By DAVID EPPS
Pastor

A few days ago, I was looking through an old scrapbook and re-discovered a newspaper article that told the story of an event that I had forgotten about.

In the fall of 1968, a local civic club sponsored a "Typical Teen" selection at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tenn. The way this was supposed to work was this: Each homeroom in the senior class would select a "typical" male and female nominee to represent the homeroom. Then, a few weeks later, the entire senior class of some 460 students would select one male and one female from the list of about 15 boys and 15 girls. There may have even been as many of 20 of each gender. Then, the "winners" would be named the "Typical Teens" of dear ol' DBHS. The civic club would award a U.S. Savings Bond to the winners and the couple would be treated to an awards dinner. Pretty cool stuff.

In 1968, I was the offensive center of the school's football team and a member of the karate team and that's about it. I was certainly no scholar, typically choosing to read the Classics Illustrated version, rather than the real thing, of "Moby Dick," "The Count of Monte Cristo," or whatever the assignments happened to be. It was good enough to pass the class and stay eligible for sports and keep my parents mostly happy about my grades.

I never ran for Student Council and didn't participate in any of the school's clubs. So, it was as a sick joke that some of the other jocks in my homeroom decided to nominate me for the male homeroom representative for "Typical Teen." Even the teacher thought the idea was absurd and tried valiantly to prohibit the lobbying of the jocks and the wasting of votes.

However, the electorate, as the re-election of Bill Clinton proved, often enjoys spending its vote on an absurdity. The other homerooms, not deceived by scheming athletes, chose to nominate Student Council officers, honor students, Beta Club members, cheerleaders, and other of the intelligentsia or the popular crowd that ruled in the world of high school.

Then, the football team ran into a bit of bad luck. I should mention that Kingsport Dobyns-Bennett is to Tennessee football what Valdosta is to Georgia football. In 1968, the DBHS Indians would go 5-3-2 (the worst record in anybody's memory) and cost the new head coach his job.

As long as we were winning, everyone was proud of "our" team. The biggest nerd in the school would shout, "We beat 'em," following a victory. Note the "we" part of that statement. But, in the second half of the season when the Indians were struggling, it was much different. It was, "What's wrong with YOU guys?" "Why aren't YOU winning?" There were plenty of fickle fair-weather fans to be found.

It was against Morristown East High School that I suffered a shoulder separation. Two weeks later, I tried to play against Erwin High School and sustained a re-injury that would put me out for the season. My anger against the students who blamed the team for the losses, but who didn't have the courage to step onto the field themselves, burned hotly. I believed in this team and knew that we were much better than our record indicated. I was passionate about the team and angry at those who would denigrate it.

It was this passionate anger that I brought into speech class to give a speech on "something we felt strongly about." For the full length of my five-minute assignment, my right arm in a sling, I, for once, poured my heart into my schoolwork. The class applauded. The teacher gave me an A.

After class, a member of the Pep Club met me in the hallway and asked me to give the same speech on the school's closed circuit television which would air and be seen by the entire student body of some 1,600 students just prior to the pep rally preceding the biggest game of the season on Friday night. Which is how I got elected the male "Typical Teen" for 1968-69 at Dobyns-Bennett High School, and along with Susan Walker, the head cheerleader and the duly elected female "Typical Teen," got a Savings Bond and a free dinner.

It's funny how things happen. Up until that time, it had never occurred to me that I might have an ability to speak publicly and be taken seriously. It would be a few more years before I would speak publicly again. On March 3, 1970, after a terrified prayer as a young U.S. Marine, I read a scripture from the Old Testament: "Fear thou not for I am with thee. Be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee. I will help thee. I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isa. 41:10 KJV).

That night I surrendered my life to Christ. Since that night, there has never been a day that He hasn't been faithful and present in my life. A few years later, I would be ordained and become a pastor.

Someone asked me recently, "How do you stand up there and speak Sunday after Sunday?" It's not so hard. You just have to be passionate about what you know to be true.

Father David Epps is Rector at Christ the King Church In the Coweta/Fayette area of metro Atlanta. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com.

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