From Bull Riding to Brain Rebuilding: Nick Morrison’s Story of Grit, Faith, and Comeback Purpose

Former PBR bull rider turned worship leader, comedian, and keynote speaker Nick Morrison shares how resilience shaped his journey from rodeo arenas to rebuilding his brain after over 50 concussions and a hypoxic injury. We explore faith, mindset, rural ministry, neuroplasticity, and the work ethic that fueled his recovery. Nick reveals the power of laughter as healing, the three controllables that change any season, and the heart behind his bestselling book Knocked Out But Not Down. A powerful story of purpose, perseverance, and calling.

Nick's contact info:

Websites - 

https://nickmorrisonspeaker.com

https://nickmorrisoncomedy.com

Nick's book:  

Knocked Out But Not Down

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meet Nick: Ranch Roots And Rodeo Dreams
• 2:45 Rising In PBR And Rodeo Ministry
• 5:45 Injuries, Setbacks, And A Career Cut Short
• 8:30 Family, Faith, And Early Helmet Advocacy
• 13:20 Mentoring Riders And Building Youth Ministries
• 17:45 The Hidden Toll Of Concussions
• 23:14 Racing Crash And Cognitive Decline
• 27:39 The Day His Brain Shut Down
• 31:44 Music As A Path Back To Speech
• 36:44 Daily Brain Work And A New Mission
• 40:44 Writing Knocked Out But Not Down
• 45:09 Choosing The Right Publisher By Faith
• 48:14 Called To Comedy Against All Odds
• 52:44 From Comedy Stages To Keynotes
• 57:04 Gift Laughter, Don’t Get Laughs

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:16

Welcome to the OpenLive Podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurt, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coping. I opened a power wild hearted and adventurous women at faith filling case competition, great faithful meditation, and private confidence for more about the New Wings Coaching. Before we get started, he is a mutual connection of a friend named Cindy, who was glad to have him on her podcast. And I I thought that we interviewed him and I was very intrigued. So so excited to have you here today. Before we get into your story, would you just tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_01: 1:18

Yeah, I mean, I don't uh I guess I don't know where you want me to start on that. I've got uh quite a got quite a big quite a big life. I mean, I'm uh, you know, just a ranch kid, grew up in in Wyoming and South Dakota. Uh, you know, Wyoming uh uh have a ranch that our uh my grandparents um uh it's been in our family for over a hundred years um and uh kind of grew up on that. My dad went into the ministry, um, and so we moved to South Dakota, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where he had a church there, and and uh and that's where I lived uh most of my life, uh the rest of my childhood, I guess. And and um, you know, rodeo is such a big part of life out in that area. And so, you know, I started rodeoing at a at a young age, nine years old, started riding steers, and uh ended up being good at it and you know, started riding bulls when I was 12. Uh by 16, I was traveling full-time doing it by by 18, 19 years old. I was on the PBR tour, fulfilling the dream as a as a professional bull rider. Um, we had a ministry called Bull Riders for Christ uh during that time that um I was preaching. I started preaching when I was 15 years old, and and we were putting church services on at rodeos everywhere we was going. And and our our main goal was in mentoring um uh young bull riders of of all levels, um, not only in their bull riding, but also in their their spiritual walk. And and man, God just blessed everything about that back in the early 2000s. Um but then my pro career um finally made it as a pro, and it just was was one frustration after another. Uh broke C2 in my neck my rookie year, um, sat out the rest of that year. Uh then I broke T10 and 11 in my back, my second year. Yeah, and then uh only sat out eight weeks and and rode with a brace after that because yeah, I was tough and dumb. And um we uh and just started having injury after injury. Um just uh the injury bug uh hit bit and I couldn't get couldn't get rid of it, just kept getting uh kept getting injured and um ended up having a pretty extensive surgery on the shoulder. And uh so come back my fourth year, my very first PBR back, uh 21 years old, and ended up having a bull get me down really bad. And um uh found out a few weeks later that the injuries from that was career ending. And so my career was over at 21, and uh, you know, something I've been dreaming of doing my entire life and been working everything towards since I was nine years old was was over before I even really got to taste my prime. And and um, so I went into ministry from that. We moved to Texas and took over as a youth pastor and worship pastor of uh uh what was a small church at the time, it's Lone Star Cowboy Church. It's it's the world's largest cowboy church now. But we got to be there during all the growth. So we got to be there when it was just you know 100 people in a tent and a youth group of about a dozen kids and and was leading worship and and leading the youth group and God just really blessed that uh whole time there. Uh youth group exploded into we were averaging hundreds a week after uh just a few years, and then uh started um uh crossfire ministries. It was actually birthed at a conference speaking in in your hometown of Minneapolis, and uh um the idea of that. So we supplied youth ministry for rural churches all over the U.S. I had some businessmen in our church uh bought into it, so they paid all of the expenses so that churches didn't have to. And our goal was to um not just supply youth ministry for all of these young um uh these these churches that that can't afford youth pastors, but to train up their leaders. Uh a big problem with churches is they just see a young couple and they say, Oh, they're young, we'll put them over the youth ministry, and they're not they're not trained, they're not, you know, they're uh my dad calls it lost, saved, established, trained, employed. And too many times they go from lost to save to employed, and there's no establishing and training. And so our whole idea was is that we're gonna come in and via DVD, because this is back like early 2000s, we're going to supply all of your youth ministry, we're gonna have bumper videos, we're gonna have uh videos that you can be like music video shows that you can play while kids are walking in, something dynamic, and then really good teaching of the word. And but and the backside of that, we're training your leaders, and in a two-year period, we're gonna roll this youth group over to them. So we're gonna help grow that youth group, but we're gonna grow them as leaders as well together until they take over. And so um, yeah, you know, we had over 30 churches around the US that we were were doing this with, and uh, and um when that was really taken off, uh I had a lot of concussions uh for my bull riding uh time. Um the it's recorded just from my college and professional career that I had over 26 concussions.

SPEAKER_00: 5:41

26?

SPEAKER_01: 5:42

Yeah, well that's just that's just in the rodeo part of it. That's it.

SPEAKER_00: 5:45

Like documented.

SPEAKER_01: 5:46

Documented now. Well, so now since then we've documented over 50 uh concussions. For you for me, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 5:52

For you just you.

SPEAKER_01: 5:54

Just me, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 5:54

Okay, so uh speaking of that, I I I feel like I need to go back a little bit. Okay. That's okay. Back and no, you're fine.

SPEAKER_01: 6:00

Yeah, because like I said, the story you you stopped me anywhere because it's it keeps it. It keeps going. So I know.

