United Way Wins Second Consecutive Contest

The United Way 6th Grade Boys Basketball team won their second consecutive contest on the strength of a very strong 4th quarter, defeating previously undefeated Blue Cross / Blue Shield 32-26 at Riddle Elementary School on Saturdy, February 14, 2009. The victory improved their mark to 2-1 and forced a three-way tie for first place.

Daniel Ferguson scored the first basket of the game as he connected on his first outside shot he has taken all season, hitting nothing but net from 17 feet out on the right wing on his team's first possession. United employed a new 1-3-1 zone trapping defense designed specifically to shut down and stifle Blue Cross' outside shooters. The Blue Cross coach was forced to call an early timeout to make offensive adjustments as his team turned the ball over on their first three possessions. United did not do any better as they missed some golden scoring opportunities of their own, and the score held at 2-0 United through the first half of the opening period of play.

Blue Cross got on board as they found a seam in the zone, and when the period came to a close United was trailing 6-2. The second quarter saw the teams starting to get their offenses in gear as they traded baskets, each team getting 8 points, and the score was 14-10 Blue Cross at the halftime break.

Lucas Carpenter and Jackson Berg both got in the scoring action in the 3rd quarter as United outscored Blue Cross 10-9 in the period, leaving United trailing 23-20 for the second straight game after three periods of play. The coaches told the boys at the break that "We are going to win because we are the better club. We back down from nobody. We are better conditioned, and we are going to continue to take it to our opponent, we will continue to wear them down and we will keep up the pressure with our patented stink-on-skunk defense." The boys responded, and everything that was said came true. When the game ended the United boys were not the tired team, Blue Cross was, although they never gave up. Malik Joyner and Daniel Ferguson hit 5 consecutive free throws down the stretch to ice the game for United. Malik had a very good game as he finished with 15 points, 19 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocked shots and 6 steals. He did commit 8 turnovers. Daniel Ferguson had 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the field and 3 of 5 shooting from the charity stripe. He also had 2 steals, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocked shots while committing only 3 turnovers. Lucas Carpenter and Jackson Berg rounded out the scoring for United with each of them scoring 4 points apiece.

United's game plan was to design a defense to stop the outside scoring threat of Blue Cross, which they did, and to play tough, intense defense through the game, which they did. United had no more than 3 fouls on any one individual, and Blue Cross had one player foul out. United also was able to go to the free throw line for the double bonus in the second half as they pressured Blue Cross by constantly going to the hoop down low, which also created several second chance scoring opportunities as they really crashed the boards very well. United ended up with 14 offensive rebounds and 8 second chance points.

United also felt that their opponent's coaching staff was going to key in on Daniel Ferguson with double coverage, which they did, so United countered by having Malik Joyner, the tallest boy on United, run point to start the game. Although he did have the 8 turnovers, these were from trying to make an extra pass, so he really did quite well, and the strategy opened up many scoring opportunities for Malik, Jackson and Lucas. It was amazing that Daniel Ferguson only committed 3 turnovers because he was double teamed throughout the entire contest as Blue Cross used a box and 1 defense on him, and he also ran the point for half the game as well. But since the coaching staff fully expected the double coverage on Daniel, we prepared the team for other scoring opportunities to open up, and the boys responded positively.

United faces Conlin Home Inspection on Saturday, February 21st in a battle for first place as the league's two best point guards square off and go head to head with Daniel Ferguson versus Craig Henness, Daniel's partner last season.

Fit-To-A-Tee Falls to First Mid 22-10

The 4th Grade Boys Basketball Fit-To- A-Tee team's woes continued as they dropped their fourth straight, losing 22-10 to First Mid.

Poor shooting by Fit-To-A-Tee was their biggest downfall as they could not connect on open shots. Their defense did show signs of improvement, holding their opponent scoreless in the 3rd period.

Damien Ferguson led his team with 4 points, hitting on only 2 of 15 shots from the field. He really could have scored more points but he kept on pulling up from outside to take his shots instead of driving to the hoop, which he is very much capable of doing.

Damien did have a very good game defensively. He continually got back on defense and prevented many scoring opportunities for First Mid. Damien had a double-double as he amassed an amazing total of 10 blocks in the game while pulling down 11 rebounds. He also had 8 steals while committing just 3 turnovers.

Fit-To-A-Tee has the upcoming week off, and Damien has promised to drive to the hoop consistently in his next game. He also says he will not let up on the defensive end.

