"AN INSIDE PERSPECTIVE"
June
2021
By Phil Reardon
My Dear Family in Christ,
Ever-precious greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! I am very short.
The whole jail is abuzz with my release. Daily, I am peppered with questions. It
is a final chance to witness of our glorious Lord who brought me through it all!
Yes, I am what they call in the joint, “short,” meaning I have very little time
left to serve. Some say jokingly, “Philip, you are so short I cannot even have a
conversation with you.” Others chime, “Philip, you are so short you cannot even
finish your lunch.” The nay-sayers gleefully snipe, “We are finally getting rid
of this annoying, non-stop gospel-sharing, peanut-head preacher who has
terrorized these prison walls for Christ for thirty years!” It all comes with
being very short.
Years ago, all the way back in the early nineties, my path sovereignly crossed
with that of Sister Debbie’s. God soon birthed a ministry between us. Very
quickly, we discovered we had the same heart, mind, and love for the Lord and
His people. Most especially, our call was to the prisoner. We observed how the
Lord sought to redeem the worst of the worst, of whom I am the poster child! We
thought, “What better way to reach prisoners than Philip on the inside and
Debbie on the outside! A ministry made in Heaven!
We observed that he who had sinned the most really did love the most. Redeemed
prisoners had a very unique, even contagious joy about them. They sang a little
louder, obeyed quicker, and without question were much bolder in their
witnessing! We learned afresh that the graver your sinful life had been – the
more grateful you were for the bloody cross. I had sinned grievously over many
years. As such, no one has done a deeper study on the precious Blood than I
have. Of necessity, I have studied every verse about the Blood of Christ! Trust
me, only faith in the Blood of Christ begets peace in the soul. Works are moot;
nothing but the Blood alone can please God and satiate the conscience.
In the course of being short, I was asked a very poignant question. I was
quizzed, “Brother Philip, if you had to do these thirty years all over again,
what would you do differently?” I thought it was a very wise question coming
from one who had all his time ahead of him, and mine is now, thank God, all
behind me. Without hesitation I answered, “I would have kept a very accurate
log.” You see it was not a new thought to me, but one I had pondered as I slowly
became short. I had even spoken of it to the saintly Sister Debbie recently. I
told her, “I wish I had better logged all the works of the Lord through our
ministry.” The Lord’s hand has been timely and legion in His wonders performed;
and sadly, I could not remember them all! As we spoke on the phone, behold, one
more wonder! She knew nothing of any of this, yet said, “Philip, I was logging
all the letters you have written to me about all the Lord has done!” I was
dumbfounded. I had forgotten about those letters! She said there were thousands
of them! Unbeknownst to me, there was indeed a very accurate log kept of all the
Lord’s doings in our ministry while I was in prison!
We have served the Lord and His incarcerated people for the last 26 years
non-stop. Debbie is tireless in her service and devoted to the King above
measure. She has stood as a mighty warrioress, my tireless advocate, as I walked
with the Lord on these horrid tiers. Her faithfulness is impeccable. Finally, I
am very short – there is a new vision astir. We are seeking your prayers on how
the Lord will lead us in this new season.
It is written, “But this I say, brethren,
the time is short. . .” (1 Cor. 7:29a)
Have you considered, you too are very short? Our time on this earth, in light of
eternity, is but the batting of an eye.
“The days of our years are threescore
years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is
their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”
(Ps. 90:10) God’s Word is timeless.
Those with an ear to hear would do well to take heed and reassess their own
walk. We are all indeed very, very short! As such, perhaps you too are in need
of a new season; yes, a new vision astir for your life.
It is not a joke. You are so short (figuratively speaking) that people cannot
even finish a conversation with you! Therefore, your words must count. Do they
consist of Christ or the mundane nothingness of this fallen world? Unbelievers
chime daily, “Not to worry, you have plenty of time to finish your lunch!”
Beloved, man does not live on bread alone. You are very short! Does the
nay-saying Satan gleefully snipe, “I am finally getting rid of this annoying,
non-stop gospel-sharing, peanut-head preacher who has terrorized my unbelievers
all these years”? Or perhaps – he is not bothered by you at all. . .
Do you not know there will be a judgment seat of Christ? Trust me, the very
works of your life are all logged! You cannot snow the Snowman – God has all the
letters, and they are full of the works of your ministry! Are you asleep at the
gospel wheel? Are “your” shows more important to you than people going to hell?
If so, you will be found criminal because, without equivocation, sinners do go
to hell. Preacheth thou not? If not – repent. My time is over here; yours out
there is not. You are though, very, very short, and you have. . .
“VERY LITTLE TIME LEFT
TO SERVE!”
JOYFULLY IN JESUS,
LOVE, PHILIP