Growin' Up Gregory

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is one of the most read all-time classic children's books.  I don't really know this to be a fact...but it has lasted since I was a child until now reading it my children.  So with that being the case, I'd say that it is.  While our kids seem to enjoy the book, does it hold deeper life lessons that we can take away from it? If you recall the story, there was a caterpillar who had a hunger that could never be satisfied.  He crawled around eating anything he could find.  He ate healthy fruits like apples, pears, and strawberries.  But he also ate junk like cake, ice cream, and pie.  In his attempt to fulfill his desire, he was consuming everything in sight.  Many of us have gone through similar stages where we pursued the next girl, the next drink, the next high, or the next big deal.  But often, we found that it wasn't fulfilling and we still chased on to the "next" again. But one day, that all changed for the...

If you're like me, you sort of feel like you're in some weird twilight zone or movie right now where we're not sure what's real, what's not, or what's going to happen next.  While we don't know how long the shutdown and quarantine will last, one thing we can be sure of, is to take advantage of this time. To be honest, 2020 was a year I was planning to make some significant moves and start really working toward some bigger and bolder goals.  I had opportunities for some training and exposure that have been cancelled.  I had some ideas I wanted to run by some smart, successful people to gain their insight.  And Britt and I had recently started talking about business ventures or investment opportunities to pursue. But now, like most of us, those ideas are all quarantined...or are they? Technically and officially, acting on some these plans is certainly on hold.  But the thoughts, learning, and saving are not.  So what am I doing and what can you do durin...

If I've ever had a lesson that the timing of it seemed perfect for the circumstances we're facing, this may be the one.  Here is a quote from this week's Sunday school lesson: "It is hard to know what to believe anymore.  The internet is filled with 'news' on topics that range from politics to medicine to conspiracies, and all the writers tout their stores as truth - even thought the 'facts' they present contradict each other." And to make matters more complicated, if someone doesn't have the facts to back up their story, they encourage us to simply 'take it on faith.'  Really? For Christians, faith in God is not jumping blindly into something we want to be true - like the latest and greatest business deal, or some near testing non FDA approved vaccine.  Faith is more than that.  It's grounded in a faithful God who can be fully trusted and is summed up very well in Hebrews 11. What is Faith? V1 - "Now faith is the real...

I'm not a doctor...but I do share a bed with a former medical assistant so that counts for something right?  Bad dad joke, sorry.  But for real, I don't know how serious we should be taking all the news and hype around COVID-19 aka the Coronavirus.  That being said, here are my thoughts and opinions based on the current outbreak and medical situation in my community. First, I wanted to keep from commenting too much on this publicly.  If it gets bad and people die, I look like a jerk who needed to be more compassionate.  If it's not bad and we cancel events and people stop living their life out of fear over something that doesn't materialize, we all look silly - and miss days, weeks, months, and for some, seasons that we'll never get back. Our church, like many, has recently asked the question, "Should we have services?  Abbreviated services?  Online services?  Just one? etc."  I didn't plan this verse for my daily devotional: "And let u...

Over the past week, mortgage rates hit an all-time low...again.  If you didn't get in, don't fret.  They've only crept back up slightly.  For some, it makes refinancing at these ridiculous rates not as beneficial.  But for others, they still stand to save significant amounts of money by refinancing.  My recommendation - examine your budget, find an expert mortgage loan officer, and do some math. What's Your Goal? What's your goal from refinancing?  Do you just want to say you have a stupid low rate?  To be honest, that was part of the appeal for me - I felt like it would confirm that I was an expert.  Never mind the part that I pulled the trigger last August and refinanced then when I thought they had bottomed out.  We can watch trends and make guesses, but none of us inside or outside the industry knows exactly what rates will do in the future. Are you looking for monthly savings (lowering your payment) or long-term savings (reducing th...

What do you lose more than anything else?  For most of us, it's probably car keys, the remote control for the TV, or possibly our phones - they've have an app for that now.  Heck, I've even threatened to cancel our TV services and make a rule that only adults could touch the remote controls we've lost ours so bad before (yeah, I get a little angry at times).  And while all of us have most likely either lost something, or been lost ourselves, most of these objects have ultimately been found...or replaced.  And the same is true for us - we don't have to stay lost. Jesus tells a story of lostness in Luke 15:11-24.  Many have probably heard the story of the Prodigal Son before.  If not, give it a quick read. Going Astray In the story, the younger son did like many of us have done in our younger years - he had it all (life) figured out.  He knew that if he could have his share of the inheritance now that he could go live lavishly and do as he pleased....

Holy Defined What do you think of when you hear the word holy? For me, when I hear 'holy' I tend to think of being very quiet, almost solemn, and to be honest, kind of boring.  But holy is actually better defined as 'set apart.'  It means that something or someone is on a whole different level.  You wouldn't compare the Kansas City Chiefs to a stinger football team.  The only thing they have in common is that they play on the same size field, they don't even use the same ball. The same is true with God.  When we say that God is holy, we need to be sure that we're not just saying it because we've heard it before.  We need to remember that He is on a different level from us in power, wisdom, and oh boy especially grace. Think about it - when God, the Creator, made the world, He didn't even have to gather materials for it.  He literally spoke it into existence.  For comparison, have you ever cooked a meal that you didn't search the pantry or ...