Judge
John Morrison
Judge Morrison
was the eldest of the two children of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Morrison, an
East Coast couple, who moved in the top circles of society. John
was well
liked and accepted by adults and his peers from early on. He had
a special charm which drew people to him and did well at everything he
put his hands to. In his 9th grade, John rebelled against God and
his parents, until his mother came to know Christ and encouraged her
son to as well. She found a youth group for John to get involved
in, and, thanks to a close friendship with his youth leader, John gave
his life to Christ. John’s decision to attend Grove City College
in
Pennsylvania was greatly influenced by his youth leader. John met
his future wife, Mary James, there, and after studying to become a
lawyer and marrying Mary, the couple moved back east for John's law
school. After finishing law school, the Morrisons moved to
Coleraine, where John finally became a lawyer.
As the years went by, John developed the reputation of being a
wise, dependable, and
trustworthy man, and as a man deeply committed to God and his
family. An exciting change has happened for the Morrisons, for,
after encouragement from friends to apply for the position of Judge,
John learned that he had been appointed. Still, his relationships
with God and his family are the most important things in the world to
him, even thought his job has been changed.
Top
Mary
Elisabeth Morrison
Mary
James grew up in a Wisconsin college town, where her father, Michael,
taught history. She learned early on how to play hard, as she had to
compete with her six brothers. However, even though she had a tomboy’s
spirit, she found her joy and passion in books. History was a love of
hers – passed on from her father, as well as literature. Mary liked the
intellectual environment that she grew up in, learning how to think for
herself and defend her beliefs. Mary was very hard on her mother,
Elizabeth, because she was very much feminine and conservative, and
Mary was far from that girlish stereotype. Mary had a fiery spirit even
as a child and often became excited and passionate over things she
believed in.
The Jameses attended church together regularly, and when Mary became a
Christian in first grade, it seemed the most natural thing in the world
for her. From that early age, she read and asked questions about the
Bible just as much as she did about other books she loved. Mary,
independent by nature, decided to attend a private Christian college in
Pennsylvania. It was at this college where she met her husband John.
Top
Brooke
Morrison
Brooke is the first-born, and by
nature, she is very reliable. Being
the oldest in a pretty big family, Brooke almost had no choice but to
become the responsible one. Although it’s always been easy for John and
Mary to lean on Brooke, they both tried their best to allow her to act
her own age. At the young age of 5, Brooke took her daddy’s hand one
night, and told him she was ready to ask Jesus into her heart. Even as
a little girl, when Brooke had thought about something enough and had
come to a decision, there was no going back.
Like Mary, Brooke loves books and stories. As a young girl, she just
couldn’t get enough when her father read the Bible out loud at night.
Like John, Brooke has an easy way with people, and a natural ability to
be who she is no matter who she’s with. She has never been one to spend
a whole lot of time getting ready or trying to fix her self up. Her
shoulder-length curly brown hair is usually pulled back simply, and she
feels no need to wear make-up. After all, who does she have to impress?
Just as John`s friends looked to him and sought his approval, Brooke’s
friends always look to her – she was a silent leader. She loves her
little brothers and little sister, and they all look up to her and love
how special she makes each of them feel.
During the summer before entering high school, Brooke decides to
go out for cross country. She loves to run, but mostly she figures it
will be a good way to get to know people before school begins. As the
first day of high school approaches, despite all her confidence, her
knees are a little shaky.
Top
Justin
Morrison
Justin is the second child in
the Morrison family, and let’s just say
he was never the average rough-and-tumble little boy. Even before he
could talk, Justin was a studier. He just always seemed to know
something that no one else knew. He loved to curl up with mom or dad
while they read to him and Brooke…he had such an attention span! Justin
was way ahead of the rest of his class when he started school, and his
strong will and kindness made him very well liked. When he wasn’t in
school, Brooke often helped him mix potions together in his younger
years to try and figure out how things worked. Justin has always been
quick to help Michael when school problems arise, and Michael has
always been there for Justin when he needs assistance in sports.
This messy-haired blond boy was always full of questions in Sunday
school. Justin, however, did not pray to ask Christ into his life until
he was entering the third grade. He wasn’t about to take that big step
until he was absolutely sure.
