He was one of the 17 people who were killed by a gunman in the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.  His name was Aaron Feis, a 37-year-old a father and husband, who served as an assistant football coach and a mentor to many students.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel spoke at Feis’ funeral on February 22nd.  He said of
Feis, “Before you even heard how he died, you knew he died putting himself in harm's way to save others.  That's who he was.”  The sheriff said that while others were “correctly running away from danger,” Feis was “running toward danger” to help students.

The sheriff knew Feis personally.  “I coached with him. My two boys played for him,” Israel said. “The kids in this community loved him, adored him.”

Family friend Brandon Corona described him as loving, strong, kind, and patient.  Feis gave rides home to students who needed it and “he was a counselor to those who had no father figure,” Corona said.

The school's football team wrote on Twitter, “He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories.” *

Michael Strahan of ABC’s Good Morning America described Feis’ actions: “[It was] an incredible act of heroism during that deadly school rampage.  Assistant coach Aaron Feis acted as a human shield coming between the students and the bullets, sacrificing his own life to save others.”

When you and I were in the fatal clutches of sin (Romans 6:23), Jesus came to us to save us.  Only He could do so, for He was and is the sinless Son of God.  The Apostle Peter explains Christ’s atoning death: “He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed…  Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 2:24; 3:18 NIV).  Jesus took
the punishment for our sins on the cross, “shielding us” from the wrath of a holy God upon sin.

“6For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-10).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  The blood that Jesus shed for us will continue to cleanse us as we continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Won’t YOU accept the offer of salvation and eternal life that came at such a great cost?

- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “Slain football coach ran 'toward danger' to save students in school shooting, sheriff says at funeral” by Emily Shapiro of www.abcnews.com.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org