Sterling Griggs

I've got this thing about fixing things myself so that I don't have to pay someone else to do them. That way, I save money and I get the satisfaction of completing a project all by myself. Some of things that I have currently or recently taken care of myself: Changing the oil and brake pads in my cars; installing my own TV mount for my flat screen; and mounting the microwave above my stove (with a little help from my dad). There has been one project looming over my head that I have yet to tackle, and that is the shower in the master bathroom. It seems that it has one of those anti-scald devices so the best that you can get with your shower is better than warm but way less than hot. This isn't a huge problem for me but it is for my wife because she likes to flirt with second degree burns when she takes her showers. Right now I've been the only one to take showers there since Kellie goes to the other bathroom where she can crank up the Fahrenheit all she wants. Tonig...

This is my first attempt at a video blog. If you like it better than the written then let me know. Do the same if you don't like it.

Of all the figures throughout the history of Christianity, the one that I admire the most and wish to identify with even more is the apostle Paul. The man was an absolute banshee for Jesus! In 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 he recounts the many beatings and dangers that he faced as he labored to make the name of Jesus famous. If you look up the entry "spiritual stud" in a Bible dictionary you will find a one word definition: Paul. In a nutshell, Paul's story begins with his incredible conversion on a road to Damascus that he was traveling on en route to persecute Christians. A devout Jew, Paul hated anything associated with Jesus until he met Him face to face. Yet once he met Jesus everything changed. Now he was zealous for the gospel and stopped at nothing to see men and women of all nationalities and religious backgrounds meet the Christ who had also set him free. After several journeys to plant churches and encourage existing Christian churches, Paul travels to Jerusale...

If you will allow me to indulge you for a few moments, I want to brag on my second oldest daughter Reynolds. Earlier this week I posted a blog about belonging and told the story of how there were girls in her class at school that included everyone in their girls' club but her. As it turns out, Kellie and I were scheduled to go into Reynolds' class yesterday to help out her teacher with all of the Christmas crafts that they were trying to finish up. While there I was able to spot the ringleader for the girls' club, the one who specifically excluded my daughter. We shall call this girl "student x." I made it my point to engage student x in pleasant conversation and it didn't take me long to realize that she was indeed a rather mean little girl. She even looked mean, with that kind of "I'll-chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out" look about her. Of course Kellie and I did nothing to portray any animosity toward her; that wasn't my plan. My plan wa...

I have a confession to make and I hope it doesn't change your opinion of me as some tough, rugged kind of guy. I like to cuddle. It's true, there is almost nothing I enjoy more than cuddling with my wife. And I enjoy cuddle time with my kids as well (except when it's supposed to be cuddle time with my wife and they find a way to get in between us). I share that fact with you because I believe connecting with others, especially those you love, is critically important. Now if you are some Jr. High or High School student and you're reading this, this doesn't give you permission to be all over your boyfriend and girlfriend. But what I am saying is that it's good to be close to those you love. When I sit close to my wife or put my arm around her she feels more connected to me. When one of my little ones sits on my lap and lets me put my arms around them, there is definitely a bond being built. This is even true when I sit close to my two older daughters as we...

When my six-year-old daughter came home from school this past Friday it was obvious that something was on her mind. My wife and I asked her about her day and we heard the usual answers, but then she finally blurted out what it was that was bothering her. It seems as if some of the other girls in her first grade class formed a club and when she asked to be in it they said no. In fact, by the time they went outside for recess it seems that all of the other girls were in the club except for her. She was told by the ringleader that she couldn't play with the rest of the girls in the club, so my daughter played on her own. When she told me that I immediately had two distinct reactions. First, I felt a tear in the corner of my eye. I hurt for my daughter and wanted to hug her (which I did) and protect her for the rest of her days on earth. Then I felt angry. I had a mind to drive down to that school, find the parents of that punk kid who was the ringleader of that girls' club...

There are many things that I've wondered about heaven over the years and many questions that I have been asked about heaven by those I serve. Some common questions are: What we will look like in heaven? Will we need to eat or drink in heaven? Will I recognize my family members and friends there? Is there a chance the my husband/wife will still be my spouse in heaven? What will we do in heaven? Most of those questions I will admit I'm vague upon, although I'm pretty sure that there will be sushi and college football in heaven (I can't back that up in Scripture but it just makes sense to me). Jesus addressed heaven on many occasions and it would seem that marital relationships won't be the same in heaven as they are here and we will also possess glorified bodies, but beyond that I'm not much of an expert on the nature of heaven. But that last question, "What will we do in heaven?", has a pretty good answer. In Revelation 4-5, John was given a glim...