SPEAKER_00: 6:05

I I'm the same way. Like I feel like we need to go back to the beginning a little bit here because partly because um I shared with you before we got started. I love watching people do wild things, right? That I might not do. Like for example, people climbing Mount Everest would never do it, but I find it fascinating to watch people do things I would never do. Like I've I watched eight seconds, I've watched different things with bull writers. I need to know this. And maybe other people need to know this. You're nine years old. Where was your mom? Did he like I'm a mom, I have two boys. Like how did you feel about this, first of all? And second of all, like how did you feel the first time you like got on a bucking animal?

SPEAKER_01: 6:51

Well, you know, you started small on steers, you know, and and so that you know you started young. And my mom was always supportive. She didn't like it so much, but um, she was a prayer warrior, and so she she she spent a lot of time in prayer. There's um the only time yeah, the only time she really uh said anything, when I was 11, I took a horn between the eyes. And it and it Yeah, I took uh uh right between the eyes, it split split my uh split me open all the way to the bone. And the doctor said if it had been an inch to either side, I'd have lost an eye. And it's higher, it it it had the possibility to kill me. And if it had been in its lower, they the the angle that it hit, they said it would have killed me instantly. And so my my mom was um very adamant if you're gonna keep riding bulls, you're gonna wear a helmet. Well, at this time, and this is like 1993, 94. Helmets weren't a thing yet. And so um that's when you were 11, right? Yeah, and yeah, I was about 11. And so we I wore a lacrosse helmet. So I was one of the first ever guys to really wear a helmet, and I got made fun of a lot for it. I got, you know, it was it was because it was a manly thing, you know, to ride bulls, and here you're all wearing a helmet. And then a couple years later, Brent Thurman um at the National Finals rodeo, which is like a Super Bowl rodeo, that he had a bull step on the back of his head on live national television and it and it killed him. And so then they they invented what's called the bulltuff helmet. And so uh because I was already riding a helmet with a helmet, the the guy that invented those got a hold of us and I had a prototype. And so I was one of the first ever bulltuff helmets. And and so I I rode with a helmet early on in it in my senior year in high school it saved my life, uh, had a bull step on my head and crushed my helmet. And it would have it would have killed me instantly if I wouldn't have been wearing a helmet. Um, and what was really cool about that, uh, you know, my mom being a prayer warrior, it was in the practice pen at the house. And my mom was inside doing stuff, and she got a phone call from a lady in our church. And the lady, as soon as my mom picked up the phone, she said, Is Nick okay? My mom said, What are you talking about? And she said, Is Nick okay? She said, I just got a strong leading from the Holy Spirit that I needed to pray for Nick right now, stop everything I was doing. I just want to call and make sure he's okay, he's okay. My mom looked out the window, and right when she looked out the window, I was crawling on my hands and knees with my helmet off my deal. So it had just happened right when she yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 9:00

So just and that's when the the helmet was crushed.

SPEAKER_01: 9:03

Yep, yep, exactly. And and it uh um, but so my uh my mom was always, you know, she's always a prayer warrior. She was always, you know, um uh you know, it probably wasn't easy on her, but she uh she was always so supportive of it. And rodeo is just a very big part of life there. It's the official sport of of both states in Wyoming and South Dakota. Um and so my mom pretty much become a rodeo mom for a lot of the guys. Uh, our house, we had our own arena, we had our our own buck and bulls, we raised buck and bulls and horses, and so you know, in South Dakota, when I was growing up, um, that 90s in the South Dakota was is the golden era of just um high end. You had guys that were already pros, but the high school, junior high and high school age, you had what would go on to the the in the 2000s dominate the professional rodeo field. And it was all the guys coming and staying at our house and riding riding at our house. So my dad would use that guys would come and and and we gave them free practice for every horse or boy you got on Yodis of church service. And so we had we always had dozens of guys staying at our house, a lot of them living with us, um, just so they could practice because they were hungry for it. And so my mom just became all of their rodeo mom, really honestly. And so uh it's just you know, the and that's where actually where Bull Rise for Christ birthed out of was just was just those sitting around and and that uh atmosphere with my dad pouring into all of us as junior high and high school kids, and then us just going out and doing the same thing. Um and so yeah, they she was always supportive, um, but she she spent a lot of time in prayer for it for sure. And for me, I just I I fell in love with it pretty quickly. I mean, it's the adrenaline rush, yeah, is it's it's unrivaled.

SPEAKER_00: 10:40

And so it's the adrenaline rush, right?

SPEAKER_01: 10:43

Oh, absolutely, yes.

SPEAKER_00: 10:44

I I just need to know like, do you have fear? Like, did you have fear when you were stepping into this?

SPEAKER_01: 10:50

Like no, I never I never really was afraid. Um, but you have to have butterflies. If you don't have butterflies, you're if someone tells you they don't, they're lying in their time.

SPEAKER_00: 11:00

But I remember one time every time, every time.

SPEAKER_01: 11:02

Yeah, every time you get butterflies. Like it's just like me getting on stage. You know, I'm I'm a stand-up comedian now and and a and a motivational speaker, and I still get butterflies when I get on stage. I get more butterflies in front of small crowds when it's a when it's a smaller room, larger rooms, it doesn't bother me as much.

SPEAKER_00: 11:17

And uh but I get that's worth repeating. Like somebody's listening thinking, okay, well, you're you're actually this is the big deal getting on a bowl. And you would get butterflies every single time. And even now in the work that you're doing, you get butterflies every time. I think sometimes we look at people, you know, I might be watching eight seconds and think, oh, that person just has no fear. Like, what's wrong with me? Do you know what I'm talking about?

SPEAKER_01: 11:41

Like, yeah, it and it's a it's a mon it's it's a pretty common thread on that. Like, there's some guys that are scared, like they really are, and that's why they get and that's why they drink a lot and get a lot of drugs and stuff before they they ride, is because it's the only way they can really get the courage up. Um, but a lot of your guys, you're gonna have even the just the the toughest guys on the planet, you're gonna have little butterflies. I do remember one time as at a PDR, and um I don't even remember what town it is, but I can still still see it, still visualize it, and they're running the bulls in the chutes, and mine is still in the in the in the shoots in the back penny, I hadn't run into the the bucket chutes yet, he's still in the alleyway. And I'm walking up there, and he's a big old Brentle bull, and he's just you know throwing his head around and all this different stuff. And I'm going to put my rope on him, and it's just like fear just hit. Like, what are you doing? Yeah, like you're you're gonna die. Like you're gonna get on this, you're gonna, and like fear just tried to take over me. And I'd never felt that before, riding bulls, ever. I mean, this is this is probably 200,000 bulls in. And I finally, for the first time, so I just started quoting uh uh God's not giving me spirit of fear, but a power, love and a sound mind over and over and over again until I just finally I kind of got out of there. But it was just it was the first time I'd ever, and really only time I'd ever really felt that. Um, but there's some guys they are they're they're scared, but the adrenaline it's it's worth it. But most of your guys on the pro level, they're man, they they love it. It's you know, it's something you're good at. You look forward to it, you crave it. You know, even now, I mean, I got hurt in 2004, and so that was 21 years ago, and I still will have a dream of riding a bull and wake up in a cold sweat with just you know, excited and just craving it. And so even though my body hurts all over, it still is it's still working, yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 13:24

