First impressions of this man would likely be that he was a kind man with a friendly smile – and he was.  He greeted everyone as they entered the doors of the Creekwood Church of Christ building, offering a church bulletin, a warm welcome, and a smile.  He was known to be a rather quiet and mild-mannered man, but there was so much more to Al Warsh.  He was very unique.  Here are a few examples of his uniqueness:

Al was a skydiver in his younger years.  He jumped out of an airplane and parachuted to the ground some 1,250 times.  No, he wasn’t in the military; he did it for fun.

Al practiced Tai Chi.  “Tai Chi is a series of gentle physical exercises and stretches.  Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion.  Tai Chi is sometimes described as meditation in motion because it promotes serenity through gentle movements — connecting the mind and body” (from www.mayoclinic.org).  Al taught Tai Chi to others so that they could receive the physical and mental benefits of the exercises.

Al was a grade checker.  “A grade checker works in the construction industry, typically on roadways, to set grade stakes meant to guide equipment operators on sloping highways and embankments. In this career, you set these grade stakes using hand tools, measuring instruments, and using specified ratios” (from www.ziprecruiter.com).   A friend and fellow engineer told Al’s wife, Eunice, that Al was the best grade checker in California.

Al was an alcoholic.  By the grace of God and with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous, he was sober for over 40 of the last years of his life.  Al knew what it was to battle the addiction and sought to help others in their struggles.  He worked as a volunteer with AA, beginning in the late 1980s.  He mentored many alcoholics.  He ran the AA office in Mobile for many years.

Al was a Christian.  He recognized that despite the mistakes of his past that God loved him and desired to save him through the gift of His Son Jesus.  Al obeyed the Gospel and embraced the love and grace that are found in Christ.  He sought to follow in the steps of Jesus by serving God as he served others.  Countless lives have been blessed because of Al’s kind and compassionate care.

Like Al, every person is unique.  You are unique.  And each of us is uniquely loved by God.  God doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9) but desires all to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  Our sins condemn us, but God loves us and has made provision for our salvation through the death of His Son on the cross (Romans 5:8).

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).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

Each of us is unique and uniquely loved by God.  Like Al Warsh, may each of us accept God’s love, grace, and salvation by submitting our lives to Him and living out our days in service to others.

-- David A. Sargent

* In Loving Memory of Alan James Warsh (June 14, 1947 – August 4, 2022).  Until we meet again.

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