Right now, as I type these words, I am guilty of procrastination. Something happens to my mind and body after lunchtime that keeps me from staying the course with the work that I need to get done. Perhaps it's a touch of ADD or maybe too much blood is being shunted to my belly away from my brain in order to digest my lunch. Either way, I am an expert at putting things off. I find it difficult to finish books. There are multiple projects that remain in the construction phase. I often wait until the last day to put in the meat of the study for the messages I prepare. Oh, you do these things too? I'm glad I'm not alone. Why do we procrastinate in areas that really need our attention? How many times, like me, did you wait until the last minute in school to write that paper or cram for that exam? We all have dreams and lofty goals for our lives, yet it will be so hard to accomplish all that we desire if we can't even get the basic things done. But let's look at ...

I hate sin but I'm afraid it's not always for the right reasons. For instance, I despise adultery because of what it does to families. I loathe pornography because of what it does to the mind and heart. I'm a champion for the neglected and abused because I can't stand to see people treated unfairly. All of these are good reasons to hate sin but they aren't the best reasons. The primary reason I must hate sin is because God hates sin. When I choose a sinful path then I am willfully offending God. David understood this: "Against You - You alone - I have sinned and done this evil in your sight." (Psalm 51:4) Peter understood this when he addressed the sin of Ananias and Sapphira: "You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:4) We hate sin too often because of the effects that it causes, and yes we have to be concerned about that because we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). But the main reason that I want to hate sin is because God hates s...

As I have aged I have become a bit of a complainer. There were times in my younger days that I would look in amazement and sometimes ridicule at those older than me who always seemed to complain and be grumpy. Now I find that there are times when I am that guy and I hate it. Over the years of my working life since I graduated from college, I have found ways to gripe and complain either of what I was doing or what I felt like I should be doing. Let me be completely transparent here. Much of my complaining has been in the area of what I believe I should be doing in my ministry career. It is no secret to those who know and serve with me that I desire to teach and preach and lead a body of believers one day. Yet I am "still" a youth pastor at the same church where I have served for almost nine years. Over these 8+ years I have complained about why I wasn't leading my own church and why I felt stuck in ministry. This is not a slam on anyone I serve with or where I serv...

I love to read but I also have the bad habit of starting books and not finishing them. This past year (or two) I've managed to finish several (some I trudged through) and I thought it only fitting to share some of them with you. Mark Driscoll remains one of those guys that inspires me and makes me laugh at the same time. I started with his book The Radical Reformission: Reaching Out Without Selling Out . Shortly afterward I read Confessions of a Reformission Rev: Hard Lessons from an Emerging Missional Church . In these books he chronicles his heart for missional ministry and his ongoing journey to plant and grow Mars Hill Church in Seattle. From there I read his works Vintage Jesus and Religion Saves: And Nine Other Misconceptions . These books have a more theological flavor but offer a ton of useful information that is so practical I even used them as small group literature. Truth be told, I'm a big fan of Driscoll and love his style of writing and communicating. Th...

The word "gospel" can be a difficult word to define in such a way that seems to fit it best, but in a nutshell it is the good news that Jesus came to save us from our sins - and ourselves - by His death on the cross as our substitute and that He rose again from the grave so that we could not only have forgiveness of sins but inherit eternal life with Father God. There are also many phrases out that encompass the full meaning of the gospel - justification, redemption, propitiation, substitution, grace, etc. I am currently working my way through the book of Romans , one of the great theology books of the Bible. One of the first major themes that Paul covers in his epistle is that of justification, the ability that man has to stand before God as righteous in spite of his sin. If we possess saving faith in Jesus' death on the cross, then we are justified to stand before God because Jesus has taken the penalty of our sins upon Himself. We are declared righteous but still o...

I am a guy who is passionate about many things. First on my list is Jesus then nothing else comes close to my second passion: My family. Yes, there are times when we feel exhausted and can't answer another question/change another diaper/clean up another mess/ etc., but we wouldn't trade it for anything (except maybe an all expenses paid trip to a South Pacific island). There are things that my kids do or say that add much humor and insight to life. In fact, they often teach us lessons that we couldn't learn anywhere else. For instance: Deacon, now that he is finally potty trained, loves wearing his superhero underwear. The only problem is that all of the good superhero graphics are on the backside of them. No problem. He simply wears his underwear backward so he can look down and see his superhero friends. Reynolds has become our child of compassion. Last night when I came home from a high school basketball game, the house was strangly dark. As I walked in and noticed most ...

I continue to process the loss of my friend in the ministry to suicide. As the days have slipped by since I first heard the news I have been encouraged to read of the many words of gratitude and love that those who loved him have written in his memory ( you can read some of those things here - they will encourage you even if you didn't personally know Thomas Young). As I was reading the funeral arrangements that were released yesterday on his church's website, the announcement also included a link to a message that John Piper preached back in 1988 at a funeral for a man in his congregation who had also taken his own life. These words have brought me comfort and a little bit of closure and I wanted to share the five major points that Dr. Piper emphasized during that most difficult of circumstances: 1. Saints sometimes feel so bad that they want to die. 2. It is sin to fulfill that desire by taking your own life. 3. The only way sin can be forgiven is in our relation...