Jesus, the Calm in the Eye of the Storm

In the Gospel of Mark, we have the following recorded: 35. On that day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36. And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him. 37. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38. But He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" 39. And He awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" 41. And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?" (Mark 4:35-41)

Who was He, indeed? In my opinion, there is no other passage of Scripture that depicts the duality of the nature of Jesus Christ than our reading above. In it we see Jesus Son of man, exhausted from the day’s activities, fast asleep in the stern of the boat, in such deep and restful repose that even the rain pouring down upon His face did not awaken Him, totally oblivious to the wind and the waves lashing and rocking the tiny ship as the storm raged all about Him. Who could blame His disciples for their fear? Who would not have been anxious and full of trepidation as the swelling waves lifted and heaved the small boat up and down in the rampant torrent? Which one of us would have acted in any other way than these men did, quaking with trembling terror as nature’s onslaught unleashed its fury upon them? So they took the only course left available to them: They rushed towards their Master, shaking Him and awaking Him out of His much needed slumber, and pleaded for Him to do something! But just as soon as the Master awakened, we see Jesus Son of God emerge, a serenity and a coolness about Him as the Lord gazed benignly upon the frightened countenances imploring Him in desperation. He remained a literal calm in the face of the storm, and Jesus quietly said, "Peace! Be still!" Immediately, the wind and the waves ceased their violence, and the imminent trepidation which had filled the disciples with such fear departed, vanquished by the power that could only come from One Who truly was and is Immanuel, God with us.

Oh, how Peter must have learned his lesson well that evening as he listened to the soft rebuke of His Master say so lovingly, "Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?" I cannot but believe that as Peter would later write in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares about you,” his thoughts went back to that very moment as he looked to His Lord and pleaded, "Teacher, do you not care if we perish?" I can envision a smile unfolding upon his creased and lined with age face as Peter thought back upon that younger, but foolish man he used to be, who understood now that His Teacher was in essence telling him and the other disciples, “What have you to fear? I am with you, and you are in the presence of God. What more do you need?”

May the Lord bless and calm you during the storms of your life!

Fit-To-A-Tee Falls to Pilson's 42-16

Damien Ferguson kept his word as he drove to the hoop, got in position for rebounds and played "stink on skunk" defense, turning his performance into the best played overall game of his career as his 4th Grade Boys Basketball Fit-To-A-Tee team succumbed to Pilson's 42-16. The loss leaves Fit-To-A-Tee with a record of 0-3 for the season.

Pilson's took an early lead as they scored the first 8 points of the game. Damien Ferguson got his team on board with a nifty reverse baseline layup that brought a few "oohs" and "ahs" from the crowd. When the quarter ended Pilson's held a 14-4 lead.

Fit-To-A-Tee did a little better in the second quarter as Damien ran the point. He fed the ball well to his teammates, but they were unable to convert, and the halftime saw Fit-To-A-Tee down 22-8, with Damien contributing 1 point as he went 1 for 2 from the line.

Damien had his team's only points in the 3rd quarter as they were outscored by a margin of 10-2. It could have been much worse, but Damien worked the boards well and pulled down three rebounds in the quarter, finishing with 6 for the game.

The 4th quarter was Fit-To-A-Tee's best as they were only outscored 10-6. Damien had 4 of his team's points as he finished the game with 9.

Damien had 3 steals in the game as he played excellent defense, causing an additional 8 turnovers. He only committed only 1 turnover himself.

What was really impressive was that Damien was given the toughest defensive assignment. Although Drake Jefferies, a very fine athlete, scored 16 points in the game for Pilson's, only 2 of these came when he was being guarded by Damien.

Many people in the crowd were won over by the play of Damien as several parents were heard chanting, "Let Damien bring the ball down" for his team.

United Way Bounces Back With Thrilling 33-14 Victory

The United Way 6th Grade Boys Basketball team bounced back from last week's heartbreaking loss with an exciting come-from-behind victory of their own over a very fine Gardner Whitworth club, winning 33-24. The win leaves United with a 1-1 record.

United came out on fire as Malik Joyner won the opening tip. Lucas Carpenter grabbed the ball and fired down to a streaking Daniel Ferguson who scored the basket on the first of the team's 13 assists for the game. United scored the first 6 points of the contest and the 1st period came to a close with United up 10-6.

In the second period United increased its lead to 6 points as the tenacious Gardner Whitworth boys scapped with every possession, and halftime saw United holding a 16-10 lead.

The third quarter proved to be very rough and tough again for United as Gardner chipped away, finally pulling ahead as United could only manage 3 points in the period. Defensive confusion by the United players led to easy baskets for Gardner, who took a 3 point lead into the 4th as they outscored United 12 to 3 in the third quarter of play.

During the break the United boys appeared very distraught and discouraged but their coaches reminded them the game was not over yet, and it would not be over until we played the 4th quarter in which we were going to shut down our opponents and score 10 points ourselves.

