Sterling Griggs

As one who is on the cusp of turning 40 (I'm holding off for as long as I can), I seem to remember the 1970's and 1980's as being decades that were simpler and seemingly more innocent (yeah, that's me on the right sporting the hair feathered and parted down the middle at Calvary Baptist Church's Jr. High Camp early 1980's). Maybe it was because we weren't inundated with so much technology that would allow us to know who was doing what at every second of every day. Or maybe it was because, as a child and youth, I was still so naive to the "ways of the world" that I was living in. Recently some friends of mine started a group on Facebook called the Calvary Baptist Church Youth Group Alumni and on this page are all sorts of pictures and stories from past and current students from that youth ministry. Floods of memories come to me as I read their accounts of summer youth camp and look at all of the old pictures. The highlight of every summer for m...

Tomorrow, August 25, is the first day of the new school year for my two oldest children, Chandler and Reynolds. As fun as summer has been I look forward to them getting back into a regular groove where they have a more structured schedule and not so much down time on theirs hands (hey, we aren't the Duggars - we don't possess the ability to manage the minute-by-minute lives of a bus load of kids much less our own four). Although my kids need the structure, I don't believe they need it anymore than I do. During the school year I get in a bit of a groove myself by getting up extra early to read the Bible while sipping on a piping hot cup of coffee. Summer hurts my schedule tremendously - mission trips, youth events, not having to get the kids up and ready for school. As a result, I find myself scrambling at times to maintain the spiritual discipline that I need to commune with my Lord and Savior. If people were honest, more would admit that structure is good and that the...

Last night I was flipping through the channels and noticed that FOX was airing a documentary of sorts about the infamous "Octomom", Nadya Suleman, the woman who had octuplets after already having 6 other children of her own. She has created quite a bit of controversy over the past year and has been a diva for both tabloids and talk shows. Many have strong opinions about her and her decision to have this many children. While I didn't tune in to the whole show (there was baseball game on that was way more entertaining) I did see enough to form some opinions of my own and to have some opinions thrust upon me. Before we go any further, let's get the facts straight about who the Octomom is. Nadya had six children previous to her octuplets, and all were conceived by in-vitro fertilization. She revealed on the show that she had eight frozen embryos left and decided to implant all of them, which in turn resulted in the eight new children. When she had the eight children...

It's important for me to remember everything about my kids as they grow up as I possibly can. Kellie and I take thousands of pictures a year, yet I want to make sure I remember their personalities and special gifts at each stage of their life. This blog is devoted to just that. This is Chandler, our oldest (8 years), who starts third grade next week. Chandler is an absolute princess in every sense of the word. She loves makeup and jewelry and anything girly but isn't afraid to get down and dirty either. She loves to sing and perform (and I believe she's gifted at it) and excels in her dance class. Chandler is very smart - she's gifted at both reading and math - and she is a natural leader. She is the one who likes to cuddle the most and she often serves as an extra "parent" to her little brother and sisters. She surrendered her life to Jesus last year and I have the privilege of baptizing her. Chandler is without a doubt a momma's girl, although I...

Perhaps the greatest thing that has ever been or ever will be created by man is the buffet. Not all buffets are created equal. Some are nothing more than just leftover bins for restaurants to dump their extra food. But then there are buffets like the ones at sushi restaurants where they make it right in front of you and put it on display. Indian restaurants have great buffets as well, giving you the opportunity to try several different dishes instead of settling on just one from the menu. Seafood restaurants on the coast can be hit or miss, but when you find that high quality buffet then it's nonstop shrimp, flounder, oyster, crabs, and hush puppies until you literally want to vomit. Modern man may have created the restaurant buffet but Jesus invented the original buffet feast. In John 6 , Jesus is addressing part of "the crowd" of 5,000 that He had previously fed on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They are back for more signs and more food and are questionin...

Tonight I am doing something that I have never done before. I have the privilege of preaching to a group of senior adults at a nursing facility in Clemmons, NC, as a part of their week of revival. As someone who is used to speaking to students and a younger crowd, this is a cool and challenging opportunity for me. What do you share with a group of elderly men and women who probably rarely have the chance to leave the facility that they now call home? Surely God wants to use all of us until our final breath, but what if your breath will never leave the grounds of where you now live? How do encourage them to keep reaching out in the name of Jesus when they are so dependent on others to reach in to them? I've drawn inspiration for my message from the memory of my grandmother, Dossie Scott Dagengardt. I didn't realize this until my mom informed me but today (August 13) marks the day three years ago that she went home to be with Jesus. Later in her life my grandmother was affl...

