Sterling Griggs

I had the chance to spend a couple of hours with Austin Macemore today and I am the better for it. If you didn't already know, Austin's medical condition is pretty serious. Cancer is fighting to claim more ground in his body but Austin - and the thousands whose lives he has touched - are putting up a pretty good fight of their own. You can understand Austin fighting the cancer that is waging war against him, but how do others fight something that isn't physically affecting them? The answer is simple: Nobody is giving up. People are praying earnestly, friends are spending time recalling fun memories of Austin (of which there are millions), and pictures of Austin are showing up all over Facebook. He's even got his own special "Friends of Austin" Facebook page. Now, let's be very candid about all of this. Cancer is nasty and it's taking a toll on Austin. Things are not going all that well but that doesn't mean that there is no hope. In fact, noth...

Since the weather yesterday was anything but hospitable to outside activities, our Netflix account got quite a workout. If you have Netflix you understand how wonderful it can be and you also know just how old it can get after awhile. It's not that there aren't enough movies and TV shows to choose from - it's more a matter of quality vs. quantity. So last night as we hunkered down to find something new to watch, I scanned through the listings of documentaries and stumbled across one that I found intriguing. The movie title was simple enough: Happy . Combining scientific and real-life stories, this movie attempts to chronicle what it is that makes people truly happy. Not surprisingly, money and success were not found to be huge indicators of happiness. As the film progressed, a laundry list of reasons for happiness were articulated from a variety of different perspectives: flow and rhythm of life, quality relationships, being involved in activities that contribute to the ...

It's Christmas time again and do you know what that means? Chaos! At least that's what it's come to for many of us this time of year. There are so many gifts to buy, all those cheesy decorations and lights to hang, and the family gatherings can be downright maddening. I'm pretty sure if you listen closely enough you'll hear a collective sigh of relief from most people once the holidays are actually over. So, this is what we've come to, huh? Maybe my assessment doesn't match how you actually observe Christmas and the holiday season, but I'm afraid it's pretty accurate for most others. Whether you're here or there or even somewhere in the middle, I want to give to you a few nuggets to chew on and ponder this Christmas season. Christmas is about Jesus . There, I've said the obvious. I know some of you will whip out your history books and recount how December 25 was actually a pagan holiday and Christians just kinda took it over or that we d...

The guy on Facebook was mad, really mad, which is no real surprise when it comes to social media sites and the flow of emotions that often get posted. He was angry about the shooting deaths of 20 children in Newtown, CT, this past Friday December 14, and his anger was directed squarely at God. A self-proclaimed atheist, this man unleashed a profanity-laced barrage of vitriol, questioning how Christians could worship a God who allowed these things to happen. Anyone who believes in God is a pathetic joke, he said, and this so-called "god" was a sham. This kind of emotion and rhetoric are not uncommon when unfathomable tragedy strikes. Where is God when all of this happens? Does He care? Yes, God does care. And there are no really good answers to the question "Why?" following such a horrific tragedy such as what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but there are some truths that can be gleaned from it. If anyone doubted that evil exists then they now have ...

She hated the way that she looked and she assumed that everyone else thought she was ugly too. Hair that covered her face, clothes that were baggy to hide what she really looked like, the hat that covered her head. She wasn't a whole lot different that the other girl. That one wore heavy makeup and clothes that fit a little too snug here and a little too little there. Surely, this would make them think she was beautiful. Another Saturday morning, another headache. He didn't like the taste and hated how it made him feel, but he had convinced himself long ago that if he didn't join in, then he would have no friends. His boys had called the party epic. This morning, he felt tragic. He cried softly to himself as he dreamed of the man he really wanted to be. She felt dirty and cheap. Again. She loved him, at least that's we she had convinced herself. But here she was again, despising herself for what she was becoming. She didn't know if she could live without him, y...

My friend Austin Macemore went to see a specialist at Duke University yesterday and the news he received was not good, at least not from man's standards. It appears that cancer has spread into his lungs and, according to the doctor, there is nothing they can do to remove it or stop it. The only option on the table for Austin is a drug that helps to slow down the spread of the cancer. They don't know a definite timetable - they guess 1-2 years - but it could be a whole lot longer. What did Austin do when he heard the news? He told the doctor, "I'm ready to go ahead and take the medicine you talked about so I can get on with my life." He then pumped his fist and bumped knuckles with his dad, Wayne. Are you kidding me? He really did that? Yes he did. You would be mistaken if you thought this kind of news was not devastating on many levels. To be sure, Austin and his family don't want this. There have been tears shed and there will be more in the future. No ...

There is a saying that goes something like this: "Opinions are like dirty feet - everyone has them and most of them stink." If you breathing right now then you too have an opinion about something, whether it's about politics, football, or who makes the best hamburgers. On the surface, opinions aren't bad. Without opinions we'd have nothing but a bunch of wishy-washy people who could never make up their mind about anything. Yet we all know how bad things can quickly go when opinions get tossed around too freely as they most often do. Social media has helped to spur the avalanche of opinions from all corners of the globe, turning message boards and blogs into verbal bloodbaths. When like-minded people gather together that can lead to a time of edification and growth in the sharing of similar opinions. But more often than not, opinions are used as daggers to cut rather than as instruments to heal. So is it okay to have an opinion? Of course it is. Without opinio...