Reflections of a Soldier and Servant

As a WWII veteran and a minister of the gospel, Dean Nemecek knew what it meant to be a good soldier and a good servant of Jesus Christ. He served in the 100th Infantry Division as part of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe, earning the Bronze Star for meritorious service. He served for 56 years in the gospel ministry. So, when a serious illness kept him homebound for the last three years of his earthly journey, Dean pocketed his marching orders and kept right on serving his Lord through the written word. Drawing on years of experience, Dean began composing weekly devotionals that he faithfully sent to family and friends. Recipients looked forward to those weekly emails, and Dean was a blessing to many as his words travelled across six continents. In October 2007, Dean finished his race and went home to heaven, where most certainly he was greeted by his Lord with the words "Well done, good and faithful servant." As a celebration of his life and service, his weekly devotionals are compiled here in the order he wrote them. His wisdom and conversational tone are a remembrance of a life lived to the glory of God, and a lasting tribute to the spirit of the Greatest Generation. After WWII, Dean Nemecek returned to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He married Sylvia in 1949, and for the next 58 years they were partners in life and ministry. Dean pastored churches in Illinois and Michigan before becoming Dean of Students at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York. Retiring in 1988, he continued to minister as interim pastor for churches in western New York until 2004. Failing health kept him homebound until his death in October 2007.