Growin' Up Gregory

How many of us as parents have watched our young children open birthday or Christmas presents with that underlying fear of, "Oh crap, what's he gonna say if he doesn't like something he gets?"  If it hasn't happened to you, when your kid is old enough to talk, it will.  And it's semi-mortifying as a parent when your child says, "I don't like that" or "I already have one" or "What else do I have?"  Especially when a close friend or family member spent their hard earned money on a thoughtful gift.  I still remember one of Thomas' favorite presents was a cheap toy that was virtually worthless...but he loved it.  He doesn't always understand the true value of a family heirloom, a traditional gift, or the cost of something collectible.  And it's not his fault, he's young and immature so he just doesn't know. Far too often, spouses reveal our own ignorance and immaturity in not realizing the val...

If you've been following along, you've seen what authentic joy is and the foundation that it comes from.  But what does it look like in our everyday lives?  How do we live our lives in such a way that others can't help but see our joy and faith? Read 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10 True authentic joy is infectious.  People can spot someone who has true passion, true care, and true desire to be doing what they're doing.  This goes from the girl waiting on you at the fast food restaurant to the boy bagging your groceries.  If they are joyful in what they're doing, you can tell it because real joy is set apart. True joy does not ebb and flow with the environment around us.  It doesn't matter if your team won, your new car got a dent in it, or your favorite show got cancelled.  True joy goes beyond the trivial things that make us "happy" to the point that we are joyful in what God has given us - nothing else is needed.  The people in Thessalonica saw t...