Last year, a tornado ripped through the community of Parkersburg and 4 other towns, devastating hundreds of lives in an instant. Today, a different type of tornado ripped through Parkersburg when a disturbed former student walked into the weight room this morning and gunned down beloved football coach, Ed Thomas. (Here's a Google News link)
I learned via email about this sad incident from my friend Andy (who attended Aplington-Parkersburg High School himself) asking for prayer for Ed, his family, the gunman, the gunman's family, those who witnessed the shooting, and the entire town.
Andy's brother, Aaron Kampman, linebacker for the Green Bay Packers and former Aplington-Parkersburg star under Coach Thomas, has released this press release (which I am posting here so that people can see it in its entirety in case the media decides to truncate it):
Coach Thomas was very special to me and many other young men from the Aplington-Parkersburg communities. His legacy for many will be identified with his tremendous success as a football coach. However, I believe his largest legacy comes not in how many football games he won or lost but in the fact that he was a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He lived his life trying to exemplify this faith and convey those values to those under his influence. His faith in Christ pervaded everything that he did and that is why in the midst of the heartache we all feel there is comfort in knowing he is with his Savior.
Please pray for Ed's family and the entire town as they deal with yet another emotional blow. I never had the chance to meet Coach Thomas, but it's clear how much he mattered to the community. He chose to stay and serve his community, when I'm sure he had multiple opportunities to go coach at "bigger" places, so I admire the servant leadership attitude he carried in life based on this thought.
One last thought: it is inspires me to know that Ed wasn't like most Americans who say they are "Christian" because of their family's church affiliation, but that he genuinely lived his life with Christ at the center. May Coach Thomas' legacy inspire more to live life as he did - with Christ at the center - loving, leading, and serving those around.
No comments:
Post a Comment