Well, and I'm and I'm just curious, even you know, you just said your your body hurts all over. Like, do you have you know, you said 50 concussions? I mean, yeah, I don't know if my brain would still be working. Like obviously God's grace and his healing power, but like how how are you doing like after I mean, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01: 13:41

So that that's quite a that's kind of what it affected, yeah. So I um when I couldn't ride bulls anymore, I had to do something for adrenaline. And so I bought a race car. And um right at the same time, yeah, right at the same time that our that you know I was at Lone Star, everything was was taking off and doing great. Um, I wrecked my race car really bad and had another concussion. It wasn't even that bad of a concussion, wasn't even that bad of a wreck, but it was just the one that kind of pushed me over the edge. Okay, and I started having a lot of issues. Um, that's when I started passing out a lot. Uh, started getting nosebleeds, um, started getting nosebleeds really bad, headaches. My my mood had changed. I didn't notice, my wife noticed, but my whole personality had changed. Everything I got I was paranoid that everybody was out to get me, just all of this different stuff. And um, it took a lot of tests for them to figure out it had to do with my brain. And so that's when they started kind of tracking more of the concussions. Um, the problem is I pass out and a concussion isn't hitting, it's not from hitting the outside of your head, it's from the brain moving too rapidly inside the head. And so you don't have to hit your head to get a concussion. Um, you don't have to just because you're knocked out doesn't mean you have a concussion, and just you you can get a concussion without being knocked out. Now, if you're knocked out, usually you are going to get one. But it's it's about the brain moving. Well, when I pass out, a lot of times it it gives me more concussions. And so they've actually stopped counting at 50 uh because they're like at this point, there's really no point in counting anymore. It's just my brain is so loose inside the school and stuff. So what they found in all the tests was that the front right lobe of my brain was completely inactive. Um, and so they they figured it was they called it like a permanent bruise, but it was just damage over time and it was causing all these issues. But uh the brain is an amazing thing, and you know, God has designed it to be an amazing thing, and so because my damage happened over time and because I have a really high IQ, I'm I'm on the the mensa scale, and so they figured the IQ and the damage happening over time that the brain adapted itself, and so the rest of the brain kind of picks up the slack, although I have had some issues, and so as that I had to step down from uh working such a stressful job at at Lone Star with everything, with all of just there was a lot to to do there, and work started to work at another church and executive role. I'm I'm still there, I'm director of ministries there. Okay, and uh the brain stuff just kept kind of getting worse and um concussions kind of started stacking on top of each other. And then in 2020, I had uh a reaction to to my brain um issues. Uh most people, when they're you're like when you get into extreme colds, like you know, where you're at, it gets really cold, your your body adapts and will pull all of the blood from your extremities to protect your core. Well, my brain, the the wires got crossed somewhere, and so my brain will do that when I get hot as well. And so I was outside working and I got really hot, and I did the whole manly thing of I'm just gonna push through this anyways, and I just kept working, even though I could feel the blood draining from my face, from my arms, and it ended up robbing my brain of oxygen, and so I had what's called a hypoxic extemic encephalapathy. And um, pretty much uh what happened was uh a section of my brain shut down because it was wasn't getting oxygen, and um I my my arms and legs kind of quit working, and so I kind of crawled myself back in what I could. They were really numb. And I cooled, and I got inside, and um, I had what's called a uh a catatonic syndrome syndrome, a catatonic syndrome like uh reaction is what they call it. And pretty much that nightmare of getting trapped in your body happened to me. Um, I looked at a light switch on the wall and I couldn't take my eyes off the light switch and was pretty much just stuck staring at this light switch. I couldn't move my arms, couldn't move my eye, I couldn't feel any of my body. I could just see, I could feel the tears running down my eyes because I couldn't blink. Um I could feel the drool coming off of my because I couldn't swallow, I couldn't do anything. But um, I just sat there for hours until my wife got home from work and saw me in that state. And of course, she's trying to snap me out of it. She starts praying over me. I snap out of it. Um, and I went to tell her, you know, I'm gonna be okay. Just give me a minute to recover, and she didn't react. So I said it again, like I'm I'm gonna be okay. And that's uh after the third time her not reacting, I realized I'm saying it in my head and I wasn't speaking. So the damage to the brain had caused organ to orgad uh organic mutism. And um because of that, uh I couldn't speak. And I couldn't, my brain, I could think the words, but no, not even a noise. I couldn't even get a noise to come out of my my mouth. And so I was now faced with another op another deal. You know, at this point I'd already started doing stand-up comedy. Um uh uh and and it was taken off, really taken off at this point. Uh Bob Smiley, who's a big Christian comedian, was was going to take me on the road with him, you know, and and so I'm like, this is my first big break and and all of this, and now all of a sudden I can't talk. And and everything I do revolves around talking. I can't do comedy if I can't talk. I can't work with the church if I can't talk. Not only that, my my arms were were shriveled up and and they wouldn't, I couldn't open my hands, they were just curled up. Uh just everything was uh was a mess. And because of the brain damage that I'd had when we left Lone Star, I lost my health insurance that I had through the church, and no other health insurance would approve me because I had so much damage. And so I didn't have health insurance to go to a facility and rehab. And so it was like this this is a choice I have to make now. Do I want this to be my new reality or am I willing to put the work in to get through this? And so I made up my mind that I'm I'm gonna talk again, even though they're saying it's it's a good chance I'm not gonna ever be able to talk again. I'm I'm gonna talk again. And so I I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna put the same work I put into everything I do, put everything I have into it. And so I'd wake up in the morning and I would just do brain exercises and tell I went to bed at night, and nothing was working, nothing was happening. Um, but one day I was walking by a piano in our room or in our living room, and I remember thinking, Man, I I miss playing music. And as soon as I thought that, my left hand opened up. And so I started playing with my hand on the piano, and my other hand opened up. So I sat down at the piano and I'm playing the piano with both hands, and tears was rolling down my face because I'm actually can play. And I stood up and my hands curled back up again. So I sat back down to the piano, they opened back up again. And so, what was explained to me was where the damage was, where the brain had shut down with all. On opposite side of the creative side that the music. And so that became an avenue that I could now open the brainwave. So what I would do is I'd sit down at the piano and I would play with one hand, and then I would do with my other hand, I would do um crosswords and I would do Sudokus and I would do mahjong and in solitaire, just whatever, just to make the brain work. Um I would get the dictionary out and I would just read the words out loud. Well, then eventually I just went ahead and got my guitar and I was like, I'm gonna I'm gonna worship. And so I would play guitar from morning till night until my fingers bled, and I would just sing worship songs in my mind because nothing was coming out, but I could play. My fingers would work as long as I could could was playing music, and so I would just worship all day long. Well, eventually, after a few days, noise started to come out of my throat, and so then I get excited. So now I'm now I'm not just singing in my head, you know. I sound like a beller and cow, but I'm um I'm making I'm making noise. And that eventually led to me being able to form uh with my mouth some words and just slowly just kept doing that until I I started to get my voice back and was able to speak again. And so, but the the thing is is where the damage to the brain is, it's it's considered permanent damage. And so I have to constantly keep that open. So this is like a daily fight for me. That was in 2020, and and I have to do two to four hours of brain exercises every morning to um to still be able to speak and be able to do this. And now, you know, God has me in a space where I'm traveling all over the world, you know, telling my story, but inspiring people and and pushing them. And and like if I have to be on stage, uh, like we were talking about before, I'm gonna be in your town in a couple days. And and you know, I'm I'm going on stage at 12 in the morning, but sound or uh the production meetings that is at seven. So that means you know, I'm flying in the afternoon before. Um I'm waking up at one o'clock in the morning because I have to do, I have to do that much time to be able to know that I'm gonna be able to step up on stage and be able to speak clearly. And so it's a it's a daily fight for me here, but it's it's turned into um uh something that that I've been able to use to to reach people to talk about resilience, talk about not giving up, talk about um what do you do when life hits you so hard that that you're you know you're looking at because I had three, I had two career changes because of things out of my hands and almost the third, you know, and I just um and Satan's always attacking, you know. We're talking about it beforehand. It's just it's it never ends, you know. But uh, but now you know God laid it on my heart to to put it all in a book. And so I started writing knocked out but not down. Um uh a lot uh before any of that even happened.

