All posts by Daniel F. Grey

Daniel Grey

Can 2020 Be Redeemed?

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#redeem2020

The complete and utter dumpster fire of a year that has been 2020 is becoming a trope, but I know it can still be a good year.

The Redeemer

One of my favorite names for God is Our Redeemer. It represents the power that God has to turn broken things into something new, something beautiful. One of the most compelling parts about this idea is that since humans are made in the image of God we are all little redeemers. Chip and Joanna Gaines (among many, many others) take dilapidated houses and turn them into dream homes. We see folks take run down cars and turn them into something functional. Gardeners take ground and turn it into beauty or food. If you look, you can see the story of redemption play out over and over and over again. Humans enjoy being little redeemers.

Can we redeem 2020? I believe we can. In fact, I believe we are meant to. We just need to figure out what that looks like and how we can do it.

An Image

I came across this image the other day on linked in and it really struck me.

a dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan ba… | Hand quotes, Encouragement quotes, Quotes about new year

I like this image because it is so simple, but there is something profound in it. It provides a playbook for anybody’s goals. Its a tool that turns a dream into a reality.

What’s The Big Idea?

I want everyone to set out to redeem 2020. A year when I lost family members and my job while you probably suffered losses of your own. We do not have much time, but a couple of weeks will give us plenty of opportunities to turn 2020 from a pile of junk to something beautiful.

A Dream

What would make this a good year for you? Would it be a good year if you made someone’s Christmas with an awesome gift? What about if you made up with that person you have been ignoring for months… maybe years? How about if you finally sold something you made with your own hands? Maybe 2020 could be the year you finally let your feelings known to someone close to you.

The Date

12/31/2020 – We are, afterall, trying to redeem this year.

A Dream + A Date = A Goal

Congratulations on setting a goal. Your goal is to ________________________ by 12/31/2020. If we want to succeed in achieving the goal then we need a plan. Below is rough outline of the steps we’ll need to take to realize our dreams

The Plan

  1. I need the following resources to achieve my goal
  2. Obtain all necessary resources or satisfactory substitutes
  3. List every action that needs to happen in order to achieve the goal
  4. Give each listed action a date

Act

Congratulations! We have made a plan! “A plan backed by action becomes a reality.” A car without fuel is just a very tiny, uncomfortable shelter. A plan without action is just a dream. Give yourself some fuel, get up, and move. All it takes is a little bit of movement each day and we could all redeem 2020.

Reality

Let us know how you chose to #redeem2020.

~Daniel F. Gray

Daniel Grey, Trump Executive Order

EO: 13942 – Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok, and Taking Additional Steps To Address the National Emergency With Respect to the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain?

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What does EO: 13942 – Addressing the Threat Posed by TikTok… actually do?

Executive Order 13942 will attempt to protect U.S. citizens and government from attempts by the Chinese government to collect data from Americans by making all transactions with ByteDance Ltd. (owner of TikTok) illegal effective September 21st, 2020, unless you apply for a license that would grant an exception.

For more one – two sentence summaries of Donald Trump’s executive orders as described above visit our Donald Trump Executive Order Page.

Commentary

China is a communist country and one of the tenants of communism is that all businesses belong to the government. However, it does appear that in the late 20th century China did start to allow the privatization of some businesses. ByteDance Ltd. is a privately held company; however, “The company has an internal committee of the Chinese Communist Party as well as strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Public Security and Chinese Communist Party-supported ventures in Beijing and Shanghai.[11][12][13][14] “

It is foolish to think that other countries do not and have not (at least) attempted to meddle in U.S. elections or politics. In fact, it is only fair considering the United States’ history of doing the same in other countries across the globe. That being said, any country that allows other governments to influence their citizens with no penalty would not be a government acting in good faith to its citizens.

I do not pretend to understand the Chinese government, but I think it is safe to say that they are at least a little more dishonest with the world than most other governments; they did a wonderful job at keeping their treatment of the Uyghur Muslims a secret, they lied about the coronavirus. China admitted their Three Gorges Dam was showing signs of weakness, finally.

In economics it appears China does not play the game of intellectual property in accordance with Western rules. I say this because of the 60 Minutes report and the cars they “design.” I’m sure those who are more educated on the issue could find more theft of Western companies. Maybe they do not prescribe to the idea of intellectual property. However, if you’re going to be a part of the global market I think you have to play by its rules and the rules are if you take someone else’s intellectual property, it is stealing.

I think all executive orders should be prohibited or at least heavily limited. However, this executive order appears to be fine. If another government is stealing information from Americans to do U.S. citizens harm then I think the U.S. government must take action.

As internet users we must get it into our head that websites are not free, apps are not free, social media is not free. No business can sustain itself by giving things away for free. So yes TikTok is taking your data, but so is Facebook, Google, CNN, etc… The only difference is TikTok may provide data to a country that is borderline hostile (at this point) toward the U.S.

Rating – Meh
Importance – Probably very important or not important at all… who knows.

If any website is free it is because you are the product. Otherwise, expect to be asked for money….. sooo…..

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Daniel Grey, Devotional

Is God Pleased With You?

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22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. 32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:22-32 NIV

I love verse 32. There is so much good news packed into this little verse.

Do not be afraid – In the teaching preceding verse 32 Jesus is instructing his disciples (so us) not to worry by showing how he provides for things far less valuable than us. Then He sums the lesson up by instructing them not to be afraid, because He knows that fear is the engine of worry. Finally he makes a promise; seek his kingdom and what you need will be given to you.

Little flock – There are many sermons/illustrations by people more knowledgeable than me on how sheep exemplify man by being dumb, helpless creatures. This may be spot on, however this feels different to me. It seems like a term of endearment to me, and terms of endearment belong to people you love or who love you. Therefore, this is Jesus getting intimate with us – maybe so he can tell us something about his love for us. I do this with my wife too – “Hey Love, I love you.” (Term of endearment, message I want loved one to hear)

Your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom – Just on surface this is already really good news: God has given us the kingdom. The part that is amazing, the part that makes me feel so loved is that He was pleased to do it. It wasn’t begrudgingly given, nor flippantly given. It was given because God was happy to give us something good. A good gift from a good Father. 

Prayer

Thank you Lord that we are not just some forgotten, unattended to creation, but that you pursue us and seek us out in your love for us and then show your love for us. You rock. I love you. Amen

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