The Basketballathon

  Earlier this month my basketball team had our annual "Basketballathon" which basically is a huge one night tournament. This tournament was really special and important because this year was my brothers senior year, and I and everyone else on the team wanted to make sure we won first place for his last year. First up, we played the Calvary Cougars and we won that game fairly easily. After waiting while other teams played, we played a school named Victory Christian Academy. They were a bit tougher. In fact, in the fourth quarter, it was such a tight game that we had to go into an overtime. However, we managed to pull away and secure the victory (no pun intended). Next up, in the game which if we won, the tournament would be over and we would win first place, we played a charter school named the Eagles. This team was probably our highest rival team partially due to the fact that each of us had one victory over each other in the regular season games. In the first half of this game were up by ten points; however, we let our lead go and with approximately three and a half minutes left in the second half, we were down by nine. Our coach huddled us together during a time-out and said,"You've got to trust the Lord. When storms arise in life, you trust the Lord." So I went out trusting the Lord that He would help me do my best. Then, miraculously we came back. With just a few seconds left we were down by two and we were taking the ball out of bounds under the hoop. It was all riding on this play, and we all knew it. My teammate taking the ball out of bounds, Christian Weidler, slapped the ball telling to begin our out-of-bounds play. I set the screen for my brother Jesse to swing around the three point line and receive the ball. Christian made the pass and Jesse shot an extremely difficult two pointer which sunk through the basket sending the game into overtime. All through the overtime it was neck-and-neck. However, with around ten seconds left one of the Legacy players hit a three putting us behind by one. In the final seconds of the game, we ran the ball up the court passed it to Jesse, and he launched another extremely difficult shot. Everyone who was there says it was like the ball was in slow motion as it spiralled up towards the hoop. Finally, the ball sank through the basket, and the buzzer sounded. We had won! We all ran down the court and jumped up and down together. It was such a sweet victory because it was my brother's final year and I really wanted us to win this one for him and all our seniors.  I thank the Lord for helping us to pull this one out because if it were not for Him we couldn't do anything.

Playing against Victory

Jesse making the pass against Legacy

Just after the celebration of hitting the game/tournament-winning shot.

Holding the trophy!

Post- game celebrating and giving glory to Whom it is due

The Lord really used this victory to help encourage my family in a really difficult time. The tournament took place right in some of the toughest times of taking care of my grandma. God used this tournament to remind us of the need to never give up in adversity or after failures. We were down by nine points with three and a half minutes to go. I specifically remember thinking that the game was lost and there was no hope left. In spite of these thoughts, none of us gave up fighting, and as a result we pushed it into overtime and won.

No matter what you may be going through or what you might have done, never give up and never let the Devil get you discouraged enough to get you out of the game. God is on your side, and His forgiveness is always there for you. When you hold on to God's strength and promises you will have the victory; just trust Him.

In Loving Memory Part 2

After my Grandma's homegoing, all of my family gathered together for her funeral service. We had a great time together, and I know my grandma would be happy about that. Because my grandma was born and raised in Indiana and that is where my grandpa is buried, we took the trip up to Indiana to bury my grandma just a couple of days after the funeral service. Here  are some pics of our time together and of the Indiana trip.

                   My nephew Timothy and I had fun playing around with each other on the long trip to Indiana.

           My grandma and grandpa's tomb-stone.

             It is encouraging to know that one day at the Rapture, my grandparents glorified bodies will rise out of that ground to meet Jesus in the air.

Being from Florida, I'm thankful I was able to see snow for the very first time. Here I am with two of my brothers Ben and Jesse.

                           Making a snow angel.

The army placed a memorial some time before our trip at the burial site of my grandpa who was a veterin of World War II.

My grandma's going home to be with the Lord has been tough for all my family. However, the Lord has given us the grace to go through this time. I like what 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 says,"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.'' I know that my grandmother is with Jesus now because 2 Corinthians 5:8 says that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. As I said previously, at the Rapture (John 14:1-3, 1 Cor. 15:51-54, 1 Thes. 4:13-17) my grandma's body will be glorified and made flawless and incoruptable as Christ's was. We have the assurance that my grandma is with the Lord and that it is not over as many atheists and evolutionists might say. On the contrary, it has merely begun for my grandmother.

