Sterling Griggs

I'm sort of a news junkie and I try to keep up with issues that go on all over the world. Having been to Sudan and Turkey, I feel like I have a sort of vested interest in those countries and am fascinated when those regions appear in the news. I get a little tired of all of the negativity that I read and hear, especially from the local news outlets. There also seems to be so much competition among news outlets that it's almost like they choose to sensationalize some stories just to get viewers or readers. But then a story comes along that really strikes me in the gut, one that I can't turn the page on or click off. That story came out this week. Most of you have probably heard more than enough about the scandal that is going on with the men's lacrosse team at Duke University . There has been so much discussion on this story and every news outlet that I have come across has reported on it. The details surrounding the alleged crime are sickening, and it leaves me s...

My two daughters love to sing. The oldest sings the prayer before our meals and you can sometimes catch her singing Barbie songs into a make-believe microphone in front of a mirror. My youngest daughter usually wakes up singing and has been known to bust out in spontaneous song at the most unpredictable times. Recently, the words of some familiar songs floated down the hall at our house and they went something like this: "Old McDonald had a farm / And Bingo was his name-o / B-I-N-G-O!" I laughed out loud when I heard this! Two completely different songs confused with one another but mixed with such simplicity. They didn't get the words exactly right but the song came out great anyway. I don't know what you may struggle with in your spiritual life, but prayer has always been a sore spot for me. Like the words of my daughters' songs, I get kind of tongue-tied and don't know what to say sometimes. I've spent more time than I can tell you stuck in th...

Yesterday was the big day that the UPS man was supposed to deliver my much anticipated coffee beans from Sweet Maria's . Every time I heard what sounded like a big truck nearby, I would peek to see if it was him. When I came home from the office I noticed that the UPS man had already come and gone, having left another package at my house that definitely was not my coffee beans. I couldn't believe it! I've been waiting for this delivery for what seems like forever and now it doesn't show up on the day it's supposed to. I emailed the company where I ordered the beans from and asked what the deal was. I needed my beans, and I needed them today. Then about 15 minutes later, I heard and then saw another UPS truck coming up my driveway. I bolted out the door and stood in front of the stopped truck, waiting like a kid who is about to open Christmas presents. When the delivery man stepped off the brown truck and handed me my precious 3-pound package of much anti...

Man, what's up with this NCAA Final Four? Through the first 3 rounds of tournament play I was doing great. All of the teams I had picked for the Final Four were in the Sweet Sixteen and things were looking up for my brackets. Then, the bottom fell out. Boston College, Texas, and Connecticut (who I picked to win it all over Texas) were gone with only UCLA remaining from my paper brackets. Any chances I had at winning my ESPN pool are over. I didn't see any of this coming! Who is George Mason anyway? (make sure to vote in my updated poll!) Even though my NCAA brackets are worthless now, I really can't complain. I like it when teams that I underestimate surprise me. Life can do that to me sometimes: My 3 year-old starts identifying letters that I haven't taught her yet; my 4 1/2 year-old starts teaching me how to use the computer. These things are pleasant surprises. But when I worry about paying a bill and suddenly a check arrives out of nowhere in the mail,...

How many of you remember the controversy this past Christmas that began when several department stores instructed their empolyees to stop telling their customers, "Merry Christmas!"? I recall how upset the Christian community became and how much animosity there was toward those retailers. Just today I read a story about how a small Easter display was orderd to be removed from the lobby of city hall in St. Paul, Minnesota. Imagine the kind of reaction that the local government will likely incite from people all over the country. I can remember a time when Christmas and Easter were celebrated everywhere and no one seemed to have a problem with it. Now, it seems as if nothing within the Christian faith is politically correct anymore. And you know what? That's okay! You may be asking yourself why I'm not offended by those who wish to stop Christmas well-wishers and the Easter bunny. How come I'm not upset when retail stores and city hall refuse to point othe...

I've been in several churches where pictures of Jesus hanging on the wall were commonplace. Actually, they weren't pictures at all but rather representations of what others thought He might have looked like. Typically, he's got more European features in these portrayals and in many He has blue eyes. I've seen where, in Asian churches, the portrayal of Jesus is as an Asian man and in African American churches He is sometimes portrayed as an African man with dark skin. My personal belief is that, since Jesus was Jewish and was born and lived in the area we now call the Middle East, that He probably had physical characteristics there were more Arab in nature. That means no blue eyes and no blonde hair. But regardless of how Jesus really looked physically, it's only natural for those who seek Him to connect a visual image with Him. I've been reading a book by Thomas Young entitled Do You Want to Go to the Mountain? and it is his take on the material from the...

The other week I was posting on a sports web site about basketball when the title of a posted topic caught my eye. The post invited debate/discussion about the decision made in South Dakota to ban almost all abortion procedures. As I read the discussion that followed, I was suprised and rather annoyed at all of the personal attacks that these people were hurling at each other from both sides of the issue. Those who favored abortion - or rather called themselves pro-choice - attacked "conservatives" for their support of South Dakota's governor while those who called themselves pro-life attacked the "liberals" who favored abortion as a woman's right. Issues like this can easily divide us right down the middle. Should we take a stand on moral issues? Absolutely! But my fear is that, if you are a Christian, then you may be noted more for arguing a point rather than pointing people to Jesus. Where does Jesus stand on the issues at hand? If you carefully ...

My two daughters like to go into the basement with me when I work out. Most of the time while down there they play with the "forbidden" toys, toys that we don't let them bring upstairs such as play dough and their bicycles. Lately, my oldest daughter Chandler has begun to mimick some of the exercises that I do. After I run on the treadmill she will get on it and and hold on to the arms, pushing with her feet so that she moves the surface slowly (don't worry, I have the treadmill turned off when she does this). Then, she will grab my wife's 3 pound pink dumbbells (I promise they aren't mine) and act like she's doing some weightlifting. Just this morning she insisted on finishing a whole plate of scrambled eggs because, in her words, "I need to get stronger!" I love seeing my kids do these kinds of things. It reminds me of how diligent I need to be in my own spiritual life. The apostle Paul wrote in the New Testament of the Bible that we are to ...

I absolutely love coffee . I'm not sure exactly when I started drinking it but for the past few years I've been hooked. Until recently you could find me at any Starbucks in the area sipping on the strongest brew they can make. That is, until now. While visiting the web the other week I ran across an article by a guy who loves coffee a lot more than me. This guy owns his own coffee bean roaster and he orders raw beans, roasts them at home, and then grinds them himself for the freshest cup of coffee imaginable. I want to be like that guy. My older brother read the same article and he was determined to do the same (although he doesn't like coffee nearly as much as I do, I don't think). So, my brother goes out to Target and buys a hot air popcorn popper, orders some raw beans online, and roasts his beans in that popcorn popper. I know that may seem a little unconventional but some of the websites he's checked out recommend that as an option if you don't own one of t...