Saturday at Upward

Upward basketball was hopping Saturday with lots of kids playing and lots of parents and grandparents coming in and out of the church. So many kids were having fun even if they lost there game. The boys played the boys and the girls played the girls. They are all matched according to height and computer generated cheat sheets. So teams are pretty evenly matched. They have wrist bands that are the same color as there opponent so when there is no fast break they set up a defense accordingly. They play a total of 6 periods at 6 mins a period. Both sides of the gym are played on from 8 am to 4 pm. They keep score for the older kids but not for the younger kids. I think the ages are for 6 year olds to 12 year old kids. The kids are called through a tunnel of one of those flashing bright lights inside the tunnel. Pretty awesome for young kids getting to do this. During halftime there is someone to keep the parents entertained. I filled in for a close friend going into surgery today. I read my testimony off a piece of paper. The first time I was a little nervous but the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th time went better. I never get nervous in sports I guess it will get better the more I do it. Any way here is what I wrote the night before and it took me a long time to put it onto paper so I was up till midnight.

Hi, my name is Jeremy Grimm. Orrville has been my home for 31 years. My Mom and Dad would be the first to tell you I am a good kid. Well, my story is a little different.

For starters I have never ate too many vegetables or eaten a bunch of fruit. I have always been a milk drinker, a pizza inhaler, and after a bicycle race there is nothing better than a Coke Cola Classic. I started bicycle racing at the age of 6 and raced against the world’s best cyclists such as George Hincapie. He is the only teammate of Lance Armstrong’s 7 Tour De France victories.

I pursued other sports and stopped bicycle racing at the age of 12. I used to ride my bike back and forth to football practice. It was 7 miles each way.

God has given us all different abilities and I feel sports have been the best of all the abilities he has given me. God has blessed me with Professional baseball invites, state champion titles in cycling, top 5 national awards in cycling. He has also given me the ability to win long drive competitions in golf. Pitch no hitters, hit the baseball over 450 more than once, score touchdowns and many other things.

But these are just things to me. Sure you feel good about winning a big event in front of thousands of people, but none of that matters to God. What matters is your relationship with God. I have had a very hard time focusing on God, especially in high school. Looking back on high school He blessed me with a high school diploma that took 3 years because I missed 180 days of school due to Lyme disease. I would always ask God why am I so sick.

This disease took 27 doctors and 4 years to diagnose. I had sharp stabbing pains throughout my whole body. Sometimes the pain was so intense that I would pass out. I would also wake up in the middle of the night by my heart pounding out of my chest. You could actually see it. My migraine headaches were basically 10 times worse than a normal migraine headaches. I had chronic nose bleeds and sleeping problems. I could lay in bed for 24 hours and still not have enough sleep. It was like you wanted to sleep forever and you never got any restful sleep.


After football games and baseball games I remember not being able to get out of bed for 2 days because my body would hurt just to move an inch. I also remember getting slapped across the face by a nurse because she thought it would make me move in the ER.

God had worked through others everyday to let me know that I was loved and that there was a plan in my life. I thank the Lord for my family, church family and friends for helping me to live for him.


Things did get better after a year and a half of worse symptoms during treatment. I always thought well this is it I am going to die today. God had other plans for my life. I have never been so happy since then. I have been healthy for 13 years now. I have a wonderful and supportive wife of almost 11 years and we have a 3 year old daughter that brings a smile to our face everyday. In the past 7 years I have focused more on God and what He wants me to do. Since then I have lost 100 pounds and have gone back to cycling.

I am blessed to race at the professional level and am so thankful for sponsorship. This has given me an opportunity to witness to thousands of people at a time. In doing so, it is just a miracle I am here, but also is a miracle that I train less than half of what most pro’s do and I weigh 40 pounds heavier than most as well.

The lighter you are without losing power is where you need to be. About 6 % body fat. I would have to say my lowest body fat has been 12% which is no where close. I have my struggles everyday, eating junk food is my main one. I gain 30 pounds every winter due to poor eating habits. It is an addiction and I am not proud of it. I pray that God will help me to overcome my sinful eating and that I can serve Him better.

What I try and do everyday now is to be a witness for Him and I have seen Him work miracles. That is what God wants us to do. He wants us to grow a relationship with Him and tell others how much He loves us, even when we struggle.

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:35