Sterling Griggs

As the end of every year draws close, many begin to consider what areas of their lives need major or minor overhauls. These revelations transform themselves into New Year's resolutions, most of which are broken in the first few weeks of January. The noblest of intentions fizzle and die as weight loss goals and personal growth programs slowly give way to the reality of life and time constraints. If you can't already tell by now, I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I believe that when God places a desire or directive on our hearts, we must act on that now and not at some set point in the future. That's how God works. He's into the now, not in the wait-and-move-when-you-feel-like-it. If you are convinced of a need to make some personal spiritual changes or that God is moving you in a new direction then the time is now, not later. Another factor that hinders us from moving forward is the fear of what change will bring. We can be so absolutely paral...

There were times in seminary when I would spend inordinate amounts of time seeking the answers to my most burning theological questions.  This was a period in my life when I was immersed in theological studies and surrounded by guys who were seeking to fill their quest for knowledge just as I was.  Looking back over those years, it was a tremendous time of spiritual growth which laid the foundation for me to continue seeking to know God's truth that I still pursue today.  But there were also those moments where it seemed I would get worked up over theological minutia which, in the grand scheme of things, really weren't busting a scalp vein over. As the holiday seasons would roll around, I would mull over in my mind this particular question: "Which is more important to the Christian faith, Christmas or Easter?"  Like a good and sometimes over zealous seminary student, I attempted to reason out everything that I could in my faith in an effort to make sense of what I ...

Yesterday as my family gathered to worship with other believers, our pastor read from Luke 1:46-55 as part of our worship.  In this passage we find Mary praising God with all of her heart because of the great joy she is experiencing knowing that the child she is carrying in her womb will one day redeem the world.  Mary is praising the Jesus that is in her, literally.  The one that she will deliver will one day deliver her. Imagine what it must have been like to be Mary, living in a culture where women were not considered equals and pregnancy outside of marriage used to be a capital offense.  She finds herself in an unusual situation, visited by an angel who announces that she is pregnant while still a virgin but the child she is carrying is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.  Perhaps she could wave it off as some sort of fantastic and vivid dream were it not for an angel relaying the same message to her soon-to-be husband Joseph (Matthew 1:18:21).  Ass...

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  Or is it?  I'll be totally honest from the get-go, Christmas is not my favorite holiday of the year.  The consumerist chaos that ensues once Thanksgiving is near has left me a little bit jaded I suppose.  But perhaps more than that, thanks to the internet and anyone who has an opinion (myself included), Christmas has become an entirely different animal that what I remember it being as a child.  One phenomenon that occurs among many fellow Christians this time or year often has me scratching my head. There is a running campaign by many to "Keep Christ in CHRISTmas."  I understand the desire for followers of Christ to want to honor the "reason for the season", but I'm not sure how demanding that the world affiliate Christ with Christmas is really helping things.  So what if people celebrate Christmas without acknowledging Christ?  Christmas has long been hijacked by commercialism and we celebrate it on De...

Building on yesterday's post about whether we should market the church or not (if you didn't read it, then read it now!), another question that the believer must answer is what church he/she should become a part of.  There are lots and lots of churches in all shapes, colors, and styles to choose from and most of us have an opinion about what we like and don't like in a church.  Just how in the world are we choose where to go with so many options out there? Unless you've been in a coma, you've noticed that the look and sound of the church has changed dramatically over the past few decades.  The Leave it to Beaver idea of families showing up together in the family car all decked out in their Sunday finest as the church bell tolls an ancient hymn is for all intents and purposes a thing of the past.  More and more we are seeing hip new churches springing up everywhere from store fronts to warehouses to bars, each one complete with a kickin' band that rocks out wo...

Several years ago when I was student in seminary the concept of marketing the church became a topic of discussion.  Should we market the church to make it appealing to people in a consumer-driven culture?  And if so, how do we undertake this endeavor without cheapening the message of the gospel and "selling out" as the critics predicted would happen? While most of those who debated the issue agreed that the church needed to have more of an influence in our world, there was hardly a consensus on how this should happen.  There were fierce criticisms lobbied at churches like Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago because so much of their emphasis was on drawing "seekers" into their church.  Many believed churches with this kind of focus were neglecting the needs of believers, therefore establishing a ministry that was spiritually an inch deep and a mile wide. The flip side of the "Willow Creek Model" was the church that stood staunch in its stance to ma...

Grounded.  That word carries with it so much weight and meaning.  As a kid growing up it meant that I was most certainly in trouble.  Back in the day when I was a kid we didn't worry about being grounded from all of our electronic devices and computers because they didn't exist like they do know (except for the Atari which was freakin' sweet).  Instead, being grounded meant that I couldn't play outside, which further meant that I was stuck inside without anything to do but read a book or contemplate what I had done.  Today, if you were to ground a child from going outside to play then you would be doing him a favor.  So many of them want to stay inside to play video games or spend time on the computer.  Maybe the punishment we need to give our kids is to ground them from being inside! But grounding doesn't just imply punishment.  Airplanes are grounded in hazardous weather conditions, which in turn renders them ineffective for the purpose for ...

Depending on your age and station in life, change can be either a dirty word or one that invigorates your soul.  The former operate from an "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality while the latter often want to see wholesale house cleanings take place.  Is change good or bad, or have we defined it into the ground? Well, it all depends... Sometimes the need for change is urgent.  Citizens of countries who are ruled by oppressive regimes that thwart all human rights often beg for the chance for change to happen.  Other times it's not quite so rational.  Crazed fans will burn the head coach in effigy if he loses more than one game in a row, shouting for his removal.  Every four years we hear presidential hopefuls beat the drums for change, our televisions filled with endless commercials explaining why change is so necessary.  Sometimes it's as simple as needing to change a ketchup-stained shirt.  Change can be good, change can be bad, and cha...