Sam Morrison
We’re stoked to have our good friend Sam Morrison with us for this week’s Dreamos Round Table!
Sam’s the founder of Early Rising, writer at Lyrical Lemonade, A&R consultant at Elektra Records, and youth pastor at Valley Gate Church in Phoenix, AZ.
As a faith-driven creative, Sam pursues every dream with a purpose for impact and passion for God. After playing Division 1 football, Sam discovered his love for both music and ministry. Since then, he’s found a way to bring his two worlds together.
Whether he’s leading a team, championing up and coming artists, or uplifting the students in his church, Sam strives to love and serve others like Jesus. We know you’ll be encouraged and inspired as you hear more from his heart, story, and pursuit.
What dream are you currently turning into reality?
When asked this, I find myself questioning whether or not the careers that I’m pursuing have ever really been dreams of mine in the first place. The only thing I knew as a child was that I wanted to do something big and impactful. In fact, I always believed that I was destined to do things that would leave a legacy much bigger than myself. To this day, it’s hard to pinpoint what I thought those “big things” would be, but I never expected them to take shape in the form of creating “Early Rising”, being a part of the editorial team at “Lyrical Lemonade”, working as an A&R Consultant at a major label or serving as the Youth Pastor at my father’s church.
Although I am immensely passionate about every single one of these endeavors, not once did I ever go to bed at night wishing to assume any of those titles; but, at the same time, I thank God each day that He’s honored my dream of wanting to make a big impact by allowing me to have a seat and a say at such cool tables.
When did you first realize you discovered your dream?
I first discovered my dream when I was really young. Growing up with a dad who played in the NFL gave me an up close and personal look at men who were doing big and impactful things on the football field, which inspired me to chase after the same goal. Throughout middle school and High School, I devoted my time and energy to receiving a full ride scholarship to play Division 1 football. After a lot of hard work and dedication, I did just that.
At the time, this seemed like the easiest way to follow in my dad's footsteps and finally achieve my dream of making a big impact; but after an encounter with Jesus during my junior year, I discovered that my life long dream of doing something big and impactful wouldn’t be found in a career or job.
How does your faith go hand in hand with pursuing your dream?
Since giving my life to Christ in 2017, I can confidently say that my relationship with God not only goes hand in hand with pursuing my dream, but, the two are actually identical in every sense of the word.
Like I said, I always dreamed of doing big things that would be impactful, but it took me years and a radical encounter with the Holy Spirit to show me what I was actually striving for all along. When it comes down to it, the only dream I have today is to know, love and serve God intimately, marry an amazing woman and raise children who love the Lord with all of their hearts.
Every thought I have and every action I make stems from and is empowered by that dream. See, it’s really cool getting to work in music and it’s definitely a big deal, but no matter how you package it, there is nothing bigger and more impactful than following Jesus; it is the most important thing you can ever do in your life. Matthew 6:33 tells us to “...seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.
I’ve always had a deep passion for music, but what I get to do on a daily basis in the industry was never a dream of mine, but rather a bi-product of my only focus, which is to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness until the rest of my days.
What’s one or two practical steps you take to keep moving forward?
Admittedly, I’m not the most organized and administrative person on the planet, so I wouldn’t say that I do anything differently than what the average person does on a daily basis. I regularly stay up too late and oftentimes oversleep longer than I would want to. I even sometimes forget to eat breakfast; but practically each day, I try as hard as I can to view my work and productivity from the lens of God.
In Colossians, The Bible tells us to “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Whether I’m coordinating the daily flow of “Early Rising”, writing for “Lyrical Lemonade”, doing A&R work at “Elektra”, or leading the Church youth ministry, I am called to work at it as if I’m working for the Lord. I firmly believe that’s the standard we’re all supposed to live up to, but it’s so easy to measure it all in conjunction with the world's standards of productivity and efficiency.
I consistently ask myself the question, “Am I doing this to the best of my ability and would it please the Lord?” By adding this perspective to my work days, I find myself to be much more intentional and meticulous with the responsibilities that the Lord has called me to steward.
What encouragement would you share with someone who’s going after their dream?
This is a great one. For anyone chasing their dream, I would encourage them to ask the question, “Why not me?...Why not my dream?”
We hear so many stories about iconic people who have created cultural staples in society and it’s so easy to view them as these untouchable giants who one day woke up successful; but it’s so important to realize that some of the world’s most influential people started in a place that isn’t where they are right now.
Although this may sound crazy, I firmly believe that there is no difference between you and that successful CEO...they just started before you; And if that doesn’t fire you up, I have found so much peace in the reality that what God has for me is going to be immeasurably more fulfilling than what dreams I may have for myself.
When you realize that truth, it makes it too easy to dream radically without being fearful of the outcome, because in the end, you know that the greatest dream we could ever chase will soon be ours as we await the arrival of our King!