Sterling Griggs

A professional athlete, a player in the NBA who is now a free agent, just came out as openly gay after living his lifestyle in secret for years. Even his biological twin brother didn't know it until he told him last year. This certainly sets a precedent as this man was the first pro athlete in a major US sport to declare that he was a homosexual. As a result, the media simply exploded with this story, with headlines and comments sounding like this: "What a courageous act this man has performed, revealing his sexuality to the whole world." "I really hope he gets picked up by a new team next year so that he can have the chance to play for the first time as openly gay." "If no one signs this guy to an NBA contract next year, that will just go to show how bigoted professional sports have become." Of course, not all of the press sang the same tune. One media figure, an ESPN sportswriter by the name of Chris Broussard, spoke out against the homosexua...

" I believe in God ," the man said to me. " I just do things my way. I mean, after all, I'm going to heaven when I die because I got baptized and prayed a prayer. I don't need to do all that religious stuff to prove anything to anybody. Besides, only God can judge me. I'm not that bad of a person. " I've had similar conversations like this with many people over the years and I'm sure you've either heard or even said these kinds of things too. Is that all we need to do, simply believe and then live as we want to? This begs the question: What should happen after you repent of your sin and place your faith in Christ? For many, the feeling that comes when they surrender their lives to Christ is an emotional rush. The weight of the world is lifted off of their shoulders and they are giddy like a little schoolgirl. Freedom, forgiveness, and redemption are incredibly fantastic! But once the "honeymoon" is over, what now? Let me answer...

Like most of you, I was shocked, saddened, and ticked off when I heard the news of the bombing that occurred near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The first thoughts that came to my mind were, "What in the world is going on here? What are people thinking?" I have the same kind of reactions when I read and hear about high school girls who get raped at parties after they have passed out from drinking too much alcohol. It makes me even more sick to learn that guys are taking their pictures and passing them around social networks as if these girls are the punchline in a funny joke. Then when I hear that some of these girls have taken their own lives after learning that what has been reserved as intimate has been splashed all over teenagers phones, I immediately want to hold my three daughters a little closer. When I saw the news story about the abortion doctor who performed numerous illegal abortions and even went to the extreme of killing some of these babies outside...

The other day I joined in an online conversation centered around the origin of Easter. If you didn't already know, Easter was not originally a Christian observance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ but rather it was a pagan celebration of fertility. Over the years and through the influence of Christian leaders, the occasion of Easter was transformed into the time that Christians celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the discussion continued it was mentioned that even though the original purpose for observing Easter had nothing to do with Jesus, it was cool how even the most pagan of occasions can be redeemed by God. There is nothing that God cannot make new. God is in the redemption business. The culmination of His redemptive plan came at the cross, with the death of Jesus redeeming mankind from sin and death. It was at this point that a rather curious statement was made. Another guy that I did not know interjected with his belief that the ultimat...

As much as I sometimes cringe at social media I am also strangely fascinated by it. Nowhere else can you find people unloading all of their opinions, struggles, and frustrations in one neat and convenient place. The beauty inherent in social media is that you can choose to block all of the rants and bad behavior that see, but then there are always those posts that you just can't help but read. One rule I have set for myself as social media sites have exploded is to not wander into unnecessary conflict. Sure, I'll see a post that I think is absolutely ridiculous and I'll immediate conjure up a dozen ways to respond, but 999 times out of 1000 I will do nothing and move on to something more meaningful. Yet I find it hard to ignore some of the theological and philosophical landmines that I see planted behind peoples' keyboards. Since I am a blogger, I can use this medium as a way to respond. Without fail I often run across a post by a young person who is publicly lamen...

Misinformation makes the world go round. Think about it. When a national or international catastrophe happens the first reports we hear from major news agencies are usually hyperbolic in nature. We know this because of the expected caveats we hear in later newscasts: "Contrary to earlier reports, there was only one suspect not three and there were 4 victims not 13..." The story based on misinformation is more tantalizing to the ears and certainly garners more viewers and attention. This phenomenon doesn't just belong to the media. Books, movies, and television shows thrive on misinformation. The good guy suddenly becomes the bad guy because of a bit of false information that makes others believe he's gone rogue and is out to destroy the country. Sound familiar? It should, because this is the flow of so much of the  crime and suspense entertainment that's out there. There is also misinformation within faith circles which is probably the most damning of all. If...

The hitchhiker was sitting in the shade on the side of the highway on a brutally hot day. I had a million things to do that day and as I sped past him I gave him only a casual glance. Maybe someone else will give him a ride to where he's going, I thought to myself. But before those words were even fully formed in my brain I realized that I was that someone. After a few exit ramp maneuvers I was back to where I had seen the hitchhiker, seeing him still sitting there in the shade. He had long matted hair, was dirty from head to toe, and his outfit looked like it hadn't been changed in days. I rolled down the window and asked if he needed a lift - as if he was just hanging out on the side of the road for fun - and he happily jumped in. Introducing himself as Michael, he told me that he was trying to get back to Boone, NC, after spending a long weekend in Wilmington to see a girl he was interested in. I told him I couldn't take him that far but I could get him a little ways ...