There have been two women in my life that have impacted me in great ways, my mom and my wife. My mom raised me the first part of my life, and then Lea has taken over since then. Mom has taught me some incredible lessons in this life and Lea has too. It's amazing how God knew I needed each of them. I'd like to share with you some things about both of them next week. I just don't have room to write them here today, but I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to my mom!------------------------------
Thinking of moms, some of my biggest heroes in this world are single “church” moms. Single “church” moms may be single because they are not married or single because their husbands don’t (or can’t) come with them to church. Yet what I love about them is they still come and bring the kids because they know that’s where they all need to be. Those mothers who bring their children to church all by themselves amaze me. These moms rise early on a Sunday morning, prepare breakfast, dress themselves and the kids, and then attend services knowing full well that if the kids act like kids, she may not get much out of the service at all. I'd have to say those moms are somewhere at the top of my list of heroes in my life.
No telling how many great leaders in the church have been raised by Godly single mothers. Need a Biblical example? How about Timothy! "I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also." (2 Timothy 1:5)
Sunday is Mother’s Day and all moms deserve honor, but single “church” moms are the ones that amaze me. We have quite a few single “church” moms in our congregation. I’d just like to say, “Well done mom, well done!”
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And while I'm talking about moms, I couldn't let this year's Mothers Day go by without including a video that me and my boys have just laughed and laughed over. I've always been a big Mr. T fan, but this little video moves him into legendary status in my book. :)
So let me just say to all the moms out there, "Happy Mother's Day from me and Mr. T." Enjoy...
Mother! I always love her! My Mother! So treat her right!
M is for the moan and the miserable groan from the pain that she felt when I was boan.
O is for the oven with its burnin’ heat, where she stood, makin’ sure I had somethin’ to eat.
T is for the time that she stayed up night, and took my temperature when I wasn’t feelin’ right.
H is for the hard-earned money she spent to keep clothes on my back and try to pay da rent.
E is for every wrinkle that I put on her face, and every worry that I caused when I stayed out late.
The last letter R is that she taught me respect, and for the room up in heaven that I know she’ll get!
Mother! There is no other like Mother! So treat her right!
- Cooper's favorite breakfast? Sugary cinnamon toast - .10 cents
- Cooper's favorite bag of snacks? Sugary Candy - $2.00
- Cooper's favorite drink (especially at bedtime)? Chocolate Milk - $1.00
- Four cavities found by the dentist this week in Cooper's mouth? Not Priceless

So I know where my economic stimulus check is going. What are you going to spend your money on?
Labels: Morgan Family
Today I celebrate life. It is my anniversary. Not my wedding anniversary, but my cancer anniversary.Five years ago today, my jaw dropped as I sat in a doctor's office and heard the doctor say, "You have cancer." So much of that day is still such a blur in my memory. The only things I remember about that day were hearing the words, "It's cancer," and calling my wife to tell her what I had just found out. It was the very last thing I expected the doctor to say. And it totally changed my life.
I had my first surgery the very next day. Wanting to avoid chemotherapy, I opted to go with a second major surgery about three weeks after the first surgery. The second surgery required a one-week stay in the hospital. It was not fun.
I'm reminded of what cancer has taught me: The only
things that really matter in life are my faith, my family & my friends.
- I learned that my illness brought out so many friends I didn't even know I had. I had over 250 cards sent to me (I still keep them in an old shoe box). Many cards and prayers came from people and churches I didn't even know. I was over whelmed with love and support.
- I learned that there are no "do-overs" in life, so you should make the most of every day.
- I learned all over again that my wife is an amazing woman, as she supported me through tough times.
- I learned that it's impossible to have any sort of self-dignity in a hospital gown.
- I learned that real love, not the stuff you see in the movies or on soap operas, is my wife telling me I look "great" to her, even when I was pale, skinny, sick, throwing up and too weak to do a thing.
- I learned that it was okay to be scared, and that it was okay to ask God, "Why?"
- I learned that in 2003 God answered prayers and that prayer can change anything!
- "Remember me, cancer? My friends kicked your butt with prayer."
Every morning when I rise I can see the two scars that remind me that I have had cancer. But today on May 6th, I celebrate my life being cancer free. Having cancer has changed me in ways I could not imagine or predict. And, I'm reminded again today of the most important lesson I've learned from cancer: "The things that really matter in life are simple ... my faith, my family & my friends."
Labels: Cancer, Morgan Family
Take 31 seconds to watch it! I absolutely loved this!
