The World According to Gregg

Empty Nest?

2010-11-21T18:28:00.000-08:00

Come next August, Sherri and I will be empty nesters. Yes I am sad and a bit scared, but I think the emotion I feel the most is restlessness. I can't put my finger on it. I realize this is the next phase and it is what Sherri and I have been working for over the past 21 years with Clayton and Maddie, but I can’t shake the feeling of restlessness. What will the next "phase" consist of? When this next phase was still far away I thought it would be a time that Sherri and I could travel, spend more one on one time, sleep late on the weekends, or maybe take long weekend trips without planning the adventure four months ahead of time. It would be a time we would move into the city or maybe the Galleria area and "downsize" and live the cosmopolitan lifestyle. Eat out even more, travel more, and enjoy the good life more. Now as it gets so close, I am restless. Do I really need more self time? Do I need to live the “good life”? Is that really the purpose of the empty nest phase? Do Sherri and I really need to get to know each other again? Heck we have been married for almost 25 years. Trust me; we know each other VERY well. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly. The kids (great kids) will be in college; our work is almost done. What work is left will take less time and more money. All this leaves me with is restlessness.

With this restlessness I have a bit of fear in the bottom of my gut. The fear comes because I think I know the source of my restlessness. I am afraid that God maybe stirring in me. Does God maybe have something Sherri and I should be doing during next phase other than enjoying the fruits of our 25 years of labor? I don't think he is sending us to Africa to feed the children, but what if there is a family here in Houston the needs a hand. I don’t think He is calling me to proclaim the gospel on the street corner downtown, but what about my neighbors and the people I work with everyday? I don’t think He wants me to adopt an orphan, but why not be a foster parent for a child that just needs a place to call home for awhile. I don’t think He wants me to sell all my possessions and give them to the poor, but maybe he is asking me to be generous beyond practicality.
Ok, I have been almost too honest with you here. All I have left to say is: I am not sure what’s next, but I am praying that my plans for the empty nest don’t push out God’s plans. I have lived long enough to know that God’s plans are always the best. I leave you with a verse we read in small group today. My hope and prayer for Sherri and I and all of you is this, no matter what “phase” you find yourself is that you take hold of life that is truly life!

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. I Timothy 6:18-19

My pastor made me mad last Sunday!

2009-09-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am a member of Copperfield Church (don't hold that against the church). For the last few weeks the preacher (a guy I am usually at peace with) has been preaching on the beatitudes. A few have really gotten under my skin. But, last week was the last straw. If he keeps preaching the truth, I am going to have to find a feel good church to attend. Two verses he used that really made me mad were:

1 John 4:20:
If anyone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Ephesians 4:29:
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Those of you that know me or my frequent Facebook status update can understand how disturbing these passages can be to me. It is not like the first time I have ever heard or read these passages; however, they really convicted me while sitting there in my chair. Of course my first was response was "back off preacher, you are starting to meddle." Then it happened, the Holy Spirit convicted me right there in church (the nerve).

Do I love God? Yes. Do I hate my brother? Yes, I am afraid I sometimes do. Maybe I don't actually hate, but my actions and words sure sound like I do. Ok, so there I am feeling like crap and the preacher hits me with the second passage. Only speak words that build up? Good grief, I am 0 for 2.

So what now? I have been thinking about it all day. I have two options. One, I could stop loving God. The option will not work. How could I, a sinful man, deserving eternity in hell ever turn my back on a holy God that gave me grace through His son Jesus Christ. Two, I could change. Who am I kidding? I cannot change. People don't change. My only option is to allow God to change me.

Strawberries are good...

2009-08-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Today while eating strawberries I thought to myself. Man these strawberries are so good. Every time I eat fruit I am reminded there is a God and he is good. If you ever doubt there is a God just pick up an orange. Sit down in a comfortable chair and slowly peel it. Then take a moment before breaking up the slices just to admire it. It is truly incredible. This perfection grew from dirt, sun, water and air! You will never convince me that an orange just evolved overtime to its perfection. God created it and did a perfect job.

