Sterling Griggs

Having been to Sudan almost 2 years ago, there are many things about that country that have gripped my heart. Originally established as a Muslim paradise, Sudan is far from such a place but there are still many who are held tightly in the throes of Islam. During my stay there, I was stopped on several occasions by the secret police who were suspicious of my every move. Despite the oppression that is rampant there, Sudan remains a country that is dear to my heart. In the past few weeks news has emerged out of Khartoum, Sudan, that has saddened but not surprised me. A teacher from England has been arrested and imprisoned because the students in her class decided to name their class teddy bear "Muhammad" ( read the article here ). Muhammad is the most common given name in all the world and Muslims (supposedly) do not worship the prophet, yet anything that is said or done as a slight against Muhammad the prophet will usually cause an irrational upheaval among devout Muslims....

I actually did it. I participated in the frenzy that is Black Friday. This was not something that I had planned on doing, but it was born out of necessity. The Thanksgiving Day newspaper came loaded with fliers for every store within 100 square miles. Kellie and I flipped through many of them but one caught our eye. It was the flier for Toys R Us . You see, with 3 small kids, you know that most of our money is going to be spent at a place like that. And there were several items that we had planned on getting the kids that were half priced, so I felt like I needed to get in on the bargain parade. My alarm clock woke me up at 4:15 a.m. on Black Friday and I was in the car a short while later with a Sobe No Fear energy drink in hand. When I arrived at Toys R Us, I saw that I still had 10 minutes to spare until the store opened at 5:00. I also saw a line of several hundred people winding around the sidewalk. But I wasn't going to turn back now; I'd come too far for that. ...

Pornography is an area in which many, many Christians struggle. In fact, this has been probably the biggest thorn in my side from my past, and it has taken me years to get beyond it. Why is pornography so addictive and so tough for believers - primarily men - to move beyond? Proverbs 5, a chapter that I call the "anti-pornography chapter" , gives us some good insight. Pornography is enticing (vs.3) and it beckons men to look at it. This doesn't mean that we don't have a choice in the matter, but porn is marketed so that men will want to look at it. Of course it doesn't satisfy and does more harm than good (in fact, it doesn't do any good), yet even though we know that there is still that seductive hook that it lays out for us. And too many take a bite. Proverbs 5:10 is perhaps the most sobering verse in this chapter: "Strangers will drain your resources, and your earnings will end up in a foreigner's house." How true! The pornography busi...

After two stays in the hospital for early contractions and then early labor, Kellie has been ordered out of work and off her feet for the remainder of her pregnancy. With her due date in March, this is a long, long time to have to comply with the doctor's orders. Let me be honest: my wife is having a tough time with this and I can completely understand why. None of us want to just sit around and do nothing. Sure it's nice to have an afternoon to put your feet up and relax, but doing it every day would drive most people crazy. Ask the average inmate how much he/she enjoys all of that dead time and I'm sure many would agree that it stinks. Every Monday we will go to see her OB doctor and he will check her and make sure that she and our little baby girl is okay. We daydream that he'll also tell her that she can resume her normal activities and that this bedrest idea is just a waste of time, but both of us know that this isn't going to happen. Many people have ask...

This is a picture of the freezer in my basement. It's filled with all sorts of meats and vegetables that Kellie and I purchased from Southern Foods , a food distributor for the southeast. We met with a representative a few weeks ago, made a selection of the foods that we wanted to eat, and then they delivered six months worth of meats and produce and even loaded the freezer for us. Why did we choose to go this route? For one, it will save us money in the future. No more extra trips to the store for hamburger meat or chicken or corn on the cob. Also, their food is prepared in way that is healthy and chemical free. There are no steroids or growth hormones in their meats and every cut meat is vacuum sealed and frozen fresh in a "super freezer" that freezes it in 7 minutes, thus no freezer burn (or they'll replace it). Southern Foods supplies meats to such restaurants as Village Tavern and Cities Grill, so you know it's good stuff. One more reason we decided to...

