As A Kid, I Thrived Off Of Positive Teachers & Coaches

 As a young talented basketball player, I thrived and did very well in school and sports because I was surrounded by positive teachers and coaches.  all of my coaches were demanding but loving. I knew each day that I went to the gym that my coaches believed in me, loved me, and that they were going to challenge me to be the very best that I could be, no matter what!

As a young player, I never went to the gym and felt like I shouldn't be there. In fact, the gym became my home away from home. And to be honest, the church, the school, the gym and my home are the places I was raised in the most. Every single one of the coaches I played for, from grade school through high school, often spent extra time before and after school teaching & encouraging me and sowing into my future.

I knew as a child that I wanted to play basketball whenever I grew up. My foundation was properly seeded by Christian men and women who played the game, loved the game and they new that I had something special before I did, and they nurtured my talents and gifts, but always held me accountable for remaining humble, respectful and hard working.

Deon

As a kid, my teachers & coaches planted the right seeds into my education & athletic career and for that I'm forever grateful.dh

Characteristics Needed To Become An Above Average & More Competitive Player

 Below is a list of some CHARACTERISTICS Hoop Hunter believes a player who participates in competitive sports must have:

1. Must have enough of the fundamentals of the game (down packed) to be able to use them during practice and play.

2. Must have a willingness and desire to put in the work daily to constantly improve your fundamental skills (without being asked).

3. Must have a healthy coachable & contagious attitude.

4. Must have a meaningful level of respect for their teammates, coaches and assistant coaches.

5. Must take pride in learning new things and playing different roles even if you don't agree with them.

6. Must have a good spirit about complimenting other teammates even when their performances are better than yours.

7. Must have a competitive nature and must be able to express it consistently during practice and play without being asked.

8. Tend to thrive when competing against bigger, better & more competitive athletes without making excuses.

9. When a coach and/or trainer teaches you something, you learn it, practice it, perfect it, make it permanent and then you seek an opportunity to perform it against others when the lights come on without making excuses!

10. Whenever you play with others, your competitive nature, self-confidence and desire to win is contagious!

*The list above is more for student-athletes grades 7th-12th and who plays competitive sports (it can vary depending on several situations & circumstances.)

Christians Must Love The Person Not The Sin

 

Who’s Side Are You On Seems To Be The Question These Day’s?

All Christ followers must live & stand on God’s word only, not politics and hearsay! All born again Christians are expected to live and love like Jesus, regardless of their political preference & affiliation.

Christians must be more like Jesus:

When Jesus was describing His purpose in Luke 19:10 he chose words filled with great wealth and victory for our lives. He said: “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.”

As born again Christian’s, we bare the responsibility of praying & helping those who are lost, down trotted, troubled, poor, those who we see making loud noise out in the streets because they are mad, those filled with hate, hopelessness and those who are sick and filled with despair.

To me, it seems like Christian’s are more concerned  today about who likes the color red, white or blue more so than being compassionate, kind and loving, understanding and sensitive towards those who don’t share the same exact point of view.

~Christians currently have the best opportunity right now, to show their unconditional love for others [all human beings]. They must pray and ask God to show them new ways to draw nearer to those who are lost rather than turn their back on them, while also making a spectacle of what “fake new” shows us on television~

What Does Our World Needs Now?

Our world needs to see more of Jesus in the attitudes, hearts and actions of radical Christian’s who are followers of Jesus Christ!

*Rather than resent all of the believable & unbelievable things that are seen on television by those you don’t agree with, why not try to understand the real life pain & sufferings [as Jesus would have] that others have faced all of their lives and do what Jesus came to do: save those who were lost, pray & heal the sick, rebuked evil, feed the hungry, discipled new disciples and loved people from all walks and all types of sins in life, such as St. Paul [one named Saul] who was once a murderer! 

The Harvest is plenty!

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

Reading The Word of God Helps Me to Better Live By The Word of God:

A mind is a terrible thing to waste, don’t waste it on senseless chatter, learn to think for yourselves; you’re better off simply living by the word of God”

Deon

What I’m Often Asked About Our Success?

 What People Often Ask Me About HHB/BBI Success?

What people often ask me when they call, write and personally email about our 30 years of success are: How did you get started? Do you have a degree in business? Who gave you the idea? How did you do it without capital & colatteral? How have you been able to withstand the many test of times? Where do you get your clientele? What makes your team members so faithful and loyal to your youth sports ministry? Can I get a copy of your business plan blue print? Can I go in business with you?

And My Answer Is Simple? [Obey Scripture]

Psalms 20:4

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. ... May

He grant you your heart's desire And fulfill all your counsel! 

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Proverbs 16:3

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

“God has a successful plan for all of his children, seek his face fully and diligently, put Him first (unashamedly), commit your ways and plans to Him and you and your plans will succeed.” DH 

Nothing Can Separate Us

 I’m convinced that nothing in this world (economy, racial tension, hatred, bitterness, road rage, fear, hopelessness, lack, social injustice, sin, suppression, depression, divorce, anxiety, wayward children, discourse among Christian churches and religions, presidency & politics) can separate us from the love of God.

