A Few Good Men
Today my family and I say good bye for the last time in this life to Mel Carrothers. Mel was a good man. Mel truned 80 the day he passed away. He was married to his wife Kay for 60 years. They had 3 children, and 4 grand children. Mel worked his career at Boeing with computers before there were pc’s. Mel and Kay were founding members of Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Washington and Mel served as an elder in that church for many years. A few weeks ago Mel began to feel tired. They took him to the doctor and they discovered Leukemia. Mel only lived another 3 weeks after the diagnosis. Mel and Kay lived life well, but it wasn’t easy. They raised a child with special needs before the support was there. They helped shape Overlake Christain Church into the great place that has become.
Back in April of this year, my family and I also said our last earthly good byes to my brother Heath. Heath was a good man. Heath was 42 when he passed away. Heath was married to his wife Brandi for 18 years. They had 3 girls. Heath and his family were working in Africa before he got sick. After his cancer diagnosis his family moved to the Dallas, Texas area for treatment. He had been battling brain tumors for 16 months. Heath led his family to a foreign country to work and serve those less fortunate than themselves. He helped change the lives of countless people through his work, and he bravely fought the tumors that were ravaging his brain.
A Few Good Men
What defines good men? Wealth? Hardly. There are plenty of people with lots of money who are not good people. Success? In what? You could be a success in business and be a good person. You could be a great speaker or writer or musician and be a good person, but there are also plenty of people who are a success who we would not consider good people. Position? again it doesn’t follow that position always equals the traits to be considered good. If we went off these traits people like Mother Theresa, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Martin Luther King wouldn’t be considered good people. So what makes a person good? People who think more about others than themselves? People who practice generosity with their time, money, and possessions? People who work on issues that can transform society?
Here are some thoughts on this idea from the late Rich Mullins. He was another good man. He died in a car accident at a young age. But he understood what it took to be a good man. “People who are brave when they need to be, people who know how to struggle, people who shape our destiny, and people who care enough to risk their life for the love of what they have come to believe.”
A Few Good Men
Who do you know like this? Is there someone in your life who embodies these traits? Who are the few good men in your life?
Here is a song “A Few Good Men” by Rich Mullins off his self titled album from 1986.
https://youtu.be/i10ePs8yeEc