fired... again

My poor husband. This is the second time he's been fired from coaching. He called me this morning to say that he was called into the AD's office and asked to step down from the 8th grade girls coaching position. Just last Monday the JV girls coach called him into the hallway, saying he wanted to talk to him for a minute. In the hall already was the head girls coach. She asked him if he was going to be cooperative, if he was going to do what she wanted to develop this program. He was completely blind-sided by the entire meeting and just kind of stammered a yes. It was as if she were addressing a potentially disobedient child instead of a seasoned coach with more experience and success than she's ever going to see if she keeps coaching the way she is.

Now this. They're going to keep paying him, and she's going to take over as the 8th grade girls coach and do it for free. He's out because she wants him out. It's all so emasculating.

Where I HAVE to go, where I MUST absolutely go, is the real, true world, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." ~Eph 6:12

My flesh wants to rail against this ridiculously small, stupid, soul-less, foul-mouthed moron, and my imagination wants to enjoy all means of revenge against her. But that is not where I want to go. That is not how I want to live.

I told Kev to pray for her. He said, "But I don't consider her my enemy." I find that noble. Even in the midst of this, he doesn't want anything but to enjoy some low key basketball (certainly compared to what he's experienced in the past). He doesn't want any enemies, any revenge, any commotion, conflict, or controversy. There's just something about him that she took issue with from Day One, and he did say this day would come. Pray for her. When I pray for people against whom I have an offense, sincerely and over time they become dear to me. I end up caring a great deal about their welfare and well-being, and I cease to link them to that offense. They become lambs as dear to God's heart as I know I am. It is heaven on earth when His all-Love heart meets our loveless times.

For now I will continue to encourage and strengthen him as I can. He is only human, and he struggles with handing trials over once and for all as most of us do. He will rise above this, and it will leave its mark, but this time, I'm praying it does the supernatural work of molding him further into the image of the Lord who saves--and saves and saves us.

But you, O Sovereign LORD,
deal well with me for your name's sake;
out of the goodness of your love, deliver me.

For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me. ~Ps. 109:21-22

Sarah Palin

So how about that Sarah Barracuda?! My Kevin talked to the guy who was her basketball coach after her convention speech. This guy was the head girls basketball coach here before Kev took the job and now coaches another girls team. He said CNN tracked him down and asked if they could come interview him. He told them politely to please not come. He did tell them that she was everything she appears to be, a person of integrity, hard work, and passion, just like every other girl on that Wasilla team. It was fun to get a scoop like that.

I busted out laughing during her speech when the camera landed on her daughter, Piper, who was holding their new baby. They'd shown her a couple times already, gently smoothing her baby brother's hair and tucking the blanket around him. This time though, she licked her entire palm all the way up and then wiped down his head! Eeeyuck! What was she doing?! Making her own kind of emergency hair gel? Was she trying to make him look better? Was she cooling him off? It was funny after my convulsion though. Spit things--eeeyuck.

The more I see and hear of her, the more I like her. I think she'd make a great VP because of her leadership experience and character. I love that she's an intelligent, attractive Evangelical too, not the "Isn't that special" church lady--something we get pictured as by mainstream media.

Can't they talk about what matters though? the things we're all concerned about in our economy and on the world front? the ridiculous trivia that's all the buzz is what I'm hearing instead of the nuts and bolts of plans and policies. Even when those are touched on, it's all so freakin' vague! Anyone can say he's going to cut taxes and bring home troops. Tell me HOW!

Okay, this started out on a pleasant note. Let's come back. I am enthusiastic about Sarah Palin, and I'm happy she's on the ticket. It's been a shot in the arm for conservatives, and I loved the shock and the resulting energy from it. I'd like to shake her hand and thank her personally someday for being a great leader and for handling so well the mishandling of her family by the media in that initial avalanche of examining her life. I think she's pretty all right.