Greg Fields

I am on my third attempt to begin this post. Greg and I have been married for thirteen years. We only dated for seven months when he asked me to marry him. I knew that I was going to marry Greg the day that I met him. It was confirmed to me by my dad. On Greg's last night in Greenville, after teaching a Disciple Now in my parents home, I decided to take him on a tour of Greenville. We had just driven up to the the top of the old Cadillac Hotel and as we were driving back down, my bag phone rang. It was Woody wondering where we were and what time we were coming back to their house. I told him that we were just out driving around and he said, "Well, I can't go to sleep until you get back- I know he's the guy that you are going to marry." So, we went home...
One of the first qualities I saw in Greg that was attractive to me- yet also frightening - was his honesty. Even to his detriment he was fiercely honest. Raw & unedited. He was never bothered or concerned by what others thought about him. He shared about past failures, sinful patterns, emotional hang-ups and obsessive tendencies. Don't confuse this with people who "have no filter". The way he shared was beautiful to me. He had the passion of Peter and the heart of John. He had the voice of Ezekial and the doubts of Thomas. At the time that we met, I was on staff at a church. If any of you have ever served in any type of leadership capacity then you know that most of the people who are suppose to be following you- do not really like honesty. They like to hold you in a nice, ordered package. They, for the most part, like predictable behavior and solid, bold answers. I met Greg about a year after he had returned from Desert Storm. He had recently broken off an engagement and was trying to decide what he wanted to be as a grown-up. He was so real. I saw him coming a mile away. He was so different to me. His honesty inspired me then and his honesty inspires me now.
I am also inspired by the way he "wrestles to understand" an idea and how he seeks to truly interact, discuss and engage the given topic. This is not his natural bent. Greg would, on many occasions, rather watch a movie, go hang out with friends or sleep. The difference, that I have observed with him, in comparison to myself and others, is that he does not easily give into his desire to be entertained. He will do the work necessary to comprehend. I am inspired, encouraged and challenged by his unwillingness to give up "when his brain hurts" and his eyes are tired.
I am constantly inspired and moved by his patience. Greg is a great dad. He has the ability to "suffer-long" and sleep-little. With our four girls there is rarely a night that one of them, if not two, are in need of something. One is either scared, or sick, or wet or cold. He never complains about this aspect of "the job". He is very rarely in a hurry when he tucks them in, he is slow and thoughtful when he reads and talks with them in the evenings and he is much "slower to anger" than I am! He listens, questions and thinks. He shepherds, nurtures and comforts. I am inspired by his patient care of his family. He sees himself as the responsible head of his home and works hard to protect it.
(I could go on for hours, literally. However, these three seem to rise to the surface.) I am thankful, that I get to live "upclose" with Greg. I am happy that I get to watch him, learn from him and hang out with him everyday. (...and scream outloud together when Jack Bauer escapes with Tony Almeda from the FBI !!!)