My Dear Family in Christ,
Ever precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! It is my great honor and privilege to share my heart with you once again. In 1994, I had been in Trenton State Prison for only a few months, and I was settling in (if there be such a thing). The Lord had anointed me, by grace, with a missionary mindset, indeed, His very perspective of where I was. He had allowed my sin to bring me to a maximum security prison, but the Spirit of God immediately translated me out of the kingdom of darkness and into His marvelous Light! Ten days later, in Christ, He had filled me, and I was full. Having been forgiven so very much – the gospel of grace could not but fall from my lips! I was young and feisty in the Lord; zealous to say the least. I was not beyond dragging a joker into the Kingdom! I could not understand why everyone did not just receive Christ. I challenged men daily, “Bro, you’re a sinner, and Jesus is the only Savior – what’s the hold-up?” Yet gobbling up the Word daily, I was still growing in the knowledge of the Lord’s ways!
Then, the Lord put Willis on my heart. I began to share the Lord with him. He was polite, yet always fleeing from me, not quite unlike Jonah. At the time, I was a “runner” on my wing. A runner is a man who is allowed out of his cell when everyone else is locked in. I was always mopping, cleaning, or whatever. I would “run” things from one cell to another for the officer and the prisoners. Apart from me, they could do nothing. 😃 More than that, in the big picture, I could go from cell to cell sharing the gospel, which was my true want. I was keenly aware that I had a captive audience. Willis used to like to stay clean cut. He would come out of his cell regularly to get a haircut. Prayerfully, even premeditatively, I waited for Him. When he got into the barber chair – it was over. There was no more running – dude was in his wig, and Willis could not run! He was cornered; and it came to pass that the Lord saved him. Rory was already saved when I got there. We became great brothers in the Lord, and we were always yelling the Word back and forth to each other through the bars. Tony, who had led me to Christ back in the county jail, was in the cell next to Rory. He preached the gospel to me through an air vent when I was in the hole about to kill myself. The Lord is always weaving lives together, yet only hindsight perceives His wisdom. Yo, you can’t make this stuf up! Every chance I got, I was in the big yard working out and sharing the Word with my bible always in my boot. I was a “new-jack” and men would watch what I was doing. Then, they would come over to me and point to the pull-up bar and say, “Yo Philip, you see those two guys? That’s Eric and Nasty. Do not go near them! They are always stabbing people up real bad!” These scallywags had the reputation of being the “worst of the worst” – amongst the worst. Mind you now, I am in Trenton State Prison. It’s no joke! Most of these rascals got “life” for their sentence and are called “lifers.” They have no reason to obey the police or anybody else for that matter. What are they gonna do to them – give them another fve years? They have a life sentence! They don’t care about anything! A plethora of men warned me about these rascals. Leaning on my own understanding, I thought to myself, “OK Lord, thanks for the warning.”
Not long thereafter, as I was sitting beneath the 30-foot wall, another guy came with a warning, “Don’t go near them!” No sooner had he walked away when I heard a still small voice in my spirit say, “They are mine; go get them.” Fear immediately took hold of me. I thought, “Are You talking to me Lord? I know You heard all those warnings I received, right? Weren’t those warnings from You?” The still small voice continued: “They are mine; go get them.” At this point, I already knew the angelic, sister Debbie, so we began to pray over them. Knowing that obedience trumps fear, I went to them. I fgured, if the Lord was sending me, He would protect me. Thankfully, I did not think about what happened to Jesus! Truth be told, it was the enemy using others to cause me to fear speaking with them. Yes, these were a couple of gnarly rascals, Eric being a wall-to-wall tattooed skinhead; yet, just like the rest of us, they needed Christ. The Lord has clearly shown me – we all come out of the same dumpster! I simply spoke the Truth in love – the gospel. They had no column to put God’s love in. In the process of time, Love slew them both. Salvation is of the Lord! Yo, you can’t make this stuff up!
It is written, “And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see your face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.” (Genesis 48:11)
In the process of time, even over decades, Willis was released from prison. He eventually married the impeccably godly Sharon, whom he had met years before through our ministry. It came to pass, Willis was ordained a Pastor and planted a church in “the hood” in Trenton. Rory was also released and got on his feet. He was from Trenton and eventually joined Willis’ church. By grace, he was ordained as head deacon.
Finally, over time, Mark too (yes, alias Nasty) was released from prison. He was now broken and being used by the Lord. He was also gifted with a godly wife, Jenni, whom he loves with all of his heart. As if that was not enough, knowing that where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more, Mark, in his seasoned years, received a son from the Lord – whose name is Elijah! Mark also settled close to Trenton. He, too, joined Willis’ church and will be ordained as assistant pastor on June 9th.
Brother John is a young man full of the Spirit of God. Young in the Lord, he had fallen, but had gotten right back up. I met him this past summer in our current ministry at the Hudson County Correctional Center. I began to disciple him, and we grew very close. We soon discovered he had come to Christ at Willis’ church before being locked up! By grace, he was released to the Mission in Trenton. Sovereignly, he also now attends Willis’ church! Yo, you can’t make this stuff up!
Finally, preaching at Willis’ church last month, as I stood behind the pulpit, I was overcome with the goodness of God. I wept as I looked out over the congregation. There sat faithful Rory, older and seasoned. Behind him, the strong and growing brother John, a son after my own heart. On the side, the joy of my heart, Pastor Willis, stood tall in the Lord, sporting a three-piece suit with the saintly Sharon at his side – pretty as the flowers in spring. Finally, Mark, my most special son, was there with his lovely wife, Jenni, (son, Elijah, safe at home). God calls those things that are not, as though they were. Here, I thought not to see Mark’s face again: and, lo, God hath showed me his seed also! Yo. . .
“YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!”
JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP
“REMEMBER THOSE IN PRISON AS IF CHAINED TO THEM.”
