The Unknowns

On the last day of our Baltimore Mission Trip, I went to Washington, DC with some members of our team to return the equipment we had borrowed. John McCarthy, former teammate of Scott Bray at the Univ. of South Alabama, operates a Summer Baseball Camp in DC that has been featured on the Today Show and National Public Radio. He allowed us to borrow equipment for our Baseball Clinics.

While we were in DC, “Johnny Mac” gave us a rapid, adrenaline rushed 2-hour tour of a few sites in the area. We visited the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and Arlington Cemetery.

While in Arlington Cemetery, we visited the Tomb of the Unknowns. The tomb holds the remains of soldiers “known but to God” from past Wars. The tomb is guarded 24-hours-per-day and 365-days-per year by specially trained members of the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard).

As a teenager, I had visited the Tomb of the Unknowns, but last week the experience was much more profound. The fanfare and solemnity of the Changing of the Guard led me to acknowledge the debt I owe to all the soldiers who have given their lives for our freedom. Furthermore, I was led to remember the “unknown” persons who have enriched my life and ministry.

Numerous individuals minister in our church without any acknowledgement. They do not desire recognition. They serve God obediently and sacrificially. Praise God for the “unknowns” who pray for our church and me on a regular basis. So, today I prayed that God would continue to guard and protect the unsung heroes of our church as we seek to impact the world through Jesus.