Growin' Up Gregory

Are you good enough? Good enough for what - depends right? Since this is #FaithFriday we'll look at it from that perspective. "But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire..." - Revelation 21:8 Have you ever told a lie, ever, even a tiny one? You're a liar. Have you ever lusted after someone else? Not necessarily acted, just thought about it. You're sexually immoral. Have you ever stolen? Maybe it wasn't an item, maybe it was your company's time by not giving 100%? You're a thief. Before this gets worse, I'll stop. Sadly, I've done all 3. I'm not good enough. When my case goes to trial, no matter how much the judge likes me, he still has to do his job and punish me. No matter how good of a person I am now, I'm still guilty of these past transgressions. The only way I can be "good enough...

Our priorities will determine our destination. Where do you want to be? Cory Carlson wrote a book where he discussed The 5 Capitals. The first, and most important, is Spiritual. The greatest commandment is to love God. You've got to get your relationship with God right before anything else will work out well. He gives us wisdom and direction when we seek Him. Jesus modeled this as well. In Mark 1, Jesus got up early, slipped away from his disciples to go have some quiet time with his father. A little while later they came looking for him. Jesus was popular at the time and the people wanted more of him - they wanted more healings, more casting out of demons, and more of his teaching. But Jesus knew that He couldn't keep performing miracles without hitting pause and reconnecting with His Father. And we have to remember to do that too. We need the rest, quiet, and solitude to recharge our mind and spirit. But this time with God may also provide us a new direction (or it could revi...

Sometimes I struggle. Some people right now are saying, "Um, duh. We've known that!" But I'm talking about more of a mental struggle that's not seen on the outside. In a conversation with someone this week, they asked me if I come up with everything I write online. He was just curious. But I felt like my response was weird. I told him I put most of it together but it's not like it's original material. Sounds like a politician right - "Yes...sort of...but..." Austin Kleon's book, "Steal Like an Artist," shares quotes and tips about getting inspiration from others and then adding your own voice and spin to it. Ecclesiastes 1:9 tell us, "there is nothing new under the sun." What if your book, your song, your speech, your idea sounds similar to someone else's (Don't plagiarize!) That likely means it's actually a good idea. It must be, someone else thought so too! Let me put it this way - when you prepare to release...

As Joshua led the children of Israel to the Jordan River during flood stage he told them, "Today you will know that the living God is among you." "The people of Israel had heard from their forefathers about the crossing of the Red Sea, but that was their parents' story. The new generation needed their own demonstration of the Lord's power and sovereignty - and the Lord gave it to them. Each generation needs to learn the lessons of history - the story of God dealing with his people through the ages - but it also needs to see in its own time, in its own way, the evidence that the Lord is still the "Living God" who stands against all opposition and proves he is Lord." - Stuart Briscoe They had heard the stories, they believed them. But they hadn't had the experiences and seen God's provision for themselves. If you've been blessed with parents or grandparents who have raised you well - spiritually, physically, intellectually - count your bl...

"I always encourage people to pay attention to patterns, not potential. All of us have the potential to do better in our weak areas, but can we live with each other's patterns?" In his new book, "Relationship Goals," Michael Todd shares the above quote. I think a lot of us get caught up in the potential of a mate, an investment, or a job offer so much so that we sometimes fail to make an honest assessment of the most likely outcome by studying the patterns.  Past performance is often the most accurate indicator of future performance. If he/she has a reputation for being unfaithful, unkind, un-whatever, what makes you think they'll change now? When looking at investments, look at 5 - 10 year historical performances. If 2020 has taught us anything, it's how crazy the market can be quarter to quarter. When considering a company to work for, talk to current and former employees about the environment and staff there. Trust me when I say there's more to a ...

When it comes to managing money, there are certainly some technical skills and principles that are needed - and I'll continue to share some of those each week. But much of actually managing our money, once we get past learning some of the basics of budgeting, investing, spending, etc., really comes down to attitude and discipline. Our attitude towards money reflects how we view it. Do you save out of fear for not having enough sometime in the future? Or do you spend in search of feeling happy right now? Hopefully, you're somewhere in between and can develop a healthy view of money as a resource, not a goal. Discipline is often the hardest part. Setting up a budget, a savings plan, or a debt payoff plan can be simplified with a little advice from someone in finance or banking. But once you have the budget, can you stick to the plan? Can you forego eating out for lunch that many days? Can you make coffee at home and save that $5? Can you payoff that credit card bill instead of or...