up and going.

today es wednesday. lots to do. sitting drinking cinnamon apple chai and putting the final outline for tonight on paper. excited. i'm stoked to see a bunch of our HS kiddos circled up learning the Gospel together this morning at 7am. that's a win. the goal is to take all that they learn this morning and be agents of change in their schools today. it's possible. the Hope is in them. they're carriers of glory. so am i. it's a total change of attitude. gotta remember who i belong to.

tonight's talk series thingy is simple. from worry to worship. sounds simple, but habakkuk's heart goes through a lot to finally come to worship. it takes questions and some struggle to come to his conclusion. oh, and he meets with God and that changes everything. every time. meeting with Him gives us the strength to call Him good in our times of weakness and where faith seems far from us. it can be brutal to say "amen" to all that happens to us and around us. but that's the complete change of attitude and heart that Hab goes through. that i must go through. i'm not there yet. that's honest. i'm learning. one quick note...hab stations himself on the "ramparts" to hear from God. he stands watch. the illustration is that of a lookout awaiting an attacking army. he was alert. ready. i bet the adrenaline was flowing a little bit. the point here is simply that he made EVERY effort to hear from God. not every excuse. he took out distractions. the God of Israel became his first and most beautiful obsession. had to have Him. had to hear Him.

g

ps. God is sovereign. Nothing happens today by accident; everything happens today by appointment.
-david platt

ps dos. secret song is rescue is coming. from the 3+4=7 record. listen twice. haha. that good. let it sink. click here.. turn off the display and just hear the words. it's truth for us today.

"There's a darkness in my skin
My cover's wearing thin, I believe
I'd love to start again, go back to innocent
And never leave

Don't give up now
A break in the clouds
We could be found
There's nothing wrong with me
It's just that I believe things could get better
And there's nothing wrong with love
I think it's just enough to believe

Rescue is coming

And there's nothing wrong with you
And nothing left to do
But believe something bigger
And there's nothing wrong with love
I know it's just enough to believe"

bueno morningo.

really good morning at sugar brown's. read a lot. thankful for the Holy Spirit. habakkuk is teaching me more than i can grasp at the moment. so thick. here's two quotes i wanted to pass along to you guys. they're both pretty great.

"God does not mumble. He speaks with clarity and forthrightness." - john walvoord
(on how God spoke to hab and speaks to us)

and

"bluegrass music in the morning is like coffee for the ears." - justin barnard
(on how bluegrass music in the morning is like coffee for the soul. duh)

g

and this makes me happy.

spring break. winter weather edition. day 2 & 3.

(some shots via iphone)

garrett: today began at the pancake pantry with the wilson's. josh and becca. once a parking spot was finally located and the line was navigated, we chowed. the BEST breakfast. i had pecan pancakes. pigs in a blanket. and french toast. i could barely walk to josh's car to begin the process of finding our car. so good to eat and catch up and help fill out NCAA tournament brackets. then we headed to the VU and the bookstore. and after that to the gulch and then south to franklin. we found a confederate cemetery and walked around the carnton house. the battle of franklin was fought right around this house. we walked around for a while. lots of history. trying to soak it all in. then, we then met beaner and mal for ice cream and to run around downtown franklin. they're pretty great! i officially at 1.08 pounds of trolley car chocolate and island banana with coconut. i feel sick. we just got home and dad and mom have a big dinner ready. yes. and as for a camping update, i heard some man coughing around 4am and i swear he was right outside my tent. i neutralized the threat with my dad's red ryder. over. ptl y'all.

jeff: ahhh... it's good to be home. i always enjoy coming home to see the fam, even if it's only for a few days. i love the smell of the trees and grass. nashville is got all kinds of hip hop. j-bone loves him some nashy. anyway. for those of you who haven't experienced the wide world of twitter, let me just say you are definitely missing out. be sure to check out CRESTkids on twitter. myself, pam, and kara (the southcrest children's ministry dynamic team) publish our thoughts often. and we are brilliant people. you definitely should follow us (on twitter... don't be a creeper and follow us around the hub city. that's just weird). ok, well i don't know what else to say. i got to see vandy's campus today. b-e-a-u-tiful. gotta t-shirt. for those of you counting, i've bought two shirts this trip and spent a total of 16 bucks. i'm what you would call a bargain shopper. i'm also what you would call a handsome thoroughbred or a studly man. ok. gotta go eat some baby carrots. peace.

