Growin' Up Gregory

Christians and non-Christians alike are often quick to believe in heaven.  As Dr. Tommy preached this morning, we read many obituaries and tons of social media posts when a loved dies with phrases like: "God gained another angel," "I know you're looking over me," "Fly high," etc.  We all want there to be something better out there than this earth, something better after this life.  And there is.  I absolutely believe with all of my heart and mind that heaven is real.  I don't know all there is to know about it, but I do believe that it exists. And if heaven is real, then its counterpart must be real as well.  I'm talking about hell.  We don't like to talk about it, think about it, or hear about it.  We'd rather it just go away but the Bible tells us that there is a hell, it describes it to us, and tells us how to avoid it.  The existence of hell cannot be denied.  Matthew 10:28 reads, "And do not fear those who kill the body but

The headline this morning reads:  GOP dealt stiff blow in Senate's bid to repeal 'Obamacare.'  As I've stated previously, I do not know all of the details of the current or proposed healthcare bills.  And honestly I don't believe that healthcare is the major issue here.  The problem is not that Obamacare was not repealed or that the proposed GOP plan wasn't passed.  The problem, the REAL issue, is that the vote was 51-49.  Half of the Senate feels we should keep what we have and half feels we need a change. As the American People, we have allowed our country to become divided.  We now appear to be the States of America (united removed), and no longer can claim as our Pledge of Allegiance states to be "indivisible."  What happened?  Why are so many issues and votes so close to the 50/50 margins?  What will it take to bring about the unity and patriotism that created our country?  God forbid, will it take another attack like 9/11 for us to come togethe

It's hard sometimes to relate things from history to modern day.  But allow me some creative freedom as I try to put into perspective just who Solomon was.  He was the king, popular among the people for his wisdom, wealthy beyond our imagination, and had over 1,000 wives and concubines.  During his time, he basically had Donald Trump power and position, Beyoncé popularity, Bill Gates money, and Hugh Hefner women.  Solomon had the authority, ability, and means to do any and everything he wanted to do.  And he did. In Ecclesiastes 2:1, he writes, 'Come now, I will test you (my heart) with pleasure; enjoy yourself.'  But behold, this also was vanity. Solomon began to indulge in the pleasures of the world, even dabbling in pursuits he recognized as folly (v3) just to see if there was any lasting value and fulfillment in them.  He undertook great projects building homes for himself, improving the environment with parks and gardens, and creating an expansive irrigation system

We've all seen it.  The walk-off hit, the clinching catch, the game winning pass, the play that wins it for your team.  Many of us have witnessed moments of greatness; times when larger than life players made larger than life plays to win games, titles, and championships for their teams and fans.  And fewer of us have ever had the chance to make that kind of play in the grandest of moments.  But for every miracle play that won the game, there is a team that lost.  Someone dropped the ball, missed the pitch, or was just off the mark and feels they cost their team the game.  It's one of the worst feelings in the world when you feel that you let your teammates and those rooting for you down.  Which side of this equation would you rather be on?  Obviously we all want to be with the winners and enjoy the celebration.  But think back to a time when you failed on the play or lost the game.  Which one left you hungrier, yearning to come back stronger, smarter, and better than befor

A few weeks ago I began reading a book by some extremely intelligent individuals which made me feel that I needed to pursue more wisdom.  Plus as my older classmates in Sunday school reminded me, I am aging so maybe I just need more wisdom anyway.  So I looked for a book of Bible that talks about wisdom.  And God being the sometimes humorous God that he is led me to Ecclesiastes written by the wisest man who ever lives.  Sounds good right?  Until you get barely into the book and Solomon says all is vanity, wisdom included.  Well played God, well played.  But I am still learning so here's what I've picked up on so far. After declaring that all is vanity, Solomon poses the question (Ecc. 1:3), "What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?"  He had already learned that much of what we "gain" is fleeting and unfulfilling.  The only lasting efforts are those designed to accomplish God's purposes for eternity. V.7 reads, "All st

This week Tabernacle had our summer Vacation Bible School (VBS).  Thomas and I were only able to go 2 of the 5 nights but there were a number of children and adults there to learn, help, and serve.  The word of God shared and the love of God was shown to children who may not have heard that message before and that's the most important part of VBS. Since I knew I couldn't be there every night I didn't sign up to help and I was able to roam around and assist if needed which gave me an opportunity to observe the children without the responsibility of keeping a headcount or anything.  Many of them appeared to be paying full attention during the entire lessons, while some you could tell their focus would fade in and out.  Yet others seemed to have very little interest in what the teachers were sharing and were more concerned with looking at the other kids in the room or fidgeting with other gadgets.  The freedom to observe this gave me the thought of why do we study, work, a

I'm sure that many people are reading and hearing the news that the republican backed health care reform bill is pretty much dead.  Before I even begin to wade into this subject, let me first admit that much like some of our politicians I have not read the entire republican health care bill nor the previously adopted Obamacare bill (cheap shot I know but wanted to be clear I don't have ALL the facts).  No one likes our current health care system.  Patients complain, insurance agents complain, and doctors complain about it.  People are paying higher insurance premiums, insurance companies are having to raise premiums in an effort to stay afloat, and doctors and hospitals are making less money.  Well if more money is going in and less money is coming out, where is it going?  My guess, personal assumption, hunch, whatever you want to call it is that there are many more government forms, fees, and regulations which are driving up costs for all of the above.  Does that sound like

Most big things don't start out big.  The greatest accomplishments in the world often started with one person's vision.  The greatest inventions in the world began with a single idea of an inventor.  Your greatest achievement in life, whatever it may be, began with one step. But there's a dark side to big things too.  Bad things, a/k/a sin, start out small as well.  Most criminals begin with what we consider small non-violent crimes.  Many drug users begin with what are considered to be gateway drugs.  Most affairs begin with a flirting glance or flirtatious email.  We don't leap right into the deep end of the pool of sin. Think about a ship setting sail from the coast of America to somewhere overseas.  If it began to set sail headed due North everyone would know immediately that it were off track.  But if instead of heading at the exact angle of East that it is to sail, it's only a few degrees off.  That may not seem like a big deal, but over the course of the

If you do a quick internet search of "How to be a man" or "What does it take to be a man" you will find a ton of websites and articles that offer varying thoughts and opinions about what it means to be a man.  Most of them are unique but primarily center on several key "ingredients" to what the world considers qualities that make someone a man.  In reading those, they primarily center on how we make a living and earn money, how we treat others (including our family), how we mature and handle emotions like anger, and even to how we dress, talk, and walk.  Raising a son to be a godly man in this world is a challenge.  So much so that I can only imagine the difficulties that we will face once our daughter arrives.  So what advice should a father give his son today on how to be a man?  Should I use the most recent or most liked article online about manhood?  Or could I use something written between 561 - 538 B.C. that still holds true today? As David was a