Good Things

2009-05-02T05:12:00.001-07:00

I may have to retire from my short stint of blogging. I really have nothing to say. I know most of you would respond "well that never stopped you from blogging in the past." And you would be correct. But this time is different. I am consumed with nothing but Obama, and how this country so quickly and willingly has embraced socialism. It did not even take a generation to ease into it. Just 100 days. I am consumed with it, yet I am bored with it. I have arrived at the point of no longer caring. My father always says "only the ignorant don't care." But that is a topic for another day. Look at Canada, they are socialist and they seem very happy. Maybe Jesus is a socialist. So, I am declaring a NO OBAMA week. I shall not speak of, cut down, or even engage in any Obama talk until next Sunday. For this week I shall speak of only good things. Let's all do this together! Here is a list of good things to discuss (in no particular order). Dogs, Mexican food, children, God, rain, the smile of a good friend, a parent's unconditional love, cash, Sherri, friends, laughing, The Office, oxygen, Barney, flowers, running water, grace, coffee on the patio with Sherri, Texas A&M, my bed, flip flops, Copperfield Church, Maddie, electricity, America, gravity, going to Marble Slap with the family at 10:00 pm on a school night for no reason, sleeping past 7 am, Krispy kreme donuts, Roomba, cats, Jesus, moo shu pork, Clayton, American Idol, recess, old friends, flannel sheets, wind, the beach in July, health, skin, funny mouse pads, cartoons, strawberries, marriage, air conditioning, vacations, FaceBook, camping, double sided tape, family, hospitals, lawn service guys, my mom and dad, spell check, Perdido Key Florida, extension cords, snow skiing, Christmas morning, fireworks, indoor plumbing, blogging about nothing, fireplaces in January, the ocean, grandparents, grass, airplanes, and old wedding pictures.

Back in Business

2009-03-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

Hey campers! I am back. I have been delayed in blogging because I forgot my password. Yes I know it is not as dramatic as lets say deathly ill, held hostage by terroist, writers block, or busy advising Obama on his next stupid move, but it's the truth. Anyway speaking of Obama, nevermind I'm not going to go down that road. Not to be a downer my first day back, but I do believe that Obama is taking us down a road of total destruction that we will never recover. Dang it I said I was not going down that road. Speaking of Obama, have I told you all about my dog? We have a family dog. She is a Corgi and her name is Reeses. She is obese! She should weigh 25 pounds but instead she weighs 40! That is just not good. So we have put the gal on a diet. She is not happy about it, but luckily she is stupid and really can't remember that she use to get more food. Ok I am gonna ease back into this blogging thing. So for now Pierce out! Yes I am hooked on American Ideal already. And DWTS is great since bachelor dumpee Melissa is on it. Yes, I watch way too much television.

Skiing

2008-12-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

I just completed my fourth day of skiing at Park City, Utah. We only have one more day. Maddie and I are going to be the first in line tomorrow morning and ski until 7:30pm. We love skiing. Actually, Maddie and Clayton are snowboarder dudes. Every time I spend a few days skiing I become aware of several things. First, I realize only a fool could spend time experiencing the snow covered mountains and not know without a shadow of a doubt that there is a God. Such incredible beauty and splendor could not come about by chance. It is the work of an awesomely creative God. Second, I rediscover that I really like my kids. I have a great time being with them. It is great to spend time with them sharing something that we all love so much. Third, I realize I am getting older. Muscles I never knew I had begin to ache. I don't go as fast down the slope as I use to and I take a few more coffee breaks. And last, I am reminded that skiing is expensive. I cant wait for the next trip!

Stuff

2008-12-18T17:01:00.000-08:00

We have 21 lamps, in the downstairs alone, 96 drinking glasses, 65 coffee cups, 12 pillows on one bed and 28 crosses on one wall! I am not bragging. I am a bit embarrassed. Why do we have all this stuff? Do we need all this stuff? Sure I could blame it on Hobby Lobby and Marshall's. If it is that cheap you just have to buy it. When will it stop? Actually as I look around I am encouraged that it has slowed tremendously over the past few years. Most of the stuff I am looking at is getting to be a few years old. But still, at one point we bought it and kept buying it. I refuse to analyze why we collect so much stuff, but instead choose to start ridding myself of the stuff. I will not bring anything else with a shelf life of over 6 months into this house unless I remove 2 items. I am committed to this. I cannot be swayed. Oh look, a new Best Buy catalog...

Steak

2008-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thursday was my birthday. I turned 32, unless you know me personally. Anyway, this is not about my birthday. It is about meat. For my birthday my family went to Taste of Texas. This is probably our favorite place to eat in Houston. We all love a great Filet! Recently my son and I have moved from medium rare to rare. Behind accepting Christ as my savior and marrying Sherri, the decision to move to rare has to be the third best decision of my life (to this point). There is nothing better than a perfectly aged rare filet! The texture, the way it melts in your mouth, and the feeling of complete satisfaction upon completion are all to die for. For those of you that are not into eating almost raw steak, I mourn your loss. I beg of you, for the love of all that is good in the culinary world, try it! One caveat, the exact opposite of a rare Filet at Taste of Texas is a rare steak at a bad steak place. So if you are going to live a little and venture out of your comfort zone, please, make sure you do it at Taste of Texas, Ruth's Chris, or Brenner's. Rare steak is not the place to cut corners. One other thought, even if you don't do rare, take the family to Taste of Texas every year around Christmas. The place is all decked out for Christmas and we never skip a year!

