Sterling Griggs

Many of you who read this are probably stuck at home after the snow storm like I am. Here in the south, when it snows it paralyzes us. That's because we lack the trucks and scrapers to clear the roads, not to mention that there are very few of us who know how to drive in this stuff. Just because you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle doesn't mean you are an expert snow driver (just check to see how many of them you see stranded in ditches). Like everyone else we stocked up on food before the storm hit - you know, milk, bread and eggs so that like everyone else we could make French toast. Snug in our home watching the snow fall, we were set with all that we needed. The first day is pretty fun because the snow is new and fresh and the kids can play until they are all tired out. Then you get to the next day and the day after that. School gets canceled and you can't really go anywhere because only the main roads are passable and the road in your neighborhood is still treachero...

Matthew 7:1-6 is one of those passages of Scripture that people like to pull out when they don't want you involved in their business, specifically Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge, so that you won't be judged." I've seen tattoos that say "Only God can judge me". Cries of "Who are you to judge me?" or "You're being so judgmental!" are heard when people think that you are treating their choices unfairly. So what does it mean to judge? According to Jesus, when you become a judge over other people then you have set yourself up in a position of authority above them. If you've ever been in a court of law, you know that it is the judge who has the final say on how the law is interpreted and applied. If you are found guilty then you will be punished. If you are not guilty, your name will be cleared. When Jesus told us not to judge others He was warning us against forming our own opinions about others and then holding it against them. ...

I have a great view that I pass on the way to my office. I pass a field where there is a clear view of Pilot Mountain in the distance (although you can't tell from this photo), and this morning its top was shrouded in clouds. The fields were saturated today because last night's rain brought at least 3 inches of rain out where I work, sending rivers and creeks over their banks. The Yadkin River impressed me the most. It had almost crested its banks and the fields that flank it had turned into giant ponds. The river itself was a dark muddy orange color, filled with debris that it was rushing downstream away from where it was picked up. It was as if nature was being cleansed of trash and junk. As I took in these sights I couldn't help but think of the way that we are cleansed from the pollution of sin in our lives. Psalm 51 is a beautiful passage of Scripture that describes in graphic detail the desperation that king David felt over the need to know God's forgiveness and c...

I hate vomit. The smell of it is almost more than I can stand. I spent several years as a paramedic and saw all sorts of grotesque sites, but nothing that I saw affected me like the smells did. Gross. So it is only fitting that the past couple of days I have had to help clean up vomit in my house as three of my four kids (and the fourth will probably start anytime now) have been throwing up. My wife is always by my side in cleaning up messes, but this time she has been afflicted by the same bug. So I've spent a good part of my day cleaning up unspeakable messes and steam cleaning parts of our carpet. It was about the same time just over a year ago where this same scenario played out in my family with me being the only one well enough to clean up all the mess. Cleaning up the vomit of someone else is certainly a labor of love. No one truly enjoys doing it but how awful would it be if we were left to lie in our own junk all day if no one would help us clean it up? Imagine how...

If you even are remotely aware of politics in America then you know how passionate many are about politics and the parties to which they belong. Many (perhaps most) are blinded to their own viewpoints to the point that they will back their candidate no matter the mistakes he/she makes. Moveon.org, a very liberal group, absolutely hated George W. Bush, but with Obama in office over a year now and things in our country no better, they are amazingly quiet. Two people can look at the same image and see two completely different things. Such is the science of politics. I am not writing this blog about politics. Sure, I have my own opinions just like everyone else, but I make it a point not to dive too deep into political issues. It's been said that at the dinner table you never should talk about religion or politics, but since this is my table I will still continue to discuss religious issues. Specifically, I am fascinated with the role that religion tries to play with politics. T...

Being late is one of those things in life that I detest very much. God surely knows this, which is why He gave to me such a large family that would rarely be on time for anything. Actually, the ship runs fairly smooth in our home with all of the kids that we have to get ready. When we do run behind it's because Kellie and I are the last ones to get ready after everyone else is taken care of. Beyond my family, I hate to be late for other things as well. If I tell you that I will be somewhere by a certain time, I stress if I can't make that time. Just this morning we were late getting out the door on the way to get the kids to school and then we hit the massive drop off line in front of the school. My goal: Get them to the door before 8:20 so they didn't have to get a tardy note. Result: Drop off occurred at 8:18, therefore mission accomplish and note avoided. All of this semi-obsession with promptness can lend itself to impatience. If you know me well then you are pr...

Have you ever been thinking about someone and then suddenly they show up at your home or you run into them at the store? Or maybe your car breaks down right in front of a mechanic's shop. When these kinds of things happen we often refer to them as coincidence or chance or maybe even fate, feelings as if luck has smiled upon us. But are chance and coincidence really how things happen in our lives? Doesn't God, by His divine providence, have a say in all that happens to us? Not only does God have a say in all things but there is nothing that occurs apart from His knowledge or permission. In other words, God isn't surprised by anything that happens in this world and is never caught off guard. (I won't go into my thought on the tragedy in Haiti but for a really great read on where God was when the earthquake struck Haiti, let me urge you to read this article by Dr. Al Mohler . It is worth the 10 minutes it will take you to read it). What is chance? We might think of ...

I'm not one of those "worship guys." If you've heard me sing then it is abundantly clear that what I say is true. But I do love music and it is a powerful medium through which I love to worship. Notice I didn't say it was the medium of worship,just one of them. The primary way that we are to worship God and give Him glory is with our lives (Galatians 2:19-20). In all that we do or say or think God is to be glorified and we are to be living sacrifices, offering our very lives up to God daily as an act of worship (Romans 12:10). Music may just be one of the most powerful forces on earth. It reflects and even changes our moods, it pumps us up at the gym, it brings us to our knees with its beauty and power, it disgusts us at times with its rawness, and it delights us when we hear it come from hands of those we love. As a medium of worship, music has a dramatic effect on me. I love to sing and worship King Jesus through music and, just like with you, my worshi...