SPEAKER_00: 23:13

I was just writing about you wrote about it before you had the 2020 incident.

SPEAKER_01: 23:18

Yeah, yeah. So I started on it seven years ago, and then yeah, I pray that my wife and I pray that God not only guides our steps but also our stops. And so um Say that again.

SPEAKER_00: 23:27

Say that again.

SPEAKER_01: 23:28

Yeah, that God doesn't just guide my steps, He also guides my stops. So when God says to do, we do. But a lot of times we we follow God saying to do, and then he says, you know what, okay, you've done that for a time, it's time to do something else. And we go, Oh, but I'm enjoying this, I want to keep doing this. And it's like, no, it takes it takes more discipline to stop than it does to start, honestly. And but God's if God, like if if God told me tomorrow, stop doing comedy, it's it's it's done its course. Everything I put into it, I'll I'll listen because I've seen God be so diligent in so many different things. Um, so I I started writing the book and then set it down, then everything else happened. And then um in November of last year, God I heard God say, pick the book back up. I want you to start working on it again. So I started working on it. I picked it up, just kind of re re-acclimating myself to it. And then in uh February, I heard God say, okay, start writing the next chapter. So I started writing again, and you know, I I didn't know, you know, what I was gonna do as far as getting it out there. Well, then I opened up my LinkedIn one day and I had six uh six offers from six different publishing companies saying, Are you interested in doing a book? We would like for you to do a book. We want to put it out there for you. So prayed about it, saying, Okay, God, this is it. And God says, Nope. And I'm like, Well, okay. So I once again, I'm I'm gonna be more diligent listening to God. And uh then about two weeks later, I got a uh a known, an unknown, never heard of them publishing company up in Canada. And as soon as I opened the the email message, I heard God say, This is this is who you're gonna work with. Wow, and uh so I I signed a book deal with them in March. Um, and man, it was the exact people I needed to work with.

SPEAKER_03: 25:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_01: 25:06

And um God just really blessed all of it. They teamed me with a with an established author to help with the research behind it. Um and so and just kind of helped guide. And uh I wrote wrote pretty much started over the new chapters. If if I would have, if I wouldn't have written those first chapters seven years ago, I wouldn't have time, I wouldn't have been able to hit their deadline. And so um, but well, I worked pretty much for three months solid, and then the book came out in October, and God has absolutely blessed it. Uh came out number one in rodeo. Uh, our goal was to maybe make a top 100 list in rodeo, uh, the three categories they picked for that, uh neuroscience and um sports biographies. And we were we had no, we were like, we're never gonna make the top 100 list of sports biographies. That's just too stacked of a list. Neuroscience, maybe we can crack top 100, but our goal is to crack the top 100 in rodeo. And it debuted number one in rodeo, top 10 in neuroscience and top 25 in sports biographies. And yeah, and God has just absolutely blessed it. Um, but even more is the the the feedback I'm getting. I mean, the book's only been out for a month, and the feedback I'm getting from from people all over the all over the the I uh North America that are saw the book on Amazon that was recommended to them because Amazon put it on their top 100 new books to read list. And so people were were grabbing the book and and um and and reading it because it was recommended to them and and just their people who are going through difficult things in their life and how it helped them, but then other people that have concussion issues that gives you first hand accounts. So it it kind of follows my story of concussions, not really my story, but also of adversity and all the different things we face, you know, losing our house and Hurricane Harvey and and um having the insurance and FEMA fight over who's gonna pay for it, and ultimately neither of them wanted to pay for it. And so we had, you know, we're in a torn-down house and and having to start completely over, broke as broke can be, you know, and just watching God move through that. So the whole the whole thing is just through adversity, through all that, a lot of stories, lot of stuff. And so just what following God's leading on everything I'm doing has got me to where where we're at today. And now, you know, it yes, I had to deal with all this, but God is placing me in front of people where I can I can be an effect to them. Like we were talking about before. I'm not I I go into churches and I do a lot of like comedy at churches and I do a lot of uh speaking at churches, but I also I go into a lot of uh bars, I go into a lot of these other things, and that's where God has me doing comedy in these dance halls and places like that, and I'm able to do to bring God to them. Um I speak at a lot of these, a lot of these big companies that bring me in to speak. I have to sign a clause that I can't I won't speak any politics or religion. And so I can't mention God from the stage, but that doesn't mean I can't still mention God's principles, and so I'll I'll still 100% um be be use of scripture. I'm just not saying turn your Bibles to, you know, and still use those same principles and still instill God's principles into people's lives, um, even though I'm not uh necessarily allowed to mention that it's from the Bible or that it's about principles, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_00: 28:08

Yeah, totally. And I I love um I just want to go back for a second where you where you even uh common thread with your life. Um I can see where even you had this one day in particular where you're getting like text offers on LinkedIn for people to help publish your book and you like stop when you talk about stopping and you were just like there's the right you know coming out of the like oh that's what it's like, right? Yeah, but you had enough um where was all to stop and ask for it, like is it for me and you didn't go with it. You waited for the right the right people to help you move forward. It was a better I think you said it was kind of like a a not well known is that race?

