Cautious but not Fearful.... Attack the Week!

I am very blessed at Mercer County HS for many reasons. A big one is that my Athletic Director and Assistant Head Football Coach is Donald Smith. Coach Smith is also Pastor Smith of Centennial Baptist Church here in Harrodsburg.  Over the past several weeks, I have heard him say, more than once, "Be cautious but not fearful!" Amen... Coach AND Pastor Smith!

My bosses, Spencer Tatum (Principal), Donald Smith (AD), Dennis Davis (Superintendent)

Over the years, people have tried to use fear to manipulate me.  When that happens, it is a big red flag and a sure indication that something is up... and it is not good.

The first example that comes to mind was the Thursday before Stephanie and I were to get married in May of 1992. The day before, the Paris HS football coach & very good friend, Roger Gruneisen,  had accepted the head football position at Bourbon County HS.  Our Paris kids loved Coach Gruneisen! I wasn't sure we would have a team. But, when he left, I was offered and accepted the head football position at Paris HS... which was a dream come true.... just not the circumstances that I had wanted.

Stephanie had been hired to replace Mrs. Kenney Roseberry at Paris HS to teach English and all of the extra duties that went with that position. On this Thursday, we are one day away from our rehearsal dinner and two days away from our wedding. In fact, Coach Gruneisen was in our wedding!

May 30, 1992

That Thursday morning, I am in the football fieldhouse collecting my thoughts, thinking through everything that has transpired, and putting together a plan for Greyhound football. Stephanie calls me on the football office phone. She has just talked to her mom, who was a librarian in Bourbon County Schools and had a message for us. The message was that if Stephanie and I go to Bourbon County, NOW , we will have teaching & coaching jobs. But, if we wait, and the Paris City Schools close, we will not have jobs.

We discuss it over the phone, and we both are pretty adamant that we want to be Greyhounds and stay at Paris. Even though the circumstances were very difficult.... was I really going to give up being the head football coach of the tradition rich Paris Greyhounds? No way. We chose to stay and without a doubt, it was a great decision.

Another example comes from a faculty meeting at Mason County HS. Our central office staff was not real happy with the HS faculty. During the meeting that day in our library, a central office administrator told us that due to a new state policy, everyone in the building could be fired if they did not get what they wanted...and that in some schools, that had already happened.

I raised my hand and asked the question, "What school has fired all their faculty?"  To make a long story short, after a series of back and forth questions and responses, this administrator could not give me one example.

We need to be smart & thoughtful right now, but not scared. Cautious, but not fearful!

Have a great week!

John 16:33