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 [email protected] or

at www.ChristTheKingCEC.com .