Not too long ago, I had one of those difficult conversations that was brought to me by a good friend. He started out by saying, “you have seemed short and irritated lately. . . you ok?” Though I hated hearing this from my friend, I knew it was true. I had thought I was hiding things from others better, but apparently I was not.

I had grown bitter over several disappointments in life. Some were personal, like the severing of a relationship I had held dear and the distancing of several others. Some of the disappointments were professional. I had been feeling like much of my hard and heart-felt work had been barren and fruitless. I was lonely and missing home. All this had piled up on me.

Somewhere along the line anger had set in. Not the kind where you go on drinking binges or pick fights with randoms. More like the kind of anger where [Read more…]

(This the second post I have done on the anniversary of the passing of my friend and Christian brother, Philip Andrew Clarke. If you have not read the first post, please CLICK HERE and read it first.)

It was a crisp, cold winter day in Atlanta, Georgia. The sun was shining, but the world still seemed dark. I woke up in our little rented home off the Georgia Tech campus only to see the door down the hall open. The sight of Phil Clarke’s empty bed is still seared in my brain.

Our house had been filled with students since word spread around campus that Phil had passed four days earlier. It was now quiet and empty. David Moon and I drove to ChristChurch Presbyterian, where the church was packed.

The funeral of Phil Clarke is a day I will never forget. It was 17 years ago today.

Al LaCour, our beloved pastor, gave the main message at the service. It was an amazing talk, as Al was very close with Phil. He was able to tie in the message with a strong knowledge of Phil on a personal level.

Wade Williams, Stacy Quiros, and others provided rich and meaningful worship through music. I remember sitting to the right of the stage crying the entire time. The music was beautiful. There really was a sense of the presence of heaven and the Savior of [Read more…]

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…]