Sterling Griggs

Much to my wife's chagrin, I frequent a Wake Forest message board to update myself on what's happening in the world of Wake Forest sports and occasionally to just see what peoples' opinions are of the world and other issues (but honey, I have cut way back just like you asked me to!). Recently, someone posted a question about beliefs and God and the afterlife and, as usual, some of the responses were way out in left field. I read through most of the responses posted and saw much that really didn't surprise me: A lack of faith, a questioning of absolute truth, and criticism for those who believed in truth. Here is what I think about the matter: Why is it that Christians are the only ones who are considered close-minded when it comes to issues of religion and faith? I ask that because everyone owes it to themselves to be open about all beliefs before making some blanket statement about what they believe. I've studied most of the other religions (and taught on them)...

I have just finished reading the book Secret Believers by Brother Andrew and Al Janssen and it has opened my eyes to many things regarding Islam and how I as a Christian respond to its spread and activity worldwide. The book is written as a narrative, yet it tells the true story of Muslim Background Believers (MBB's) in a Middle Eastern country and their struggle to survive while they spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to other Muslims. At the end of the book is a section on what is happening in the church in Afghanistan. You might not know this but there are thousands of Christians living in Afghanistan and, just because the Taliban has been ousted from power, their struggle for survival is just as difficult as it has ever been. As a result of the time that he has spent in Afghanistan and other Muslim nations, Brother Andrew has gleaned invaluable insight into the world of Islam and its grip on people. Yet he asks us as believers in Christ some hard questions to consider rega...

Pictured here is my wedding band as it looks on the ring finger of my left hand. I took this picture shortly after I found my ring after it had been lost for almost 24 hours. You see, I lost it on Monday night (July 30) as I was throwing a roll of toilet paper into a tree on the quad at Wake Forest University. I know what you're thinking, "It serves you right for being so immature!" But hundreds of people were there rolling in honor of the late basketball coach Skip Prosser. Anyways, being a lefty, I felt the ring fly off of my finger as I let go of the roll. Since it was already dark outside I knew that finding it would be difficult. A few people pulled out their cell phones and tried to use the dim light on them to help in the hunt, but even with the assistance of the outrageously bright light of a local TV station's camera, I knew that my search would only be successful in the daylight hours. The next day (July 31) I returned with my family (the kids were pum...

This afternoon Wake Forest University lost it's head basketball coach as a result of a heart attack. Skip Prosser has been the coach of the Demon Deacons since the 2001-2002 season and has had great success not only with winning on the court but also with helping players make it to the next level. However, Coach Prosser will be remembered for more than just being a great coach. Prosser cared deeply for his players and, for those that stuck with the program, all were able to graduate on time. He preached academics first and wanted to see his players succeed on and off the court. Coach Prosser was also a dedicated family man and it was obvious that the relationship he had with his wife Nancy was very special. His youngest son Mark is an assistant coach at Bucknell and his oldest son Scott has some special needs, and seeing first hand the way Skip loved him and kept him close to him was heart warming to say the least. As a big Wake Forest fan this was a big blow for me. I had the...

The Clash , one of the original punk bands from England, put out a song years ago named "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" I'm not exactly sure why they were asking the question, but for me it is a valid question when it comes to spiritual matters. What do you do when God puts a vision in your heart and you just can't stay where you are to see it realized? How do you respond when God gives you a burden but it seems that others around you don't seem to share that same burden? Do you stay where you are just to appease others or do you take a huge risk and follow the dream God has given you? These are hard questions and there aren't any easy answers. There are times in life when God may move so greatly within you that things just can't stay the same. Your first reaction may be just to get up and go whether it be to another ministry of people who share your passion or to another state or country altogether. But is that the right thing to do? Where do we dr...

No, this isn't an homage to the Garth Brooks song that was so popular in the early 1990's (although I admit that I saw him in concert during that tour...that was during a time in my life when I thought country music was good). The concept of being shameless has been on my mind lately and I am starting to understand what it means to be without shame in Christ. The sins of the past can haunt a believer for years and years, causing him to feel needless guilt and spiritual insecurity. The enemy would love nothing better than for a follower of Christ to be ineffective in his faith and, speaking from experience, he uses painful memories of our past to accomplish this very thing. But in Christ we are no longer guilty even though we still sin. Instead of guilt the Holy Spirit brings conviction and it is that conviction that leads us to repentance and forgiveness. Romans 8:1 says that for those who are in Christ Jesus there is no longer any more condemnation. The beauty of forgiven...

This is a copy of the latest t-shirt that I'll be sporting as soon as it arrives in the mail. It wasn't long ago that I was at a concert and the guitarist for the band that I was watching was wearing a shirt that said "My wife is hot!" across the front. I thought that was one of the coolest things I had ever seen in my life! (I also have a shirt that says "My wife's hot!" that will be arriving shortly as well.) Why do I think that these shirts are so cool? My whole life I've heard men talk bad about their wives in such a way that you would think marriage is one of the worst things God has ever invented. When men call their wives their "old lady" or their "ball and chain" and when they refer to marriage as "prison" and when they are out with the guys and they call it "being on parole", it just makes me cringe. Marriage is absolutely wonderful and I have never thought of my wife or my marriage in those term...