Growin' Up Gregory

This week in our Sunday school class, I asked the question:  "What's a name you associate with greatness?"  Instantly, one young guy responds, LeBron!  You can tell he's younger because even my much younger (brownie points!) wife spoke up and said that when she thinks of 23, she thinks of Michael Jordan.  We stopped the debate there in the interest of getting into the lesson as well as not starting an argument in church. While we all likely have different names that we associate with greatness, we all recognize the importance of having an honorable name.  "Without question, one name above all others deserves honor:  the name of God.  Jesus taught us to honor the name of God when we pray." The Point:  Our prayers are driven by the desire to honor God. This week's primary verse was Matthew 6:9b, "Hallowed be your name," as well as Psalm 96:1-9. Part 1 - Praise thru Proclamation In the Model Prayer, Jesus directs us to place praise at t...

Most of us probably did this when we younger before reality seemed to set in and life got hard.  But let's step back from today's tough reality and take a few minutes to dream.  Imagine this situation:  You've just been reminded of your many great accomplishments and victories in life, all the obstacles you've overcome and the battles you've won.  You're the CEO of your business or the king of your empire, well respected in all that you do.  You have a home where you and your family can live comfortably.  And you have rest or peace, physically from enemies, as well as mentally and emotionally.  Then to top it all off, you've been assured that your children will have a good life and your legacy will be one of great respect.  Nice day, huh.   Well that's precisely the situation that David found himself in in 2 Samuel 7.  He was the undisputed king of Israel, he had begun building a great palace, planned to build a temple, and was cons...

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.  ...

Have you ever been asked to do something that seemed impossible, or that you felt totally inadequate for?  Or perhaps there is a challenge that you just don't see how you can complete or accomplish the goals that have been set?  It could be anything; a job offer, a duty or task being assigned to you at work, a test coming up, or a physical challenge.  This can sometimes leave us wondering how we are supposed to go on.  We may seek out motivational and inspirational quotes and image to help us trudge along and keep moving forward, all the while still feeling like we are doomed to fail.  In Exodus 3:10, Moses was given such a task.  He was asked to go to the Pharaoh and lead the Israelites, who were being used as slave labor at the time, out of Egypt.  Let's look at who Moses was when asked to do this: -  He was living in exile in the wilderness having fled from Egypt. -  He had fled Egypt for killing an Egyptian out of anger -...