Awards Night Celebration 3-5-09

Celebrate the 2009 Upward season at the Awards Night Celebration on Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the RHBC Worship Center! You'll be wowed, amazed, and thoroughly entertained by special guest Mark Lippard!

Doors open at 5:45 p.m. All players need to be in the church atrium no later than 6:10 p.m.

Don't miss this incredible night!

Master Game Schedule 2-7-09

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National Signing Day

National Signing Day. For all of us college football junkies, today is as good as it gets in the offseason. Promise, potential, talent, hope, glory, championships. All of these words fill our heads as we dream about what these high school kids will bring to our beloved programs over the next several years. We refresh the recruiting website every couple of minutes to see if “that” kid has signed his letter of intent yet (ok, maybe that’s just me!). These high school boys have been recruited (i.e. pushed, pulled, swayed, pressured, persuaded, etc.) by coach after coach after coach for the past three years or more to attend a certain school. For months, they’ve constantly been asked by friends, family, classmates, and media what their decision will be. And, today the whole recruiting process comes to an end.

But what is it that finally causes a player to make a final decision about a school? How do coaches ensure they are selling their programs better than other programs? Many coaches claim that they just work to get the kids on their campus for a visit and that the school will then “sell itself.” The coaches claim to not feel pressured to sell the school. They are confident in the town, the school, and the facilities because they’ve lived it…they’ve seen others live it…they believe in it. Ultimately, they believe once a kid experiences it, the kid will also feel the same way.

Wow! Isn’t this what it means to share Christ with others? Christians don’t have to sell Jesus to others. All we do is try to invite them into our lives for them to experience Jesus themselves. He is certainly powerful enough to sell himself! Josh Hamilton (the all-star baseball player I referenced last week) alluded to this in his book “Beyond Belief.” When he and his wife are asked to share their testimony, he says the following…

“All we have to do is be honest and tell our stories, and let the power of our words and God’s mercy carry the day.”

That’s it! Josh doesn’t feel pressured to sell God to others. Matthew 5:16 states it like this…"let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Both men realize that the Creator of the universe doesn’t need us to sell him to anyone. God simply asks us to live him (my words), to introduce him to our friends, family, coworkers. He will do the rest! I challenge us all to simply try it…try Him!

Master Game Schedule 1-31-09

REMINDER: Jan. 31 is Picture Day! Teams need to be ready for pictures 30 minutes prior to their game time.

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Beyond Belief

Following last year’s MLB Home Run Derby, Josh Hamilton became a familiar name to many of us. Not only did he crush home run after home run (28 in the first round to be exact), but his life story of going from unbelievable highs (i.e. the #1 draft pick in the ’99 MLB draft) to unbelievable lows (i.e. years wasted on drugs and alcohol) and then back to the highs (playing major league baseball with talent & power rarely seen) was well documented. Though I still have a couple of chapters to go, his book, “Beyond Belief,” is an incredible story of how God can turn even the most hopeless, useless lives into lives filled with joy, peace, and meaning for his glory. As Josh was finally allowing God to get his life back in order “piece by piece,” he had a dream about one day participating in the Home Run Derby at the All-Star game. He admits that it was a far-fetched dream at this particular point in his recovery. However, in the dream, he saw himself hitting multiple home runs and then being interviewed by a female television reporter. He then woke up from the dream feeling happy and wondering…

“How many home runs did I hit? Did I win? I didn’t know how many, and I didn’t really know whether I won or lost. And I realized there was a reason: God doesn’t care about winning or losing. It’s not important; what’s important is to be there, and to use your gifts to the fullest.”

Doesn't his realization ring true? We don’t know the outcome each day will bring. We don’t know the result of our interacting with others. We don’t always know God's plans for us in all situations. What matters is that we’re there - we’re in the game – and that we’re using our gifts to the fullest to share God’s love with others. Believe it or not, winning or losing doesn’t even enter the picture!!

Uncommon Support

Creating a winning environment is based on much more than what a scoreboard reads, as evidenced in the following article...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3789373

Likewise, we need to keep striving to ensure Every Child Is A Winner in our Upward league...no matter what the scoreboard says!

Master Game Schedule 1-24-09

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Practices Cancelled for 1-20-09

In accordance with the RHBC Upward Inclement Weather Policy, there will be no basketball or cheerleading practices on Tuesday, January 20 as Lex5 schools are closed.

Master Game Schedule for 1-17-09

Take Note...

As we move forward, please note the following…

- Picture Day: January 31 – Please have players arrive 30 minutes prior to their game.

- Winter Weather – should we have any winter weather threats in the coming weeks, we will follow decisions made by Lex5 school district. If school is cancelled or dismisses early due to weather, practices are cancelled.

- Awards Night Celebration: March 5, 6:30 p.m. Special Guest Entertainer, Mark Lippard!

Game Day #1 Recap

What a great first game day we experienced on Saturday! 17 games in 9 hours! As I think back on the day, I’m quickly reminded of what took place during the 4:30 hour when only one game was played to close out the day. I don’t remember much about the score (though it was a great game!), the refereeing, or anything else that happened on the playing court. What I remember were two head coaches coaching as if they were on the same team. Yes, they were coaching their teams separately and certainly wanted their guys to win the game. But, the way they were encouraging each other and the other team’s players throughout the entire game made it clear that they were both in this for the players, not their own self-glory! They were on the same team to ensure the players played hard and that they all left knowing they were winners on Saturday! I say it again that it’s the coaches that make this such a unique league! They continue to lower themselves (their pride, personal schedules, conveniences, etc.) so that the 360+ players may be lifted up. They are all doing an incredible job!

"So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. " -1 Thessalonians 5:11

Welcome to the RHBC Upward Blog!

We're jumping in! This new blog will hopefully serve as an information outlet for parents, coaches, referees, and game day volunteers of the Upward Basketball & Cheerleading league at Riverand Hills Baptist Church. Our intentions are to keep this updated weekly throughout the Upward season.

Thanks for stopping by!