Growin' Up Gregory

I looked last night and realized that I hadn't actually completed and posted a blog in over a month.  I had to ask myself if I had been lazy, busy, or some combination of both.  Truth is, it's both.  I had started several drafts that haven't been completed.  I've spoke a couple times which requires a different focus and preparation, for me anyways.  And while work has now gotten back to a more typical volume that PPP has run its course, we're still very busy.  But, I told myself earlier this year that I would write and share more regularly and I try to live by a "no excuses" mentality.  So hopefully a weekly article that touches on subjects without the sometimes too deep dive I try to take will be easier for me to handle and for others to follow. No Guts, No Glory We've all heard this saying - but what if our guts cause us to miss the glory?  If you know the story of Jesus in the garden before he was apprehended to be crucified, you've heard of a ...

We have all had very different experiences in life.  These seem to have been magnified over the past 4-6 weeks with everything going on in the world.  The threat of COVID and the impact of the CARES act has hit each of us very differently.  I just want to share some of my thoughts from my point of view.  Your may certainly be different if you've seen it from a different angle.  This is merely from my vantage point. COVID-19 Fear Factor One of my biggest concerns with the Coronavirus and COVID-19 is the way people have let themselves, and their whole lives, be taken over and consumed by fear.  Based on yesterday's SC DHEC statistics, there have been 38,833 tests administered with 4,246 positive results.  That is a 10.9% positive test return.  Now, I do not know the typical percentage of positive test for season flu, strep throat, and other 'regular' viruses, but a near 90% negative return rate seems illogical.  If this data is available...

If you could live anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? In these times, it's a tougher question than usual right?  We could pick a tropical destination, somewhere with a good job, somewhere close to family, or wherever you heart may desire.  But no matter where you chose right now, one thing remains true about all places - no matter how 'perfect' we may think it to be, problems will still arise there. It's nearly impossible to escape pollution, evil, and the virus that plaguing our land right now.  But there is a location with none of these problems - Heaven.  In John 14:3, Jesus said, "And if  I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself."  None of us enjoy talking about death.  But it is an impending reality for all of us.  It may be today, tomorrow, next year, or decades from now.  But you don't have to fear death if you know the next step. What's it like? In Revelation 21, John offe...

"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...