Today, 17 years ago, my life was drastically altered. Though life has moved on, my life has never been the same.
Philip Andrew Clarke was everything a best friend should be. Fun to be around. A man of extraordinary character. Smart. Loyal. An incredible sense of humor. Genuinely caring, especially for a college student of 22 years old. He was a committed friend, loyal as the day is long, and a joy to do life with.
Phil was my roommate. Phil, Troy Coons, Phil Autry, and I formed a common bond over a new-found faith in Christ and a mutual deep commitment to growing as Christian men. We wanted to be men of character. We wanted to be men of impact. Through these mutual commitments and desires, we were drawn together. Through this, we formed a ministry that reached out to the entire Greek system at Georgia Tech, though we only represented three of the 32 fraternities.
Looking back, I now see that this common goal, this common desire to grow in Christ and reach out to those around us formed the bonds of friendship that would last a lifetime.
On the morning of December 7, 1995, Phil went hunting for the first time in his life with three of my other close friends, including David Moon and Eugene Kim. Tragedy struck. Phil was accidentally shot and he instantly graduated to heaven and the embrace of the Savior whom Phil so longed to serve and honor in this life.
It’s been 17 years, yet as I type this it as if it were yesterday. My heart is heavy in my chest and tears [Read more…]