~Nothing Shall Separate Us from The Love of God~

Read: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:35-39‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Also.....

Join me in doing these things so that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds through these difficult times.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Deon- “Doing My Best To Out The Great Commission“

 [Matthew 28:18:20]

Give Thanks & Praise To God

During this Deon awakened on this Sunday morning and felt led to thank and praise God for all of the many good things he’s done and is currently doing for me, others and the world. 

Join me in given God the praise and honor he so deserves. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9g1OBGlF_s&feature=share

Respect & Obey The Commands of Police Officers

 My Parents Taught Me To Obey & Respect The Commands of Police Officers:

My parents taught my sibling and I as a kid to be nice, kind and courteous to police officers, they taught us to say, “yes sir/no sir,” and to obey all their commands!

Deon

P.S. I was once a Dallas Police Officer Trainee and I’m still fond of what the responsibilities are to the community, one of my best friends is currently a 25 year veteran of the DPD and he’s a good officer, citizen and family man, not all officers are bad!

Take Heed

Deon shares his cliff notes from a Sermon this morning from Pastor Jentezen Franklin [Christians have a responsibility to go out into the world and spread the gospel, do your part]

Matthew 24 v4,v6,v12

About The End Times

Jesus gives the disciples 5 essential signs:

1. Take heed (take inventory/pay attention) to yourself (don’t worry about the things that are happening around you, worry about yourself). What’s my relationship with Jesus? Is my heart after God? Don’t become sidetracked by the signs and times! But be concerned about my personal relationship with the lord! Have my own fire for the lord! 

 2. Do not be troubled by what’s going on in the world. Don’t live with a spirit of fear or trouble.

 3. Lawlessness (inequity-known violation) shall abound (even church people will pick up things in their life that will cause them to grow cold against God). And the love of many will be waxed cold (a slow fade). But do not quit. But he who endures (finish strong/willing to stand) to the end shall be saved! *The enemy wants to take many to that place of coldness! But remain red hot for the lord!!! Endure/Stand!

 4. This gospel is going to be preached into every nation [right now] and then the end will come! [This gospel is is going out into the the world: Africa, India, Russia, Asia, South America and many more nations]

 5.  Now when these things begin to happen, look up, lift up your head because your redemption draws near (the posture of the end time church must look up [we win]; the redemption of all God’s children draws near to our house/home. Read (Luke Chpt 21); Don’t be filled with worry & downcast but look up, this is the day of redemption. Keep taking heed, take personal inventory, make sure that our lives are right with the lord! Keep preaching the Gospel out into the world! Encourage others daily and often!

About Race Relations & Times Like These

 

Deon gives an encouraging word from his heart about race relations & living in these times:

~Christian’s Must Fight Our Battles On Our Knees, While Also Speaking Against All Types Of Racial Injustices Inside Our Personal Networks~

Deon

America We Can Do Better Than This!

Aren't you tired of generational fighting? I am! We as Americans are capable of working together and loving one another, but the violence has to stop! But first we must stop & speak against the killing of black lives and all other racially motivated situations for that matter!

Did you know that vandalizing the property of others is wrong and against the law? Doing things like that only exasperates the problem (makes it worse). Please stop it. There are better ways of getting your point across.

It's time for all Americans to start acting like Americans. It's time for people to stop being fearful & worrying about what others will think if you join forces with others (who may not look like you, nor support your political party) to help fight against the evil desires of man.  

It's time to stop living as enemies and start living as friends and good neighbors! It's time to speak out against people who believe in racial oppression and stand up for racial harmony and reconciliation throughout America!

~Two wrongs don't make a right. Right is right and wrong is wrong. It's time to take a stand for justice for all God's children. For those who choose to remain silent, I respect that, but would you please pray with me for racial reconciliation and for the softening of all hearts across America~

My parents said, "You'll never know fully what someone else feels, has or is going through unless you're able to walk in their shoes."

Being black in America isn't always bad, easy or good [never has been] but we must keep HOPE ALIVE!  I Thank God for many of my personal God fearing unconditional loving friends who recognize the many social and racial injustices that happens across all racial lines everyday, together, let's continue to stand up for BL, WL, HL, AL and those who've been forgotten (the least of them); and let's not forget to fight our battles on our knees!

[We Are Under An Attack By Satan]

Remember, Satan has a plan and it's to destroy the preparation and building up of God's Kingdom on earth. And we, (All God's children) have got to start recognizing that we are worshipping and praying to the same God (Jehovah Jireh- our provider), and that we are all His children and He loves us the same. Satan wants to use race to separate, divide and conquer all of God's children because he knows that we're stronger united than we are divided!

Food For Thought:

What would you do if your child were to someday mysteriously lose his/her way and start doing all types of things that you never hoped to see your child doing? Would you walk away & give up on them, or would you pray, seek mercy, grace and forgiveness until God changes his/her heart or separates the wheat from the tare?