Labels: Video
About once a year we have a Friends Day at church. Yesterday we had a great Friends Day '08. I never got an official count, but we had over 100 visitors from our community that came to worship with us. I preached on the subject of "What God Thinks of You." The Childress church did a fantastic job inviting their friends and neighbors to come. I had 1000 Friends Day invitation cards printed up and we ran out of those over a week ago. I don't know how many people were actually invited, but it seemed like everyone I invited said they'd already been invited by someone else.Our church has really grown over the past few years and our Friends Day has been one of the great outreach tools that we've used.Today the fun begins as we start the follow up to our Friends Day. We hope to reach those visitors who are looking for a church home. Besides a thank you note in the mail later this week, our visitors will receive a homemade pie or plate of cookies today with an invitation to come back next Sunday. Dozens and dozens of pies will be delivered today alone. Pretty cool, huh? Our church has really grown over the past few years and our Friends Day has been one of the great outreach tools that we've used.
I'd love to know some of the things your church has done to reach out to your community?
Labels: Church
If you can't see the video, click here!
Labels: Video
Last night's study was a good one on how men deal with lust. We studied about Joseph (who was successful at overcoming temptation) and Samson (who failed when it came to lust). It was a tough and touchy topic for men, but very relevant. I had worried about some of the guys skipping out on this subject, so for fun I had challenged them to bring something for show-and-tell. The homework assignment was to bring something with them that represented manhood, manliness or made them feel like a man. My only rule was that they had to keep it rated at least PG-13 in nature. All I can say is that I'm glad I made the rule because the testosterone was thick in the garage last night.
A few of the things that showed up for show-and-tell were heavy equipment like a skid loader and a bulldozer, a garden hoe, pictures of kids and family, an iPhone, a jock strap, fishing pole, weights and the others things I can't mention here. Each man got up and talked about what it means to be a man to them. When we were through we voted on who had the best show-and-tell item. The man that won had talked about a picture that his young son had drawn at school. It said on the picture, "I love God and I love Jesus." He went on to explain that his son drew that picture because they had recently started going to church again after a long layoff. He was proud of once again being the spiritual leader in his home. I was a little choked up and thought, "Now that's a real manly man." We all voted, and he won the prize of a new bible for his show-and-tell item.
Next week's homework assignment is to do something romantic for your wife, but it cannot be or lead to anything sexual in nature. I'm already anxious to hear about next week's homework assignment.
Here are a few pictures of men presenting their manly show-and-tell item.
QUESTION ... we need your help. Can you give me (and a few other of the men readers) some suggestions on ways to be romantic this week?
Labels: Men
A friend and I got to talking yesterday about who had the perfect marriage. We decided that Adam and Eve probably had the perfect marriage. Here are a few things we laughed about that explains our thinking on this.
Reasons why we think Adam & Eve had the perfect marriage...
- Eve never had to hear Adam talk about how good his mom cooked.
- Eve never had to question Adam’s faithfulness and ask, “Are you sure there’s no one else?”
- Adam never lied when he told Eve she was the best looking woman in the whole world.
- Adam never went off fishing with his buddies.
- Adam never had to hear about all the men Eve could have married.
- Eve didn’t need to clothes shop.
- Adam believed Eve when she looked him in the eyes and said, “You know you’re the only one for me?”
- Adam never had to answer the age old question that gets all men in trouble, "Honey, do I look fat in this fig leaf?"
- Adam didn't have to pay for a different pair of shoes for every outfit Eve owned.
Can you think of any other reasons that Adam and Eve had a perfect marriage?
Labels: Marriage
Although time has passed, our friendship with these ladies has remained strong. A few have already gone on to be with the Lord. As promised, I've done each of their funerals. Today I travel to Tulia to do Mary's funeral (second from the right). I'll miss her. As each of these ladies pass away it just makes getting to heaven someday a little sweeter.

The picture was taken at a hotel, saloon and restaurant in Clayton, New Mexico. I like to have never talked them into posing for this picture because they didn't want to stand in front of a "saloon" sign.
Have you ever had a "sweet little old lady" that you fell in love with?
The big sign outside the church building reads, "30 Minute Worship - Guaranteed." It's a new concept of church for busy people. They advertise, "It's all about the quality, not about the quantity." They offer worship for 10 minutes, the word for 12-15 minutes and response for 5 minutes for those that don't have much time.Have we become so busy that we now need a worship service that lasts the same length of a tv sitcom? Are we so time starved that we now can only do a Sweet Half-Hour of Prayer? What's next, drive thru church where you don't even have to leave your car?
I'm actually not sure what I think about this. Here are a few questions still swirling around in my head that I'd love your opinion on:
- My concern really isn't with the church's offer of a 30 minute service. In fact, I love the fact that a church is trying something new to reach out to people who don't think they have time for God. But I think it says something about our society when we can't give God more than 30 minutes?
