COACH...Jennie?!

My husband Johnny is a basketball coach. I didn't know it at the time when I dated him, but he is a born coach. He's got all the fundamentals and skills, and he's got a coach's heart - he loves seeing players thrive and work hard, and he loves to drill, drill, drill!

Johnny coached a high school basketball team from 1999-2001. He took this team, which played in CYC & JAO (Japanese leagues) and took them from last place to first in just a year. And while he was doing that, I paced back and forth in the bleachers, with Micah in a Bjorn, cheering and jeering at the top of my voice. See, I knew my role...I was the wife of the coach, the screaming voice behind the man. Yep, I knew my role - I was Mrs. Coach and I was happy.

Fast forward 10 years later. It's around 7:30pm on a nippy Tuesday night - the first night of Micah's bball practice at PazNaz (our church), which runs a program with an organization called Upward. Practice was winding down, and as I waited for Micah, our youth pastor Nicole Johnson (who is a big major sweetheart), approached me to tell me that she hasn't been able to locate the gentleman who had volunteered to coach my son's team. I was just about to ask her if she wanted me to keep trying his number when she said these words, "Um...I was wondering if you could coach since you know basketball?!"

The "ME" 10 years ago would have jumped at the chance to save the day. Talk first then think about it and try to back out. But the 40-year-old me of today simply nodded in support and played the husband card - "Let me talk to Johnny and see how it'll fit into our schedule."

I was actually hoping Johnny might volunteer and then we'd be done. But when I spoke to him, he smiled and said that it would be good for me and that I'd have fun with it.

OK, so the hubby gave it a thumbs up, and I was interested, but I really felt unqualified and unequipped to step onto the court to teach anything.

Then I consulted another coach - the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden - and this is what I read: "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."

So after chatting it up with God and the youth pastor and the guy in charge of the coaches, I believe that I will now add "coach" onto my life's resume. However, this is how I'd define what a coach is:

Coach - (n.) - someone blessed enough to be in a position to train one or a group of followers who are open to receiving what you have to say and instruct. Someone who is humble enough to realize the delicate position they have been given. Someone who has lots of people praying for her!