Deborah Smith Pegues - Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Backcover author photo for Ricky TempleShannon Kuanfung

Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices

Copyright 2010 by Deborah Smith Pegues and Ricky Temple

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97402

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pegues, Deborah Smith, 1950

Why smart people make dumb choices / Deborah Smith Pegues and Ricky Temple

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 978-0-7369-2852-6 (pbk.)

1. Decision makingReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. Choice (Psychology)Religious aspectsChristianity.

3. Errors. 4. EmotionsReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Temple, Ricky, 1958- II. Title.

BV4509.5.P46 2010

248.4dc22

2010005751

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

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Ricky Temple and I share a passion for teaching the practical application of Gods Word with simplicity and directness. Therefore, this collaboration was a natural fit. His life balance, his receptivity to input, his wisdom, and his quest for knowledge are inspiring. People great and small are drawn to Christ through his kind and generous spirit.

During my 31 years of marriage to my beloved Darnell, he has faithfully supported my every endeavor. His adept biblical research, technical assistance, prayers, and patience make him a remarkable partnerfor which I am eternally grateful. A special note of gratitude goes to the people who responded to our survey, shared their stories, or offered a prayer for this project. The input from Pastor Elvin Ezekiel, Regina Fair, and Crystal Kelley were invaluable. We are extremely grateful to our editor, Rod Morris, for his passion for scriptural integrity and literary excellence. Of course, the entire Harvest House team is an authors delight.

Deborah Smith Pegues

Great work never happens without a great team. My devoted wife and soul mate, Diane, has led my family support team for 30 years. My children, Ricky and Christina, are the wheels that keep me rolling forward with passion and energy. The staff and members of my church (Overcoming by Faith) in Savannah, Georgia, give me support that helps me achieve what I could never do alone. I am grateful for the hard work, patience, and editing/coaching skills of Nichole Palmer, a real champion who helped me hammer out my contribution to the project. Without question, my coauthor Deborah Pegues insightful guidance has been invaluable. Every now and then, a person comes into your life that is smart, humble, and inspirational. Deborahs determination pulls you higher, her ability makes you humbler, but her friendship makes you better. It has been a pleasure and a great opportunity to share these pages with my friend.

Ricky Temple

IT ALL HAPPENED WITHIN MINUTES. On January 15, 2009, Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger, the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549 outbound from New York Citys LaGuardia airport, would make one of the most important decisions of his life. On takeoff, a flock of birds got sucked into the powerful engines of his Airbus A320 commercial jetliner causing it to lose all power. The plane instantly became a glider. Air traffic controllers quickly concluded that Captain Sullenberger should return to LaGuardia or try to make it to another nearby airport.

However, based upon the speed and altitude the plane was losing, the experienced pilot knew this was not his best option. Rather, he chose to go for a crash landing in the Hudson River to the west of New York City. His plan worked. Everybody hailed it a miracle.

Testifying in June 2009 before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Captain Sullenberger explained that only the Hudson River was long enough, wide enough and smooth enough to put down his crippled jetliner. His split-second decision was a smart one that saved the lives of all 155 people onboard. According to subsequent news reports, it was the first time in 50 years that a major aircraft crash-landed in the water and everyone made it out alive. His smart decision made him an instant hero.

In contrast to the Hudson River miracle, lets roll the calendar back about 20 years. On March 24, 1989, a little after midnight, the Exxon Valdez oil supertanker hit a reef in Prince William Sound near Valdez, Alaska, spilling almost 11 million gallons of crude oil over 1300 miles of pristine shoreline. A subsequent investigation by NTSB revealed that the shipmaster, Captain Joseph Hazelwood, left his third mate in charge, who improperly maneuvered the vessel when he allowed it to remain on autopilot during a critical passage. NTSB ruled that the captain failed to provide navigation watch, possibly due to his impairment under the influence of alcoholor the fact that he was sleeping it off in his cabin at the time of the accident. Captain Hazelwood, obviously a man smart enough to have attained such a position, made a dumb choice. By his own admission, he drank two or three vodkas between 4:30 and 6:30 that same night. (Due to the mishandling of the evidence, he was later acquitted of drunkenness charges.) He became a villain and the butt of late night television talk show jokes.

The accident was one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters ever to occur at sea. Thousands of animals and birds died in its wake. The spill had both short-term and long-term economic effects including the loss of recreational sports, fisheries, and reduced tourism. In the years that followed, various sea life showed shorter life spans. All of these consequences resulted from a dumb choice made by a smart person.

If these two examples are of too great a magnitude for you to relate to, perhaps some of the dumb choices below are more relevant:

Rev. Hancock, a popular TV minister, is addicted to pornography but chooses to keep it a secret. Getting help is too risky.