John Gunter

Thoughts on Life and Living

Remembering my friend (processing the life & death of Philip Clarke)

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Phil Clarke with John Gunter in the last year of Phil's life
Phil Clarke (right) & me doing everyday life in college

Twenty years is a long time.  Twenty years is but a moment in time. Today I feel the acute juxtaposition of being caught between these two statements.

Twenty years ago today, my friend and brother in Christ, Philip Andrew Clarke woke up in the house we lived in on Ethel Street in Atlanta, Georgia and he entered eternity a few hours later.

Twenty years later, Phil is still on my mind, in my heart, and, honestly, Phil has been reflected in just about every substantial decision I have ever made in life. This statement sounds strange, I know, but it is true.

Today I have been simply looking over the picture above. Though grainy [Read more…]

The moment Tracey and Phil met

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Here is Tracey Clarke's "Chosen" hanging in the owner's house.
Here is Tracey Clarke’s “Chosen” hanging in the owner’s house.

It was almost three weeks to the day from when Philip Clarke passed into eternity.  I was attending a large Christian conference for college students.  Ironically, Phil had been in charge of recruiting for this conference at Georgia Tech in the fall, at least until his death on December 7th.

The conference was highly emotional for me and the rest of Phil’s friends which were in attendance, but we held it together.  We learned.  We worshiped.  We leaned upon each other.

The final night of the conference, I was standing against the back wall of the conference room.

[Read more…]

3 invaluable life lessons from the death of a best friend

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L to R: Zan Ianerina, Julian Krevere, Phil Autry, Troy Coons, Howie Espensheid,and Philip Clarke at a BIble study a few months prior to Phil Clarke's passing.
L to R: Suzanne Iannarino, Julian Krevere, Phil Autry, Troy Coons, Howie Espenshied (Campus
Minister at Tech), and Philip Clarke at a Bible study a few months prior to his passing.

I was deeply and eternally impacted by the life and premature death of a best friend. His name was Philip Andrew Clarke and he passed on to heaven 18 years ago this week.

As I said in a post last year, Phil was a best friend and brother in Christ of the highest order. It is incredible how I can STILL miss someone who has been gone for so long, but I do. It is not as often as it used to be, but thoughts, memories, and emotions of Phil, his friendship, and powerful life still hold a big piece of my heart. Amazing.

Upon Phil’s passing, I made two personal commitments. [Read more…]

In celebration of “death”

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Sam, Young Mee, and I when they visited me here 18 months after the the story of this post
Sam, Young Mee, and I when they visited me here 18 months after the the story of this post

Sam Shin and I met each other the summer before our 8th grade year.  We have been like brothers since 10th grade.  We have literally traveled the world together, were roommates in college, and have shared 2,394,173 laughs together.

In the process, my family became his and his family mine.

His parents, Mr. & Mrs. Shin, were first generation immigrants to the US.   They moved to Atlanta in the early 1970s, fairly soon after Mr. Shin had experienced a life altering conversion to Christianity.  As best as I can tell, Mr. & Mrs. Shin were among the patriarchs of the Korean-Christian community in Atlanta, which is now a sizable, influential, and wonderful group of people.

Mr. Shin runs an upholstery shop and Mrs. Shin worked in the back some, but mainly raised Sam and his five older sisters.  All six of the children have graduated from top-tier universities and have Godly, strong households of their own.

In February 2006, I was in Atlanta working and starting a grad degree.  Sam and his wife, Young Mee, were living in Denver.  Sam called to let me know he was coming to town.  I knew his Mom was sick, but it had taken a bad turn.  Two days later, Sam called me from a hospice in Atlanta.  Mrs. Shin was not doing well.

I arrived to the hospice about 30 minutes later.  One of Sam’s sisters, Jae I believe, met me in the parking lot.  “Mom wants to see you before she goes. ”  This was the first time I internalized the gravity of Mrs. Shin’s condition. [Read more…]

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