The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips
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The long and the short of it is this. After Andy’s trip to see John after his last appeal was denied, and after his trip to visit Gabe’s grave in Adamsburg, Andy started thinking about everything John had told him, especially the part about guilt and forgiveness. Andy knew guilt would kill him. It nearly did. The bullet holes in the walls of his cabin were meant for his head. I don’t know if he was so drunk that he missed, or if God pushed his hand up at just the right moment. Either way, his suicide attempt failed. That’s when he tore open the package from John and discovered both a letter and a small Gideons Bible. John’s letter answered Andy’s question by saying that he forgave the man who was sleeping with his wife the moment he found out about it. Then he went on to explain how such an act was impossible on a human level. John could forgive others because God had forgiven him. The little New Testament had several verses underlined for Andy to read, verses that explained both the hows and whys behind the forgiveness God offers through His Son, Jesus. By the way, the story of Zacchaeus was not one of the verses John had marked.
Andy started reading through what John had marked for him. The more he read, the more sense it made. Pretty soon, he discovered he believed what he was reading, which led to him making a life-altering decision. No, not the decision to pull a gun on the governor. That came later. No, this decision had to do with the direction of his life, and handing control of it over to Jesus. I know this sounds a little preachy, but, hey, it is what it is. Most people who don’t think much about God think anything that talks about Him is preachy. So there you have it. Guilty as charged.
Andy’s decision to follow Jesus ultimately led to his decision to make things right with John in the only way he knew how. It wasn’t just John. Andy carried a load of guilt about Loraine, and her suicide only made it worse. He had given her the gun she ultimately used to kill herself. She said she needed it for protection. Andy never would have guessed she needed to be protected from herself. God gave him a peace about all of this, but he still felt compelled to, in the words of Zacchaeus, pay back those he’d wronged. That led to setting John free, and it also led to him contacting me.
When the first letter arrived, my mother threw it away. And the second. And the third. And I don’t know how many. Pretty soon the letters arrived so frequently that she finally decided she ought to let me read one. I think I was around thirteen at the time. I didn’t even know I had a father. Well, I knew I had to have some sort of biological father. I had no illusions about being born of a virgin. But I never knew I had a father out there that was still alive. I’d built up this little fantasy about my dad as this heroic guy who was shot down in a blaze of glory after shooting down about fifty Nazi warplanes. So I wasn’t too good at history and I watched way too many John Wayne movies when I was a little kid. What can I say?
Actually, that isn’t entirely true. I knew my father had abandoned me, and I hated him for it. But until the letters arrived, he was just an invisible someone out there I despised. My fantasy dad would have hunted him down and killed him, if the Nazis hadn’t gotten to him first.
The letters from my dad started off with an apology for how he had wronged me. He also apologized for repeating himself, because he was going to say the same thing in every letter until he received word that I’d read one of them. After the way he treated my mother, he must have assumed she would throw them away. For the brief time they were married, he knew her pretty well. When I wrote him back the first time, I told him I’d received his letter and please don’t write back again. He ignored my request. The letters kept coming. When Andy Myers puts his mind to something, he gets it done. And he had put his mind to building a relationship with me. As you can see, it worked.
I read his letters. All of them. And I kept them. I still have them today. About the time I finished high school, I drove up from Saint Louis and visited him in prison. I was still skeptical, but eventually I came around. I prayed to receive Christ with my dad in that same prison visitation room several years later. That day changed my life, just like it changed his. Once I was forgiven, I realized that the one person I’d wronged above all others was my father. I wouldn’t forgive him for the longest time, even after I could tell he wanted my forgiveness more than anything else in this world. That’s all changed now. Like I said, my wife and I named our little boy after him. At least his first name. His middle name is Gabriel.
So that’s it. That’s my story. That’s why I’m here.
Discussion Group Questions
1. Gabriel Phillips is gone when the story begins, but his presence is powerful throughout. What about this little boy was so special that he would have such an impact on so many lives so long after his death?
2. John Phillips had a peace about his son’s death that was inconceivable to Andy Myers and most of the authorities. What about his demeanor and his speech do you think made him look so suspicious? Why do you think it was so easy to believe he was guilty?
3. Andy Myers threw himself into the investigation of Gabriel’s death and made it his personal campaign to get justice for the boy. What do you think was really behind this obsession?
4. Loraine Phillips asked Andy in his dreams and face to face a question that haunted him: What have we done? Why do you think this question was so troublesome for Andy? What do you think was the source of the guilt he felt?
5. John Phillips seemed to have experienced a dramatic transformation in prison and was embraced by his religious community. Do you think the change was real? Do you think even violent criminals can receive redemption?
6. Loraine Phillips could not recover from the death of her child or cope with the role she played and eventually took her own life. What do you think was the primary responsibility she had in these events? Why do you think her guilt consumed her? What could she have done to save herself?
7. Eli Williams was the prisoner nearly killed by John, yet he stood by John throughout his trial and appeals. Do you think you could forgive someone something that big and even befriend them? What do you think gave Eli the strength to be so forgiving?
8. Andy eventually came to comprehend something of what was behind John’s faith and peace. What do you believe was the turning point for him? What finally helped him to understand and accept the Christian message John had been trying to share with him?
9. Andy’s son serves as the narrator for the story and only learned about Andy through their correspondence while Andy was in prison. Do you think Andy’s determination to restore their relationship had a positive impact on his son’s life?
10. Many of the characters in this story deal with feelings of guilt and struggle with forgiveness. Which of these characters address these issues the right way and which handle them poorly? What do you think made the difference in how each of them did so?
11. John refused to defend himself in court and resigned himself to accepting whatever was in God’s will for his life. What do you think enabled him to have that resolve? Do you think you could be as open to God’s plan for your life, even if it meant taking punishment for a crime you didn’t commit?
12. John disappeared after Andy’s rescue at the planned execution and was never heard from again. Do you think running and hiding was out of character for him? If so, why do you think he did something so uncharacteristic? Do you think he saw this as another part of God’s plan for his life?
13. Andy provided John with the means to go anywhere and do anything. What do you think John did? What do you think he did with his newfound freedom?
14. There are a number of themes in this story that deal with interpersonal relationships and relationship with God. What do you think is the prevailing message of this story?
15. The title of this book is The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips. Why do you think it was phrased in this way? What message is in the arrangement of the words “Life” and “Death”?
About the Authors
Stephen Baldwin, actor, family man, born-again Christian. Through an impressive body of wo
rk, Stephen continues to be a popular and sought-after talent in the film and television industry. Stephen makes his home in upstate New York with his wife and two young daughters.
Mark Tabb has authored and co-authored over twenty books. His March, 2008 release, Mistaken Identity, debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. He also worked with Alec Baldwin on A Promise to Ourselves. Mark’s solo titles include the 2006 release, Living with Less, The Upside of Downsizing Your Life, and the 2004 ECPA Gold Medallion finalist, Out of the Whirlwind along with many other titles. Mark and his family live in Indiana.
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EXTRAORDINARY MEMOIR
In THE UNUSUAL SUSPECT Stephen Baldwin reveals his unbelievable change from a hardcore party boy to a hardcore follower of Jesus Christ. To Stephen, “hardcore faith” is the willingness to put your life and future completely in the hands of the invisible God, obeying His direction to the death. Stephen’s offers brazen observations about the culture at large and the work of the Church in it. The core of his message: “You must be willing to try faith God’s way, not yours, and when you do you will find a life beyond anything you could have dreamed.”
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