Sterling Griggs

Wake Forest absolutely demolished UNC in football this past Saturday to move to 6-2 on the season (after starting 0-2) and cementing the #21 ranking in the AP polls. As good as it feels to be 6-2, it feels almost as good to beat the Tarheels that bad. Go Deacs!

Kellie and I had our "official" sonogram of baby #4 this morning and everything looks great. It isn't our first sonogram - she's been scanned a couple of times at work and that's how we found out that we are having a girl. But today was "official" in that our doctor took a long time to check out every arm, leg, finger and toe and we got a good look at her head and her face (she looks a little bit like me but don't all bald in utero babies?). So March 21, 2008, is our due date for this little bundle of goodness. Yeah, it's right in the middle of ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament time, so I told the docs that there would be plenty of chips and sodas in the room when it's time. Who knows, maybe one of the teams on TV might inspire us with a name for this little girl (are Gonzaga or Pepperdine suitable names?).

I normally don't pay a whole lot of attention to the editorial letters written in to my local paper. Most of the people are upset about a school bond or President Bush or some land ordinance controversy and, not that those aren't important issues, they usually don't appeal too much to me to garner my attention. But in today's edition I read an editorial by a man named Patrick R. McMullen , Associate Professor at the Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management. Instead of rehashing the article I'll just past it here for you: Why do so many people abroad have such disdain for Americans? I recently read an article about how an upstart competitive eater, Patrick “Deep Dish” Bertoletti, ate 4.1 pounds of chicken to beat legends Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut. We Americans celebrate these gluttonous heroics. Meanwhile, I failed to see any articles about the continuing famine in Bangladesh. This irony would be amusing if it weren’t so tragic. We’re more i...

If you read my previous blog about Joel Osteen, then you must read this blog I'm linking about his new book Become a Better You . (thanks for linking it on your blog, JD )

Contemporary style worship. Blended services. Traditional services complete with hymns and organ (and maybe a little liturgy). I'll admit, when it comes to the style of worship that I prefer in a church I have my own opinion. But do we put so much emphasis on style that we forget that people need Jesus? Here's where I'm coming from. As I was driving home this morning from taking my daughter to school I was paying attention to the drivers who were going the other way in the opposite lane. I was studying their faces (while paying attention to the road at the same time) and as they passed my heart became very burdened for them - did they know Jesus? They were driving in all different kinds of vehicles - trucks, BMW's, sedans, clunkers - and it struck me that no matter what style or make of car they drove, the needed Jesus in their lives. Their choice of vehicle could not be a barrier to the work that God wants to do in their hearts. Back to worship style. Do churc...

I was flipping through the channels the other night and caught the end of the Joel Osteen interview on 60 Minutes . Nothing that I heard changed my opinion of the man. Actually, my view of him has been confirmed. Joel Osteen teaches a mamby, pamby theology of nothingness. That might sound harsh but it's the truth. If you can bear it, tune in to one of the broadcasts of Lakewood Church in Houston, TX, and tell me what you hear. "This will the best year of your life." "There is hope for you just the way you are." "Never allow yourself to be pulled down again." This may sound nice on the surface, but there is nothing deeper than this in his sermons. He simply just doesn't (or won't) dig into the truth of God's Word. There's probably a good reason for that. If Joel Osteen did dig into God's Word then he would lose most of his following. If Joel Osteen did preach biblical truth then those listening would hear that we have a si...

Have you ever wondered why people don’t go to church? I’ve heard lots of reasons given: It’s boring. I can’t understand what the pastor says. I’m too busy. There are too many hypocrites in church. I just don’t believe like you do. You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. There are countless other explanations given for lack of church attendance, but most of these I just mentioned describe those who aren’t followers of Christ. Why don’t some Christians go to church? I don’t have cold, hard data in front of me to back this up, but I believe that a quick glance at most church rolls would reveal that there are large numbers of professing Christians who simply don’t go to church on Sundays. Many have joined other churches and have not had their names removed, but what about the rest? Why aren’t they in church on Sunday? Some of the reasons I think that we would hear are things like, I’ve been visiting other churches, We’ve been out of town a lot, My so...

