Sterling Griggs

This morning I was given some news that really took me back. A man in the ministry that I have admired for many years, one who in the times that I spent with him mentored and encouraged me, died on Friday. Shaken, I went to the website of the church he pastored and found that indeed he did go home to be with Jesus on Friday but no further details were available. The thought of one of my spiritual heroes dying so young (he was in his younger 40's) really troubled me most of the day. This afternoon there was an update on the church website that briefly explained what happened: After a fight with his wife he took his own life. I simply could not believe this to be true. Maybe this was some sort of a sick joke or a bad mistake but no, it was true. I struggle as I type this to even believe that this whole scenario is actually real. The fact that my friend took his life doesn't change the grieving process for me, it just takes it in an unexpected direction. Before I heard tha...

I watched with excitement as my Wake Forest football team beat Duke in today's season finale (to finish 5-7 no less) and I also groaned as my Wake Forest basketball team lost tonight to William and Mary in basketball, a team that should never really challenge the Deacons. If you know me, you know that I am fairly passionate about Wake Forest sports and that I am also a glutton for punishment. As excitable as I am for sports, I'm afraid the same can't always be said for my response to Jesus. Oh yes, He is my Lord and my Savior and I have surrendered my life to Him, yet the radical change that He has wrought in my heart often elicits little more than a whimper in my life. Galatians 5:22 tells us that one of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, yet I find that I often neither experience nor exhibit much joy in my everyday life. I am a zealous defender of God's truth and when I preach I do so with God's truth as my sole focus, yet the basic joy of knowing Christ and bei...

As someone who likes gadgets but doesn't possess the money (nor the real need) to have many of them, I love to look online at Craigsli st at all of the electronic gizmos that people are selling everyday. There are iPhones and iPods, stereos, cameras, GPS systems, etc., and that's just on the electronics page. The prices are usually pretty good although much of what is sold is pretty junky (hint: If you wish to sell your TV, try taking a picture of it when your cat is not perched on top of it). Something that often surprises me as I scan some of the offers on the site is the reasoning listed for why the seller is selling the item in the first place. They don't have to give a reason why they are selling but many do and the most common explanation is a desperate need for money. Just today I saw at least 3 items that needed to be sold ASAP because of a payment that was due in the immediate future. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not judging these people for having a f...

As I write this I am proud to announce that my 3 1/2 year old son Deacon is now potty trained. What has been a long and arduous road came to an end last week when he decided he just didn't want poo in his pants anymore. Now, he is a pottying machine! This past Saturday I took him and his two older sisters to the Wake Forest football game. Since he is so new at this potty thing, I put a pull-up on him so that he wouldn't feel pressured to go non-stop to the bathrooms at the stadium. But my boy doesn't want anything in that pull-up at all, so about every 20 minutes I was taking him down the stadium steps to the bathroom so that he could empty his bladder. Fortunately there is a family restroom right outside of our section that is clean and private, yet these countless trips began to add up over time. Still, I am very proud of the fact that he refused to compromise on his new found freedom from diapers and I would have taken him 50 more times if that's what it took. ...

I would make it mandatory for all Americans to go to at least one college football game and sit in the student section. Chest paint would be optional. Natural foods would be cheaper because they have less ingredients than food with all those additives. Taxes on alcohol would be in the same neighborhood as taxes on tobacco. The school year would be shorter and teachers would be paid on the same scale as corporate executives. Fire fighters, police officers, and EMS workers would earn the same as the newly salaried teachers. There would be at least one parent at home each night to help the kids with homework, that way the buck wouldn't be passed so much to the schools and the teachers. Stupidity would be punishable by law. We would be able to "unelect" those public officials whom we put in office but who now are running their own agenda without listening to us. Christians would actually read their Bibles and see that most of the traditions that they treasure so dearly aren...

