Sterling Griggs

If I had to come clean - and I guess I am now - prayer is not the spiritual discipline that I would claim as my strongest.  My prayer life has often been a series of highs and lows, with the lows being the predominate factor.  But like a seminary professor once told me about praying, we should pray until we pray.  In other words, don't give up on prayer. Every since it became clear to me that God was leading me to leave my current ministry without another one with which to attach myself, prayer has become a more enjoyable and urgent part of my life.  I have learned to pray about things that I once considered too trivial to bring before God, yet I now realize more than ever that God is concerned with all aspects of our lives and not just the areas to which we assign the most value. A good friend passed along to me the autobiography of George Muller and, once I started to read through it, I was humbled beyond what words can describe.  In a nutshell, George Mu...

Growing up in an environment where church was always a priority, Sundays were some of the busiest days of the week for.  I usually stayed up way too late on Saturday nights which made getting up on Sunday morning all the more difficult.  I'm convinced that my body was hardwired to be sleepy all day on Sunday.  Add to that a Sunday lunch which was usually excessive, a Sunday evening service that was usually followed by another meal that was too big, and by the time Sunday night rolled around I was pooped.  Monday mornings were even tougher to wake up for since the weekend ended much busier than the week before. Now that I am in ministry my Sundays have been even tougher at times.  As one who doesn't preach every weekend, I don't often have to deal with that " holy hangover " that happens to pastors who preach multiples times over the weekend, but I can still be pretty tuckered out by Sunday night.  This past Sunday was no exception.  I enjoyed a full ...

There was fight - actually more like an assault - at a local high school the other day that was brutal and violent in nature.  Normally these kinds of things don't make the news - and this particular incident didn't - but there were enough students talking about it online that drew my attention.  It turns out that apparently fights are pretty popular events for students to not only witness but also to attend, given the large amounts of fights posted on YouTube.  Beyond the overall violence of this fight in particular - "sucker punch" attack, possible broken jaw, lots of blood - what really disturbs me is the response of students to these spectacles.  There is almost a joyful glee that there was "finally" a fight in school and that this one was especially good because it involved blood.  Then there are guys that brag about their past fights and tell others where to find them posted on YouTube.  It's as if a fight is no big deal, just a simple event that...

Have you ever missed out on an opportunity that you later regretted?  A couple of months ago I had a chance to attend a conference that was packed with stuff that would benefit me both now and in the future.  I was signed up and ready to go but a few days before the conference I made excuses about why I couldn't or shouldn't go.  Long story short, I talked myself out of going, convincing myself that even though it was a good conference it wasn't like it was going to "change my world" or anything.  The afternoon of the conference my phone rang and the voice belonged to an old friend on the other line.  He was at the conference and noticed my name tag had gone unclaimed.  "Where are you?" he asked.  It turns out there were lots of guys there that I hadn't seen in a long time, guys who had a significant hand in shaping my spiritual formation.  As a result of skipping out on the conference I missed a wonderful opportunity for fellowship with these g...

At the risk of being made fun of I have a confession to make.  I love to clean my house.  Before you demand that I turn in my man card let me explain.  I am someone who is semi-obsessed with being in control, and with as much chaos as there is in my house with 4 kids I seek order whenever I can find it.  So when I fire up the Kirby and start making those uniform lines in the carpet, I feel as if I'm gaining back a little bit of my sanity. This whole desire to be in control is yet another reason why it makes no real sense for me to leave my current ministry in two weeks with no other "official" ministry to go to.  Just today I heard that Francis Chan has made a decision very similar to mine.  He is resigning his position as senior pastor at Cornerstone Church to step out in a new, unknown direction.  When asked about his future plans, he doesn't know but believes strongly that if he doesn't trust God to lead him in a new direction then it would be hy...

Three weeks from today my tenure as a pastor at the current church that I serve will be over.  The decision that was made to announce my resignation over a month before it took place was both strategic and practical.  I needed the right amount of time to tie off loose ends and make sure that everything and everyone was up to par with what the needs for the ministry were.  I have been incredibly blessed with other adults who have taken this ministry as their own over the years, so there is no worry on my part about the future for these students. Even though I believe there are more than enough capable adults (and students) to lead this ministry once I'm gone, there is always the temptation to be what they call a lame duck.  This means that once someone is on the way out, he or she no longer has to be responsible for what goes on in the area where he or she served.  This ministry will no longer be mine, so some may look at my current responsibilities as being un...

There was a time in the not too distant past where I found myself wanting to zealously defend the truth of Jesus without regard to how I came across.  I would argue and even be pushy with what I believed.  With the introduction of internet message boards it became all the more easy to engage those whose opinions differed from mine, all from behind the safety and anonymity of a keyboard. Over the years I've realized not just the futility of engaging others in that way but also the damage that can be done to God's kingdom.  Just because I may never see the one whom I am engaging in person doesn't mean that there isn't a bitter taste left in their mouth after I am less than gracious.  If my desire is to share the truth of the gospel anywhere and everywhere that I can, then if I sow seeds of bitterness and discontent I am not leading that person to the cross of Christ. I recently discovered a topic on a message board that surrounded a certain spiritual book that is c...

Matthew's gospel, in the 28th chapter, tells the story of the resurrection of Jesus most beautifully: 1) After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2) Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb . He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3) His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. 4) The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men. 5) But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6) He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said . Come and see the place where He lay. 7) Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.” 8) So, departing quickly from the tomb...

This is the account from Matthew 27:57-66 of what occurred on that Saturday (Sabbath day) after the death of Jesus: 57) When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58) He approached Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate ordered that it be released. 59) So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean, fine linen, 60) and placed it in his new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. He left after rolling a great stone against the entrance of the tomb. 61) Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were seated there, facing the tomb. 62) The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63) and said, “Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive, He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’   64) Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the...

After months of prayer and preparation 521 Coffee is officially open for online business!  Below I've pasted from the website what 521 Coffee is all about.  I hope you'll visit the site and if you like really good coffee then you have come to the right place. 521 Coffee was created with a twofold goal in mind: Roast really great coffee that brings glory to God. It all started on a quiet New Year’s Eve 2005 in a village in northern Sudan just below Egypt. As I sat fellowshipping in the home of a local Sudanese man, I watched with piqued interest as another gentleman roasted coffee beans on a metal plate and then ground them with a Coke bottle. What resulted was the freshest and most flavorful coffee I had ever tasted. Upon my return home I knew that I had to learn to roast my own coffee beans. Not long after that a vision for a coffee roasting business grew in my heart, a business that would not only produce fresh roasted coffee but would also be used as an avenue...

This is the account of Jesus' crucifixion from Matthew 27:1-56: 1) When daybreak came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death. 2) After tying Him up, they led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate , the governor.   3) Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.   4) “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!”   5) So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.   6) The chief priests took the silver and said, “It’s not lawful to put it into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.” 7) So they conferred together and bought the potter’s field with it as a burial place for foreigners. 8) Therefore that field has been called “Blood Field” to this day. 9) Then what was spo...