Once again, Wake Forest downs Florida State in football . Unlike last year's drubbing of 30-0, Wake made it a little more interesting but still finished with a 24-21 victory over the #21 ranked Seminoles. Go Deacs!

girl! Upon further review the call on the field has been reversed. Looks like the docs got it wrong the first go round. The anatomical part that made this baby look like a boy was apparently the cord and now we're looking at having a girl, our third daughter. But hey, having girls is lots of fun and it just gives Deacon more protection duties when he gets older, especially with this one since she'll be younger. And the name game continues although this time let's come up with some feminine names.

Not long ago I put a blue cleaning disc in the tank of the toilet in "my" bathroom. "My" bathroom is different than Kellie's bathroom because "my" bathroom is much smaller and the shower in it is a really small stand-up stall that you can barely turn around in. Kellie's bathroom has the bathtub shower and is much bigger, so it's hers and I get the small one. I'm okay with that. We are on well water and sometimes it smells funny. It is also hard water, which means it has more minerals and stuff in it than regular city water. It also tends to leave water stains which I think are really gross and makes me a little embarrassed because I don't want people to think that we don't clean our stuff. So I put the blue disc in and now my water smells fine and it is a nice shade of royal blue. Reynolds came into the kitchen last night after supper with a look of real concern on her face. Something was obviously bothering her. Before we c...

One of my responsibilities that I have taken on as a husband is to shop for groceries. It's not that my wife won't shop for groceries but since I eat most of the food I usually enjoy doing it myself (but Kellie does a much better job when she does). I also like to clip coupons and I feel like a money champion when I can use a coupon for an item that is also on sale. So I'm cutting coupons this morning because I had to run to the store to get some essentials ($3 coupon for toilet paper - booyah!) when I ran across a coupon that made me scratch my head. It was a $1 coupon for Tums Kids antacid. Tums for kids? Why in the world would my child need to take antacids other than for a diagnosed reflux condition (and after reading this article I found out that most of these conditions can improve with better diet)? I'll tell you why kids need Tums: Their diets stink. All this fast food and potato chips and pizza and sodas and God-knows-what-else parents put in front of th...

boy!!! Yes, Kellie and I are expecting #4 and we just found out yesterday that we are having a boy. He will be joining older sisters Chandler and Reynolds and big brother Deacon (and no, we aren't naming this one Wolfpack, Tar Heel, or Blue Devil). This pregnancy is something that God wanted all along. I had my "procedure" at the beginning of August and we found out the very next week that we were 8 weeks pregnant. Surprise, surprise! But what a blessing and we couldn't be more thrilled. Kellie and I are currently taking suggestions on a name for this new little guy. As you can tell, we like names that are unique but also full of meaning. So tell us what you think!

I want you to click on this link , look at the page that comes up, and then finish reading this blog. Can you believe that this type of junk is on the internet? Actually, I can believe that this type of junk is on the internet and it just saddens me all the more. Divorce via internet? At first I thought this was joke when it came up a few weeks ago as a pop up window. I bookmarked the page so I could read it later and when I did, I found that it was absolutely real. Now there are lots of ways that the internet has made relationships - especially marital relationships - seem almost artificial. I mean, you can almost purchase a foreign wife online and the dating services are a dime a dozen. And now just as quickly as you can click-a-mate you can now divorce-a-mate with just few clicks of your mouse. Some of you may read this and believe that divorce is an inevitable event that happens to some marriages and please know that I am not casting rocks at those of you have are in the m...

I love music, especially when it's live. Actually, let me clarify that. There is some music that, even it's live right in my backyard, isn't worth 2 cents. But for the most part, I can really begin to appreciate an artist when I hear him or her live. This past Sunday me and some other youth guys brought in a couple of guys to the Yadkin Co. Park for a concert in the park. First we had Brandon Heath and he was followed up by the Robbie Seay Band . I am familiar with both artists but to be honest, I haven't been a real big follower of their music. That being said, both Brandon and Robbie now have a new fan. Just like with the band Fighting Instinct , the quality of these guys goes well beyond their music. They show up together in a conversion van that's pulling this massive trailer and when they hop out you aren't sure if this is the roadies here to set up or if it's the groups themselves. Sure enough, it's Brandon and Robbie and the band absent o...