In Loving Memory

Amelia Shaffer,  March 10, 1919 - February 15, 2011

 As some of you may already know, my grandmother had been staying with my family and because of a terminal health condition that she had. Just a few days ago, however, at 1:45 P.M., February 15, 2011,  she went home to be with the Lord. I am very thankful to the Lord that we could have the four months with her that we did. It was a very special time where we could cherish our last days with her. I was even give the priviledge of holding her hand and doing my best to be of whatever comfort I could to her in literally her very last hour here on earth. My grandmother was going through lots of pain and misery before she went home to be with the Lord. Now she is totally pain free and full of the most unspeakable joy while worshipping at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am so glad she is finally able to see the glories of heaven. She longed for it so much especially during the times she was experiencing the most suffering. Even inspite of her suffering, my grandmother always said,"God has been so good to me!" I know she is especially saying that now.

I know that my granmother would want to have everyone reading this blog post who might not know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personnal Savior to have the opportunity to recieve Him as their personnal Savior. I am glad my Grandmother had the assurance that she was going to heaven because she knew that she was a sinner and could not save herself or be good enough to get to heaven (Romans 3:23). Because she realized this, she turned to Jesus as her only hope for salvation from the pentalty of her sins. She believed that Jesus, the Son of God, shed His blood on the cross, died, was buried, and rose again on the third day so that our sins could be completely forgiven and we could live eternally in Heaven. She then asked Jesus to save her from her sins, and He did. He will do the same for you if you will put all your faith in Him to save you for your sins.

My grandmother's chair may be empty, but the legacy and memories that she left will always fill our hearts.

Faith Without Sight

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1


Have you ever cried out to the Lord in times of sorrow or trouble, and it seemed like God did not hear or answer that cry? I certainly have felt this before. Just recently I had something going on in my life that I really needed the Lord's help in. I told Him about it, trusted Him to handle it, and moved on. Well, when the time came that I needed Him to really work and help me, it seemed like He was just not there at all. I did not feel Him helping me, and I basically felt like I was abandoned by God. Extremely discouraged and unable to understand why He had "let me down," I asked God why this had happened. I thought I had enough faith, and I did not see any sin in my life that could withhold God's help. I just did not understand why all of a sudden God just seemed to have left me by myself when in the past He had proved Himself to be always there for me. The Lord later showed me that He was trying to stretch my faith, to see if I still believe even though I did not see. The Lord helped me to choose to believe that He is faithful and that He is my helper (Heb. 13:6). Later, the Lord opened my eyes to see how during that time that I thought God had not been there for me, He really was there for me. He did answer my prayer for assistance, just not in the way that I was expecting or wanting Him to.
Sometimes God hides Himself and seems to not answer our prayers so that our faith can be strengthened. When we do not see God yet still choose to believe, God is very pleased with our faith and He will, in His time, show Himself to be faithful and true. He never stopped being faithful, and this is key to remember. He may not be playing according to our "rulebook," but He is always faithful to His word. We do need to examine ourselves however, to see if there is any sin our life that could be breaking our fellowship with God. If there is and we confess it and forsake it, God is ready to receive us again with open arms as it says in 1 John 1:9. Again God is always faithful to His word.

"...for He is faithful that promised." - Hebrews 10:23

I Will Lift Mine Eyes

This Monday I want to look at Psalm 121:1-3 that provides us an assurance that we can cling to through even the worst storms in life.

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my help? My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer your foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber." - Psalm 121:1-3

Too many times we have a distorted view of God. We think that He is a God who expects us to do the things we need to do and carry out all the responsibilities that are before us on our own. But that is not the case. The Lord is a God who cares for us more than we can imagine and that is why He gave us His Son, Jesus to die and rise again for our sins. He is not a God who expects us to live this life on our own. He is here for us to give us strength, to lead us in the way we should go, and to hold us up when we can seem to go on any longer. Lift up your eyes and look to the One who is your help and your strength. He will never never let you down when you truly put your trust in Him.

Holding God's Hand

" For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need."- Hebrews 4:15-16

I remember when one of my nephews was just learning the basics of walking, but he couldn't walk on his own yet. Whenever he would try, he would take a few quick steps and then fall straight down. One of the only ways he could walk was if he would hold on to someones hand. Whoever was holding his hand would hold him up whenever he would lose his balance or begin to fall.

So many times we as Christians try to do things on our own and in our own strength. We are spiritually just like a young toddler who can't quite walk on his own. Even though this truth is clear in the Scriptures, many Christians don't seem to grasp the concept. We can't resist temptation in our own strength. The only way we can stand and walk is if we call upon our great High Priest, Jesus Christ. He has been through the same temptations that we experience every day. He knows how we feel and He offers us His special grace to go through our trials and resist our temptations. We must trust the Lord that he will keep His promise and then rely on His strength. The Lord will always be faithful to us ( Lamentations 3:23b ). We just need to do what we can do during temptations and trials and trust the Lord for the rest.

Mike