The Man in the Middle

What You May Not Know About One of the State’s Most Recognizable Faces

Many Arkansans would be quick to recognize the three names and faces of the premiere injury lawyers who serve “the Razorback Nation.”  You see them on television and billboards and hear them on the radio.  Men who battle for the underdog and take pride in protecting those who are victims of unforeseen circumstances.  One of the men, however, has a unique story that is much less well-known than his name.  It is a story of humble beginnings, life struggles, hard work, family devotion, and ultimate triumph.  It is the story of the man in the middle.

Those that really knew Stephen Holt are quick to agree that he possessed an eclectic (if not contradictory) skill set.  One that may best be described as a mix of compassion, determination, stubbornness, and humility. Behind his disarming smile lived an unusual depth of character.  His was a quiet strength built in the refiner’s fire over the course of man years, resulting in an uncanny focus and resolve.  Many years ago, Stephen was given a rare gift by His Creator: the gift of clarity.  Stephen had the blessing of knowing what was truly important in life.  Once he received this clarity, he wrapped his time, gifts, energies, and talents around it, somehow knowing that his life served a greater purpose.  And in the long run this clarity indeed served a greater purpose, for it was this very clarity that ended up having an eternal impact far beyond even the Razorback Nation.

Last Spring, Stephen’s foot began giving him trouble after a ski trip with his family.  He put a flexible boot on it and barely altered his schedule.  Stephen was forever private, and simply explained it as a temporary inconvenience.  This inconvenience, however, marked the beginning of a struggle that would end up serving as his final earthly chapter.  For a man who loved control, the ultimate test of spirit came when he lost the ability to control even his own muscles.  In the course of a few short months, he went from running, skiing, and playing golf to laying in a bed with an ability only to move his eyes and mouth.  He never lost control, however, of his mind and heart.  His wit remained strong to the final breath.  Ironically, It is was in these final days that his gift of clarity – clarity of meaning and purpose – shined the brightest. It manifested itself in three countercultural ways:

His humility of character. When people fall victim to sudden tragedy, we tend to deify them. We speak of them as if they never erred.  We look for even the most subtle of hints of their influence on others and then magnify it to epic proportions.  Stephen did not like that.  His humility demanded much more of him than a mere acquiescence to shallow (though often well-meaning) flattery.  He was even uncomfortable with others offering well-earned words of respect, seeking to immediately change the subject or steer the conversation in a different direction.  His lowliness of mind and meekness of personality was not an act of false humility nor an area of vulnerability on his part.  Only a fool confuses meekness with weakness.  He did not want the focus on him because he truly held others in higher regard.

His focus on others.  By nature, Stephen was a task-oriented man, but what really mattered to Stephen was people.  He remained tenaciously focused on others.  As one of his closest friends reminded us recently, “Stephen is always genuinely interested to see how ‘you’ are doing and what is going on in ‘your’ life.”  It was this focus on people and their needs that dictated how he spent much of his time.  He was always the one looking around for a chance to visit with and befriend other people in the room when his friends circled up and talked among themselves.

It is here, in this realm of outward focus, that his discipline and sense of order particularly served him well.  His friend and law partner stated it this way, “He succeeds because he is simply willing to outwork the competition.”  Somewhere along the way Stephen made a decision to harness his tenacity, ingenuity, and downright “hard headedness” into a concerted and deliberate effort to benefit others.  Ironically, it was in the midst of this conscious quest to give his life away when he ended up discovering where true life actually exists.

A wise man once said, “Small minds talk about people, medium minds talk about events, but great minds talk about ideas.”  Stephen was a man of ideas, who could not help but consistently generate innovative ways to accomplish the vision.  He wasn’t dazzled by slick presentations, nor was he necessarily moved by emotional appeals.  He was the king of questions. In fact, he had an amazing ability to hijack an entire meeting agenda with one well-placed, thought-provoking question.  The thoughts generated to answer the question, many times, would end up serving as the basis for an entirely different (and many times more successful) approach. 

He refused to compartmentalize his outward focus only to areas of personal interest.  It spilled over into his professional life as well.  Referred to by his colleagues as the firm’s “missionary,” Stephen played a key role in determining their little-known, holistic approach to helping others.  Unbeknownst to many, his law firm spends tens of thousands of dollars each year investing into the personal well-being of their clients; almost all taking place after the case has long been closed to avoid any conflict of interests.

His impact on thousands.  In a broad sense, his impact did not begin across the world, but rather across the house.  The spiritual vitality of his wife and children were among his highest of priorities.  Again, his gift of clarity carried with it a price tag in that it immediately distinguished between the temporal and eternal, radically affecting his spiritual leadership among those he loved most.  It was this clarity and single-mindedness of purpose that awed his closest friends. “I watch how Stephen manages and balances his career, his family, and his walk with God,” commented one member of his inner circle.  “I am overwhelmed with how he does this.  Over the past five years in particular, Stephen has made the conscious decision to pour himself into the lives of his children.  Part of this was exposing his children to the mission field by taking them on trips both locally and abroad.  While I am sure that this influenced his children in a positive way, it also had the unintended result of giving Stephen a passion for missions.”

In addition to his family, his primary passion for mission was displayed through his commitment to the people of Paraguay.  Serving as the primary leader for his church’s partnership in Paraguay, he led multiple journeys (dating back to 2009) involving hundreds of volunteers meeting thousands of physical needs in and around the capital city of Asuncion.  His investment into these areas resulted in the spiritual transformation of hundreds of families and the planting and growth of several new churches.  Oddly, it stands to reason that this particular man in the middle would ultimately serve as the middle man in fostering an eternal relationship between thousands of South Americans and their Creator.  Like Stephen, they, too, now possess this same clarity of purpose through a living Hope that can only be found in a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In the end, this gift of clarity in his life set off an uncontrollable, yet oddly predictable, domino effect.  His clarity of purpose resulted in humility of character.  His humility of character resulted in a focus on others.  His focus on others resulted in an impact on thousands.  ”Of the guys I know that really know Stephen, any of us would trade places with him in a heartbeat," remarked a dear friend.  "Mostly, this is because we see what he has done with his God-given talents and his work for the Lord and hate to see this come to a screeching halt. I don't think many of us could fill the shoes he leaves behind.”  On the surface, that comment appears to be about his work ethic and friendship, but it isn't.  It is a statement about his legacy.

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get; but we make a life by what we give.”  What many may not know about one of the state’s most recognizable faces – my friend Stephen – is that he truly personified this concept.  Fitting in so many ways that he would gravitate to the humble background of the middle.

With Much Love and Respect, 

Mark A