Sterling Griggs

There are times in life when we experience pain and suffering.  It is during these moment that can we struggle to comprehend just exactly where God is in the midst of all this evil that seems to be around us.  The "problem of evil" has been a dagger thrown at Christianity for centuries: "If God is as good and as great as you say He is, then why is there all this evil?  Either He's not great enough to stop it or not good enough to do away with it." While the world wrestles with this conundrum, believers understand evil and suffering in a different light, although we can't claim to fully explain it.  We believe that God is all good and all powerful and therefore suffering serves some kind of purpose - God's purpose - in this world.  It doesn't make the pain go away, the losses suddenly stop, or our understanding perfect, but it does give us a foundation for beginning to comprehend it all. There is no way that I could possibly begin to break down th...

"I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me." ( Matthew 25:40 ). Jesus commands that we care for the poor, clothe the naked, feed the hungry, provide for the needy.  These things are characteristic of kingdom citizens.  Believers have for centuries created programs to meet the needs of "the least of these" and it continues today.  Homeless shelters have been established, job training seminars are conducted, food pantries are established, adoption is on the rise. Although believers are doing an admirable job in reaching out to those who are less established economically, I believe we are only obeying part of this command from Christ when we do these things. Notice that Jesus used the word "brothers" in Matthew 25:40.  The "least of these" aren't always those outside of our fellowship circles who do without.  Often, the very ones that Jesus refers to are those in the body of Christ who we...

God loves people.  I believe this to be true with all of my heart.  Does He also love those who don't love Him in return?  Again the answer is yes, for God loves with a perfect love that transcends any way that our feeble minds could understand.  The Bible makes it abundantly clear: God is love .  Does this mean that it is God's desire for everyone to be saved, for all people to be in heaven with Him for eternity?  Yes, that is God's desire as well, but this is where it gets tricky with many theologians.  Without diving deep into the tenets of the theological belief systems that are out there and trying to argue with who is "chosen" and who isn't, I want to appeal again to Scripture to what I believe is the undeniable desire of God's heart.  Consider these verses of Scripture: John 3:16 "For God loved the world in this way: He have His One and Only Son so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." 1 Timothy 2:3...

If I was totally honest with myself and others, I would have to admit that at this point in my life I thought that I would be in a much different arena of ministry than I find myself in right now.  Perhaps I would be serving in a "big" church somewhere with a staff that liked the same kind of music that I did and enjoyed going out for sushi at least once a week with our families of four+ kids each.  Yet this isn't where God has led me at this point in my life and ministry and I am completely grateful and satisfied with that. When God led me in the spring of this year to pursue a new course of direction for my ministry, I assumed that it would not be long before all sorts of doors would open up for me to plug right back in to another ministry.  Since I don't believe all good ministries happen only behind stained glass windows, I have been open to all sorts of ministry opportunities that are out there.  God has blessed me with many chances to speak at various churche...

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." (Matthew 6:33) The kingdom of God.  When I was a seminary student I chose to write a paper on that very topic because I really didn't understand the meaning of the term.  What I discovered was that the kingdom of God is past, present, and future.  In other words, God is sovereign and He reigns all the time and everywhere.  Of course, you can choose to acknowledge His sovereignty or not, but it still does not diminish His kingship over all people for all eternity.  The verse I typed above has been very inspiring and humbling to me.  It speaks of a kingdom where God is our provider and, as His servants, we simply need to seek Him and trust Him with our basic needs which He in turn will be faithful to meet.  When we pursue God, our focus won't be on our selfish desires.  Instead, we will be happy to accept what He grants to us and can live co...

A few weeks ago when I spoke at a middle school camp, I was asked to address the issue of bullying one morning during a question and answer session.  Actually, the topic didn't come up in the form of a question; rather, I was asked by the youth leaders to address it because apparently it was becoming a problem with some of the boys - and girls - in the group. Not long after that I was playing with my kids at the pool when I noticed a couple of boys "ganging up" on another boy who was smaller and obviously easier to pick on.  At first it looked like they were just having fun but when the little one would get away from one of the bigger ones, then another bigger one would jump in and grab him in a head lock or some other debilitating hold.  My attention was drawn to this and I wondered where were the parents of these kids, because the little guy began to get agitated and started to tell the bigger guys to knock it off.  I was about to leave the safe confines of the b...

What's your favorite season?  I love summer more than anything else.  Sitting on the beach watching the waves pummel the sand.  Taking the kids to the pool and doing goofy dives off of the diving board.  Atlanta Braves baseball in my favorite chair with a cup of iced tea.  Going out for ice cream.  Days that last past 9 p.m.   Hot, steamy, balmy weather where you can't seem to cool down enough to stop sweating.  I love it all! I'm not opposed to fall because with it comes college football, and with spring there is finally the hope of warmer weather.  But winter...oh how I loathe winter.  I would rather wilt under the August sun and humidity than be out on a cold wintry day.  Everyone has their favorite seasons and these times of years can often dictate our mood and overall demeanor (I get a little down in the winter time but summer makes me happy).  Life is full of seasons as well.  There will be periods of time w...

I believe everyone should wait tables at some point in his or her life.  If you want to humbled beyond what you think you are capable of handling, then wait tables.  If you want unrealistic expectations to be thrown at you by picky patrons who will throw pocket change at you as reward for your hard work, then wait tables.  As a waiter or waitress, you will be the source of the customers' wrath or joy if the food is good or bad or if it's delivered on time or stuck on the stove.  One summer of waiting tables was enough for me.  Waiting tables will test your patience. I'm not all that great at waiting.  Throughout my life I've struggled to wait on such things as that long anticipated vacation to begin; that letter of acceptance for college; my kids to finally be potty trained; God to show me where He desires me to be in His ministry.  That last one is usually the toughest for me to wait out. The Bible speaks an awful lot on the subject of waiting on ...

This week I have had the honor of being the camp pastor for middle school students at Laurel Ridge camp for Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC. I grew up going to Calvary's youth camps and coming back after all of these years has flooded my mind with memories of hikes up the mountain, pillow fights, camp fires, and spiritual encounters that blew me away. The theme for the week has been "Reflect," based on 2 Corinthians 3:18, which reminds us that we are to reflect the image of Christ in every area of our lives. My challenge to the students has been for them to be so totally surrendered to Christ that their very self-image is based not on what others think of them but rather in who they are in Christ. These students have been challenged to look closely into their lives to see if anything is interfering with the reflection of Christ in them and God has moved in their lives in some remarkable ways. Being back up at Laurel Ridge has also caused me to reflect on the m...