Hello  ,

As a winter storm rolled over Birmingham, Alabama on January 28th 2014, Dr. Zenko Hrynkiw heard that a patient at Trinity Medical Center had taken a turn for the worse. The patient needed surgery, no other surgeon was available, and the patient had a 90 percent chance of dying. Driving wasn't an option because of the snow and ice. Emergency personnel were busy.

So the 62-year-old doctor faced these brute facts and proceeded to take action. He put a coat over his hospital scrubs and started walking six miles in the snow from Brookwood Medical Center to Trinity Medical Center. Along the way, he fell and rolled down a hill, but he got back up. He helped some drivers who were stuck in the snow. He finally arrived at Trinity, performed the surgery, and probably saved a patient's life.

In a later press conference that praised his efforts, Dr. Zenko Hrynkiw wondered what all the fuss was about. He said, "It really wasn't that big of a deal." Any good doctor would have done the same thing, Hrynkiw said. The patient was dying and, he said, "that wasn't going to happen on my shift."

But a hospital official said the doctor was being modest. Keith Granger, Trinity Medical Center's CEO, said, "It was not just a walk in the park. Given the conditions, the temperatures and the terrain, it's a remarkable physical feat and mental feat. And we have an individual alive today who wouldn't be here if not for his efforts."*

Are the people that we meet worth the extra effort that we may have to invest when we help them, spiritually, financially, or physically?  The scriptures tell us that people are God's most precious creation, and that when we have done something of value for someone else...we have done it for Him.

Have a great day and God bless!

Pastor Mike / The Open Word