David Gregg

Depression in Boys: How I discovered I was a harmful helper

Fall 2021, Parenting, Slider, Valor ParentsNovember 4, 2021350Views 0Likes 0Comments

I don’t really understand depression. God has not yet added that as a chapter in my life, and based on my experiences and temperament likely won’t be. Because of our built in differences some of us are simply more prone, through our natural emotional make-up, our history, or our biology, to experience depression. Because the…

Thoughts on Shaving

Fall 2019, Parenting, Valor ParentsNovember 25, 2019472Views 0Likes 0Comments

It became clear that this ordinary moment in my life was not ordinary for him at all Shaving is a big deal. It’s a big deal because it’s an annoying hassle and blades are a hugely expensive racket, running a close second to ink cartridges. But when you are a young man it represents…

That Shouldn’t Be There

Spring 2019, Valor ParentsApril 15, 2019478Views 0Likes 0Comments

Our only hope was in hearing the bad news The E.R. doctor called me over to look at the computer monitor on which an image of my wife's brain was displayed. He pointed to a big blob in the middle of her brain and simply said, "That shouldn't be there." It was very bad news.…

A Better Story: Discussion Questions and Answers

Culture, Fall 2018, Parenting, Valor ParentsNovember 1, 2018456Views 0Likes 0Comments

Boys love stories! And stories are a powerful medium with which to communicate deep truths to the heart. Below you will find questions and potential answers we hope will help bring about good conversation between you and your sons after you've read the article to them, A Better Story, a tale for dinnertime conversation The…

Why Our Stories Matter

Fall 2018, Parenting, Valor Parents, You’re Not AloneNovember 1, 2018512Views 0Likes 0Comments

Have you ever noticed that most of the Bible is comprised of stories? These stories tend to come in two flavors: God giving impossibly weak people the ability to do impossibly big things, and deeply sinful people being forgiven by God's amazing grace. These are not fables concocted from men's imaginations to make a good…

A Well Intentioned Fool

Fall 2018, Parenting, Valor ParentsNovember 1, 20181KViews 0Likes 1Comment

I found my anger in a broken drawer Do I get a pass because no creature can awaken anger and frustration like a 14 year old boy? We homeschool. My dear wife had taken the primary mantle of responsibility for this calling until they reached high-school. At that point she passed the baton to…

Autism: Remembering the Golden Rule

Character, Spring 2018, Valor ParentsMay 21, 20181KViews 0Likes 1Comment

Autism often leaves young men and women with profound thoughts but without the ability to share it or the audience to listen. Philip Reyes, 12 years old, is our youngest author to date and is autistic. His autism prevents him from communicating verbally, and until recently this meant the world of his thoughts, brilliant and…

Dad, Please Ask!

Communication, Fall 2017, Sex Topics, Valor ParentsSeptember 1, 20171KViews 0Likes 0Comments

A young man’s plea to hear his father’s voice. Brad is one of those young men poised to do great things. In a couple of years gaggles of grey-headed grandmothers will be dragging their bewildered granddaughters across crowded church fellowship halls in hopes of sparking a romance. He is a godly young man and I…

The Book that Bites

Fall 2016, Transformed Lives, Valor ParentsSeptember 30, 2016448Views 0Likes 0Comments

Remember choose your own adventure books? I loved them as a kid. When I read them I felt like I was an active participant rather than a passive observer. The Bible is supposed to be like this. When we sit down to read, we are placing on our lap a living book that bites back. But the Bible is powerfully “relevant” not because we are in charge but because God wields the words that confront us like a master surgeon wields a scalpel. Forgetting this is dangerous. And a few months ago I forgot. I sat down on the couch that morning, grabbed my phone, and clicked on my Bible app. I rolled my eyes internally when 1 Corinthians 13 popped up. 1 Corinthians 13 is that passage we all tune out at weddings because we’ve heard it over and over again. We’ve turned it into a cliché. “Love is patient, love is kind …” And like the nagging repetition of a parent droning on, I was not interested in hearing the same old things again. I was about to look for another passage to read when the Spirit pricked my conscience.

Help Your Son Appreciate Work: Discussion Ideas

Character, Valor ParentsApril 26, 2016353Views 0Likes 0Comments

Whether it's bumper stickers about "working to live not living to work," or the glorified picture of a comfortable retirement as the ultimate goal of American success, our children rarely get a picture of work that paints it in a good light. And yet work was given to Adam and Eve in the garden before…

Honoring God In Their Work

Character, Spring 2016, Valor ParentsApril 26, 2016550Views 0Likes 0Comments

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” ― Abraham Kuyper

How silly of us to think that we have the power to shove Jesus into one small room of our lives, even if we’ve tried to dignify that room by hanging a cross on the door. The King of Kings is Lord over the rise and fall of every nation and the rise and fall of every loaf of bread regardless of our stubbornness in recognizing this fact. But humans are good at ignoring facts and so we often live our lives as if our Christianity is only relevant to the “churchy” stuff. But Jesus purchased this whole crazy world on the cross and we are simply stewards of all He has placed in our care. This includes our jobs. Yes, Jesus is even Lord over our work, and the fact that we are citizens of God’s kingdom must impact how we operate within the workplace. But how practically speaking should we be expressing the Lordship of Jesus in our work? It’s easy to see how a pastor can glorify God in his work. You can’t get more “churchy” than a pastor. That job has “Jesus” written all over it. But our modern eyes have a difficult time seeing how we might seek the glory of God as a plumber, park ranger, or proctologist. And even before we get to careers, how are we to teach our sons to recognize the Lordship of Jesus in his work around the house like cleaning toilets, doing laundry, and actually taking care of family pets? I want some real world examples, not just theory (even if it is sound biblical theory).

You may find these discussion ideas regarding work helpful for talking to your boys

That’s why I was so excited when I got to talk to Lewis Ten Have, Chief Operating Officer of Christian Brothers Automotive, a Christian business with 154 franchises in 23 states. I quickly realized there was a lot to learn from how this amazing company is seeking to honor God. Here’s just a few things I picked up from him as I tried to learn some practical ways they try to live out their faith in the world of business.

Technology Tools and Tips

Sex Topics, Technology, Valor ParentsOctober 1, 2015446Views 0Likes 0Comments

Tricks and tips are not the answer to helping our sons use technology in a God honoring way. Any tools, tricks, or fences that we erect to protect them must be utilized in the context of a solid relationship with your son. Even more importantly, we must be pointing our sons to a relationship with…