At first, talking to David McLeod was like having a horse standing on my foot, and it would not move.
It was the summer of 1993. On a “combo camping trip” – my family’s first – in the nearby mountains. It was a “teaming up” with a “small church” down the coast, and our small home-school group, so we could rent the whole camp circle together.
I did not sleep the first night. We talked, by the fire, all night.
We both knew the SAME BIBLE VERSES. But his UNDERSTANDINGS of the verses were SO MUCH BIGGER than mine. His answers to my questions were authoritative and multi-faceted, and different from anything I had ever heard before.
I remember feeling relieved to hear his explanation of “a loving Father, NOT burning His children in hell forever and ever”. That one had not set well with me, for a long time. Dave’s answer was beautiful, and truly LOVING.
He posed questions that I didn’t even know existed. He would delve into areas of the bible that would display my total ignorance of the basics of the christian faith – even though I was a very diligent student OF ORTHODOXY. I knew that I should know these fundamentals, that David spoke of, but it was like someone had taken away the key to make it all fit.
“”Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”” Luke 11:52
He would bring up portions of the bible that my current “teachers” were completely silent on – as if it was a “non-topic”. He would discuss it in depth, and tie in it’s overall importance.
I was smitten!!!
This monster horse sized spiritual argument was STARING ME IN THE FACE, while standing on my foot, and would not budge an inch.
I felt like Paul/Saul getting knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus. “Who are YOU? Lord???“
We happily attended David’s church, weekly, for many years. We continued to attend the annual festival celebrations with he and his wife Darlene, until David’s passing in the mid 2000’s.
We spent much time with Gordon Wolcott, who had been Dave and Darlene’s pastor for many years. It was Gordon who brought the teachings of Canadian Mikkel Dahl to San Diego.
Yesterday I gave a shout out to Chuck Jacobs, for pointing me in the right direction.
David McLeod is the 2nd man I would like to say a public “THANK YOU” to. You launched me on my “2nd MAJOR born-again” experience.
Russell Dibird
