The Fishers of Men call: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matthew 4:19, NIV)

There were five of us that shared a house during my college years, but three of us were especially close. Bainbridge boys we were, and we spent our lives in those days fishing for fun. I have to admit to being the wildest of the three. After all, I was a little older and had spent almost four years in the military, three of which were in Europe. That made me the most “experienced” of the bunch.

Then, tragedy struck. My niece Ellen (to whom I was very close) was diagnosed with bone cancer. It spread quickly, and I was overwhelmed at her faith and love for Christ through all the suffering. She soon died. I was devastated.

Fishers of Men Experience

Shortly after Ellen’s death, I was invited to some kind of crusade that was being held in a tobacco warehouse by my nephew, Ellen’s brother, who was just thirteen at the time. I agreed to go, to humor him. That night, April 25th, 1966, I was gloriously saved by the grace of God. I went back to the house that evening and told my two friends what had happened. I guess I didn’t realize at the time that I was now fishing for men.

One said, “Oh, my god! Phillip’s got religion.”

My other friend slapped his knees, rolled back on the bed laughing, and used an expletive.

Five days later I had to move out of our house. My life had been changed permanently. I could not continue to live where or how I had previously.

I was just one of the three! But God was not finished.

Time passed. I moved, married, pastored, etc. However, I never stopped praying for and reminding my friends what God did for me, Phillip the Wild Man.

TODAY, I can say that the three of us are closer than we have ever been, for NOW they are brothers in Christ, on fire for Jesus, and FISHERS OF MEN.

“Father, I thank you for using Ellen to reach me and then Gene and Roy and who knows how many others” AMEN!

By Austin Phillips
Edited by Stephanie Pack