There was a Christian song that was popular when I was in Jr. High school (think 1980's) with a chorus that had these words: "When God closes a door, He opens a window." Looking back it certainly wasn't the greatest of songs but at least it was catchy. These exact words from the song don't appear in the Bible, but their concept comes from Malachi 3:10 where God declares, "See if I will not open the floodgates (windows) of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure." The point is that when we are faithful to give to God (in the case of this Malachi passage it's a 10% tithe) then God will certainly take care of us and more. I'm sure that many people have used that verse for all sorts of fund raising ideas. I know that the church in which I grew up (which still is a wonderful church) used the slogan "Opening the Windows of Heaven" as a means of encouraging us as members to sacrificially give to a new building program. Othe...

If there is one thing I've learned in my years in ministry it's that you can't keyhole students into one big category. Even though they may look alike at times they have unique personalities and it can be tough ensuring that you connect with them on an individual level. But there is one phenomenon that has struck me as I have observed students over the years and it has to do with a gap that often occurs during the high school years. Coming out of grade school the kids are usually pretty pumped up about spiritual things because they've been in Bible drills and childrens' activities. Then comes jr. high school and hormones become a factor as do cliques and popularity. Finally high school arrives and the students are faced with a decision: Who will they follow? There seems to be a gap in spirituality that occurs with many students in their high school years. While I have witnessed many students catch fire spiritually between ninth and twelfth grade I have seen far...

In my daily Bible readings I am in the book of Leviticus every Thursday. For those of you who have ever committed to read through the Bible in a year, you have probably already cringed at the memories of trudging through Leviticus with its many rules and laws that make about as much sense as the IRS tax code. Yet I have been pleasantly surprised by what God has revealed through this book. Today I was reading in Leviticus 25 which describes the rules of the Sabbath years and a concept called Jubilee. Jubilee occurred every 50th year in Israel and it was a time when all debts were forgiven and people could repossess any land that they had previously forfeited. Along with this, every seventh year there was to be a Sabbath imposed on the land. Nothing was to be planted and nothing to was to be harvested on that year. Practically speaking that sounds awful impractical, especially when it came to feeding your family. But God had that part figured out too. He told His people (vs.18-2...

I'm not quoting Bob Marley here, although I like his music. Everything in this world obviously doesn't end up okay. People succumb to disease, families are torn apart by divorce and unfaithfulness, we still find ourselves slaves to bad habits, churches split over petty issues, and no matter how hard we try we'll never be able to elect a leader who will save us economically or morally. But in the end, some things are going to be alright. I received a very long email from a former student late last night, a message in which he basically bore his soul and confessed his sins. He didn't need to confess anything to me but he did so because he simply needed to put it into words that matched what his heart was feeling. This young man was broken over his sin and desperate to reconnect with the God of the universe whose back he had turned on years ago. It was sobering to read his words and my heart hurt for my friend, yet at the same time I was thankful for the work the Hol...

My youngest daughter Emme has been a pretty light sleeper now for 17+ months. She takes great naps during the day but something about a restful night sleep always seems to elude her. There have been more times than not that she is the first one in the house awake and she likes to announce to the world that it is so. Usually I am the one who likes to be up and moving first, getting the coffee ready and having some quality alone time with God before the rest of the crew starts stirring. But Emme has made that more challenging now for the past year and a half. Having her wake up so early isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's not like she is screaming for food or has a nasty diaper. She just wants to hang out with somebody. When I or anyone else goes to get her out of her crib, she is genuinely joyous to see us. She squeals and smiles and reaches out and then when you pick her up she wraps her arms around your neck as if she will never let go. Once outside her room she stay...

By now most of you have probably seen this wedding entrance that happened at the beginning of a ceremony in Minnesota. Without a doubt this is the coolest wedding processional I have ever seen. If I could dance, I would have entered this way with my wedding party.