God, in His infinite wisdom, has made each of us unique from the rest of the crowd. However, we spend our lives trying to fit into a mold that we feel best suits us or keeps us from the prison of loneliness. In college I joined a fraternity not so much to make new friends but to belong to something. I work with students who dress and act certain ways just so that they will be noticed and accepted. You can't seem to buy anything on the shelves of grocery stores that isn't at least partially artificial. And strangely enough, the all-natural items are more rare and cost so much more. What does it mean to be authentic? Consider a couple of practical implications: You are comfortable with who you are. We've all seen those "original" people that claim to dress and act the way they do because they are marching to the beat of their own drummer. But why, then, do so many countless others march to that same drum beat if it's so original? For a large portion of...

We've talked about spiritual, family, and financial issues so now it's time to tackle the one that many of you might think is the most important of all - how do you share the other parts of your life together? How alike are the two of you? If not very similar, do you know how to compromise? The old saying goes that opposites attract and in my marriage I would not deny that this is mostly true. But does it always need to be this way for a marriage to be successful? What if you and your future mate are so alike that it's scary? The issue here isn't whether or not the both or you like NASCAR or girly movies but rather whether or not the two of you are compatible. You're a neat freak, he's a slob. You are always on time, she's constantly late. You like a more classic style in home decor, she prefers more flowers and pastels. You are more open with your emotions and feelings, he's more like a clogged pipe. I could write pages and pages about the di...

Dave Ramsey won't be busting down my door anytime soon when it comes to money management principles, but I do understand the importance that finances can and often do play in a marriage. Statistics that I have seen cite financial strain as a primary reason given for divorce in America today. Money or the love of it can be a tremendous hurdle for young couples to overcome, especially when they possess spending habits that are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Here are some questions the engaged (and already married) couple should ask each other about financial issues. I'll Buy That (But Probably Shouldn't) Are you bringing any debt into the marriage? Most young adults, if they have gone through college or grad school, have accrued some sort of debt. If it's not school debt then it's credit card debt or a car payment or even a mortgage. Debt relief organizations are a dime a dozen, and the fact that they exist highlights the real problem that too much debt can...

Yesterday I wrote about the issue of faith and how it applies to engaged couples. Let me say right here and now that if you are reading this and you are either married or aren't engaged, these principles still apply to you. No one gets everything right before the marriage but we must always keep working to improve what God has blessed us with. We Are Family A critical issue that many married couples face is the role that family will play in their marriage.I've been blessed as a married man to have family members - both mine and Kellie's - who have been gracious to us and have allowed us to grow and mature as a couple and not as an extension of their own opinions. There have been times where they have offered unsolicited advice, but who doesn't do that? Yet the newly married couple forms a new family unit themselves, and as such they must learn to live together and cope with the differences and challenges that will surely be there. Couples must confront and conquer ...

For the past 3+ years I've had the privilege of teaching a young couples class at my church. We've covered countless topics on marriage and along the way I've read some great books by some wise and gifted authors and teachers who are experts on the subject. All of that has inspired me to do a blog series on preparing for marriage, gleaning bits and pieces from the mountain of information that I've gathered. Premarital counseling is too important to ignore! The Arena of Faith Let's say that you have found Mr. Right or Ms. Perfect and you are ready to take that next step in life together in marriage. You love everything about him/her. You can't stand being apart. You get the tingles when he/she walks in the room. This is a match made in heaven, right? How could this be wrong? Before you send out wedding invitations you must dig further than just physical attraction and connectedness. You must ask questions of faith. If you are a follower of Christ, ther...

One of the most painful memories I have in my life is from a college experience. It was a time in my life where I was running from God and was involved in lots of things that didn't bring Him glory. There was an instance where I did something stupid to a fellow fraternity brother which I thought was done in secret. However, one night he called me aside, confronted me with what I had done, and then to my face called me a hypocrite. I have never felt so ashamed in my entire life. Name calling is something that isn't tolerated in my house. Some of the names that my kids come up with are funny sounding and not all that insulting - carrot head, snot breath, etc. - but they are always used with the intent to harm so we don't let them be said a second time. No one likes to be called names or labeled unfairly. But there is a name that, although it might have started out as a harsh label, has become synonymous with what all followers of Christ strive to be called. Acts 11:19-...