DECEMBER 2025

Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my great honor and high privilege to share my heart with you once again! I had been up for hours sitting with the Lord. Debbie has coined me a cave dweller because she constantly discovers me sitting in what she considers “the dark.” I still treasure sitting in the dark, savoring memories of my old cell with my little book light on my bible. Some things just stay with a man.

It is written, “If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall belight about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” (Psalm 139:11-12 KJV)

The Bible consistently teaches that darkness is not the absence of God, but often the place where He reveals Himself most intimately. God is often found in the dark, not just after it passes. Thus it was for me. Although, I am keenly aware that I did not find the Lord, but He found me, and there – in the darkness of my sin! Yes, in the pitch black darkness of the hole, the prison for prisoners, I was found. Then, Christ (my Life) was with me daily for three long decades in the darkness of my cell. I rejoice forever more!

In the midst of my joyful darkness that November morning, I heard my Debbie beginning to stir upstairs. She, too, had begun to prepare for our morning ministry jaunt. We had to be at Rahway State Prison by 7:30 am. For almost three quarters of a year now, I had been pressing in against the system. I was trying to re-establish our “Visit Encouragement Ministry” to the men in Rahway, a maximum security joint where I had served my last 15 years. COVID, satan’s nefarious mutant child, thought it had put an arrow to the heart of our visiting ministry there. Not so – the Spirit of God resurrected it! And, this was to be our first day back! Know in your heart that satan never gets the last word around here! It is written, “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Romans 5:20b)

Perhaps, many of you are not aware of how radically COVID has changed the prison system. It taught the powers that be, through their fallen reasoning, that they did not need volunteers anymore. They quickly put everything onto tablets. Phone calls, visits, bible studies, videos, volunteer visits, etc., all went electronic. Everything morphed into the Zoom doctrine! The bigwigs found it (quite conveniently) to be very advantageous for them – much less work! Debbie and I continued to push hard against the beast of fake fellowship until
dagon finally fell to the Ark of Truth! Jesus Himself prevailed! Today was the day! Yes, we were leading our first visit team back inside of Rahway! Debbie, after 30 years of ministering in the “joints” herself, was all wound up with excitement! We had compiled a team of nine seasoned Christians and matched them with nine seasoned brothers from the inside; brothers whom I knew very well. I myself had worked with all of them on the inside in various stages of their growth over many years. I was very proud of them and very excited to see them! Amazingly, as we checked in, many officers stopped and greeted me with joy in that I was doing so well! I also ran into a special Christian officer, who is now a sergeant. He had been my wing cop for many years. We had been through much together; praying for each other through all of life’s issues. He also used to bring me real food.😋 When he saw me come
around the corner, and we locked eyes, we both started crying! All this while surrounded by tons of visitors and other officers. While wiping away his tears, and with a big smile, he chimed in. . . “I can’t do this here!”🙂 Then, for our humble pie, we all had to stand in the cold pouring rain for an hour as we checked in. Next, we went through the metal detectors, jumping through all the proverbial hoops. After the machines, we all got to stand, again by faith, for another half an hour in the cold pouring rain. Such is our joyful lot. Finally, at 9am, they let us in.

It was radically emotional for me. The whole of driving up to the prison from the outside was amazing! I was profoundly struck as the Lord impressed Debbie upon my heart. I just turned and looked at her without a word. In my heart, as I stood in the cold rain battling the police, the visitors, and all involved to get in, I thought, “This amazing woman did this to visit me for 26 years!” I fell in love with her deeper than ever that morning. I knew what she had done, but now, I myself had lived a small taste of what she had done. I knew her love for me was on another level. Behold, what manner of love is this? What loyalty to the Lord’s call to stay with me against all odds! What devotion and commitment to her Lord! I am, of course, with heart bowed, the humble beneficiary! As I walked into the packed visit hall, I felt like a rock star in Christ as officers and prisoners alike were calling my name. It was very humbling. It was always my prayer that my life in prison would leave the aroma of Christ! By
grace, as we follow close, the Spirit of the Lord spreads Christ’s savor through us – withersoever we go.

It is written, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)

Jesus Christ saw us sitting in the dark cell of our sin. He stepped out of glory into our darkness and stood in the flesh. He waited 33 some odd years, in the cold rain of time, for His eternal purpose on the cross to come. We will never fully comprehend all the Lord endured upon the altar of His cross. But, a small taste may be ours in the sacrifice of our lives for Him! This is an amazing Savior! Reflect on all He did for you, and fall in love with Him deeper than ever! His love for you is on another level! It is written, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,. . .” (1 John 3:1). What loyalty, devotion, and commitment to you by Christ! Let us recognize afresh, by faith, that we are the humble beneficiaries of Heaven’s best! Jesus has done for us what we couldn’t! After Christ’s return, having finished His work of holy judgment, He will walk back into a packed Heaven! Unimaginable numbers of redeemed rascals of every flavor will be shouting the Name! Jesus Christ is indeed the proverbial One and Only. . .

“ROCK STAR OF HEAVEN!”

JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP