Growin' Up Gregory

Last year leading up to the NBA draft, pretty much everyone in the world knew that Zion Williamson would be the #1 overall pick. It had been a foregone conclusion since the start of the college basketball season (exploding shoe situation aside). Essentially, all he had to do was play games and stay healthy and he was a lock to become a multi-millionaire and be headed to the NBA. The only mystery left to the situation was which team would wind up with the #1 pick. Another story for a talented athlete didn't turn out so well (athletically speaking). Inky Johnson (if you haven't heard of him, look him up as soon as you finish this article) had overcome numerous obstacles in his life to become a standout defensive back at the University of Tennessee. Heading into his final season, his coaches received a letter projecting him to be a 1st round pick in the NFL. Like Zion, this would make him a professional athlete on the greatest stage and a multi-millionaire. All he had to d...

Friday was tough.  Put yourself in the disciples shoes.  Your teacher, your leader, your King, has just been brutally killed.  Let me clear this up for any doubters - there is no doubt about the death of Jesus.  The duty of a Roman soldier was to ensure the victim died.  If he failed, he didn't pay a fine or go to jail a few days, he paid for it with his own life. But Saturday had to be hard as well.  Many of us have lost loved ones and you know the absolutely drained feeling of fatigue after that initial day of deep emotions and constant visits.  They had to be exhausted, stressed, and empty of patience.  On top of that, they were now in fear for their own lives.  A week later when Jesus came to them, they were behind locked doors indicating they were still worried, still scared, still confused.  But in the midst of these dark days of uncertainty, they didn't give up. How they had faith I don't know.  Most...

My body has gotten to the point that I now enjoy looking at rollercoasters more than riding them.  I still enjoy the rush you get riding one, but my aging back just doesn't handle the twists and turns and bumps like it used to.  This week, has been somewhat of a real life rollercoaster ride.  There were no major losses or disasters like a death or terminal illness but I did get cussed out by one person, had my character somewhat questioned by another, and had a couple days of lunch and evening appointments making for a hectic schedule.  But there were some goods - I had a satisfactory review at work, completed some tasks from those meetings, had lunch with an old friend, and received a couple sincere compliments.  And wouldn't you know, to top it all off, this week's Sunday school lesson tied directly in to the week I was having.  God's timing is awesome. The lesson this week is titled "No Fear" and comes from Acts 18:1-11 where Paul is in Corinth.  ...