- I know there is no time limit on how long a worship service should last and even a little is better than none. But what does it say about our priorities when we can give 2 hours to our children's soccer or a movie, but can't squeeze more than 30 minutes out of our week for God on Sunday?
- One thing I do know is that it's a good thing my old friend, Harley Fewell isn't going to this 30 minute church. He would have messed the whole time-schedule up, because when he was asked to lead the prayer on Sunday mornings you could count on at least a 10 minute prayer. How do I know? As a kid I timed him on my watch! :)
I'd love your opinion. What do you think about a "30 Minute Worship" service, guaranteed?
Labels: Church
Here's a surprise, Lea chose not to swim, but rather shop. As for the look on her face, I'd just told her, "Now shop all you want, but don't spend any money on shoes." :)
The Rangers actually won the game breaking a 7 game losing.
Cooper spent a little time at the Wiffleball batting field.
18 hotdogs, 3 large drinks and a $6 bag of cotton candy made the evening perfect!
Labels: Morgan Family
Here are the questions that I'm supposed to answer...
What I was doing 10 years ago: I was living the dream, baby. I was getting to preach every Sunday, minister to a great community of people, I was married to a smoking hot wife and I was watching some amazing boys grow up. Oh wait, that's what I'm still doing today. YES!
Five things on my to do list for today:
- Finish 3 lessons for a weekend at the Lakeside Church in Mansfield, Texas.
- Pick up shirts and hats for the T-ball team I'm coaching. (I live such an exciting life).
- Apologize to my secretary for missing Secretary's Day this past Wednesday. No one told me that Secretary's Day had been changed and is now being called, "Administrative Professional Day." What's up with the name change? Can we not just have secretaries anymore? Do they have to have some fancy title? Next thing you know the good people who clean the church building will no longer be called custodians, but Maintenance Engineers. Sheesh!
- Check on a few of my favorite bloggers.
- Watch the Rangers play the Twins tonight at the Ballpark in Arlington.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
- Give a ton of it to missionaries, world missions and world hunger.
- Not let Lea spend even a penny on shoes (Ha, Lea!)
- Put some back for my children’s educations.
- Buy the Texas Rangers and finally put a winning team on the field.
- Talladega Super Speedway here I come ... Yee Haw!
- I drink too much coffee.
- I've got a weakness for spending money on cool gadgets like this one. But I really needed it, honest I did!
- Smoking, drinking and dancing. Oh yea, I gave those up last week. Okay, I'm still dancing, but don't tell anyone!
Five places I have lived:
- Mobieetie, Texas
- Amarillo, Texas
- Lubbock, Texas
- Tulia, Texas
- Childress, Texas
Five jobs I have had:
- A Sacker at a supermarket (until they found out I was only 15. I needed the cash).
- Sold athletic shoes at a store in the mall (awesome job).
- Managed a frozen yogurt store.
- Paramedic
- Youth minister and pulpit minister.
Five People I Want to Know More About:
- Brian Nicklaus (My arachnophobic friend)
- Shawn Williams (A fairly new blogger)
- Ray Young (My old youth rally speaking buddy)
- Terry Laudett (A pretty nice Okie)
- Craig Hicks (Tagged my buddy Craig, because he'll say something that makes me laugh. He always does.)
Labels: Morgan Family

For those who can't read Cooper's 6-year-old writing, let me tell you what it says... "On Friday this week I am going to Dallas to watch the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. And I am going to stay with Aunt Mel. They are cool. Yo Dog! I like to say, 'Yo Dog!'"
Yo Dog? I'm not sure where he's picked up "yo dog" from, but I'm thinking that he may be watching too much of Randy Jackson on American Idol.
Have a great day and may I be the first to say to you today, "Yo Dawg!"
Labels: Morgan Family
I looked at the clock and knew since it was 3:30 a.m., that it wasn't Lea tickling my back and neck. It was at that moment I felt it again, but this time I knew immediately that it wasn't a dream, a blade of grass or Lea. Instead there was something in bed with us. Something big. I immediately swatted at what I now knew was some sort of critter that had climbed in our bed. In the total darkness of the night the beast felt enormous. I immediately thought to myself, "I've got to get me a deer rifle or machete to keep next to my bed?" Never should a person be attacked in the safety of their own bed. Ever.
I knew I had to protect my family, so like any other man, I began to holler out in the dark, flailing my arms about trying to knock this massive beast off me and on to something else. I made the terrible mistake of knocking it towards Lea. She screamed and started jumping out of bed, too. She immediately hit the lights. At that point, my eyes went from trying to focus in the dark to being totally blinded by light. I couldn't see a thing and was expecting another attack at any moment.
