Day of Praise

Sa, 03/08/14, "Day of Praise"

Mark 10:43b-44 - [Jesus said to them,] "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all."

Today is a special day for my friend, fellow church member, retired U.S. Army officer, and Vietnam helicopter pilot, Mel Shinholster. Mel has been selected by the State of Alabama DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Chapter as the first ever recipient of the newly created "DAR Distinguished Citizens Award". This award is given by each state to named individuals who personified service to community, state, and country. Today, accompanied by his wife, Ann, Mel will receive the Award at the State of Alabama's 2014 DAR Convention at the Auburn University Conference Center.

Mel has received a number of other recognitions, honors, and awards not only for his heroic acts and rescues in Vietnam but also for his continued work with the Blue Star Salute, which Mel helped to reinstitute a number of years ago, as Mel travels the Southeast at his own expense to celebrate and encourage young men and women who are being deployed by our nation's peace-keeping forces.

The thing that stands out to me about Mel is simply this. He always says, "I'm not a hero, but I'm honored to serve in the company of heros." And if you've ever met Mel and gotten to know him, you'd know that he means and lives what he says, which is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's verse. In Mark 10:43b-44, Jesus said, "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all" because God established that it's true and showed us this perfectly in Jesus Christ.

Congratulations, Mel! Thank you for your service and your example.

Praise God!


Pastor Chris
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson