Dan Bowman
09-28-2005, 12:49 PM
Goodmorning sweet brothers and sisters in Christ,
Just back from another wilderness experience, this time in Lake Powell, Utah. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week with one of my hero's in life, Dr. Gary Kimmel. Gary is a retired oncologist who, in retirement, started a foundation, the Cancer Foundation For Life. The foundation is a post cancer treatment program that restores quality of life to patients through a free exercise program. Gary is an inspiration to the many patients who were wheel chair or bed bound, who are now active adults with a greater zest for living. He is a great inspiration to our community and to me as this was indeed a privilege to spend this time with him. Gary is also an active white water rafter, who invited me on this week long float on the Escalante River in search of the Anasazi Indian ruins.
Several days into our trip, we were sitting at dinner time on the banks of one of the canyons on the Escalante River, a major tributary into Lake Powell. I told Gary that I had a profound experience 30 years ago that was life changing for me and has become my life's purpose. I shared with him my personal testimony of learning of the Divine Love as I had been invited to a study group meeting led by Dr. George Stokes, Kathryn, Amy and several others in Santa Cruz, California many years ago. That this experience was so revolutionary for me that I am engaged in a process of personal change and transformation which has become my obsession, the seeking of my Father's Divine Love. I shared the inspirational writings of James Padgett and as well some of the controversial challenges to traditional Christian theology such as the Vicarious Atonement.
After I finished with my story, I listened to Gary's reaction to what I had shared. Gary is a deeply spiritual man who is broad minded as this is what he said. He said that he heard nothing in what I said that contradicted anything he had ever read or learned in the Bible. That the message of Gods Love is an unconditional gift to His children that is not contingent upon race, religion or belief. That all of the other extraneous beliefs such as reincarnation, trinity, virgin birth, ransom sacrifice etc. are not important compared to the main message of God's Love. That the main thing is the MAIN THING. Wow, what a revelatory response from someone who had never formally heard of this message of the Divine Love. We spoke of the distinction of the natural/Divine Love dichotomy and of the requirements involved in what it really meant to being "born again". That it what was simply not something that was completely embraced through simply acknowledging Jesus as one's personal saviour. That the Divine Love transformation is a process of evolvement and change as it were as the result of continual seeking and prayer for the Father's Love. I truly felt that we were not simply connecting in our beliefs but that there was a true soul connection and agreement.
As the result of this sharing with Gary, I have re-discovered again the personal power of one's testimony. That our testimony is our story to tell and that it needs to be told and re-told, that others may hear the good news. Gary and I talked about Jesus and the fact that one cannot go back, as we were doing in these canyons searching for Indian ruins, to find artifacts and pieces of Jesus' life. That he did not write a book, did not start a church and that there is little evidence of his life; except for the story that has been told and re-told. How is it that someone who had only taught for three years and did not write a book or start a church have the greatest impact upon the world over all other great teachers? It is because he personified the first fruits of the Fathers Love and that his story has become the greatest story ever told. Your story, your testimony is the greatest story you will ever tell. Share your story and you too will deeply touch the heart of others.
Your loving brother in Christ,
Dan
Just back from another wilderness experience, this time in Lake Powell, Utah. I had the wonderful opportunity to spend a week with one of my hero's in life, Dr. Gary Kimmel. Gary is a retired oncologist who, in retirement, started a foundation, the Cancer Foundation For Life. The foundation is a post cancer treatment program that restores quality of life to patients through a free exercise program. Gary is an inspiration to the many patients who were wheel chair or bed bound, who are now active adults with a greater zest for living. He is a great inspiration to our community and to me as this was indeed a privilege to spend this time with him. Gary is also an active white water rafter, who invited me on this week long float on the Escalante River in search of the Anasazi Indian ruins.
Several days into our trip, we were sitting at dinner time on the banks of one of the canyons on the Escalante River, a major tributary into Lake Powell. I told Gary that I had a profound experience 30 years ago that was life changing for me and has become my life's purpose. I shared with him my personal testimony of learning of the Divine Love as I had been invited to a study group meeting led by Dr. George Stokes, Kathryn, Amy and several others in Santa Cruz, California many years ago. That this experience was so revolutionary for me that I am engaged in a process of personal change and transformation which has become my obsession, the seeking of my Father's Divine Love. I shared the inspirational writings of James Padgett and as well some of the controversial challenges to traditional Christian theology such as the Vicarious Atonement.
After I finished with my story, I listened to Gary's reaction to what I had shared. Gary is a deeply spiritual man who is broad minded as this is what he said. He said that he heard nothing in what I said that contradicted anything he had ever read or learned in the Bible. That the message of Gods Love is an unconditional gift to His children that is not contingent upon race, religion or belief. That all of the other extraneous beliefs such as reincarnation, trinity, virgin birth, ransom sacrifice etc. are not important compared to the main message of God's Love. That the main thing is the MAIN THING. Wow, what a revelatory response from someone who had never formally heard of this message of the Divine Love. We spoke of the distinction of the natural/Divine Love dichotomy and of the requirements involved in what it really meant to being "born again". That it what was simply not something that was completely embraced through simply acknowledging Jesus as one's personal saviour. That the Divine Love transformation is a process of evolvement and change as it were as the result of continual seeking and prayer for the Father's Love. I truly felt that we were not simply connecting in our beliefs but that there was a true soul connection and agreement.
As the result of this sharing with Gary, I have re-discovered again the personal power of one's testimony. That our testimony is our story to tell and that it needs to be told and re-told, that others may hear the good news. Gary and I talked about Jesus and the fact that one cannot go back, as we were doing in these canyons searching for Indian ruins, to find artifacts and pieces of Jesus' life. That he did not write a book, did not start a church and that there is little evidence of his life; except for the story that has been told and re-told. How is it that someone who had only taught for three years and did not write a book or start a church have the greatest impact upon the world over all other great teachers? It is because he personified the first fruits of the Fathers Love and that his story has become the greatest story ever told. Your story, your testimony is the greatest story you will ever tell. Share your story and you too will deeply touch the heart of others.
Your loving brother in Christ,
Dan