My heroes
A hero, by definition, is
"a person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life" (dictionary.com).So of course, my lifelong hero is "Jesus of Nazareth... the Holy One of God". (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34)
And, if you pay much attention to my messages, you will notice a frequent referral to such heroes as: Apostle Paul of Tarsus, Jim Elliot, and really most anyone who lost their lives specifically because they loved Christ and loved people more than their own lives.
But there are those "everyday heroes" that I become endeared to because they
"chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time." (Heb. 11:25)Those that I wish to praise as heroes to me (see Prov. 27:2) are those that are currently sacrificially participating in the foodservice fundraiser not simply to "save face" with the ISU foodservice but to see The Ezekiel Project become a success and bring glory to God!
Can enough be said of Holly Boston, who is working full shifts (6 AM - 2 pm) all week and then closing for Stomping Grounds leaving her precious little time to sleep in between.
Or Nate Swinton who has set aside gainful employment with Carpet Steamer all week so he would be available to serve.
Or Pete and Raylene Grose... "Who?" you might say. Pete is a pastor with NewLife in Cedar Rapids. Raylene's son is Nate Marzen. They heard about the fundraiser effort while visiting our church last Sunday. They cancelled their plans to go golfing, and served food in a hot, sweaty kitchen with us instead.
Or how about those who have persevered in the gospel since the 70's like Ev Cherrington and Gene Lund. Gene called me at 11pm the night before to find out how he could participate in the fundraiser.
The world is not worthy of them. I know I have not named even half of those who are genuinely sacrificing to make not just this fundraiser happen, but the entire Ezekiel Project. Don't be annoyed even for a second if I did not mention your name. "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them." (Heb. 6:10)
I look forward to being with my "everyday heroes" tomorrow... bright and early at 6 AM. These are the glory days, my friends. I am honored to spend them with my heroes.