SPEAKER_01: 28:57

Yeah, they they they were kind of just starting. Um they've been around for maybe a year. Um and they're they've been they're knocking out a ton of books right now, mainly in the the motivational speaking world and sports. They they have a lot of sports athletes and and stuff. Um and uh they've just been phenomenal to work with. Like they that uh and it was really it was really a kind of a God thing, you know. Totally. Yeah, I mean uh yeah, but I mean it was, it absolutely was, but it was it just was like, you know, I'm I I've always and I think a lot of it is because there's times where I didn't listen to God and I and it took me longer to to dig myself out of those holes. And so um then I'd rather be where God wants me to be than where I want to be. And it it always a perfect example is as is what I do now. So I'm you know, here I am, uh, you know, I've been working in church for, you know, 15, 14, 15 years, 16 years at this point. And you know, my royal career was over, and and God was kind of laying on my wife and I've heart that he was gonna be taking us through a uh not a small change, but a very big change. So um I didn't know what that meant, you know, uh if that meant that, you know, I I never wanted to be a senior pastor. I enjoy being the guy that kind of is in the back mentoring and training people and and and and you know, I don't I don't have to be the guy type of a thing. And so I was like, you know, I really don't want to do that, but if that's what God wants me to do, I will. And I heard God say that's not what it is. And and I remember one time in prayer, God asked, I just heard God say, What do you want to do? And I said, you know what I'd love to do is to be a motivational speaker. Like I love every time I've gotten to speak at schools or go speak at a business, especially when I was riding bulls and the and the and because I was a bull rider who could speak, the PBR would use me to be the one to go into schools and to go into places and and talk because I most bull riders are shy and and they don't they can't me on the other hand. I you know, I've I've been like I said, I was preaching since I was 15. I I was used to it. And I've loved that, would love to do that. So I remember thinking, okay, this is what I'm gonna do. God's change is gonna be that I'm a motivational speaker. And we're driving to Christmas in in um, I think it's 2018. We're driving across Texas to my in-laws in El Paso. And um, I heard God say, you know, we were my wife and I were fasting, and I heard God say, I don't want you to play any anything on the on the radio or anything this entire drive because during this drive is one, I'm gonna tell you what the change is gonna be. Well, that's tough. I mean, it's a 13-hour drive, and you got two kids in the car, and you got and you're saying, Yeah, then we're not gonna listen to anything, it's gonna be dead silence in here for 13 hours.

SPEAKER_00: 31:25

And how old were your kids at the time?

SPEAKER_01: 31:27

Um, they were probably uh, I want to say, let's see, that's what we're in 2025. So I want to say they would have been like sixth grade and eighth grade, maybe. I'm not sure. Wow, yeah, junior high. And uh we're a few hours into the trip, and I heard God say, Okay, um, I want you to be a stand-up comedian. And here I'm thinking he's gonna say, You're gonna be a motivational speaker. You asked me, What do I want to do? And I told you I want to be a motivational speaker. And I heard God say, I want you to be a stand-up comedian, and I and I actually laughed.

SPEAKER_00: 31:57

Did you laugh? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 31:58

I laughed and I was like, Yeah, you're funny, God. Yeah, not gonna happen. And then my wife goes, Have you ever thought about being a stand-up comedian? Well, then I'm kind of a little upset because God went around me to her because I laughed at it, you know, kind of a Sarah moment.

SPEAKER_00: 32:10

Wow, and how how short of a time span was that that you're getting accustomed to?

SPEAKER_01: 32:16

45 seconds.

SPEAKER_00: 32:17

45 seconds, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 32:19

45 seconds to a minute.

SPEAKER_00: 32:20

I was gonna say it wasn't eight seconds, that would have been yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 32:23

I I I I joke that you know God God said it to me, and I'm so airheaded that it just went through one ear and out the other and hit her as like she heard it. But uh but then so I'm like, okay, so we're talking about it a little bit on the drive, like what would that be? And I'm like, I just I don't know. That's just not that's not something that sounds fun to me at all. Yeah, and then I get a phone call and it's from one of my best friends from rodeo, and he's not the kind of guy to do that well, he he's the kind of guy that'll make fun of comedians, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_03: 32:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_01: 32:50

And he he calls and he says, Man, I was praying and I really feel like I needed to call you and and ask you, have you ever thought about being a stand-up comedian? And I'm like, Okay, God, I get it. You know, so we drive the rest of the way, I'm thinking through it. I'm I'm thinking through everything I'm supposed to be doing and and how that what that looks like, you know. I get to my in-laws, I ask them about it, and they're like, you know, they're fully supportive. So I'm like, okay. So I I start doing this comedy thing. Well, then the the HIE thing happens, the hypoxic extemic encephalapathy, and I lose my voice and I have to get all that back. And so I'm doing comedy. And um uh God has instead of trying to get on with other people, I'm just like, I'm just gonna do my own thing. So I started buying, I started renting out uh dance halls around Texas and Oklahoma and Louisiana, and then uh and I was selling them out ever like we went on like a 26 show sellout street where I was selling out every show. You know, some of them are four or five, six hundred people, which in comedy that's that's a big show. Like most comedy clubs are you know, 30, 40 people is considered a good show. And so um that they these these uh dance halls, they keep a record of that and it take notice. And so the Texas music industry reached out to me and they said we're doing a conference with um people who are their job is booking uh musicians and and they're the movers and shakers in the Texas music industry, not just country, but uh rappers and Chihane and and or Tejano or whatever they call it, the Mexican music and like all this different stuff. Um that we want you to come talk to us about how you're uh selling these venues out because we're coming out of COVID and we're struggling to sell shows out. And so um, so I'm like, okay, so I go to this conference, and as I'm driving down there, you know, I've written this whole speech. I had I had uh a whole hour. I was gonna be one of their keynote speakers for the day. Have this whole hour speech written out, and I heard God say, I want you to tell your story. I'm like, well, I'm not gonna do that to them. They called me specifically to do something, but I'm like, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna definitely listen to this. So then the rest of that drive, I'm like, what would that look like? I need to write a speech. Like, I've never really told my story from stage, I've never really talked about my concussions from stage. And uh around that same time, a magazine had written an article about me, a Western magazine, that um last time you saw me was riding bulls, now you're seeing him on the comedy stage, and it told my story. Well, when I get there, the guy that's putting the conference on had read that magazine article and he said, Hey, I know it's kind of a last-minute change, but could you just tell your story? So I get up and I just tell my story. No notes, no nothing. Just tell my story and just kind of let God lead in front of all these people you know who were who are there. Well, in the crowd is uh an old keynote speaker, uh retired international speaker. And um, he comes up to me and he says, Man, you really need to do this. Have you ever thought about being a motivational speaker? And I said, It's it's what I'd love to do. I would love to do that. And he said, Well, it's not something you can just show up and do. Like you have to you have to put the work in. And he said, I'm I'm retired, I but I I believe so much in how you can affect people with what you have to bring. I want to help you. And so for a year, I worked with this guy, and um, and we're and it God just throws me into this, right? And and now all of a sudden I'm traveling and speaking, and I remember um I'm on stage in front of like four or five thousand people, and I'm talking, telling my story, and I'm talking about, you know, um, because I bring actionable things. So I'm talking about what I call the 15-minute rule and how to handle change, and and the only three three things I can control are my my work ethic, my attitude, and my mentality. And I'm talking about this and how if any of those three things stink, I'm not gonna succeed in in getting through this change or through this adversity, whatever it is. And I just heard God say, Remember what you said you wanted to do. And I looked out at this crowd and I'm like, I'm doing it.