I'm sure you've all heard the term "prosperity gospel" and are familiar with those who fall into the category of believing and teaching this way of thinking. This prosperity gospel espouses the belief that our faith can generate real material blessings from God. Therefore, our salvation becomes a giant pyramid scheme, with those at the top the ones with the most faith and the nicest things. How unbiblical. Let's be blunt about this. To claim that our relationship with God through Christ culminates in us prospering financially is to say that we can pimp out almighty God for our personal gain. Nowhere in Scripture do we hear of a gospel that guarantees us fancy cars, fat bank accounts, and lavish wardrobes. Quite to the contrary, we read of our Jesus telling us that if we desire to save our lives we will lose them and that if we desire to be disciples then we must be ready to deny ourselves and be ready to die for Christ (Luke 9:23-24). So where does this pro...

"I've accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior." How many times have you heard those words? Maybe you've uttered them before as I have, describing your relationship with Christ in a way that sounds more like a business transaction than a life rescue. Let's break that phrase down for a minute. "I've accepted Jesus" - Had he previously been unacceptable? Has it truly come down to what you needed to do in order for Jesus to have a place in your life? Do we accept Him or does He accept us? "My personal" - Is this really like an earthly relationship, complete with the pitfalls that we encounter with those whom we are friends with? Could we just stop returning His calls or even ignore Him altogether until His behavior suited us? "Lord and Savior" - These two terms are often used in conjunction, but where do we see them as so in Scripture? Can they really be separated into two separate terms? Aren't "Lord" an...

The word affection carries with it a lot of meaning. Typically we think of such things as physical touch or an endearing feeling toward someone else - feeling of affection. In that respect, the word conjures up an emotional image, one that I often don't think of when I consider God. But men like Jonathan Edwards used the word affection in a way that is different than what you and I grasp it (admittedly I haven't read a whole lot of his works but I plan on reading more). To Edwards, affection was more than just a tingly feeling; it was an all encompassing love for God with body, mind, and soul. It wasn't a spiritual high that one got from attending a powerful meeting or revival but rather a whole heart devotion to God. To him, it was what helped distinguish true and false religion by showing the marks of a saving work of the Holy Spirit in men. When our hearts are so greatly moved by God then our affection for Him will follow. That deep, passionate desire to worship Hi...

Forgive me for doing this, but I'm not even going to cover the morning events at Passion 2010. It's not that they weren't important, but I just need more room to share with you about the evening session. I'm not sure that I have ever been in the midst of a more passionate and authentic movement of worship in my entire life. The Passion band led worship and it was rich in its intensity. You could sense a different kind of vibe if you will. The songs were the same ones they had been leading us with the past couple of days but tonight they just sounded and felt different. Maybe it's because we were more familiar with them, I don't know. John Piper brought the message tonight and if you are even remotely familiar with him then you understand that there was a ton of stuff to unpack from our brains after he was done. He spoke on the topic "Is Jesus an Egomaniac?" and he drew on instances from people such as Oprah Winfrey and others who have declined t...

This day was absolutely packed and I wanted to post some pictures so I'll try to keep it brief. In our morning session worship was led by Matt Redmon and Beth Moore spoke to us. Now as a guy, I'm not necessarily giddy over Beth Moore but I was most impressed by how God used her to speak to such a large mixed audience. Her main point was that God's will for our life is to make us beneficial for Him and He equips us in so many ways to get there. His will is not about us getting what we want but rather about being who He wants us to be. In the afternoon there is a time for breakout sessions where you can go hear various speakers and leaders of causes, but yesterday was so chaotic that a lot of those venues got filled up to capacity. So Kellie and I went down to the Go Center in the basement of the GWCC to explore all that was there. The Go Center is comprised of 12 different displays set up by different mission organizations. These groups do everything from helping to fr...

For those of you who don't know what Passion 2010 is all about (or even what it is), then check out 268 Generation and read up on what God is doing in this generation of college students and young adults. Kellie and I love going to Passion conferences (we last went in 2007) simply because the energy is real and there is nothing candy coated. It's 20+ thousand college students coming together for intense worship, Bible study, community, and action. Our way down went pretty smooth except for when I locked the keys in the church van at the Chick Fil A in Commerce, GA, which by the way has to be the busiest Chick Fil A on the busiest road in all of northern Georgia. Rick "McGyver" Trivette found a way to jimmie the side door open with an old pair of reading glasses that he twisted and turned just so. Our group of 31 arrived at our hotel in downtown Atlanta shortly after lunch, registered for the conference, and tried to stay warm in the blustery cold weather. Our fir...

Do you set New Years' resolutions each year? If you do, how successful have you been in the past at keeping all of them? I don't have any statistics in front of me but I'm pretty sure that around 99.9% of all people fail to keep their New Years' resolutions for the whole year. Now I don't really have a problem with failed resolutions because the concept of a resolution is inherently flawed from the very beginning. You see, when we make resolutions we are limiting the amount of good and growth we want in our lives. There is set starting point and oftentimes a set ending point. We make a list of what we want to do and many times that list becomes an idol for us, one that we bow down to daily and sacrifice to when we fall behind. I'm not saying that desiring to lose weight or read through the Bible in a year or quitting a bad habit is wrong. But why pick a specific start date for that to happen? Why not start when you are drawn to the need in the first plac...