Sterling Griggs

Much to my wife's chagrin, I frequent a Wake Forest message board to update myself on what's happening in the world of Wake Forest sports and occasionally to just see what peoples' opinions are of the world and other issues (but honey, I have cut way back just like you asked me to!). Recently, someone posted a question about beliefs and God and the afterlife and, as usual, some of the responses were way out in left field. I read through most of the responses posted and saw much that really didn't surprise me: A lack of faith, a questioning of absolute truth, and criticism for those who believed in truth. Here is what I think about the matter: Why is it that Christians are the only ones who are considered close-minded when it comes to issues of religion and faith? I ask that because everyone owes it to themselves to be open about all beliefs before making some blanket statement about what they believe. I've studied most of the other religions (and taught on them)...

I have just finished reading the book Secret Believers by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen and it has opened my eyes to many things regarding Islam and how I as a Christian respond to its spread and activity worldwide. The book is written as a narrative, yet it tells the true story of Muslim Background Believers (MBB's) in a Middle Eastern country and their struggle to survive while they spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to other Muslims. At the end of the book is a section on what is happening in the church in Afghanistan. You might not know this but there are thousands of Christians living in Afghanistan and, just because the Taliban has been ousted from power, their struggle for survival is just as difficult as it has ever been. As a result of the time that he has spent in Afghanistan and other Muslim nations, Brother Andrew has gleaned invaluable insight into the world of Islam and its grip on people. Yet he asks us as believers in Christ some hard questions to consider rega...

Pictured here is my wedding band as it looks on the ring finger of my left hand. I took this picture shortly after I found my ring after it had been lost for almost 24 hours. You see, I lost it on Monday night (July 30) as I was throwing a roll of toilet paper into a tree on the quad at Wake Forest University. I know what you're thinking, "It serves you right for being so immature!" But hundreds of people were there rolling in honor of the late basketball coach Skip Prosser. Anyways, being a lefty, I felt the ring fly off of my finger as I let go of the roll. Since it was already dark outside I knew that finding it would be difficult. A few people pulled out their cell phones and tried to use the dim light on them to help in the hunt, but even with the assistance of the outrageously bright light of a local TV station's camera, I knew that my search would only be successful in the daylight hours. The next day (July 31) I returned with my family (the kids were pum...