Sterling Griggs

I was reading through a section of my paper this morning when this gem of a column caught my eye from the "Miss Manners" advice column: Dear Miss Manners : I have a neighbor, a single man, who invites me, a single woman, to his house to share his hot tub. The hot tub is secluded and cannot be seen from the street. In the beginning, he wore a bathing suit, but now he wears nothing. Except for neighborly chit-chat, there is no other relationship between us. I am very uncomfortable with his nudity and don’t want to sit with him in that state. Hmmm, what should she do? I mean, some random neighbor has been inviting her to his hot tub and now he's soaking in the buff, so I wonder what his intentions are? C'mon lady, wake up! There comes a point when manners aren't the issue (and in defense of Miss Manners herself, she responded very well to this gullible lady). A. Why are you sitting in a secluded hot tub with your neighbor who you don't really know that well? ...

This is first for me. Kellie is going to co-blog on this post from the beach. We came down Sunday night with all 4 kids and it wasn't nearly as hairy as we thought it would be. We're having a great time but the weather has been a little bit cold. Wish I could show you pictures but I forgot to bring my cord to download them to the computer. I'm gonna step aside and pass the golden keyboard to my lovely wife Kellie. What an awesome time we are having. There is just something so relaxing and wonderful about the beach. This is Sterling again. After a few grammatical corrections from me (done with her best interests in mind, of course), Kellie has decided to relinquish the keyboard and is contemplating starting her own blog for the express purpose of sabotaging mine. Anyway, I do agree with what she wrote. In my opinion there is absolutely nothing that beats the beach. I would rather be cold here than cold at home. And being able to sit in the living room or porch wh...

The story of Joseph in the Old Testament book of Genesis is one that has always fascinated me. Jacob - whose name is later changed to Israel and is the father of that nation - had 12 sons, his favorite of which was Joseph. Joseph's oldest brothers resented him and secretly sold him into slavery, leaving Jacob to believe that his son was dead. Through an incredible series of God's providences, Joseph eventually winds up second in command in Egypt after he rightfully predicts a coming famine. Jacob sends his sons to Egypt to buy food for his family and while they are there Joseph recognizes them but doesn't reveal his own identity. As part of his plan to reunite with his family, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies against Egypt and told them that their brother Simeon would be imprisoned until they brought their youngest brother, Benjamin, back with them. This was all a ploy by Joseph to see his family again. The brothers returned home and told their father what h...

What does an activist look like? Does he resemble a hippie from the 60's with long hair and retro clothing? Or is she someone who is mad all the time and shows up at every rally that is ever held? Perhaps they look like the " tree people " who have taken up residence in the tops of tall trees at Cal Berkeley to keep them from being cut down. When I tell you that Jesus was an activist, how does that change your visual image? Jesus was an activist for several groups: the poor, the sick, the outcasts, the spiritually depraved. His words on the Sermon on the Mount resonate with the need for His followers to do all that they could to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those around them. Typically when we hear that one is an activist, we imagine a person who is ultra-liberal and angry, ready to take down the government if necessary to protect precious trees or a few spotted owls. And while there are activists who probably do look and act like that, Jesus introduce...

Without a doubt it's one of the most exciting times of the year. The ACC Basketball Tournament is upon us and there's really not much better in this world. Sittin' around, eating junk, watching hours worth of great basketball. How could it get any better? Well, for one, if Wake Forest pulls a Cinderella then I might just eat my keyboard. And as long as Dook doesn't win it, I can at least be a little happy. Go Deacs!

I was flipping through the channels yesterday afternoon and I stopped on the Tyra Banks show. I don't know why but maybe it's because she was engaging a guest in a rather animated Q & A that got my attention. Her guest was a "professional matchmaker", and he was commenting on the life and times of another one of her guests, a rap star who had made some very unwise personal decisions. As the conversation went on Tyra asked the matchmaker how he became what he is today. He began by telling her that in his first marriage he was very immature and made some very bad decisions. I'm thinking to myself, "Hey, this guy is going to teach a valuable life lesson on an afternoon talk show." Boy, was I wrong. The reason his marriage was so bad was because he dated his first wife for a couple of years but never had sex with her until they were married. Then, on the honeymoon night when they consummated their marriage, he said the chemistry was all wrong and the...

There are times when I am deeply moved by the words of a song or words from another person. I'm sure you experience the same thing too. When you hear them, you just stop where you are and instantly switch to reflection mode. I was listening to some music this morning on the way home from dropping off my daughter at school and I began to wonder why it is that I am so touched by these kinds of things. It hit me that when I hear the powerful words that come from someone else's heart, that is exactly where I desire for my heart to be too. There is a yearning within each one of us to be somewhere that we are not. Whether it is a yearning to be a better person here on earth or to leave this earth to be with Jesus in heaven, we all desire to be somewhere else. For me, I long for eternity with my Lord yet while I am still here I desire for my heart to be transformed from what it is. I look at others who are faithfully and sacrificially serving God and my heart longs to emulate su...

I was struck by something last night that moved me all the way to my bones. As I was speaking to my students, I was distracted by the fact that they were distracted. This isn't uncommon, for whenever a group of jr. high and high school students get together there is going to be some form of chaos. But last night, I just couldn't get them to settle down. It was then that something - or rather someone - came over me. There was a sudden newfound urgency in my heart for these students to truly hear what God was trying to tell them. I looked at my students and I saw what I see in most kids their age - a mixture of religion and complacency. Now don't get me wrong; I'm not slamming the students that I serve. It's just that I began to question right then and there exactly what it is that I (and others who serve in churches) are accomplishing with God's people. I was speaking to my students out of John 6:35-51 on Jesus being the bread of life but now my focus was...

A friend of mine sent me a link to this video that he saw on godtube.com. There are a lot of skits and dramas that seem just a little too hokey, but this one I found to be powerful so I thought I'd share it.