I am grateful to the Lord for the opportunity I had this past weekend to participate in the surprise birthday celebration of one my dearest friends, Doug Phillips. The event was held in North Carolina at the Brown family’s farm and it was a time I will not soon forget. Many life long memories were made during this truly blessed time.

The most important aspect of the trip for me was, of course, the birthday boy. Douglas Winston Phillips is an example of a man who fears God and desires to please Him in every aspect of his life. He is a faithful husband, father, and church shepherd, who not only articulates the truth, but lives it out with every fiber in his being.

I am grateful to the Lord that I can call Doug a friend, an elder, and a co-laborer in the many battles that we face as men that stand for truth. As a young man, I am blessed to have Doug as an example of an older and wiser man that has gone before me. Praise be to the Lord for allowing Doug another year on this earth, and praise be to the Lord for allowing me the opportunity to be a part of his birthday festivities.