I immediately thought to myself, "I've got to get me a deer rifle or machete to keep next to my bed?""What is it?" she asked with panic in her voice. "I don't know," I said, "but it was enormous!" My eyes were finally beginning to adjust when we started slowly rolling back the bedspread and then the sheet, looking for whatever it was that needing KILL'N. Finally, we pulled back the sheet, and there it was...a big, nasty, hairy, disgusting bug. I don't have a clue where the bug came from or how it got in our bed, but I knew it had violated our personal space.
With it still sitting on the bed, the bug and I made eye contact. I realized it wasn't quite so big or bad, BUT had I had a machete or shotgun, I would have used it right then while screaming in my loudest voice, "DIE YOU STINKING BUG, DIE!" I then swatted the bug off the bed and proceeded to kill what I once that was a gigantic beast with one of Lea's shoes. Why Lea's shoe you ask? (Yea, she wanted to know that too!) Because she has a million pair, it was the closest, and I wasn't going to kill it with one of mine!
A few minutes later the bug was dead and now flushed down the toilet for good measure. Watching him make circles as he went down the drain, I thought to myself, "Let's see you do that again, punk!" The whole ordeal gave new meaning to the verse found in Hebrews 13:4, "...and the marriage bed should not be defiled." We went back to bed and laid there in the dark. I tried hard to go back to sleep. Lea did to. Every time one of us moved, the other thought, "There's another one." It was at that point that Lea went and slept on the couch, and I went and slept with Cooper.
Stupid bug!

Labels: Morgan Family
I visited with a man the other day that was very concerned about the church where he was attending. His exact words were, "We're dying. Some don't care, and the others don't know what to do about it!" He and I got to talking about some of the signs they were seeing that pointed to their church dying out. The following are a few we talked about, and of course I've added a couple that are a little tongue-and-cheek. So with the help of my friend, here is "10 Signs your Church may be Dying." - It does nothing to reach its community.
- The only thing that seems alive in worship is the greenery at the front of the auditorium.
- The song you sing most on Sundays is, "Tis so sweet to Rust in Jesus."
- Its only conversions come from baptizing its own kids.
- It is concerned with look and not action.
- It is happy just being comfortable.
- It is out of touch with the 21st century.
- It is all about money, buildings and budgets.
- It is all politics.
Worship is quiet because there are no children.
Can you add any to this list?
Labels: Church, Top Ten List
- I'm thinking that I love Sundays. Yesterday was an awesome day. God was worshipped, the church building was packed, visitors were present and the singing was fabulous. Now, if we could just figure out a way to get the preaching to improve. :)
Some religious blogs are, "...too immersed in the spiritual realm, blah, blah, blah."
- I'm thinking that I don't know how or why my blog was reviewed over at Blog-Search-Engine.com this week, but I sure appreciate their kind words. I thought it was cool that TreyMorgan.net is currently being listed as a feature blog. I did get a chuckle out of the part that said some religious blogs are, "...too immersed in the spiritual realm, blah, blah, blah."
- I'm thinking that the testosterone was thick Thursday night at the For Men Only Garage Bible study. I had 14 men show up and a few call and say they couldn't make it, but would be there next week. We're studying about Samson and learning from his mistakes; how to be real men. I did have a couple of Mandles burning just to give the garage a manly smell. :)
- I'm thinking that I'm excited about the Morgan family going to Dallas this weekend. We're going to catch a Texas Ranger game Friday night and do a little relaxing on Saturday. Then on Sunday I'm preaching at the Lakeside Church of Christ in Mansfield, Texas. Mine and Lea's former youth minister, Shawn Williams, is the preacher there. Shawn had a big influence on Lea and I when we were in high school. I'm always a little nervous around Shawn, because he knew me when I was a teenager, and I'm sure he could tell everyone a couple of bad things I've done (smile). Lea is safe though, she was as perfect back then as she is today!
- I'm thinking I'm sad for Evan today. Evan is one of our high school seniors at church and spends quite a bit of time at my house. Last night Evan took a turn on a dirt road a little too quickly and wound up wrecking his pickup. Evan was fine but the truck was not. I went and helped him pull his pickup out of the ditch. I hurt for Evan last night. It's never easy having to tell your mom and dad you wrecked your vehicle (I know, I've been there). Evan, is a regular reader of this blog, so I'd like to say to him, "Hang in there buddy, it's going to be okay."
How about leaving Evan a word of encouragement today? He could use it!
Labels: Blogging, Morgan Family

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