Growin' Up Gregory

Up and to the Right None of us are perfect and we all experience setbacks from time to time. These little 'bumps in the road' happen in our relationships, fitness, finances, careers, and even in our spiritual walk. Sometimes it even feels like we're taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back. So what do we do? Cory Carlson in, "Win at Home First," suggests this (picture a graph trending upwards) - "The principle of 'up and to the right' is about looking over your shoulder and seeing your progress. Yes, today may be a setback, or this week, or maybe it has been a rough month. But look how far you have come! Your new habit today was not even on your radar a few months ago." "By looking over your shoulder, you can see how God has been building into you. Your education. Your family. Your community. What you thought you couldn't do, you did - not on your own accord, but through God's provision." We all want to win. If we focus on getting...

What if it's not about the money? Okay, maybe it is. But so much of how we handle our finances is more about our attitude towards money than the technical aspects of managing it. Does that mean we don't need financial education on topics from investing, credit cards, mortgages, budgets, banking, and the list could go on and on? No, of course we do. But we need to remember that many of us view money from different perspectives, especially when it comes to spouses. It's fitting that coin is two-sided because that's often how we view money - you're either a spender or a saver. But often there's an unseen element to it. Take vacations for example. While my wife wants to go to Disney, Sandals, and who knows where else by now; I tend to view each of these as "That'll be $5,462.89. That one's $3,577.34, etc." But vacations and family time aren't a "net cost" as my tightwad self tends to view them. They're an investment in memories th...

#FaithFriday In Romans 13, it almost seems like Paul is switching topics as he goes from 1-7 into 8-10. But if we read these verses in context, it can help in how we respond to governing authorities. Every system is made better when fueled by love. Below are two excerpts from a recent Sunday school lesson: "Politics may be able to accomplish the goals of our community or country, but not the goals of Christ's church. The church is not focused on making better citizens but on helping sinners to become radically transformed believers saved by grace." "We can create all sorts of laws to 'legislate righteousness,' but those laws will never make us righteous. Laws make us aware of our sin, but they can't stop us from sinning. The love of God moves us to focus on transformation and not just legislation. Politics and legislation can never bring our country closer to God. It is in the work of Jesus Christ and the Word of God that is preached from our pulpits and ...

Focus on Opportunities In his book, "The Effective Executive," Peter F. Drucker writes - "Good executives focus on opportunities rather than problems. Problems have to be taken care of, of course; they must not be swept under the rug. But problem solving, however necessary, does not produce results. It prevents damage. Exploiting opportunities produces results." Too many of us in our personal lives and business lives focus on everything that could go wrong instead of looking for the opportunities that could go right. It's not having a rose-colored glasses mindset. It's believing that if you trust the process and are willing to put in the proper work and time that things will turn out good. With every step I take, I can focus tripping and spraining my ankle - or - I can focus on the fact that I'm one step closer to my destination. Focus on accomplishing something today - landing that new client, closing the deal, making a new contact. Don't get bogged...

Two things: 1. I swear I'm going to try to keep this short, which means I may not go deeply into something so if you need further explanation, let's talk. 2.  If you don't think God's timing is absolutely perfect, look at the political climate when are in today when this Sunday school lesson as published months ago! Now, let's go.  Some of this is, some of this is Lifeway.  I'll be honest, I didn't even want to write this morning but this needs to be said. "Politics can be a real minefield - especially for Christians...While politicians are often only concerned with the outcome, Christians must also be concerned about the process."  Basically, we cannot take shortcuts or do what's wrong to get what's right.  The phrase, "The end justifies the means," is one that we often use but you won't find it in Scripture.  "In fact, God calls us a wholly different standard: a standard of obedience and love to Him that will be seen in...

In his book, "Win at Home First," Cory M. Carlson shares his Five Capitals and how they can help each of us live a prioritized life. He warns that if we aren't careful, we will end up running around feeling like everything is important until we get to the point where nothing is important. Here are his Five Capitals in order of priority. Spiritual: This capital has to do with our relationship with God...it's the most valuable of the capitals and is measured in wisdom. Relational: This capital is about the relational equity (trust) we've built up with others...relational capital is about both the quality and depth of our relationships and is measured in influence and impact. Physical: The physical capital relates to the time and energy we have available to invest in other people. Time is the great equalizer. We have one life to make the most of. Intellectual: This capital refers to our creativity and knowledge. The skills and competences we learn allow us to thrive ...

This may ruffle some feathers and at this point, I'm okay with that.  Look, I don't want to just come right out and say that the media is lying to people - I'm just saying that what they're reporting is not what I'm actually seeing.   Racism - Clearly, and unfortunately, there are people with racist views still living in this country.  However, based on my observation and my personal experiences, I see more and more interracial relationships & marriages; more and more blacks, whites, browns, and yellows hanging out and working together.  Yes, there are still issues that we need to work on and improve, but as a whole, we are not where we were 200 years, 50 years, or even 10 years ago.  And from recent meetings and conversations I've been present at in Union, we won't be where we are now in the years to come.  We are having uncomfortable conversations.  Comments are being received with grace and compassion from people of all colors in an effort to fu...