Drama of the Dawning

There is that missing link in religion that is more caught than taught. That link is what I’ve learned to be the drama of the dawning. There are dawning’s before and after the core dawning. You can experience the drama of the dawning.
My late friend, Joe Sheppard, who I called The Prophet, once made a profound statement to me. He explained his thoughts on spiritual conversion.
“Ron,” he said in our passing conversation, “why people can’t see it, I don’t understand why.”
“See what Joe?” I asked quickly.
“That becoming a Christian actually begins with the drama of the dawning.”
“What do you mean…what are you really saying?” I immediately urged him to tell me.
The Prophet continued, “I mean this is where the rubber meets the road, when a person truly comes to know God through His Son, Jesus Christ. No decision, commitment or any other act of faith means anything until first that awesome drama of the dawning occurs.
This is the embodiment of God’s plan for all of us—to have that dawning, that burst of reality that our Creator became ‘a you and a me’ to set us free.”
“So what you are saying, talk is cheap by anyone who claims to be a Christian but really never has experienced the drama of the dawning? Right?” I asked inquisitively.
“That’s right. No dawning and you’re just kidding yourself. It is after the dawning that you begin your faith-trip following Christ. From the drama of the dawning you also begin to better understand why your own Creator became a creature like you and me to pave the way for our salvation.
The dawning is the most intense, mind-blowing occurrence a person will ever experience in their lifetime—nothing will ever even come close in comparison. It is the ultimate of your religious awakening.
Not everybody experiences what the Apostle Paul did on the road to Damascus, but the same drama of the dawning still takes place. Let’s face it, every individual is unique and different here. People have so many factors that affect their attitude and belief system; you might say inside and outside.”
As Joe’s voice trailed off, I suddenly realized the enormous impact and the importance of the point he was making. You cannot know God without the drama of the dawning. You can’t! This is when God gets to you, and inside you—inside your very being.
Incredulous to some people? Yes. Christianity is not for everyone by no means. God’s miraculous behavior can easily be misunderstood. That first realization and new understanding you experience becomes the commencement of your personal relationship to Jesus Christ from then until your death—and literally into eternity.
The dawning is the root of your conversion. It is the catalyst where your spiritual birth begins. Believe me, coming to know your own Creator can’t help but be dramatic. Think about it. Absolutely inexplicable!
No wonder the awesome apostle Paul declared to the believers in the church at Philippi, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). That descriptive peace Paul alludes to no doubt comes from his own dawning at his conversion.
Dawning! Actualizations! Aurora! Austere encounter! Ecstasy! Reality! Transformational Aha moment! God got my attention to know Him…personally. Wow!
That’s what you’re going to learn about in this book. Your dawning or future dawning’s are not, and never will be coincidental. They are real, amazing encounters from and with God going right to the seat of your soul.