Growin' Up Gregory

"Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way." - Proverbs 19:2.  Another version of this verse I read went this way, "If you are too eager, you will miss the road." I realize that I am more in the want it now mentality than I should be.  I want our house completed sooner, I want my career to advance quicker, I want my fitness to get to the next level faster, and I could go on and on.  The problem with all of these statements is not the end results, it's the subject, "I."  These are things that I want.  They are not necessarily the things that God wants for my life right now.  That doesn't mean that I won't be back out of my parents' house soon, that I'll begin to flounder from job to job with little success, or that I'll get fat and out of shape in the next few months or years.  But it does mean that I may be putting my wants ahead of God's plans.  God puts us where He wants...

Think about the events of the past few days some 2000 years ago.  On Friday, Satan managed to kill Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  I believe that on that Friday the devil was rejoicing and believed that he had won a major battle against God.  Then Saturday is relatively quiet and uneventful when Satan is still likely riding on cloud nine.  But then Sunday morning comes... As Satan checks the tomb along with others they see that the body is gone.  The game of chess has turned.  Satan had just a day before said "check" to God while Jesus was taking the brunt of our sins on His body and breathed his last.  But then that glorious Easter morning, God replies, "checkmate."  He has conquered sin and death.  He took the devil's best shot and overcame it! But it gets better.  "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" - John 15:13.  We know that Jesus laid down his life, but who are his friend...

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:35 "John 13:35 says the world will know we are Christians by our love for each other.  If a nonbeliever were to observe the relationships within your small group, your ministry team or your church, what would they conclude about Jesus?" - Disciples Path Many churches will have visitors for activities on Saturday and worship services on Sunday.  Many of us will be stressed from cleaning, cooking, and planning for the crowds and events.  But that stress doesn't give us the option of not showing love to one another.  We must love one another always in order to show Jesus in all ways. I know that I fail far too regularly at slowing down and letting people know that I care.  I get too caught up in getting things done, checking off the task at hand, or focusing on the next goal to sometimes slow down and realize that if it weren't for th...

I have a tendency at times to over-simplify things.  I understand that there are many big things at play beyond my comprehension in this strike but let me attempt to break it down a little better.  Here is a quote from an article on msn.com this morning: "The Obama administration threatened to attack Assad's forces for previous chemical weapons attacks, but never followed through."  That has gone on for several years since around 2013. Here's the simple personalized breakdown: If I tell my 2 year old that if he misbehaves I'll give him a spanking and he keeps doing it but I fail to spank him, what lesson do you think he will learn?  The USA had to respond to Syria's continued refusal to follow warnings.  Folks, they used this air base to launch a nerve gas attack on civilians including children.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words and maybe those pictures of innocent children struggling to breathe are what finally pushed...

As you look at this picture, you may be wondering what a bottle of marinade and the Holy Bible have in common.  Well, a lot more than I ever realized.  For a marinade to fully saturate something, there are four things that must occur.  It must get in, get under, get through, and get transformed.  For us to become transformed to be more like Christ, we too must be marinated, or immersed, in God's Word. First, get in.  Before something can be completely marinated, the first thing is that it must be put into the marinade.  The same holds true for us an the scripture too.  Once we accept Christ as our savior, God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us understand the Bible more clearly (1 Corinthians 2:14-15).  We begin to see God's presence and impact on our daily lives.  And we start to see that all the stories in the Bible are more than just Sunday school lessons we learned as children, they are stories about out spiritual family tree.  ...

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct. - 1 Peter 1:13-15 My Sunday school lesson this week has been about being immersed in God's Word.  And while I don't spend enough time studying the Bible, it is really amazing to see how the Holy Spirit helps give you clearer understanding when you stay in the Word regularly.  For whatever reason, these verses seemed to give a simple outline to live a more holy life. - "Preparing your minds for action:"  You have to study, to learn to gain knowledge in order to prepare your mind and know how to handle certain situations.  You also have to prepare yourself for action.  The greatest amount of knowledge in the world is useless if never applie...