SPEAKER_03: 36:31

And it was like, what a moment.

SPEAKER_01: 36:33

God get but God wants my obedience. And I and I, this is one of the things I talk about when churches bring me in is being diligent in obedience, is that God said, This is what I want you to do, but He He was like, But I I want to know how obedient you are. So I'm gonna give you something completely off the wall. And I was obedient in that. And then God was like, Okay, through that opened a door that would not have happened had I not done comedy. If I hadn't done any of the comedy at all, that door would have never opened at all. And so we're and so like I'm very big on when God says to do something, do it, regardless of how wild it seems. I mean, you look at how many times in the Bible they did that God would say, you know, do this. And it's like that's like throw your staff on the ground. What why throw my staff on the ground? Like it's like an issue fat? Like, what do you want, you know? And God and and because God wants your obedience. David and Saul both um both sinned. But David repented. Saul stayed in disobedience. David kept his kingdom despite it. Saul lost his kingdom because of how important obedience is to God. And so for me, it's like, okay, God, what do you if if you tell me tomorrow to stop doing all of it, I'll stop doing all of it tomorrow because that's you it that you are putting me, and it takes the pressure off of me, you know, where I don't feel like I have to get up and perform. Comedy is so hard to do, it's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life because one night you're you're just slaying and you get a standing ovation, and everybody's laughing at everything you say, and then the next night it's crickets and they're just looking at you like it's just it's just the weirdest phenomenon I've ever seen, and every comedian struggles with it. I've I've been there when Kevin Hart bombed completely in front of a crowd, just I mean, bombed. And it didn't phase him at all because he's like, That's comedy. You know, you think, oh, he's someone who's gonna be great all the time. Everybody bomb, everybody does it, you know. And um, and and but with all of that, like uh the pressures on you as a comedian to try to make people laugh because you're like, they're here to see me, they're buying tickets to see me, and you have this mentality if I don't perform well that that I'm that that I'm failing them. And so comedians go through this roller coaster of emotions, of highs, extreme highs, and extreme lows. And it's why you see a a lot of comedians uh commit suicide is because they can't handle that. And I and it was something that Michael Jr. had said. Um, I can't remember if he if he said it to me or if I if I watched it on a on a deal one time, but um it it changed everything because he he said, Stop trying to get laughs from people. You should be gifting laughter to somebody else. It changes your entire mindset that you're not there to get laughs from others, you're there to gift them laughter. And there's somebody there that's going through something, there's somebody there that's struggling in life, and you are gifting them the gift of laughter, you are giving them that deal to escape from what they're doing. And the pressure is no longer on me to try to perform to get something from the crowd. Now it's me to meet them where they're at. And ever since change that mentality, I haven't bombed since. Like I have not just had where it's just like a you know, you have more smaller crowds, and so you don't get the you get used to that raucous laughter from, you know, if you got a thousand people in the room and half of them are laughing, that's still 500 people laughing. If 10 are in the room, they hear themselves laugh and they stop laughing, you know, because they don't want to people don't want to hear themselves laugh. And so you you but you're you're still laboring through that, but you can see their face, and so you zero in on that person, like you can tell from stage the person that needs it. And it's it's become a whole other ministry for me, just of what God can do through that. And it just takes that pressure off, okay, God, I'm gonna be obedient and I'm no longer it's not about me, it's not about uh them laughing to give me um to to feed my ego or anything, it's about me sacrificing everything I have to bring to them something to set them out. And and the the one that always sticks out to me, we were at this dance hall in Howlett'sville, Texas, and I have a photo, it's like one of my favorite photos, it's from behind because it's these four boys sitting in front and they're laughing. And so it's one of my favorite photos, I put it. everywhere. But there's these four teenage boys. And you know, I had a bunch of different openers and a bunch of different stuff before me. And these kids weren't laughing, weren't laughing. And then they started so slowly. And then the feature right before me, they started really getting into it laughing. Well when I get up, they're just they're bending over, they're holding their bellies, they're just covering. And so I go back to the to the merch table and and who I think is their parents come up to me and they're like, you have no idea what tonight meant to us. He said those four boys are brothers and their parents were killed in a car wreck about a month and a half ago.

SPEAKER_03: 41:08

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01: 41:09

And they have not left the house. They have not done anything and we wanted to get them out to enjoy life again. And so we thought a clean comedy show what a better thing so we bought them first row front row tickets.

SPEAKER_03: 41:18

Oh my God.

SPEAKER_01: 41:19

And like that is my memory every time of where I'm like you know it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm driving home at night and I'm tired and I just don't you know I just lost a thousand bucks and travel because I didn't get paid as much as they said they were going to pay me and you know you just all and you're just struggling I pull that picture up and say this is why I'm doing this. Because yep every time because this is why I'm doing it. This is the fact I mean that th those boys they may never remember it or they may always remember it. I don't know but I will always remember this because it was yeah because it's that this is what it's almost like God saying this is what I place you here for now. You know?

SPEAKER_00: 41:55

Yes oh my goodness that I mean it it it carries over in so many things what you talked about with you know not just getting but giving right because I feel like just the way of the world is what can you get yeah we need to change that to like what can you give and what is what are your gifts that you can give to this world? Not not what are the gifts that you can get from this world.

SPEAKER_01: 42:21

It's it's where I think that give me or see press down shaking together running over. You know we we we just go okay watch I just need to give money and then I'll get money pressed down. It's everything you give.