And finally, regardless of what everyone's personal differences are, let's stand together and fight all of our battles on our knees, while doing our best to set good examples of what God would want His America to look like.  As for Christians, the bible tells us that we're all sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus! 

Read: Ephesians 2:8 & 1 John 3:4

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 Deon-"Loving all God's children from all walks of life without prejudice" 

What If Everybody Did That?

 After being home this week helping my kids with online schoolwork, one of the class objectives for my 2nd grader was teaching students how to ponder this idea: "What If Everybody Did That," and once I heard it, I immediately felt led to write about it.

What If Everybody Did That?

1. What if everybody treated each other the way they would want to be treated?

2. What if everybody treated each other with respect, decency and dignity?

3. What if everybody acknowledged past wrongs, forgave each other and made a covenant agreement to put the past behind them and begin working together in unison, in spite of race & cultural differences?

4. What if everybody learned to show appreciation for each other and stopped acting like they are holier or better than others?

5. What if everybody stopped speaking negatively towards others to their children , co-workers and best friends?

6. What if everybody were judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin, economic and/or social status?

7. What if those who are well off didn't look down on those who aren't, and those who are poor and considered the least of them didn't frown upon those who have worked hard to gain a better life for themselves?

8. What if everybody placed a bigger emphasis on being better human beings and stopped competing against each other?

9. What if everybody respected the unique differences in races, cultures and customs without any prejudice?

10. What if everybody who say that they want to see our country united and not divided would start working together like a "Championship Team" that has high moral character, standards & unconditional love for their fellow teammates?

11. What if everybody were meek & humble and others felt comfortable sharing their different moments of need without feeling embarrassed?

12. What if everybody would start lending a helping hand to those who have greater needs than the norm?

13. What if everybody had at least two or more dear friends from all walks of life, races, cultures/customs and socio-economic settings?

14. What if everybody worked together in a harmonious manner regardless of who gets elected as the leader of our country for the greater good of all people from all walks of life?

15. What if everybody used their words to build others up, rather than body slam others and take them down because they have different opinions?

*What if everybody repented of their sins, prayed and asked God to cleanse them, purify them, and to create in them a new heart that's pleasing to God and others?  

What if everybody did that?

Deon

Being A Father During A Pandemic

 This upcoming school year has been met with lots of uncertainties for administrators, superintendent's, principals, teachers, coaches, parents and students.  My two son's seem to not have been affected by all of the rhetoric surrounding Covid-19, because my wife and I both made a decision to explain to them what's going on, and we chose not to dwell on the entire situation. 

As a father, I feel that it's my personal responsibility to make sure that my entire family feels safe, secure & protected especially during a pandemic.  One of the things that I made a decision to do during this pandemic is to sit my family down and explain to them that since we are a family of faith, that we were going to [continue to put our full trust in the Lord and focus on what the word of God says, not man]. So, we increased our studying of God's word and we made a commitment not to let our guards down and allow the media to infiltrate our space as a family with negative thoughts. 

A week prior to the opening of our online school year, I decided to take a week off so that I could be around my son's and wife without any distractions. I also wanted my family to know that they are extremely important to me (even more than my job), so while off for the first week, I asked my 13 year old son what he wanted to do, and he said, "can we paint my room," and that answer was, "yes of course," my 7 year old son then asked if we could go to Chuck e Cheese to play video games, and that answer was, "yes of course." 

After seeing a week of smiles, goofy conversations, several laughing moments and breakfast, lunch and dinner meals daily, oh, and also school shopping, I felt that we were closer than every before. So, the next week that they were suppose to start online school, it became apparent to me that they needed me at home for the start of online learning and I also felt the need to be at home with them all day as a father, helping with school work, (reading, math, social studies, writing and etc...) and affirming my overall love for them. After our school days, my youngest son and I take bike rides daily while my older son and I often worked out with weights or play a friendly competitive game of 1 on 1 basketball. 

There's nothing like being a father and being involved in the lives of your children. Children need to know that they are our #1 and top priority. As for my wife who went to work each day, I simply made sure that the inside and outside of our home was tidy, dinner cooked, filed paperwork, and things were in place that normally has to wait until the weekend.

"Being a father is a big deal and always will be. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be father!"

Deon

Live & Love Like Jesus

 “To all Christ followers, let’s live, forgive and love one another like Jesus, let’s lay all of our current and past hurts on the cross; and remember, vengeance belongs to the lord” DH

Treat Teachers In A Way That You Would Want To Be Treated; They Are On Your Side

Dear Parents, 

Please pray for our teachers as they are being asked to take on a monumental task this school year while also being expected to educate your children to the fullest.

Remember to be nice (when speaking to teachers) & not hateful, they are human and have a heart, soul and feelings too.

When some of the questions you might have don’t get answered quickly or fully, don’t go outside into the community and try to start a wild fire , be patient and wait until they can get back with you.

~This school year teachers will be living and working in a world a constant change~

“Our community has a responsibility to work together with our principals and teachers in a fashion that reflects solidarity.” DH

Pray for our teachers & students!