I woke up early this morning on a most comfortable hospital cot (compared to the "bed chair" that's in the room with my wife, the cot is heaven) so that I could go home and get my kids ready for school and for a day at their grandparent's house. Before I returned to the hospital to be with my wife (who is doing much better and may come home tomorrow) I ran some errands. I was picking up some shampoo for Kellie at her hair salon when I noticed something wrong...my wedding band was missing. Again! I have absolutely no idea where it is because, when it fell off, it didn't make a sound. And exactly where it fell off is a mystery. It's not on the floor of the salon, it's not in the hospital room, and it's not in my car. It may be at my parents house or it may be at my house. But wherever it is, it's really lost this time. Kellie isn't upset - she's been wanting to get a new one for me - but as I said before, I don't want a new one. I ...

Unfortunately, I had to take my wife back to the hospital Sunday morning because she was going into early labor. Right now she's on a Magnesium Sulfate drip that so far has quieted the contractions and her spirits are high. Basically, this is what it is and it is in God's hands and we trust Him completely. We covet any and all of your prayers during this frustrating and scary time. To those of you who are our friends (and even those who aren't) I'll do my best to keep you posted.

A good friend of mine, Toby Toburen, is a pastor in Sumter, SC. He is surrounded by fans of such football programs as USC and Clemson, so he decided to place a friendly wager on this weekend's Wake Forest/Clemson football game in Death Valley. If Wake wins, then any Clemson fan will have to wear black and gold colors to their church service the next day. If Clemson wins, then Toby and any other Wake fan will wear Clemson orange the next day. So far he hasn't had a lot of Clemson fans take him up on his offer. I believe it's because Clemson is terrified of Wake Forest, although they would never admit it. Go check out Toby's blog and get in on the discussion and smack talk. And take the bet if you think you are tough enough.

The writers in Hollywood are on strike ( click here to read about it ) and that means that shows like Desperate Housewives , Carpoolers , Two and a Half Men , and Big Bang Theory , just to name a few, will not be able to move forward with production. While I can honestly say that I have not watched an episode of any of the above mentioned sitcoms, just based upon the commercials and the "water cooler" type talk that I've heard about them then I have no problem that these shows are off the airwaves. Actually, the reality is that the networks will show reruns of these shows but at least it will be rehashed trash and not the new stuff. This may sound really critical of me, but I honestly believe that TV shows have gotten entirely out of control. Grey's Anatomy is a favorite of many people that I know, but I just don't get how people can get so excited (especially Christians) of a plot line that features a married doctor finally having sex with his co-worker docto...

As someone who is pro-life, I have been asked before what I would do if I found out that the baby my wife was carrying was badly deformed or stood no chance of surviving if he or she were allowed to be born. Would I choose a "medical" abortion and terminate a life that would not be considered by most to be viable? My answer has always been "No!" and I have just read an article ( link ) that reinforces my feeling on this. A woman in England was informed at 20 weeks that one of the twins she was carrying had an enlarged heart and was way behind in his development compared to the other fetus. Take a look at her story: At her 20-week scan, doctors had some devastating news. One of the boys was half the size of his brother. Then doctors said his heart was three times normal size and it was likely he would have a heart attack or a stroke in the womb. Mrs Jones said: "They told us that if he died, it could be life threatening for his brother. "We had to de...

This past Wednesday night (Oct. 30) Kellie began having contractions. Normally, parents-to-be would be thrilled that the process of having a baby has begun, but in our case we were less than enthusiastic. Not quite at 20 weeks pregnant, we knew that this early labor would not have a happy outcome if it wasn't stopped. The past couple of days Kellie has been at Forsyth Medical Center on a Magnesium Sulfate drip and, praise God, it has worked its magic. As of early this morning her contractions were gone and the hospital staff was weaning her off of the medicine. She is groggy and tired and will probably be on bed rest for a little while, but at least the worst part seems to be over. Hopefully we can go home today and she can rest in her own house. For all of you that knew of our situation and prayed for us, I can't thank you enough. Your prayers have been a great comfort to my family. And if you live close by and want to drop in on us, please do (or give us a call, either...