SPEAKER_03: 42:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 42:30

And it's it falls back to treat those the way you want to be treated. If if I want it it's the way I think about if I want if I want someone to think about me you know one way then I'm not going to I'm going to think that way about other people because I'm going to get that back in return pressed down shaking together running over. If I want people to to be nice to me I'm going to be nice to people because then I'm going to get that back. But in the same sense if I'm a jerk to people they're going to be a jerk to me because you're going to get that back. And so um I'm all about our mindset has to know we we have to take it off ourselves. And it's so hard because we are such selfish people. You know and if you think you aren't so like I tell people this if you think you aren't selfish go take a group photo who's the first person you look for in the photo right and you say I'm not selfish then but you go and and if everybody else looks good but your eyes were closed no we got to take the photo again. You know what I mean? It's like you're you you we try to say we're not selfish but we are by nature. Now me honestly a first person I look for is my wife because if if she looks good I look good. And so if if she doesn't look good then you know but she always looks good. But you know what I'm saying like that's like that because I don't I don't care I know I already look like a goober as it is and so but but we as humans like we're naturally selfish. And so when we meet somebody it's what can I get from them and we we put this label on people when when we meet them we give them a number rating. And we we may not do it consciously but subconsciously we give them a number rating based on the biggest thing what can I get from them? And we we rate them based on what they're wearing, how they're talking how many teeth they have how many teeth they don't have how many you know we we rate them and we give them this number system in our our subconscious of what we can get from them and how valuable they are to us. It's why like you'll see people um I see this phenomenon all the time where you'll have like you know there's there's this there's one lady she's very powerful in the in the comedy world and if people don't know who she is they look at her and she's she's this bubbly just fun person and they'll look at her and you'll see comedians be like oh she's just you know look at look at that lady sitting in the front row she and they'll start making fun of her. And then someone tells them who they who she is and they're all of a sudden like oh she's amazing and their whole mentality changes because they're like oh she can get me on bigger stages. That's somebody who has connections that and so they went from giving them giving her a one to giving her a 10 and and my philosophy in life is everybody's a 10.

SPEAKER_02: 44:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 44:50

If I meet them I'm going to treat them like I can get every like I like I would if they were the you know somebody who could give me everything in the world. Like because that's what your your brain wants to do. I let them move that number down based on their integrity based on their how they treat other people how they that number will move down and really honestly it's hard for me to move the number back up if they move it down. But I'm not going to put them in a box of first impressions exactly and and start off because you know you just you never know who somebody and we we we our our subconscious is always what can I get from other people that that's how we view people our relationship with them and it and really honestly our our people are God's greatest treasure. We should never miss an opportunity no matter who they are that God that that we could be making an impact in their life and we could be that person like if I want God to trust me with things I need him to trust me with a little that means when I'm at the airport and I'm tired and someone comes up and just wants to talk to me and tell me their story. And I want to just be like walk away I don't even have to be like you know what they need to tell their story to somebody so I'm going to sit here and I'm going to talk to them and I'm going to pray over them or I'm going to whatever it is. I'm just going to give this person that time of day and God bless you back. I we were I was laid over the other day at an airport and you know anytime you're flying it's just kind of the way of the world right now. And everybody's getting mad and everybody's going up to the ladies and they're throwing a fit and they're mad at them and it's not their fault that the plane is having issues. And so um I went and got some food and when I come back they make the announcement we want to buy everybody dinner. Well I just got dinner and so like what am I going to spend this money this little bell voucher on it has to be here. So I just went up to the ladies and I said what's your favorite candy like you guys have been just going through all of it. What's your favorite candy? And they're like well I said there's a candy store right there. You guys have been through it you take it home it or your kids spent candy whatever it is and I went spent that money and I brought it back to them. Didn't expect anything in return just you guys have been through hell with everybody just just tearing and it's not your fault and they were grateful of it. Well we finally get a flight to come in they had a uh first class seat was open because somebody got mad and left and went got another flight guess who they called up to the deal to give that first class seat to you know and so it's like God will bless you back. And I and I've done it regardless of it yeah I wasn't expecting that I was like oh this is this is great thank you so much you know like but it's like if it's just it people say it's you know being nice is a weakness and no it's not like being nice is the hardest thing to do because your natural your natural is to be a jerk. Your natural is to well you're wasting my time or you're and if you force yourself to love people you do more ministry through that it my my son in college was was is working as a as a waiter my daughter now too and they say Sundays are the worst days because church people are the worst tippers and they're the most rude people and then they then we wonder why non-Christians want nothing to do with the church. When that is what we're showing people is you know you're yeah okay you're tired but that's no excuse to treat that person like a jerk because you are you are showing them Christ whether you think it or not and you you should be showing them the fruits of the spirit rather you're showing them the fruits of your flesh and they're interpreting that as being what Christians should be. And that's and that's why these people shut God off that's why they shut the church off want nothing to do with it because of the people not being so selfish about what they want and what they feel and what they rather than every opportunity we step out is an opportunity to to show Christ to somebody but yet we want to preach to them on Facebook. We want to shove the word of God down their throat. We want to point fingers at them when they're doing stuff wrong and you've lost that credibility because you've not built up any equity to speak into their life because you're not showing them what God has done in your life you're not showing them the love of God to where they're they want to hear from you in their life.

unknown: 48:43

Right.

SPEAKER_01: 48:43

You know I I the comedians I'm around I don't preach at them at all. We'll be in a car and drive all across the United States and I won't preach it them at all. But I'll tell you what when they are going through something I'm the guy they call or when they want when they have that they start looking into that type of stuff you know they've they've earned that respect. Yeah or I've earned that respect because I'm showing them God's love I'm showing them God's mercy I'm showing them God's grace I'm not pointing a finger at them I don't want the the plank in my eye because I'm trying to point at the sliver in theirs and so we it's all about giving not getting and it's a lot easier said than done and you have to make it habitual and even as habitual as it is for me I have to remind myself all the time of it because especially when I'm flying and traveling I'm tired I'm cranky I don't want to I don't want to be around people you know people say what's your pet peeve and I say nouns. People places things that's my pet peeve they all annoy me.

SPEAKER_00: 49:34

Yeah so well it's I I I can only imagine if you're probably similar to me like I I feel like I have to make room because people just naturally tell me their whole story. Yeah the grocery store like on an airplane like anywhere you go. Yeah it's such a privilege that somebody would feel like safe with you.

