Growin' Up Gregory

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 (LifeWayResearch.com) Fact #2: 34% of Americans say religion is "largely old-fashioned and out of date."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 watched a few NFL football games on Sunday.  At this point with all the protests and boycotts, I'm not sure if that makes people think that I'm an activist, a patriot, or just a guy who likes football.  Oddly enough, I actually enjoy the pregame talks and analysis more than the game itself sometimes.  And for the past few weeks I have tried to tune in early in order to see all of the pregame "activities." I noticed several weeks ago when kneeling in protest during the National Anthem became the "trendy" or "cool" thing to do that the NFL and major networks seemed to buy into that hype and attempt to use it to boost ratings.  I assume they were going with the old adage; "There is no such thing as bad publicity."  However, as ratings, sponsors, advertisers, and eventually money began to decline, the pregame protests became less of a focal point. And finally, this Sunday, November 12th, I believe the NFL and networks finally got it rig...

There are people who do things everyday that seem to go unnoticed.  They may be the ones who turn the lights and AC/heat on at work before you open, the ones who clean up after hours, the ones who get the call about an issue at midnight when everyone else is sleeping.  These people often prefer to remain nameless as they do their work because it's the right thing to do and not for someone else's praise.  They don't get their name in lights and often don't receive the recognition they deserve, but their impact is always felt. In Exodus 1:15-22 there is a similar story.  The new king of Egypt has taken reign and greatly fears the Israelite people.  He has imposed strict manual labor and harsh conditions on them but their numbers continue to grow.  Out of an increasing fear for these people, he now plans to ramp up his attack against the people.  He orders the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah to kill the sons of the people but allow the daughters to l...