Sterling Griggs

In the almost 17 years that I have been married to the woman of my dreams, we've lived in four different locations. When we lived in a country setting, our neighbors were maybe within shouting distance if the wind was at our backs. At other times, only a wall stood between us and our neighbors, leaving us feeling as I we needed to whisper a lot. As very social people, my wife and I truly enjoy trying to get to know the people around us, and it's not uncommon for our kids to barge right on in someone else's home without even thinking about it (although we do tell them to at least knock first). We love having neighbors and being able to share life with them. Except for when we didn't. A few years ago a new family moved into our neighborhood and immediately our radar tracked them down. Where were they from (that way we could have an instant conversation starter)? Did they have kids close to the ages of ours? Were they outgoing or interested in spiritual things? All of thes...

As I type these words, I am finishing up an awesome 24+ hour guy time marathon with my son. As soon as my son learned that my wife and daughters were going out of town overnight, he announced that it was guy time and thus far here is a list of all that we've done: Watched a Jason Bourne move. Actually, one and a half of them. Ate chicken wings and banana pudding Watched Wake Forest beat Boston College in basketball Rented the Goosebumps movie (which was surprisingly good) Spent time reading a book before bed Slept in Had cookies for breakfast Checked a book out of the library Made a purchase at the local candy store Had sushi for lunch And now he is in his Eno reading his library book while I type So yeah, this has been a really good time with my son, time that I won't forget or regret taking. Did I just say regret making time for my son? I can understand making changes in your schedule to have time for your kids but regret taking that time? Do parents really...

Recently while I was killing time (i.e., procrastinating) on Facebook, I came across some pictures of a family that I had not seen in a long, long time. This family lives overseas as missionaries and when I connected with them over ten years ago they were serving in northern Africa. Scrolling through their pictures brought back cool memories of playing with their three younger sons, walking dusty streets, and eating strange and exotic foods. As my mind reminisced over those almost two weeks that I spent with that family, I began to process all that went into that trip. The cost of airline tickets, lodging, food and passports was a staggering amount, but it had all been worth it. At least, I believe it was worth it. Come to think of it, this amazing trip halfway across the world - as exciting as it was - left me with memories of an incredible cultural experience but little else. I was instantly reminded of how little I knew of the opportunity that awaited for me when I got there. I...

Have any of you seen the Netflix series called Making a Murderer ? It's a fascinating 10-part documentary that follows the life and crimes of a man named Steven Avery, a man convicted in 1985 for a brutal sexual assault which, it turns out, he never even committed. After serving 18 years in prison, DNA evidence exonerated Steven Avery and he was released in 2003. But that's just when his story really got started. Knowing that he was wrongfully convicted, Steven Avery sought justice against the system that he believed negligently incarcerated him. As his attorneys were preparing to bring their lawsuit on behalf of Avery, another tragic event happened. Avery was accused, then tried, and then convicted of murdering a woman with the help of his nephew, who confessed and testified against Steven Avery. He is now serving life without parole for another despicable crime that again he claims he didn't do. When crimes or committed or wrongs are done against us, we want justice ...

By now you've all seen or at least heard what happened. Cam Newton, the Carolina Panther's MVP quarterback and emotional leader, sitting sullen before a bank of hungry reporters. His answers are brief, his mood dark. Having just lost the biggest game of his career barely half an hour before, he's still trying to process it all while the world is demanding that he give a polished thesis of the results. Finally, after only a few minutes and within earshot of an uber loud opponent's comments, Newton abruptly stands and walks away from the interview, leaving the media with all sorts of ways to spin what they had just witnessed. Yes, Newton could have responded better and most talking heads and Monday morning quarterbacks have been very critical of him for that. But of course, that's easy for us to say. When the team that I cheer for loses, I usually am not gung ho about it. In fact, I can get a little bit sullen myself and I didn't even get close to sniffing th...

I was informed by a student yesterday that there are such things as "Christian cuss words." Did you know about this? Apparently you can call people names such as " butt-monkey " or exclaim " Shut the front door !" and these are acceptable alternatives to those words that we shall not utter, at least while no one from church is around. What a relief to know that we can cuss holy, right? Funny story, I know. " Those crazy things that kids say !" might come to mind. But let's be honest, the concept behind the "Christian cuss word" has oozed its way into our thinking so stealthily that we apply this illogic to so many areas of our lives. Let's consider the issues that many Christians champion, for instance. The entire world is well aware of what Christians are against because we do such a darn (oops, Christian cuss-word, sorry!) good job of vocalizing those very things. We are against abortion, against same-sex marriage, again...

This past weekend I had two conversations regarding the state of public education in the state in which I live. Okay, they were more muted down diatribes delivered by yours truly than they were conversations, but I had a captive audience and I just couldn't help myself. If you are resident of the great state of North Carolina, then you know the rough state of affairs that our public schools and teachers are facing. With four children of my own in public schools, I share your concerns. And as one who tries so hard not to be overly political with issues - I call them as I see them and am a proud registered Independent - it's hard not to get frustrated with the perceived lack of concern for our public schools from those in Raleigh whom we all had a hand in electing. Besides, I've yet to see a legislator sitting in a classroom in my community striving to understand exactly what is going on before he or she casts their next vote. It gets frustrating to see a revolving door ...