SPEAKER_01: 49:56

And um it's so hard to sit there and have that look on your face like you you have to make yourself care because you can't take a caring face. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00: 50:06

Well no I think this might be you know similar to what you're saying I I like to just remember just serve fruit. Serve the fruits of the spirit right to serve serve it. Serve the fruit bring bring it. People are hungry for the fruit right now. The the true fruits of the spirit and um I just love I love your story. I love the ways that you are walking this out the ways that you are meeting people where they are um and just your heart to appreciate that yes you know you you may be on stages and you know you're willing to go sit with somebody in the front row and and see them. Like you see them you see people beyond the stage. So thank you for just having a heart like you do. I know God created you this way but it is work to stay that way right oh it's not it's not my choice like so like to to naturally I want to be so Nick Morrison is my name.

SPEAKER_01: 51:06

I go back you know I trace back to a guy named Marion Morrison which everybody else knows him as John Wayne. So that is you know if you if you want to know what a being a Morrison's like just watch John Wayne. Like here we you know we always joke like all of the Morrisons that are in ministry it was just proof that God is is real because we go out in public and I'm I'm driving trying to find a parking spot and I'm just muttering people are God's greatest treasure people are God's greatest treasure because I just want to run someone over you know because they just annoy me so much. But it's just like it's not a natural thing by any means. It's it's a it's a work at it to to do thing because I can't control what other people say what other people think what other people do. I can't control what has happened in my past which a lot of it has happened. I can only control what I do moving forward. I can only like I said I can only control my work ethic my attitude and my mentality and none of those can can stink because if they do then then I'm I'm not going to be successful because I'm gonna is is what I'm saying out of my mouth matching what I want for my life. Like if if I'm complaining about stuff then that's all I'm doing is complaining. You know our we have a rule in our house no excuses. And so like okay we got 15 minutes to to be mad about it but at some point you have to say okay I can't control this anymore we have to move forward what can what can I control? And the big thing around other people is I can control my attitude and it's it's hard there's a lot of times I want to just be I want to be a jerk. I want to be but it's like no you know I I need to it's more important that I show them God's fruit the fruits of spirit than it is that I show them what I want to show them you know well you have been a joy to have on here today.

SPEAKER_00: 52:44

I would love for you to share what is the name of your book.

SPEAKER_01: 52:47

So it's called Knocked Out but not down. You can find it on so we just we just did an exclusive deal with Amazon so it's only on Amazon right now. So it's uh knocked out but not down. Uh you just look up my name Nick Morrison knocked out and it should start popping up or Nick Morrison book um and uh and you'll see it there and it's on it's on uh paperback hardcover and it's on Kindle and uh Amazon just added it to their Kindle Unlimited so if anybody has Kindle Unlimited they they they can uh go and read it on there um and and share it with somebody and and uh and bless somebody that way so awesome well what is the best way for um people to get a hold of you if they want to reach out so um you can uh the the best ways like uh if you want to look into I I've got three different areas you can go uh number one they can just go follow me on Instagram uh uh Nick Morrison Comedy on Instagram um or they can they can look me up on Facebook and follow too uh I do a lot more of my personal stuff there but it's just peak nick is the facebook.com slash peanutick um but if they're wanting to look at um the the comedy side of things they can go to nick morrisoncomedy.com or the speaker side of things they can go to nick morrison speaker.com they're two separate websites uh managed by two different management teams um but you can get a hold of me through through those um you can uh go to the book now and and go through that process and it'll send an email out and if it's if uh if you're uh if you're looking to to book me I I really appreciate you going through that and would love to talk with with uh you know the church the different churches you know I that that's kind of where we're sending the uh this next wave of focus is um I've been doing a lot of these uh Saturday night comedy shows these like a fundraiser or a uh volunteer banquet or something and then speaking that Sunday morning or just even coming in and doing comedy Sunday morning if that's what they want and speaking just a little bit just doing a little bit on the backside of that however they want it um uh you know we we uh you can go to that nickmaricksonspeaker.com and it it's a brand new website just launched uh a few days ago actually yeah and so they can email me at nick at nickmorrisons speaker dot com as well um if they need to just get a hold of me directly so awesome and I'll be sure to put everything in the show notes you guys can access that easily.

SPEAKER_00: 54:55

As we close today, um I would love for you to just share you know I I do this podcast for the one and beyond of course but um if you get somebody in mind um is there anything else you would love to just share over the one any words of encouragement or wisdom and then would you pray us out today?

SPEAKER_01: 55:12

Yeah um my big deal is is that no matter what you're facing, no matter what you're going through um that there is light at the end of that tunnel. It may not seem like it now it may not seem um you have to focus on the positive uh you just stop focusing on the negative and everything that's going wrong and everything that's going if you're in a dark tunnel as long as there's a speck of light you know that there's hope at the end of that. So grab onto that light and focus on the positive that's going always find something good even if it's the worst that could be happening in your life. And and listen I've had some bad I've had some crazy stuff happen to me and there's always something good you can find out of that to hang on to and put your faith in God through and that there's going to be victory at the other side and if Satan's attacking and if it's coming at you from every angle that usually means there's something he's afraid of and there's something he doesn't want you to do. Like he tried to take my voice from me because he didn't want me to speak you know and so um you have like just know that that that on that other side and that with Satan attacking all of us stuff happening right now in our life it's just I'm more excited than anything. I mean it sucks to go through but I'm more excited because I know that there's he wouldn't be attacking this hard if there wasn't something huge on the other side. And so just no matter what you're going through don't give in to the to the poor me and the and the uh even falling into the pity party and getting bitter and and and mad at everybody else control what you can control focus on the positive and know that there's there's victory on the other side. Yes so good father I thank you that uh thank you for Kristen's heart for what she's you have her doing father I thank you that uh for the people she's reaching the people she's pouring her her life into and using her story as well father I pray that that whoever's listening to this podcast if there's someone out there that that needs to hear it that they that they come across this podcast and it and it speaks directly to them and what they're dealing with in their life father I pray that you continue to bless everything that Kristen is doing moving forward father I pray that uh that you guide her through the things that she's going through with her life now as well Father and the the the the the the victory on the other side of that as well is uh is going to be amazing and I can't wait to hear uh the this the testimony of that on the other side father but I pray that you continue to bless everybody and that but even more that we get the the value of other people and the value of showing your love to other people father and that other people that we're never too good for someone else. And that whoever's listening to this that that they can grasp a hold of that the next time that they're standing in line at the grocery store and wanting to be upset that that maybe God's putting them there for a reason that there's someone there that they need to minister to not preach to them about you know and puke the word of God all over them but rather just show them God's love and and and faithfulness and and kindness Father I just praise you and thank you that you bless everything uh with this podcast moving forward and uh thank you for letting me be a part of it in Jesus' name amen.

SPEAKER_00: 58:08

Thank you Nick Amen. Wow well thank you so much for being a brave voice who's setting so many free I'm gonna close with the Hope Unlocked anchoring verse which is may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace and believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. And that's Romans 1513. So thank you again Nick for coming on I will be back with another episode next week. Thanks listeners