Give Justin a rocket to build or a math problem to solve, and he’ll
happily show you a thing or two. He concentrates so hard on whatever
he’s doing that he doesn’t always notice when his shoes are untied or
his glasses are on crooked. But the thought of entering junior high
makes his stomach a bit upset. Justin may be the brains of the family,
but he’s still got a lot to learn.
Top
Micheal
James Morrison
At first glance, Michael doesn’t
seem to fit in too well with the rest of the Morrison family. He
doesn’t like reading, doesn’t care too much for school, isn’t exactly
graceful, and is frequently in hot water at school and at home. Often,
the only thing that gets him out of trouble is his charming smile or
the twinkle in his eye. There’s more to Michael than trouble, though.
He is a true athlete who excels at every sport he tries, but even
though he's rough and tough on the playing field, he does have a
tremendously sensitive heart. He also loves to entertain an audience,
which makes him quite the class (and family) clown.
After Justin became a Christian, he was consumed and excited by his new
faith. This rubbed off on Michael, who would lay awake at nights on the
top bunk in the room he shared with his brother and listen to Justin
tell him why he should become a Christian. Michael figured Justin was
smart, and the whole notion of becoming a Christian seemed to make
sense to him, too, so one night, at age six, Michael decided he wanted
a change in his life, and prayed with Dad to ask Christ into his heart.
Now, Michael faces another change—the 5th grade. There’s a new girl in
his class, and a new teacher to get accustomed to. Hopefully, his heart
and his abilities will carry him through this exciting year in one
piece.
Top
Haley
Grace Morrison
Haley is the fourth child in the
Morrison family–but she’s definitely
not lost in the crowd! Easily the most talkative of the bunch, Haley is
smart, charming, and fun loving. She has always surrounded herself with
a large group of friends. She’s a social butterfly and a girl in every
sense of the word. Like Michael, she has a good heart and is always
interested in other people and their stories. Things aren’t all
sunshine for Haley, though–unlike other members of her family, she
places high value on physical appearance. Her long blond hair means a
lot to her, and, unlike Brooke, she would love to be allowed to wear
make-up. She’s easily swayed by what the popular kids are wearing and
doing. As if that weren’t enough, her talkative nature often gets her
into sticky situations–she just can’t seem to tame her tongue!
In fact, sometimes she’s talking so much that she can’t listen very
well. Thankfully, God was able to break through. One summer, Haley
decided to attend Vacation Bible School so she could be around other
kids. When her friend stayed home sick one day, Haley was quiet enough
to listen to what the teacher had to say–and to hear that she needed a
Savior. At the tender age of seven, she accepted Christ into her life
as her Savior–a direct result of a VBS lesson–and prayed a prayer for
salvation with her VBS teacher. She then went home and eagerly told the
whole family about her experience.
This fall is a changing point for Haley–fourth grade is exciting and
new, and she’s really becoming aware of image and peer pressure. This
promises to be a big year of growth for Haley as she makes some
interesting new friends and figures out her place among her classmates!
Top
Timothy
Joseph Morrison
Born the baby of the family,
Timmy loves to get that extra attention to know he is special. Since he
was the last child home with mom, they enjoyed their one-on-one time
reading together, going to the park, running errands and building
forts. And he especially loved those days when dad would come home from
the office to have lunch with just him and mom. Although he can
entertain himself with his wild imagination, there’s nothing he loves
more than to spend time with his brothers and sisters. Timmy tries his
best to avoid trouble, but has been known to find himself right in the
middle of it – although his heart is usually on the right path.
One autumn day when he and Mary were on a walk to see the fallen
leaves, he began asking her a lot of questions about why the leaves
changed color and die. Soon, Timmy was asking deeper questions about
life and death. Mary told him of heaven and how Jesus is the only way
there. Timmy knew about these stories already, but it finally made
sense to him. That day Mom prayed with Timmy, and he became a Christian.
Though it’s easy for Timmy to make new friends, he’s not very excited
about going into Mrs. Wynkoop’s first grade class. After all, he won’t
even have a cubbie to keep his blanket in anymore like he did in
kindergarten. But most of all, he’s not looking forward to being
separated from his mom all day.
Top
