Sterling Griggs

As a father of 4 kids, I feel that one of the most important lessons that I can teach my children is that of accountability. Actions have consequences and as a result they have a responsibility to act and make decisions in such a way that avoids harmful consequences. If I don't follow through on this then I will be guilty of raising children who lack a legitimate moral compass. Galatians 6:7 makes this point pretty clear: "Don't be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap." If I make dumb decisions then I can expect to suffer the results of those bad decisions. If I cheat on a test, I could get caught. If I booze it up and decide to drive my car, I could easily wreck and injure myself and others. If I slept around, I could catch a disease or risk unplanned (and unprepared) pregnancy. The list goes on. The problem is that many people don't want to be held accountable for their bad decisions. They simply want others to handle t...

If you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge Wake Forest fan. And it really doesn't matter which sport, I like them all (not that I really follow field hockey or track, but if I did...). Well, these past two weeks have been rather difficult for me as a Wake basketball fan. It seems as if a team of impostors showed up for the ACC and NCAA tournaments and any chance for victory in those games were quickly silenced. One thing I've learned as a sports fan is this: No matter how good your team is, there is no guarantee for victory. Sure, some teams win more than others, but no team wins them all. Having your favorite team go down in flames can be a very disappointing reality, especially when you have them going far in your brackets. But what do you do when real life disappointment hits - school isn't going well, you don't make the team, your trying your hardest but can't seem to get ahead, your family life seems to be crumbling, you are more and more d...

Kellie and I took the kids to bid the basketball Deacons farewell as they departed for their charter flight to Miami for their first round game of the NCAA tournament vs. Cleveland State. Turns out, we were the only fan club they had. Deacon and I got to get a few pictures with the players and coach Gaudio and I thought I'd share them with you.

"Who are you to judge me?" "Only God can judge me!" "Don't judge others unless you want to be judged yourself!" We'll all heard these phrases and some have been made into nifty tattoos. But what exactly is the truth in these words when people say them? Turn with me if you will to 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 (or you can click on the link, your choice). Jesus told us in Matthew 7:1-6 that if we plan on judging other people, then we better be prepared to take what we dish out (my paraphrase). But here in the 1 Corinthians passage the message is narrowed just a bit. Paul writes that we aren't to associate with immoral people. Fine, you say. I homeschool my kids, don't watch cable TV, and monitor closely who I associate with. But that's not what Paul is getting at. Notice that he said that we would have to be removed from the world itself if we didn't want to associate with any immoral people. The point Paul really wants to make i...

I had a friend ask me several years ago how much he should give back to God. He was asking about tithing and I told him that 10% before taxes was the biblical model. With a slight snort of disbelief he declared that an amount like that was impossible for him. He had too many things going on, too many other bills to pay, too many “toys” in his garage (most of which he rarely ever used). I also have friends that never seem to have a minute to spare. Most of these friends of mine have kids who are involved in every conceivable activity outside of school and home and they basically run a taxi service shuttling kids everywhere. As parents, they are involved in every school function at a leadership level and they often complain that their plates are too full (yet they continue to volunteer for everything). Then I think about the friends that I have who always seem to have time not only for me but for everyone else. One is serving the Lord in China and, while I don’t see him but once or...

Unless you live in a hole somewhere or you live in a state where ice hockey is king (don't understand that) then you probably are sharing in some of the excitement that I am indulging in over the next couple of weeks. College basketball conference tournaments are in high gear and next week starts the big dance, the NCAA basketball tournament. Indeed, it's the most wonderful time of the year! You may be wondering why guys like myself get so excited over all of this. How in the world can we watch Missouri Valley Tech. vs. Hogan Point College at 11:52 p.m. on ESPN? My wife duly notes that I don't even like those schools and probably couldn't tell you where they were located (although I'm pretty sure Missouri Valley Tech. is in Missouri). My answer: These games mean something. The loser stays home unless he gets invited to a "lesser" postseason tournament. The winner gets to the big stage - the big dance, March madness - where he gets to face down a Gol...

In today's local newspaper a front page headline caught my eye: Fewer Link Themselves to Religion . It seems that a wide-ranging study has determined that the percentage of people in America who are claiming to be Christian has declined and that more people are claiming to have no religion at all. Also, Northern New England has now passed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region in America. The article goes on to break down the numbers, but I'll let you read that on your own if you want to. How do I feel about there being fewer people in America who claim to be religious? I feel great because I'm one of them! You see, religion describes an affiliation to anything that you want to worship or make most important in your life. Such things as NASCAR, college basketball, Hollywood stars, and even a rock concert can qualify as religious. Religion also comes with sets of rules and regulations and traditions that over time become a religion in and of themselves. I...

Some of you who read this blog may not be married and this is a post about being married, but it doesn't mean you have to tune it out. Instead, read it and log it away for future reference. I have found that one of the most effective ways that God speaks to me is through my wife. There are those times when I'm wrestling with some inner turmoil about a decision or an area of struggle and she will bust out some words of wisdom that I definitely needed to hear. Let me give you a recent example. I love to read but technical books bog me down. Yeah, I'm referring to many books on theology out there that as a pastor I'm "supposed" to read. So instead I choose every so often to invest in a good mystery or espionage novel to satisfy my cravings. Lately I've been reading a couple of books in a series by a well-known author who weaves intricate tales of murder/deception/whodunnit that keep you on the edge until the end. The "problem" with these book...

When I heard the weather report calling for snow, I'll admit that I was a little bit cynical. So far this winter, areas east and west of us have gotten at least a little bit of snow but all we've seen so far are flurries. When the weathermen were in agreement on Saturday night that a storm was coming, I got a little more excited but still wasn't holding my breath. Yesterday afternoon after church the skies broke free at our house. The flakes were huge and it quickly accumulated to about an inch. I let my two oldest girls go out and play until they had snice coming from their noses (snot + ice = snice) and then it was hot chocolate until round 2 in the snow. But round 2 didn't come last night. The snow changed to freezing rain and there was no way I could let them go out in that mess. They were incredibly disappointed but a good supper and lounging around with a movie cured that pretty quickly. However, the talk at our house was what would happen later on. They w...