right and I knew He couldn't be too proud of me, but I was always His child. I was even mad at God for a long time for taking my dad away from me too soon. It took me years to realize that maybe my dad had beeen hurting more than he had let any of us know and that God had taken him home so he wouldn't suffer anymore.
Well, a few years ago I was introduced to a girl that was the exact opposite of everything I had been looking for. A blue-eyed, blonde-haired, pentecostal holiness Sunday school teacher from West Virginia. We hit it off great and spent as much time together as possible. I got involved at the church she attended, got saved, began learning about the ministry from the pastor, started teaching teen Sunday school, started my online ministry, and was eventually ordained as an independent Christian minister. My girlfriend and I were engaged for a long time. We were together almost 3 years. Eventually, our lives started taking very different paths. I won't go into details, but that relationship ended very badly. I was getting more and more involved in the ministry and she was going in a different direction. I went through a lot of pain over that breakup, because I not only loved her, but her 2 kids as well. Through all of the pain though, I grew even closer to God and He put people in my lifepath through my ministry who were going through similar situations. He made me be strong for others even when I didn't want to be.
So, today I minister via the internet, reaching out to people all over the world. I've made friends in more countries than I feel like typing here. I'm no longer the foulmouthed, heavy drinker I used to be. I'm just a sinner trying to live a good life and serve God. I'm still probably not everybody's idea of what a minister should be. I do preach to gospel straight out of the Holy Bible. I don't believe in twisting or manipulating it to serve my own puposes. I do sit down with a friend to talk over a cold beer on the occasion that they want to have a converstion about life and God. I know a lot of people would disagree with that, but we'll just have to agree to disagree. I do still listen to a lot of the rock, metal, and blues music I grew up on. I do believe the scripture that says it's not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes out of him. I don't think that having a drink with a friend or listening to a certain song is gonna send you to hell. Well, I won't go off on a rant here. I'll save that for another day. Anyway, I've come a long way from where I used to be. Maybe I truly am the prodigal son come back to God's service.
With all my love my friends, Rev. Norman L. Morrison a.k.a. Pete.
