Growin' Up Gregory

Our world today is enamored, fascinated, confused, and ravaged by a new trend - Fake News.  Prior to the internet and social media, "news" companies had to invest large sums of money in printing presses, computers, designers, and other areas in order to produce a legitimate looking story or product.  But now, with the Internet and digital technology, nearly anyone can create a professional looking newsletter or press release and have it posted and shared thousands of times within minutes.  The problem with this is that one person can twist the facts, express his/her opinions as facts, and put it out there for millions to read in a way that seems believable. We all know that this happens in the news and in politics: -  Did Smollett stage his attack or is this is a hoax?  The accounts are mutually exclusive so one must be a lie. -  Is former Trump attorney Cohen telling the truth?  If so, which truth of his do we believe? -  Even The Washington...

So apparently the other night, President Trump hosted the national champion Clemson Tiger football team for dinner the White House.  Typically, these type stores make the local headlines, fill a few newspapers and die a day or two later.  But not this one, oh no.  Here we are days later with it still spreading across both mainstream and social media.  Why? Is everyone upset that he served fast food instead of steak?  Are you mad he left out Zaxbys, Chic Fil A, Taco Bell, or your favorite fast food place? Maybe you're a republican who think it was awesome for him to open up his home and do the best he could with minimal staff?  Or perhaps you're a democrat who thinks it was insulting to feed national champions (though still college kids) fast food? Or maybe you're a Gamecock or Alabama fan who's just upset that the Tigers are the national champions and wish they'd all starve!?! Allow me to state the obvious.  This is not about fast food.  I...

This excerpt is from an article by Steve Hatfield titled "How to Be a Pastor's Friend": Be a unwavering supporter.  Most folks in a pastor's life will waiver in their support.  Rarely does anyone always agree with what a pastor does or says.  If he knows he has at least one person who always has his back, it gives him confidence.  Please note that I didn't say ALWAYS AGREES.  It is possible to not agree but still support your pastor.  When I'm asked about whether I agree or disagree with what a pastor is trying to accomplish, for example, changing a worship service format or instituting a program, I like to reply, "If the pastor believes God is leading him in that direction, then I'm on board.  As long as he is not violating Scripture, I need to support him." Wow!  Can you envision the maturity and integrity it takes to be someone like that?  You must be mature enough to be able to put aside your feelings and follow your pas...

Okay now that I have your attention, let's agree on a couple points before we start. 1.  Nothing is free.  It may be "no cost to you" but there is no such thing as free.  If your boss gives you free tickets to a ballgame or free entry to a golf tournament, it was NOT free - the company paid for it.  If a meal is provided to you at an event, a sponsor somewhere paid for it.  If you won free tickets on the radio, a company bought them or gave up the income from them.  If you receive any type of benefit, be it tangible or intangible, someone somewhere gave up something or paid for it. 2.  Nobody likes taxes, any kind of taxes, period.  I don't like sales tax, property tax, income tax, or even hospitality tax (taxing me is not very hospitable).  But I do understand that taxes are necessary.  Tax money is what is used to fund and operate our local, state, and federal governments.  Does there need to be more transparency, accountabili...

We've all seen the State of the Union, State of the State, and various other updates by political leaders.  But what if we take a moment and look at the State of Politics in our country right now.  I'm not in politics and am not a professional political researcher so this is just an ordinary guy's view of several issues going on in the political arena right now and my thoughts on them. TERM LIMITS Some people are for term limits, some people are against them.  Honestly, I can see it both ways.  While the term, "career politician," has almost become derogatory, some people really are good lawmakers and use their influence to accomplish a lot of good.  But on the other hand, some people abuse that power and allow themselves to become corrupt and get out of touch with the real world and the very people they were elected to represent.  So what should we do? What if we did what churches have done with deacons and many non-profits do with their boards?...

Most of my close friends and family, especially my wife, are well aware that one of the words I'm not very good at saying to others is "No."  I have a tendency to make every effort possible to be everywhere and do everything that is asked of me.  Sadly, that is often at their expense because of the stress and pressure I put on myself to perform to an extremely high standard.  I don't know why that is, but I am working on it.  And oddly enough, today was one of those days that I officially unofficially said "No" to something that I had wanted for the past 18 months by allowing the deadline to pass by. In Fall 2016, as the presidential race heated up and politics in general took center stage, I began to pay a lot more attention to politics and our elected officials.  I began to read up on who they are, listened to what they were saying, and watched how they interacted with others.  I began studying up on politics in general to learn what impact certain posi...

While reading tonight, I came across a couple interesting facts. Fact #1: 81% of Americans say they are concerned about the declining moral behavior in our nation. (LifeWayResearch.com) Fact #2: 34% of Americans say religion is "largely old-fashioned and out of date." That's up from 7% in 1957. (Gallup.com) Now I'm no rocket scientist, but I think I can take a shot in the dark at solving this predicament. Maybe the problems in this world aren't the fault of the President (past or present), Congress, guns, drugs, or any one thing. Maybe the problem is that as a nation we have lost our moral compass.  We have allowed God to be taken out of nearly everything, and then we wonder why morality is on the decline.  Have you ever taken a lamp from a room and then complained to the lamp for allowing the room to be dark?  It's not the lamp's fault that YOU removed it.   Are we as Christians the perfect role models? Heck no, that...

I'm not the president.  I'm not even actually in politics.  And I'm not quite 35 years old which puts me in the generation called Millennials.  And I would like to share with you what I perceive to be the true state of our country right now on three major issues.  Yes, there are more issues but I'll start by attempting to tackle these three first. Gun Control As a young man living in this country, where do I stand on gun control?  I believe that some households need three guns.  You need a handgun/pistol for personal protection to carry or have hidden in your home, a rifle for big game hunting (i.e. deer), and you need a shotgun for small game hunting (i.e. rabbits, birds, turkey etc.).  Does any one NEED an AR-15?  Honestly, I believe that if you feel like you need, not want, an AR-15 in your closet that your life or your neighborhood is a bit too dangerous for me.  Now with that being said, can you WANT an AR-15?  Absolutely.  ...

The goal of every singe for-profit business in the world is to generate more income than it has expenses.  This is true for all business structures, be it a sole-proprietor who generates $20,000 or less in gross revenue, a multi-billion dollar corporation with locations all other the world, or anything in between.  The simple rule of business is to make more than you spend.  Period. The United States Government is an extremely large business with a budget that is incomprehensible to many of us.  And yet, given all the revenue sources, power, and influence that it has, it still is not operating profitably.  Why? One reason is income taxes.  In my opinion, the federal income tax system is greatly flawed.  My understanding of the original intent of an income tax refund is basically that you get your "change" from paying in more than you owed at year end.  It should work just like going to the grocery store, spending $30, handing the cashier $40 a...

One of the hot political topics right now is tax reform.  And, spoiler alert, there are people on both sides that are for and against the new bill.  The biggest issues I've heard from it so far are: 1.  Tax cuts for low to middle income families. 2.  Tax cuts for the wealthy. 3.  Tax cuts for corporations. so let's look at those. I believe that all politicians want to at least say they will, and hopefully do, make tax cuts for what I consider normal working class people like my family, my friends, and myself who work a regular job with enough money to live off of but not so much that we have no financial stresses in our life.  We all want a break on taxes which means more money in our pocket.  Money that we can use to be charitable, give to our loved ones, save, pay off debt, or even sparingly treat ourselves.  This is also money that we still spend in stores, restaurants, and other businesses which guess what...makes more people money....