tiffany: hmm...where do i begin? today has been a FABULOUS day! actually, this whole spring break has been absolutely FABULOUS thus far! but back to today...we started the day with a yummy breakfast at pancake pantry. we met up with josh and becca wilson as well. they are too cute together and i LOVE becca's sweet spirit. it was refreshing! vandy's bookstore was our next stop to pick up some super great tees. then off to downtown franklin. window shopping, pounds of frozen yogurt, and civil war battlefields made up our afternoon in franklin. garrett was kind enough to drive us to an aveda salon so i could pick up some sweet-smelling shampoo and conditioner. if you've never tried aveda's rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner you're missing out. try it and you'll never go back! jeff and i LOVE it! just finished up some of glenn's tasty meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, and bread. kuddos to garrett's dad! now off to rap music and dessert...

shannon: cupcakes. frozen yogurt. mango flavored. french toast. meatloaf. eggs. battle grounds. vanderbilt baseball. granola mix. 2012. cold weather. rap music. tennessee.

a little surprise.

let me explain. a couple of weeks ago the brower's (tiffany and jeff) and i came up with this nifty little idea to sneak up on our parents. over spring break. oh, and they live in tyler, texas and nashville, tennessee. aaaaand we live in lubbock! 'twas a grand plan. so, for the last three days we've been in tyler hanging out with the brower's, kindle's and all their friends. it's been so good. it's fun to get to know people you know so well already in their hometown. you truly learn so much more about them. and they're GREAT. i'm stoked to see tyler again on friday and saturday. but, today we headed to my hometown of nashville. we're staying all week! my parents had absolutely no idea. completely in the dark on this one. we're pretty pro at keeping secrets from people 17 hours away. so, when the five of us drove up the driveway and walked up the garage stairs and into the rec room, they freaked out. i've honestly never seen THAT particular look on my mom's face! she had no idea what to say. i just kept yelling, "I'm here, I'm here!" and they finally got up and went a little crazy too. i'm jumping around. mom's crying. dad's laughing. belly laughing. and the other four are smiling. i told my mom to stop hugging me and meet everyone else and she screamed, "I don't care, you're here!"

like i said in an earlier post, she voted me most adorable. but, she finally did let go and met the gang. it was hilarious.

now that dinner's over, dad is making us watch a movie called 2012. end of the world stuff. it's kinda funny, i guess. so, i'm writing this as we watch. multi-tasker or something. it turns out we have three rooms upstairs and they are full of our honored guests and so i have taken up residence outside. i'm stoked. camping is the best. even if it's in the backyard. i. love it. i love home. and now the brower's and kindle's get to see it. how cool. i'll try to keep you guys updated. tomorrow is running, fishing, and a vandy baseball game. and maybe, FRANKLIN. and wednesday it's all about the pantry with the wilson's.

in the moment,

g

sunday. sunday. sunday!

church was really sweet. mexican food was delish. academy and a little gander mountain. gooood day. and I may or may not have just got my hair cut into a slight mullet. google andy rautins.

over.

g

today.

beautiful day. ran four miles and wobbled to the car. felt good. then tiff and jeff kept running and did 10. feeling strangely unathletic now. thanks guys.

and the dores lost to miss state. i'm in the depths of despair. not really.

time for food and the hurt locker. watch out.

there's your update mooze. now u can move on with your day!

g

our friends.

this is the place and these are the people we love. we get to see them soon. beautiful people! please join us in praying for them. and if you want to help out too, we are going to see them in three months. francis gave a short list of what they are looking for right now. here goes...

tennis shoes - adult sizes 5, 6 and 7
Children's chewable Pepto Bismal
Colored copy paper
Clear contact paper - for covering teaching aids
Wide, clear wrapping tape - for covering flash cards, etc.
Back packs

if you live in the lbk and want to help, just pick up some of these and bring them to my office at southcrest! we'll take it to them on may 31. any help at all would be such a blessing.

