thedrifter
07-08-07, 09:10 AM
A Marine's faith lives on
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Colors burst through darkness. Spiraling upward, arching downward, crackling to pieces overhead. Another Fourth of July has passed. Another trip to the beach. Another backyard barbecue.
The holiday comes and goes every year, same as the last. It is a time to re- member, to reflect on the freedom we've been given, to recall the sacrifices made. The fiery sparks rise and fall, a colorful reminder of lives laid down.
In Al Anbar, Iraq, billows of smoke swarm the desert sky. A 14-ton vehicle is wrenched into a ditch. Ammo rounds blast off in succession; the sharp smell of gunpowder fills the air. Six Marines dive from the wreckage. Flames lick the gunner's hands.
"Where's Creager?" he shouts. A comrade points to the smoking vehicle and shakes his head.
Another day in Iraq. Another roadside bomb. Another life claimed on a dusty highway near Baghdad. Who was this Marine? How will he be remembered?
"Tim Creager was a man of great faith. The kind of guy you want your daughter to marry and your sons to be like," said Rusty Wheelington, a minister who knew him well. "No one took Tim from us; he gave it (his life.)"
"Tim helped me with my walk with God," said Creager's sergeant, Brian Callendar. "He helped me out with those stumbling steps, and he turned them into stepping stones."
Hearing Tim pray over the phone with the girl he loved left a deep impression, Callendar said.
I was the girl he prayed with over the phone. Some days, he would wait in line for hours just to place the call. He was always so encouraging, so protecting - even though he was the one in harm's way.
"In all the chaos with bullets and rockets hitting right beside me or over me, I was praying - mostly for you. I wasn't worried for myself. I knew God had my back. I just prayed for you and my loved ones to comfort y'all and protect you," he said.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. - Romans 15:13
In letters, he shared Scripture, promised his constant prayers and spoke of the highlight of his week:
"I'm so glad we're able to have somewhat of a service. We hold it in a small mud-brick shack that was blown up and sit on little wooden benches. It's as good as any church out there though. ... Here's a passage I want to dedicate to you and me. It's Psalm 121. It applies to both of us right now and always because I pray constantly for your safety and that the Lord watch over you. You're my angel - I'll be your guardian angel."
Tim died instantly on July 1, 2004. His comrades named the mud-brick chapel in his memory. Few remains were salvaged from the smoldering driver's hole; months later, a cleanup crew discovered his Bible - charred and brittle, but wholly intact.
Who was this Marine? How will he be remembered?
When all is said and done, the memory of this 21-year-old Marine will slowly fade. But the love of Christ that lived in him will carry on. It's a love given to all people. It covers every sin, every shame. It's the greatest freedom we can ever celebrate; the greatest sacrifice we could ever remember.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:12-13 Marilane Mesler of Forest Park is the print media director at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and a student at Beeson Divinity School. She is writing a book about her former fiance, Marine Lance Corp. Tim Creager of Memphis, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Chapters from her book can be read online at www.thisonecommand.com. E-mail: mcmesler@samford.edu.
Ellie
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Colors burst through darkness. Spiraling upward, arching downward, crackling to pieces overhead. Another Fourth of July has passed. Another trip to the beach. Another backyard barbecue.
The holiday comes and goes every year, same as the last. It is a time to re- member, to reflect on the freedom we've been given, to recall the sacrifices made. The fiery sparks rise and fall, a colorful reminder of lives laid down.
In Al Anbar, Iraq, billows of smoke swarm the desert sky. A 14-ton vehicle is wrenched into a ditch. Ammo rounds blast off in succession; the sharp smell of gunpowder fills the air. Six Marines dive from the wreckage. Flames lick the gunner's hands.
"Where's Creager?" he shouts. A comrade points to the smoking vehicle and shakes his head.
Another day in Iraq. Another roadside bomb. Another life claimed on a dusty highway near Baghdad. Who was this Marine? How will he be remembered?
"Tim Creager was a man of great faith. The kind of guy you want your daughter to marry and your sons to be like," said Rusty Wheelington, a minister who knew him well. "No one took Tim from us; he gave it (his life.)"
"Tim helped me with my walk with God," said Creager's sergeant, Brian Callendar. "He helped me out with those stumbling steps, and he turned them into stepping stones."
Hearing Tim pray over the phone with the girl he loved left a deep impression, Callendar said.
I was the girl he prayed with over the phone. Some days, he would wait in line for hours just to place the call. He was always so encouraging, so protecting - even though he was the one in harm's way.
"In all the chaos with bullets and rockets hitting right beside me or over me, I was praying - mostly for you. I wasn't worried for myself. I knew God had my back. I just prayed for you and my loved ones to comfort y'all and protect you," he said.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him. - Romans 15:13
In letters, he shared Scripture, promised his constant prayers and spoke of the highlight of his week:
"I'm so glad we're able to have somewhat of a service. We hold it in a small mud-brick shack that was blown up and sit on little wooden benches. It's as good as any church out there though. ... Here's a passage I want to dedicate to you and me. It's Psalm 121. It applies to both of us right now and always because I pray constantly for your safety and that the Lord watch over you. You're my angel - I'll be your guardian angel."
Tim died instantly on July 1, 2004. His comrades named the mud-brick chapel in his memory. Few remains were salvaged from the smoldering driver's hole; months later, a cleanup crew discovered his Bible - charred and brittle, but wholly intact.
Who was this Marine? How will he be remembered?
When all is said and done, the memory of this 21-year-old Marine will slowly fade. But the love of Christ that lived in him will carry on. It's a love given to all people. It covers every sin, every shame. It's the greatest freedom we can ever celebrate; the greatest sacrifice we could ever remember.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:12-13 Marilane Mesler of Forest Park is the print media director at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church and a student at Beeson Divinity School. She is writing a book about her former fiance, Marine Lance Corp. Tim Creager of Memphis, who was killed in Iraq in 2004. Chapters from her book can be read online at www.thisonecommand.com. E-mail: mcmesler@samford.edu.
Ellie