A couple of years ago my brother Jeff and I were on our way to Mobile, Alabama. Our father Richard had injured himself and was on the burn ward there. My father has become very debilitated with Parkinson's, which has progressed over the past 8 years to the point were he is now, other than for brief periods, bed ridden. As the disease progressed he became weaker and weaker; at times he would injure himself, this was one of those times. He had gotten into a bath tub in a hotel in Pensacola, FL, and had turned on the hot water; he was unable to turn on the cold water, nor get out of the bath tub, nor turn off the hot water. His feet became badly burned from the near boiling water. My brother Jeff and I met up in Shreveport, LA to take the long drive together to Mobile, AL, in order transport our parents back to Texas. We knew that my father and Phil Robertson had gone to college together, so as we came into West Monroe, LA, we decided to stop by Duck Commander, it was a Sunday, so they were closed, but while we were in the parking lot Phil surprisingly came out of the building. My parents, Phil and Kay were all neighbors during college. My father the star of the basketball team, Phil the star of the football team, they knew of one another, but were not friends. We told Phil that we were on the way to Mobile to see our father, he remembered him and was very concerned about his situation. He offered us his prayers of support and wanted to know if there was anything he could do. We knew when talking to Phil that he loved God as well as his neighbor. A simple man, not at all simple in intelligence, but simple in spirit. A humble, gentle, and merciful man; without pretension or arrogance of any sort. I would like to, as Phil did for us that day, when we needed it. Offer my families prayers of support to both Phil and the entire Robertson family. May The Lord of glory, Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God provide you all with strength of faith and character as you go through this difficult and very public trial.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.
“ If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘ A slave is not greater than his master. ’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘ They hated ME without A cause. ’
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. (John 15:12-27)
Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ
