This story is an addendum to my last story about my brother’s entry into heaven. Danny Philpot’s story, like all tales, cannot be told in one simple obituary or eulogy. It is seventy-one years of real life with too many stories to tell and too many lessons to be learned.

One of those tales is from 1956. I was five and Danny was three. We literally lived in a trailer going from town to town since our dad was a travelling evangelist. Long after he died in 1992, I found an old book published in 1956 entitled “Evangelistic Sermons by Great Evangelists”. One of those sermons was from our father. “A Fixed Heart for a Confused World by Ford R. Philpot”. Oh how our dad must have been proud to be called a ‘great evangelist’ in the era before “evangelist’ became a dirty word. Billy Graham also had a chapter in the book and was the big cheese but Ford was in the club. For Danny and me, we never quite got over being the sons of Ford.

One of Danny’s significant stories started seventeen years after Ford’s heart finally quit on him. On December 4, 2009, Danny had a massive heart attack at age 56 and should have died. When he awakened from a ten-day coma, Danny claimed he had gone to heaven and back. He started a blog that only lasted about a year with a dozen or so sermonettes told by Danny about his time on the other side. He titled his blog “A Fixed Heart”, harkening back to Ford’s sermon but also the Philpot cardio-weakness. He came back to life with some new theology which not everyone liked. But he also came back with a new life in Christ. The ‘old Danny’ which we remembered from his youthful pastor days was making a comeback. In hindsight, it was like the older version of the Temptations or Rolling Stones on tour with gray hair, singing the same songs which we remember from youth, trying to be the young Temptations or Rolling Stones…… not the same, but still worth buying a ticket. You get the point, I hope. God gave Danny a Mulligan, and it was a good to be part of his comeback tour.

After his death, I looked again at his old ‘blog’. I was astounded to find a letter from me to Danny, written on the first anniversary of his heart attack. And as you will see, the letter remembers our days together as the sons of Ford. He was a massive figure in our lives that we really never got over. We lived in our father’s shadow, which made life complicated at times. Now, fourteen years later, it feels like someone else wrote the letter- and who knows, maybe He did.

December 4, 2010………..Danny,
It has been a year since we got the call that you had a massive heart attack and might not make it. You can imagine that such a call in the middle of the night is quite a shock. I knew you looked a lot healthier than you really were so I was not shocked in one sense but I was scared and frantic that it might be over. No more time to fix whatever needed fixing.

Thank the Lord your heart is being fixed. You had great doctors and good friends and family nearby to get you through.

Your blog about a ‘fixed heart’ has been a good thought provoker and I really appreciate it. It seemed easy to have all the answers in our 20’s but now, getting close to 60, I’m not sure about a whole lot. Once I get past Jesus Himself, I start getting confused, so I have no problem with any new insights you can give me on life and God and heaven. My mind and heart are more open now than when I was young. I thought I would have more answers at 60 than 20 but not so.

You may recall an old book from 1956 which I just found a couple of weeks ago: “Evangelistic Sermons from Great Evangelists”. This was way before evangelist was a dirty word thanks to TV guys who came after dad. I am sure dad was thrilled to be called one of the ‘great evangelists’ in the book. He had only graduated college in 1950 and had been a Christian less than 9 years, so you can imagine how he felt to be included in the book, among the ‘great evangelists’ like Billy Graham.

Sermon 9 in the book is “A Fixed Heart for a Confused World” by Ford Philpot”. I think I remember him preaching this sermon, and I am sure you stole the sermon and made it even better. Dad’s bio in the book ends with “The Rev. Mr. Philpot was married in 1940 to Virginia Robinson. They have two sons, Timothy Neil and Mark Daniel.”

I was 5 and you were 3. This was a time when we were totally secure in the love of God and our parents and probably where we need to return. Secure in the love of God and family. It has literally taken us an entire lifetime to even begin to understand what it means to have “a fixed heart for a confused world”. It was easier at 5 than 50. Being secure in the love of God has to be where it starts and part of that journey is simply returning to where we were at 5 and 3.

What a great title though for your blog and Dad’s sermon. Most versions of Psalm 57 talk about a heart that is “steadfast” or “confident” or “prepared”. Only really the KJV or older versions say a “fixed heart”, but I really like it because of the double meaning. He fixes our hearts (Physically and Spiritually) but only when we “fix” our broken and sick hearts on Him. We need to get ‘fixated’ on Him. Jesus fixed your heart with the help of doctors, and you are becoming fixated on Him. I like that.

It is now time for me to tell you a little story. However, frankly, it is too private to put on your blog for the world to see, so I will send you an email later. In short, thanks to this heart attack and the wake-up call that it provided you and all the family, I have graduated to a point where I can say I love you and mean it. I am thankful for your new life and am sure the Lord sent you back this way for a purpose that is good.

Have a great 1st anniversary of being ‘saved’ again. I love you, Tim”.

And then, Danny responded back with—-

“Tim, I love you, too. You are the best big brother a guy could ever hope for. Danny.”

So there you have it. We both got a Mulligan. Danny got fifteen more years on earth- a chance to finish well. I got a second chance at being a better big brother.

Do you need a second chance? To use some old King James Version language, “fix” your heart and eyes on Jesus. And then, find the courage to pick up the phone and call a brother who needs to return to the security of God’s love. God can fix anything! Amen.