Sterling Griggs

Tonight the Wake Forest football team took care of business, dismantling the Baylor Bears in Waco, TX, 41-13. If it wasn't for a few Wake miscues, it could have been worse. So now that's 1 game down, 13 more to go. That means we have 11 more regular season games, then the ACC Championship, then a bowl game. Sure I'm optimistic, but this team is loaded with senior leadership and talent so there's no reason to think that this couldn't be a special season for the Deacs. And tonight I had a great view of the game. My dad and I sat in the president's box at the new Deacon Tower and watched the game on the monitors. Good food, cold drinks, and really comfy leather chairs. My first and probably last time there but I made the most of it. Below is my view of the field from the 6th floor. Go Deacs!

Tonight the 2008 Wake Forest football season kicks off and I'm excited like a kid with a gallon of ice cream. The Deacs kick off against Baylor in Waco, TX, at 8:00 EST and you can watch them on FSN. I have another reason to be giddy. My dad has invited me to join him in the President's Box at the brand new Deacon Tower to watch the game. Since he helped to design the steel for the tower, he has been asked to join other construction professionals to watch the game there as a way of saying thanks. And since he knows I'm diehard, he's taking me with him. Go Deacs!

My daughter Chandler had her first day of second grade yesterday and Reynolds started her first day of kindergarten. It's hard to believe that I have kids that could be this old, but then again I am 38 years old.

I normally don't openly discuss politics in a forum like this, but with the DNC beginning last night and the RNC only a couple of weeks away, I have a few things that I simply must get off my chest. It is no secret that politically I lean to the right. Moral issues, personal responsibility (i.e., those who can help themselves should do their best), and fiscal conservatism are areas that are important to me. I realize that neither side of the aisle is perfect and not one politician or political party is going to represent what I hold to be most dear. What does offend me is the outright hypocrisy of many of our elected officials and government institutions. Do politicians really think that we buy everything that they are saying? Most people in America want some sort of change, but are we dull enough to simply accept a mantra of "change" without being told exactly how that change will occur? The rhetoric that occurs during elections years is even more nauseating. Too m...

I love the story found in John 9:1-34 of the blind man healed by Jesus. There was a man blind since birth, and Jesus applies mud to his eyes and tells him to wash it off. When he does this, he can see for the very first time. Instead of rejoicing with the man, the Pharisees drag him before them and want to know how he received his sight and who it was who had the audacity to heal him on the Sabbath. Imagine, doing the works of God on God's day! The man told them the truth: a man named Jesus healed me. He once was blind, but now he sees. This enraged the Pharisees because they were clouded in their thought in at least two ways. First, no one who claimed to be a man of God would sin by violating the Sabbath. And second, they just didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. What makes this story even more crazy is that after the healed man began to remind them of how God works (vs.30-33), these Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue for trying to teach them. After all, ...

I was reading in the book of Numbers today (chapter 5 is quite interesting) when I came across this prayer at the end of chapter 6: The Lord spoke to Moses: 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24 The Lord bless you and protect you; 25 the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace. 27 In this way they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” I sometimes find that reading the Old Testament can be a tough job. Some even ask if the Old Testament is really all that valid anymore in light of what the New Testament offers the believer. But then I run across a beautiful prayer like this and am reminded that from first word to last, my God is in every inspired Word of Scripture.

Have you ever had one of those days? I did yesterday. For the most part the first 3/4 of the day was just fine. Then, the trouble started. During the day the cable that charges my iPod decided to stop working and when I went to use it, the thing was almost dead as a hammer. Then, I took Deacon with me to drive the trash to the dumpster on the other side of the church parking lot. Since he was in the van, I turned it off to quickly dump the trash and when I went to turn it back on...nothing. Dead as a hammer. Apparently the battery was on its last legs and decided to quit in the middle of the church parking lot. So, I got one of the church vans and jumped my van off and drove to the auto parts store. Do you know how expensive batteries are? And this certain auto store advertises free replacement of your battery once you make your purchase, just not in my case. It seems that it's too difficult to get my battery out and it would take them too long to do so. Put that on my...

I was reading in Psalms 98 today when I ran across these words in vs.8-9: Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains shout together for joy Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the earth righteously and the peoples fairly. I was struck by the fact that God's creation - the waters, the mountains, etc. - are excited about the coming judgment of God. I'm not sure that most people (even believers) welcome such judgment, yet all of creation is eager for it. Why is that? Romans 8:20-21 helps us to answer this question: For the creation was subjected to futility - not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it - in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of corruption into the glorious freedom of God's children. The earth is subjected to suffering and blight not because of anything it has done, but because of the sin of man (see Genesis 3:17-19 ). So God's judgment that leads to redemption is som...

I am FINALLY finishing " Why We're Not Emergent (From Two Guys Who Should Be) ." In the epilogue, one of the authors makes a poignant statement about why emergent churches and the movement itself is growing in such popularity: "Most Christians and most churches go liberal for one of two reasons. Either they are disillusioned conservatives who have seen nothing but legalistic, angry fundamentalism, or they are passionate social activists who, in their desire to love everyone, end up rejecting nothing. I fear that emerging Christians are in danger of repeating Thyatira's error (Rev. 2:18-29): they love what Jesus loves but do not hate what Jesus hates."

This past week I had a really cool opportunity. I was able to work as a counselor/coach at Josh Howard's basketball camp in Winston-Salem. For the past few summers Josh has held a free camp for kids in the community and each year it gets bigger and bigger. What used to be a one-day clinic is now a week-long event, and Josh provides jerseys, meals, and other gear to each kid that wants to come. To my knowledge, no one is turned away. Josh's generosity to his community is obvious and he has established a foundation that allows him to pour some of his wealth (he recently signed a new $40 million contract) into the lives of those who have financial needs. When I met Josh, he didn't spend a lot of time talking to me but he didn't have to for me to see that he was a genuine guy who cared about people and his home community. Then, it seems like the bottom dropped out. Earlier this year Josh admitted on a radio interview that he smoked pot in the off-season and blew it ...