His life was saved. Now Gateway pastor has renewed calling to help others, spread joy

Pastor Robert Morris had catastrophic internal bleeding when the CareFlite helicopter came to pick him up one fateful night in April.

The senior pastor of Gateway Church would later learn he had two cantaloupe-sized hematomas from two ruptured arteries.

There was no medical reason for him to have two arteries rupture at the same time. His survival that night also defied medical explanation — he’d lost nearly half his blood.

But to him, it makes perfect sense.

While the helicopter rushed him to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Grapevine, he said he had an encounter with God. He felt his presence fill the helicopter. For that moment, he was at peace with death.

“For the believer, there’s no fear in death, that’s true,” Morris said. “I was happy. I was excited. I knew I was leaving my family and my church family but I was excited that I was about to see Jesus.”

But then, he thought about what he had yet to accomplish in life. He thought about his wife, Debbie Morris.

“I want to grow old with Debbie. I want to watch my children fulfill their destiny that God has called on for them,” Morris said he told God. “I don’t think you’re finished with me.”

He remembers God saying two words, “I’m not.”

During those moments, Morris said time felt suspended. And he knew he wasn’t going to die.

That’s not to say recovery was easy.

The first time doctors cut him open, they repaired the artery and removed the clot but his blood pressure still wouldn’t rebound. A scan revealed he still had a second ruptured artery with a larger clot.

Doctors had to make a deeper cut to cauterize the artery and remove the other hematoma. It was so big he said he sympathized with women who have had C-sections.

Then, he faced months of recovery after losing so much blood. Prayer chains spread like wildfire around the world to places like India, China and Guatemala.

Five months later, he’s back doing what he loves — being the pastor at Gateway Church’s main campus in Southlake.

“I’m back in the pulpit now full time and I’m in the office just a little less and I’ve got someone helping to lead the church on a daily basis,” Morris said. “I feel like myself, my mind feels completely normal. When I’m walking two miles in the morning I do get out of breath easier than before.”

Morris shares his story openly to anyone who will listen. And he’s got quite a reach.

The mega church has 60,000 active members with about 32,000 members attending services at one of the six campuses on a given weekend. The services are broadcast on television and online.

The experience gave him a new appreciation for everything in life, particularly first responders and blood drives.

Gateway Church always recognizes first responders around Sept. 11 but it had deeper meaning for Morris this year. He shook the hand of John Moffit, one of the Jacksboro paramedics who responded to Debbie Morris’ 911 call.

Moffit was a former helicopter paramedic and made the call to CareFlite upon seeing Morris’ condition.

“He’s the one who knew I needed CareFlite and that saved my life,” Morris said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen him since the incident.”

He recalls Moffit saying how rare it was that a patient he’s helped has come to thank him.

In a sermon, Morris wondered how much maneuvering God had to do to make sure that one of the first responders in a rural area would have experience as a helicopter paramedic and the wherewithal to put CareFlite on standby.

Moffit’s journey to becoming a paramedic had a tragic beginning. His brother and four cousins were driving a pickup truck to school when they slammed into a tractor on a blind hill. His brother and youngest cousin were killed instantly.

The work by the paramedics that day inspired him.

“After that, I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life helping people,” Moffit said. “We like helping our neighborhood. We like keeping the neighborhood safe. For us, there’s not a greater calling.”

He remembers the scene when he first arrived at Morris’ house.

“We could not even get a blood pressure,” Moffit said. “It still amazes me that Pastor Robert made it after losing 50 percent of his blood and is back doing what he loves to do.”

Morris also gained a new appreciation for blood drives after having so many transfusions. He learned blood banks typically run low in July so Gateway partnered with Carter BloodCare to have blood drives at all six campuses in May and June.

“They got enough blood throughout a six-week blood drive for the entire state of Texas for the entire summer,” Morris said. “We’re going to encourage other churches to do that.”

Having a near-death experience has also made him appreciate life more.

“I don’t have near the stress that I had before. It’s almost like I know everything is going to work out in the end. I have a whole lot more joy and whole lot less stress,” Morris said. “I’ve slowed the pace of my life, I’m sleeping better at night and I’m happy for every day that I have on this Earth. There’s just no reason to sweat the little things. That really came home to me through this experience.”

Thomas Miller, executive pastor and elder at Gateway Church, has known Morris since 2000 when the congregation had about 100 people.

He said he’s proud of the way the congregation rallied behind Morris during his months-long recovery with the praying and blood drive. He said he’s excited about what Morris’ second lease on life will mean for Gateway.

“It’s given him renewed vision for the future. He feel like God spared his life for a reason,” Miller said. “We truly believe it was a miracle that his life was spared.”

Morris also wanted to clear up a miscommunication that occurred early on.

The ruptured arteries were not complications from an early hernia surgery as Gateway social media had announced earlier.

For Morris, he’s using his position to spread joy, the Word of God and assistance to everyone he can. Whether he’s praying with one church member who is going through a difficult time or leading his congregation of thousands closer to Jesus Christ, he’s using the extra time God gave him to its fullest.

“It’s been reinforced on me why I’m on this Earth — to help people,” he said. “The most joy we ever have is when we help someone else.”