My Universe

2008-12-04T17:49:00.000-08:00

A few months ago we switched from Comcast cable to ATT U-Verse. I think the implication is that now all from a simple 6"x 2" handheld device I can be the Master of the Universe. U-Verse's DVR capabilities are far superior to Comcast's. As I write this, we have 66 shows recorded. This is down from a high of 109. Who are we fooling? Do we really think we can watch 66 shows? We had no time to watch them when they originally aired over a period of a week or two. When will we now have time to sit down and watch all 66? Deleting them however, is completely out of the question. I might one day need to watch one of them. I sometimes even hesitate to delete a show after I have watched it. I might want to watch it again some day. What is it that compels me to keep these shows? Maybe I was deprived of television time as a child. Maybe I think a large number of recorded programs is a status symbol. I might need professional help. I must confess I do use the delete function when necessary to get back at my wife when she has ticked me off. When I see she is up to double digits of "What Not to Wear" recordings I begin to delete them in a willy nilly fashion. I never claimed to be the most mature person in the house. The latest feature ATT has bestowed upon us is the ability to watch any recording from any TV in the house. Awesome, we can now divide and conquer!

Slack

2008-12-04T03:50:00.000-08:00

My parents have been married 50 years. To each other! I find it amazing. I truly believe they are happily married. This leads me to ponder how they have maintained a happy marriage for so many years. Sometimes after spending time with them I leave wondering how one has not killed the other. Don’t get me wrong, they are great spouses, great parents, and just categorical great people, but like all of us they have their short comings. After analyzing their success, I have decided a key reason for their victory is the fact that they both cut each other some slack. Not a complicated or sophisticated skill, but one that works. I guess the sophisticated word for “cutting someone slack” is grace. That’s my parents' secret, grace! On a daily basis my parents bestow grace to one another when they disappoint each other. I think my parents learned this grace from the creator of grace. God is the ultimate slack cutter. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has cut us eternal slack. With an honest belief, trust, and acceptance in Jesus and what he did for us we are given grace that covers all our disappointments and brings us into a relationship with the creator of the universe. I love and respect my parents for many things, but one of the greatest is the way they model the grace of God in their daily lives.

Time

2008-12-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

This is a blog from a few months ago before i was an official blogger...

You know life is funny, one day you are 7 years old and riding home in the car with your dad from a little league baseball game that you lost for the entire team because of your embarassing error and the next day you are taking your oldest son to college. A couple of weeks ago my wife and I took our son to Texas A&M. Whoop! It was almost a sureal event. I know it is the next step in life, but i could not help but be sad for my loss. Not just for the loss of my son, but the loss of time. The middle of the night rocking of a sick crying baby. How i would love to be able to rock my 18 year old and comfort him. The loss of the innocent, curious, always happy 5 year old that thought his dad could do no wrong. What i would do to go back and correct all my short falls so that my son would still think i could do no wrong. The loss of "dad lets play catch". Why was i too tired or why did i think the television show at the moment was more important than playing catch with my son?

Before i go on and on about my parenting short falls, i must stop and say his mother and i must have done something right. He is a great young man and i am so very proud of him. He will be just fine in college and his mom and i will survive.

Yes it was sureal letting him go, but in a way it was so real. About as real as life gets. We will miss him, but we know without a doubt that God has a plan for him and loves him even more than we do. And when we do doubt, it is only and hour and 15 minute drive to go check on him.

Abercrombie billboard

2008-12-01T19:17:00.001-08:00

Everyday on my home I pass a giant Abercrombie billboard on the west loop. It has been there for over a year and has probably had 3 or more different ads. It is always some outrageously good looking guy with no shirt on (and he has man pecs and abs of steel instead of man boobs and a beer belly). I can’t help but see it. Everyday. My first thought is why do I look at that every time? I do not know the answer and not sure I even want to go there. However, my second thought is why God chooses to make some people so ridiculously good looking while the rest of us are average at best. I don’t get it. If I were God, everyone would be an Abercrombie model. There would be no short people, there would be no baldness, and there would be no people that struggle with their weight. If I were God, I would only create perfection. I know all this sounds very shallow, but I am often shallow. I know God look at the inside, and makes no mistakes, but would it really hurt if we were perfect on the outside? At this point of my analysis I should come up with something profound that explains why God does not make us all Abercrombie good looking, but I have nothing profound to add. I think I will start taking a different route home!

Clayton went back to school today

2008-12-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

Clayton went back to school today. I miss him already. However, i find it strange that when he is here i think we get on each other's nerves...but the second he is gone i miss him so much. I think it is kinda crazy. When he comes home for Christmas, i will just try to enjoy having him here instead of trying to be the father all the time.