The boys broke from their huddle and things looked good at the start as it appeared Daniel Ferguson was heading to the hoop for 2 but he missed the shot (he was probably fouled, but it was not called). This would be the last shot he would miss in the game as both he and teammate Malik Joyner shot the ball very well from the field, with Malik going 7 for 10 and Daniel hitting on 5 of 8 shots from the floor. Gardner came down with the rebound off of Daniel's missed shot, and United scrambled back on defense. Daniel was playing low post on the 3-2 defense and he gambled on the pass, just missing it, and the Gardner player was able to spin to his right to avoid Daniel and go uncontested to the basket for 2 points, putting Gardner up 24-19. As it turned out, these would be the last points they would score in the game.

Daniel, running point, drove the length of the floor and put in a jumper for 2. Ben Sheff had back-to-back steals as United employed their half-court trap to perfection, and Sheff converted the steals into two assists, one to Malik Joyner and the other to Landon Crary. Defensive stop after defensive stop combined with productive offensive possessions by United turned a 5 point deficit into a 9 point victory as United went on a 14-0 run to finish the game.

Along with Daniel Ferguson's 11 points, he finished with 5 assists, 5 steals, 10 rebounds including 5 offensive boards, and 2 blocked shots while only committing 2 turnovers. Malik Joyner also had a double-double, scoring 15 points and garnering 10 rebounds.

United had 13 steals while committing only 13 turnovers in the contest, the bulk of these coming in the third quarter. Their defense did not allow any baseline layups, and they were able to force their opponents into many additional turnovers, which proved to be the difference in the ballgame. United hit the boards well, hauling down 39 rebounds (15 offensive, 24 defensive).

Things do not get any easier for United as they face an undefeated Blue Cross / Blue Shield team this Saturday, February 14, 2009 beginning at 5:00 PM.

The Preaching of Jesus

During His earthly ministry, Jesus focused primarily on the sovereignty and the reign, or rule, of God. He spoke of Himself as being the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and expectations (Matthew 5:17). He noted how many of the prophets looked forward to the day when God would not only restore the fortunes of His people Israel and Judah, but also establish an everlasting era of peace, justice, and mercy. Then, Israel and Judah would again become one Kingdom. This longing for the Kingdom is fulfilled in Jesus Christ and His body, which is the church (Ephesians 1:22-23), where He currently reigns over His Kingdom as King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Timothy 6:15).

Jesus announced God’s expectations of those who surrender to His sovereignty as their King of kings and Lord of lords. Since there was such widespread misunderstanding regarding the nature of the Kingdom (and still is to thi sday in much of Christendom), many things had to be clarified, and this is why we find Jesus saying the following to His disciples: “ . . . the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:2) As Jesus Himself informed Governor Pilate, ”My Kingdom is not of this world: if My Kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My Kingdom not from hence.” (John 18:36) In making these declarations, Jesus identified two things God is most concerned about: Priorities and purposes.

Jesus expected His followers to listen to Him. This is why we see throughout Scripture, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear…” (Matthew 13:15-16 and Matthew 13:43). And James, the Lord's brother, elaborates further by stating the type of hearing Jesus requires is one of obedience: "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).

It readily becomes evident that Jesus’ preaching centered on two key themes: repentance and the imminent arrival of the Kingdom. By focusing on these topics Jesus makes it quite clear that He is most concerned with our direction, our ultimate destiny, our priorities and our purposes. And that is why He came to this Earth: to become the means of our salvation (John 14:6).

By addressing these topics, it appears that Jesus was most concerned about whether or not His message reached the hearts of His listeners. God has always desired for His people to have circumcized hearts. Paul writes, 28. For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. 29. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God. (Romans 2:28-29) I believe it is prudent that we give these much consideration in light of the amount of time Jesus spent on them.

Is the message of Jesus reaching the hearts of listeners today? Do we have ears to hear?

May the Lord bless you!

The Fruit of the Spirit

As the Apostle Paul was writing to the churches of Galatia, he had this to say in chapter 5 verses 22-25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

The fruit of the Spirit are identifying characteristics of anyone who is a child of God and joint-heir of Christ. And just as fruit on a tree grows as it matures, so, too, should the child of God grow in the fruit of the Spirit.

God in His word has equipped us with all the weapons we need to engage in battle against our enemy and the powers of darkness whereby we can grow in the fruit of the Spirit. We are to be children of the light (Luke 11:34-36; Ephesians 5:8). God has not left us weaponless in our spiritual battle we wage. We are to put on the whole panoply of God. Paul advised the congregation at Rome to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12). Included in his epistle to the congregation at Ephesus Paul tells them, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11-17).

Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:5-8, “For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We do not do these good works in our battle against Satan and the powers of darkness to earn salvation, we do good works because we are saved through the grace of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and we want the world to glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16). Therefore, grow in the fruit of the Spirit by putting on the whole armor of God, equipping yourselves with the Christian virtues. As Paul says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)