Alice Mae Harold would have celebrated her 91st birthday on March 17th. A noble African-American woman, Alice served my mother as a housekeeper. She was my “nanny” and she played an important role in shaping the values of my son, Ross, from the time he was a child until he died at age 24 (see Halftime about Ross). She led by gestalt, by the joyful and regal nature of her presence. Morgan Freeman’s portrayal of that kind of genuine nobility in “Million Dollar Baby” garnered him an Academy Award. Civic leader Wilson Goode personified it in our Finishing Well interview. This aura of authority is difficult to describe, but you know it when you see it.
Without question, Alice finished well – at age 90. She died with her grown grandson, Alvin Harold, at her bedside in his home where she had lived for the last years of her life. Both of them are heroes to me. After all, not many young people take in their grandparents anymore. We mostly send them off and visit them on Sundays.
In an age of selfishness, Alice carved her own genuine pathway. She never drove a car. To my knowledge, she was admitted to a hospital only once, near the end of her life, and she didn’t stay there long. She wanted to die where she had lived and she wasn’t the least bit afraid of death. She knew she was going home.
Among my more recent fond memories are the Sunday afternoon phone calls. If they came during the NFL game, Linda and I knew it was Alice. She wanted to see how we were doing, to share her experiences of the week and to pray for us. Three years ago, my brother, Jeff, visited the Cooper Clinic in Dallas and was diagnosed with lung cancer. The odds of recovery following surgery were in the 15 percent to 30 percent range. Jeff decided to forgo treatment and to “watch and wait.” Alice claimed that her prayers by phone healed him. You will get no dispute from Jeff. Alice spent hours phoning people and praying with and for them. She always made me recite the Lord’s Prayer on the phone, prompting me if there was a moment’s hesitation. Many called her “Mother Alice,” even people her own age.
Spanish philosopher Jose Ortega y Gossett had some keen insights about the legendary Don Quixote that equally apply to great-hearted individuals such as Alice. Here’s one of his quotes (see another below): “People could take good fortune away from him but not his effort and courage. The adventure as success may be chimerical; his will is real and true.”
Happy Birthday, Alice!
So What About You?
This newsletter has little value to anyone if it doesn’t actively impact your life—if it doesn’t help you create active energy with a significant purpose. I hope you will take these questions seriously as you work to apply what you find out about yourself. Personally, I will be keeping a spiritual and intellectual journal where I answer these questions for myself.
- Who is a “special hero” in your life? Who was the teacher or coach who influenced you most in your K through 12 years in school?
- Would he/she appreciate a note from you acknowledging their role?
- Are you playing the role of “special hero” in someone’s life?
What is God Doing Now? with Bob Slocum
I was fortunate to have spent the better part of a day last year with one of the most influential figures in American Christianity, Henry Blackaby. In his widely read work Experiencing God, Blackaby advises us that the way to find our Halftime and Life II significance career is to “find out what God is doing and join him.” Blackaby says that’s the place to start. With this in mind, I have undertaken a series of interviews with people who have a unique perspective on what God is doing now. In this section of ActiveEnergy, I’m doing a version of the “Let’s Do Lunch” approach I used in Finishing Well, inviting you to listen in and to respond. Join the conversation by emailing your reaction.
I have been in a small group of men for more than ten years. They are all Life II success-to-significance types. Bob Slocum has a Ph.D. in Physics and is an entrepreneur at heart. He has combined his education and talent to create a company that designs “black box” technology for classified military uses – submarine hunting on the ocean bottom and other such things. Bob is also a pioneering voice in the lay mobilization movement. He wrote one of the early books that shaped people’s thinking and he is frequently asked to lecture. Here’s how he answered my question:
“For some reason I have been thinking about this for a solid week: I see insightful Christian laymen taking responsibility for major issues. That follows the old Oxford Group (read more about the Oxford Group in Recommended Resources) plan where people would come to Frank Buckman and ask, ‘what should I do now that I’m a Christian?’ And he would ask them, ‘what’s the most important question or issue that’s being faced in your country right now?’ Then his answer would be, ‘why don’t you go work on that until God gives you something else to do.’
“I am looking at the issue of lay people really wanting to live spiritually productive lives. They don’t want to have their time wasted by Christian organizations; they don’t want to have make-work jobs; they want something that’s truly, spiritually productive at the level of their families, their community and their daily work. That’s a surge I am seeing. I found out this summer firsthand that in third world countries people are much more aggressively pursuing that. They don’t have the hierarchal structure that’s kind of shutting them down, so my observation is that there are small projects. I think Alpha (see more about Alpha in Recommended Resources) is part of that. I think a lot of the lay scripture study work that I’m trying to understand and propagate represents that. I think there is a grassroots movement at work. People are either going to give up on organized religion or they’re going to find something spiritually productive to do.”
Insights from the Classics
Over the past four years I have been “coached” in classical literature by the director of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture. The instruction I gain and my own love of learning has developed a love of the classics—I hope you can gain some insights from these brief but powerful thoughts.
Heroism is a latent energy in all of us. It’s there all along.
“All of us can be heroes in varying degrees. The hero is defined by his (or her) refusal to accept reality, that is, by the will to alter reality. That is to say by a will for adventure … heroism leads us to resist the impositions of heredity, of environment … the hero’s will is not that of his ancestors or of his society, but his own.” Jose Ortega y Gassett, Meditations on Quixote
Recommended Resources
I believe the resources found in this section are worthy of further exploration. I will work to maximize your time and give you the best tools to enhance your experience.
The Oxford Group of the early 20th century is credited with the origin of AA and other 12 step programs. Read more about the Oxford Group here: The Oxford Group
If you have questions about Christianity or know someone who does (I think that covers us all), Alpha is a resource we should be familiar with. It is a privilege of mine to serve on the board of Alpha. I interviewed its Founding Chairman for the United States, Dr. Alistair Hanna in Finishing Well. Visit www.alphausa.org
Jose Ortega y Gasset’s Meditations on Quixote, is a challenging read for anyone but full of memorable quotes and philosophy on life. Chapters 1-15 are especially heavy lifting but well worth it.
Read more about my son Ross, in Halftime.
Find out more about Wilson Goode’s story as told in Finishing Well. Wilson’s story is an inspiration to everyone that will take the time to listen.
Obtain Bob Slocum’s book for $12 per copy, Maximize Your Ministry, e-mail Bob at: bob7slocum@sbcglobal.net