THANKS in advance!

g

ps...props to julia and cecily for finding the video at current.com. nice work.

secret song y'all!

alright. it's 3:42pm. time to go through the notes one last time. this talk came fast. just kinda flowed. not all of them do that. stoked. wed. night is at 6pm and i'm looking forward to seeing our great kiddos. every time i see them i remember why i love my job. it's a blessing. we've got the first belize team meeting after worship and that should be fun as well. lots to remember in that meeting. good thing my memory is absolutely incredible. bonkers good...haha. i love the people of belize. and in less than three months we get to go tell little kids and families about the saving power of Jesus. joyed.

secret song for tonight is carry me through. "why is it called the 'secret song?'" you ask. look here. another dave barnes song. i find myself going back to it all the time. listening over and over, in fact. if i could sing songs like this for the rest of my life i'd be cool with that. really. reminds me of this great church service i got to be a part of in college. little bitty church on a hill. really, really big God. one of the neatest times i've ever had seeing God move. i could talk all day about it. ask me later. but for now, check out the song. and listen to the words and know it's a promise for those in Christ Jesus. you are His. and He's got you. we must continually preach this Truth to ourselves and others. it is true. we often forget. constant repetition of the Savior and His promises. matches the talk for tonight. the words are true to life and i might just dance a little to it. might. okay...probably. nothing overboard. see alex hitchens for tips. and yes, i do realize that i talked about dave barnes yesterday. it's where my itunes is right now. i'm cool with that.

g

new music choose-day.

since i'm probably the greatest surveyor of all things music you know (i say that humbly, obviously), i have been elected by my peers (not really) to begin a new section of the blog out about new music/stuff we need to hear each and every tuesday. pronounced "choose-day." apparently, according to people, i don't pronounce "tuesday" correctly. es okay with me. i will still help them with their music choices. here we go...

new dave barnes. it's out april 6. i'm ready i think. first single is here.

if i could pick any voice in the world to have it'd be his. yes mom, that means i would choose his voice over amy grant's from the late 90's. sorry. im a boy.

there you have it folks. we'll see ya next week. possibly with a guest edition. who knows?! i'm going to leave all 3 of you in suspense.

suspended,

g

ps. if any of you have any other ideas for the blog, be sure to let the comment box know about it.

the boys.

garrett warren. glenn warren. graham warren. george william (not pictured...we told him to wait for his own pic because his middle name wasn't warren).

i am the tallest and was voted "most adorable" in high school by my mother. dad is the smartest (see bowtie) and was recently voted "handsomest photog in nashville" by the same publication. popie is both most athletic AND most dangerous. he is the lone gregory to letter in a D1 sport. (although, i did practice with the belmont women's bball team once because they were short on players. i dominated. and by dominated i mean i went 1-2 from the field. the layup was magic though i tell ya). that counts, eh? back to the story. popie's a vanderbilt commodore like dad. check the media guide. he's in there. 1940-41. i looked it up like it was my job. it was. my first job after belmont was at vandy. go dores! and after the war he finished up at georgia tech. and yes, i'm bragging on him. he's a baller. i didn't letter because i didn't want him to feel overshadowed and i'm just a nice kid like that. "wait...he's both most athletic AND dangerous?" you ask. YETH. dangerous. i would give you his cell number so you could ask him why he's dangerous, but he doesn't carry one and plus, that would be inappropriate. but not really. truth is, he doesn't need a phone. he's that dangerous. he just knows. where and when. it's uncanny. who needs a phone when you're fishing anyway?! he carries knives, instead. and no, not the small swiss army kind. a little bit bigger. and without the cute, removable toothpick. like i said, dangerous. sweetie is a lucky woman. and then there's this guy named george william. popie's kid, dad's brother. the great, uncle george. we all miss him. he ripped dad's eyelid off once. it grew back i think. next time i see dad i'll look. cool guy though. he taught me to shoot guns and figure out how to work the dumb clutch on the four-wheeler (i was 10). he showed me how to catch fish and poachers (dirty rascals), trap grizzly bears in the Northern Yukon (not really), grow a solid beard (i can't), drive off-road, and everything that courage is. he fought the good fight and gave me lots of wedgies. deservedly so, i guess. i had a mouth on me. i got it from him! his dogs peed on my Christmas present once. it smelled terrible Christmas morning and we traced it to the truck where his dogs were. ruined the present. but one of my favorite memories ever. we laughed. and laughed. silly tennesseans! well, i could mention other awards and honors that have been bestowed upon us gregory men, but we are a very humble family and we only talk about those things when we're all catching huge trout in the cascades. seriously. just picture the movie "a river runs through it." that's us. only we weren't homeschooled and we smile a lot. oh, and we drink milk and sweet tea and not the other stuff in the movie. and dad is a really nice guy. well, come to think of it, there's a host of differences. crud. we like to fish. common bond found.

