Watching the MLB All-Star Game this week, my mind went back twenty years to the 1989 game. That night, Sam and Kathy Harrell had invited us to their home for supper and to watch the game. Judy and I had just moved to Brownwood, where Sam was an assistant football coach and Kathy was busy at home raising three boys, Zac, Graham, and Clark. Judy and I were in Brownwood for a few months because the Austin Avenue church was our sponsoring church in our mission to Argentina. Sam and Kathy were active members there.

We hit it off well with the Harrells. Sam and I began playing tennis most weekdays at dawn, which was good exercise and competition.

We left for Argentina and sometime while we were gone, Sam got a head coaching job and began enjoying success as a head football coach. Through the years I have had occasional contact with Sam. One time, I ran into him at the ACU Lectureship. He was there to interview candidates to be a youth intern at his church. That impressed me. You don’t often see head football coaches, who are that involved in their congregation. Sam was so involved that I called him one time to get his opinion on a young man at my congregation in Winters, whom we were looking to hire as a youth minister.

Judy and I have enjoyed watching Sam’s professional success. His Ennis teams won state championships in football. His sons have done well. If you are a Tech fan, you know Graham Harrell as the greatest quarterback in that school’s history. If you are a UT fan, you know Graham Harrell as something else. Last year, I read in the New York Times an interview their writer had conducted with Sam. I was pleased to see the admiration this writer clearly had for Sam.

Four years ago, Sam was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Not wanting to worry their sons, Sam and Kathy kept the diagnosis to themselves. Recently, they decided the disease had progressed to the point that they should tell their family, the school board, and the other coaches. You may have heard about this on the news. Our local Tyler paper ran an AP version of the story last Sunday.

Sam is handling this a lot better than I would. He is not looking for sympathy; he is certainly looking for a cure. I would appreciate it if you would pray for Sam—and for a cure.

Emotional Intelligence

A few weeks ago, I finished reading the book EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE by Daniel Goleman. In it, he tells a remarkable story that illustrates the role that emotional control can play in defusing a potentially catastrophic situation.

Back in the 1950s, Terri Dobson was one of the first Americans to study aikido in Japan. One day he was riding on a Tokyo commuter train, when a worker of the Japanese blue-collar class boarded. This worker was huge, belligerent, and very drunk.

Staggering around, he began to terrorize the passengers. He screamed obscenities; he saw a mother holding a baby and took a swing at her. She careened into the laps of an elderly couple. At this point, everyone stampeded to the other end of the car.

That did not stop the drunk. He took a swing at a pole in the middle of the car. Not satisfied, he tried to tear the poll out of its socket.

Now, here was Terry Dobson watching all of this. He was working out each day for eight hours in aikido, so he was in peak condition physically. However, his training emphasized that aikido is about reconciliation. So while he felt compelled to intervene, in order to protect the people on the subway, he also felt concerned that to do so would violate the ethics of aikido.

Terry chose to stand and demonstrate a deliberate presence. At this, the drunk screamed, "A ha! A foreigner! You need a lesson in Japanese manners!" With that, the drunk gathered himself, ready to attack Terry.

Suddenly, there was a loud shout of joy, totally incongruous with the context. "Hey!"

It was an enthusiastic shout, as if someone had found an old friend. The shocked drunk turned around and saw a tiny Japanese man sitting in his seat in a kimono. The old man was probably in his 70s. He offered a bright smile and beckoned to the man to come over with a wave.

The drunk cursed and shouted, "Why should I talk with you?"

Unperturbed, the old man asked, “What have you been drinking?"

"I have been drinking sake, and it's none of your business," the drunk answered.

"Oh, that's wonderful, absolutely wonderful," the old man replied in a warm tone. "I love sake, too. Every night, me and my wife—she's 76, you know— we warm up a little bottle of sake, take it out into the garden, and we sit on an old wooden bench..." Then the old man started talking about the persimmon tree in his backyard, about his beautiful garden, and about how much he enjoyed his backyard and the sake during the evening.

Listening, the drunk’s face began to soften just a little. His fists unclenched. "Yeah, I love persimmons, too…," he said, with his voice trailing off.

"Yes, and I'm sure you have a wonderful wife as well," the old man stated enthusiastically.

The laborer sobbed, "No, my wife died....” Then he began sharing with the old man about how he has lost his wife, his job, and how he was now humiliated.

The old man tenderly invited the drunk to sit down beside him and tell him all about it. The drunk did, lying down on the seat and putting his head in the man's lap.

Goleman writes that this was an example of sheer emotional brilliance. A terrible, and a potentially catastrophic, situation was defused. A wise man calmly governed his emotions. Consequently, he governed what happened in his surroundings.

I obviously do not know that old man. I wish I did. For he modeled for me how we, as Christians, should live in a chaotic world. We Christians, who have the Holy Spirit living within us, should be under emotional control in all situations.

We have the peace of God; therefore, no circumstance should overwhelm us. What an opportunity we have to bless the world, bringing peace to every situation.

Five things I think I think (a tip of the hat to Peter King for this idea)

1. I actually finished the aforementioned EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE a few weeks ago. This is not a Christian book. Goleman writes from the perspective of social science. Still, the book is a helpful read. Although the copy I read was written in 1995, it is still highly relevant. (There is a tenth anniversary edition available now.)

From my perspective, emotions are involved in virtually every human interaction. It is the most underrated reality of human behavior. It is myth to think of ourselves as primarily rational creatures. As a matter of fact, the more rational a person claims to be, the more I have found him or her driven by a deep reservoir of emotion.

Goleman analytically and anecdotally explains his understanding of our emotional being. He also offers strategies for sound emotional development. Read carefully, this is not scriptural or religious. However, if you invest the time, I think you will find a profitable return.

2. Per Brenda Craig’s request, the mighty Shiloh Road 20s (with a few exceptions) softball team, winner of last Monday night’s doubleheader, will next play this coming TUESDAY night, at 9:15, at Lindsey Park # 3.

3. Thanks to the good folks at Van for wonderful time Wednesday night. The last time I spoke there was 1995, but I remember it well. Thank you, Mike Gravois, for setting this up.

4. We have VBS coming up the week after next. If all goes well, John Hill, from Greenville, Texas, will help me kick it off on Sunday morning, July 26. John is an aspiring potter. He is bringing his equipment to help me illustrate Jeremiah 18. When God tells Jeremiah to go to the potter, he is going to tell us to go as well.

5. I saw where Sonia Sotomayor stated that PERRY MASON served as a childhood inspiration for her. I don’t desire for any of my kids to serve on the Supreme Court; however, this might be an old series that my older kids and I will have to check out. Might be fun to watch.
Have a great weekend!