I met Randy Phillips on the campus of Mississippi State University in 2002. I had taken a break between classes to sit and read in the Chapel of Memories, a place I was sure to be alone in the middle of a weekday morning. I was reading a book by Phillip Yancey called “The Jesus I Never Knew,” when I felt a presence near me. No, it wasn’t Jesus. Or even an angel. It was a tall, middle-aged man with glasses and a ridiculously firm handshake.
He asked me what I was reading, and I showed him the book. His response was, “Well, do you know Him?” This was a play on the title of the book, but in my ignorance I thought he was asking if I knew the author, Phillip Yancey. So I said, “No,” before realizing he was asking if I knew Jesus. Quickly, and awkwardly, I corrected myself.
We then shared a brief, cordial conversation, and Randy left me with a verse of scripture to encourage me: “May those who fear You rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:74).
This seemingly chance encounter stuck with me, so much so that when I saw Randy a few weeks later, I ran to catch up with him and reintroduce myself. At that time, I had very little concept of what discipleship was, but I felt compelled to ask Randy to meet with me and discuss the bible. He happily agreed, pulled out a planner, and wrote my name in it. I noticed then that there were several other names recorded in that planner, and came to realize later that Randy mentored many young men over the years.
Randy and I met almost every week for over two years, usually in the bakery on campus (which to my dismay has now been converted to a burrito shop). He would always bring his King James bible, a spiral notepad, and his pouch of scripture memory cards. Most of the time, we would simply study the Bible together, stopping frequently for him to ask me questions and help me understand what was written. He also encouraged me to memorize scripture, which has proven to be perhaps the best discipline in my entire life.
Whenever I showed up to a meeting without having read my bible that week, Randy would very kindly remind me of the value of loving God and studying His word. He was never demeaning in his correction, but he didn’t let me off the hook, either. One of the verses he loved to quote was, “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). And for Randy, that verse was true. It was written all over his life.
Often, Randy would have me over to his home to visit with his family. I got to see how he loved his wife and children, which had just as much impact on me as our bible study. It is worth mentioning at this point that Randy was not a pastor. He had no seminary training. He was as average and unassuming as they come, but he delighted in Jesus and wanted only to make Him known to others.
I can still remember a day in my senior year – I could take you back to the exact place we were sitting – when Randy told me he was proud of me. I come to tears every time I think of those words, because they just meant so much coming from him.
After college, I kept up with Randy fairly often. I made sure to see him when I came to town. But it was on Facebook that I first learned of his fight with cancer. It was aggressive melanoma, and over the course of many months, it weakened him severely. Toward the end, he lost his ability to speak. Nothing, however, could diminish his great love for God and his family. Through it all, he suffered well. In October 2013, at the age of 56, Randy passed away in his home and went to be with the Lord.
At his funeral the following Saturday, so many came that they had to setup an overflow room with a video stream of the service. At one point, Randy’s oldest son asked for all the men whom Randy had discipled to stand. Dozens stood, and what a privilege it was for me to be in that number! Then, he asked for second-generation disciples to stand – people who had been discipled by one of Randy’s disciples – and dozens more stood.
It was a living picture of what Paul instructed Timothy: “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). There, at the funeral, it occurred to me that Randy’s influence was in no way limited to me. He discipled many men, and because his impact was so profound, countless others will be indebted to him even long after he is gone.
This is the purpose for which Jesus has saved us and called us to live! Hardly a day goes by that I don’t reflect on that funeral service and think, This is the reason I’m on the earth, and my life will be significant to the degree that I do for others what Randy did for me.
This story is also a huge part of the formation of Harvest Church, which is why I wanted to post it to our blog. So much of our purpose in starting this church is to live out together the Great Commission of Jesus, to make disciples of all people.
If you have questions about the why and how of disciple-making, or wish to know more about how we hope to implement this in our community, please send me an email anytime at kyle@harvestmadison.com. Please also FOLLOW this blog at the bottom of the page, and you will receive an email each time we post an update.
P.S. On the day Randy died, I had the great privilege of telling this story at Pinelake’s Wednesday night service. You can watch it here.