found this picture tonight from senior year at the big BU. made me laugh and brought up all these memories. i figured i better write them down. so i am. the pic makes me feel underdressed or something. i miss that t-shirt. the blue collar one. i got that one at duke one summer and i've lost it. this picture just went from fun to frustrating. i lose all my stuff. hrmph. has anybody seen my columbia u longsleeve t-shirt? if you have it, just bring it back, no questions asked. well, there probably will be questions and perhaps a quick punch to the face, but other than that, nothing. and just to be honest, i started the whole bowtie thing at the house, but dad has since taken over. and by taken over, i mean every sunday for the last 4 years. that's 208! scoreboard...dad-208, son-4. i shall win. "don't call it a comeback." seriously, bowtie sunday next sunday. pass the word. gies, tyson, and matthew...it's time to put our big boy britches back on. as bb would say, "do work."

and as i'm writing this, a commercial with dwade and barkley just came on with dwade wearing a bowtie. unbelievable. es a sign.

g

where i'm at.

so, He's got me learning trust. the weight of it. the process of it. the keys to it and the beauty in it.

i stink at it. no, i'm brutal at it. my heart wants to see the clarity of the whole picture but the Father loves the thought of bringing me along piece by piece. i want the full ansel adams landscape when all i'm getting is the rain and blurry backdrop. i must learn to be cool with that. and not just cool with that...i'm called to find sheer joy in it. that's a whole different heartbeat and that's how He wants it right now. i liken it to a story. i love telling stories. it's how i like to preach or talk or live, really. storytelling is an absolute art. it's a craft i have yet to master. but there is One who has, and He simply wants me to get so caught up in the story He's writing that worry ceases and the beauty of it begins and envelops. this can only happen if I trust the Author of the story. sometimes, we can't see the whole picture and the Great Storyteller is okay with that. Wait, not just okay, He's excited about it. Why? Because at the appointed time, he loves to reveal more of the story. moment of trust by moment of trust. eldredge says He loves to come through. he's right. He's building us. into something that we often don't believe we could ever be. but we must trust, even though we are concerned, confused, and often paralyzed because we don't know the ending. trust the story. and more than that, trust the Storyteller.

that's where i'm at. and where i'm going. love the story, people. He orders your part.

as far as what's been going on, i went to good ole' midland for a phil wickham show. only it wasn't a show. it was him leading a bunch of people in worship. didn't feel like a show at all. so. much. fun. it was in a really old-school, center-aisle, wooden-rafter filled sanctuary with really cool windows. dig it. it was like a church you'd find in an old Robin Hood movie. God was there and i'd do it all over again. i got a rock chip in my window on the way home that's gonna get fixed tomorrow, but it's all part of the story too right?? and the window people even said they'd come to the office to fix it! nice. and a special thanks to all the really cool peeps who made yesterday such a neat day. you know who you are. i'm so thankful to God for you. a couple of those people beat florida last night...haha. thanks guys. fight dores. is there any vandy cake left?

tonight, our students meet up at 6 and i'm ready. the talk tonight is the gospel according to the berenstain bears. yes, the children's book series. once a semester we try and do this. it reminds me and our students of the simplicity of the gospel. trust me on this one. i'm ready for God to do big stuff. if you read this before 6pm tonight, throw up a prayer for our kiddos. make all of our lives make much more of Him after tonight. may You dwell richly in us.

secret song tonight is heaven song from the new phil wickham album. it was the last song he played that night. just listen. (DAD, go to itunes and then the itunes STORE and search heaven song in the bar at the top right. CLICK BUY. pay the buck. do it dad. trust me. no questions. just trust).

you're hesitating. i know it. just man up and buy it! hahahaha! it's slower one, but play it loud and just try not to smile. not possible.

"if i find within myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the probable explanation is that i was made for another world." c.s. lewis

g


ps. follow crestkids on twitter. there's your shout out JEFF, pam and kara! tweet away y'all.