Category: profit over people

On January 31, 1975, at the age of 31, I walked away from a lucrative career as National Marketing Representative, Mining Division, Dominion Engineering Works Ltd., a prominent Montreal-based company. The job, which I had taken with high hopes, turned out to be a far cry from what I had envisioned.

I thought I was being hired to travel coast to coast in Canada, all expenses paid, selling very expensive ball mills costing in the $100s of thousands in ’74 dollars to mining industries. Instead, I found myself confined to a desk, preparing sales proposals and production schedules. The realization that Canadian and American companies were outsourcing labor to third-world countries for excess profit—leaving workers here jobless—left me disillusioned. I quit without a backup plan, unaware that the next day would mark the most profound turning point of my life.

On February 1, 1975, the veil lifted. I experienced a spiritual awakening that redefined my existence. In an instant, I became acutely aware of God’s presence within me—a truth echoed in both the Old and New Testaments. This moment of divine connection was not just a personal revelation; it was a call to a higher purpose. Over the next 36 years, I grappled with this newfound reality, eventually sharing my story in a blog post titled “Day of Awakening – David vs Goliath vs Armageddon.“ Today, I revisit that journey, reflecting on its enduring significance in a world still grappling with greed, inequality, and spiritual blindness.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     That day, I was in high spirits. I was finalizing the deal that just by Time and Chance dropped out of the sky, to take possession of a dream apartment—a five-room space beautifully decorated by a French Canadian artist, complete with artwork and furnishings, all for going for $1,000. The rent was just $69 a month, plus utilities. It was a steal, and I was eager to make it my own. It was right in the heart of downtown Montreal on Hotel de Ville St. near Sherbrooke & St. Laurent, the dividing line between East and West. A 1 or 2 bedroom apartment on that Gentrified block in Montreal costs between $1700-$2300 Today.

I arrived with a wealthy Jewish friend to seal the deal. After handling the business, we got into an intense discussion about society, morality, politics, and religion—the human condition, life and death, war and peace on Earth. As I sat back, listening to their passionate debate, something extraordinary happened. At a certain point, it was as if a veil was lifted from my eyes. With what felt like the sound of rushing water, I was overcome with an undeniable realization: God! You’re alive! You exist! You really exist! In that moment, I came alive to God—or perhaps God came alive to me. It was a spiritual awakening, a connection to another dimension that I had never before experienced. I said nothing to the others—they didn’t have the same experience.

Later that evening, still processing the profound change within me, I met with another group of friends. Among them was an American artist avoiding the draft I asked three months earlier to create a portrait of me to encourage him, paying a deposit. When he unveiled the finished piece, I was stunned. It was no ordinary portrait. Instead, it was a symbolic masterpiece: a headless body standing tall, with a shield and a slingshot, standing in front of a car at the edge of a cliff, its license plate marked with a single letter—“D.”

The original portrait was done in pencil and larger than this copy of a copy of the original size drawing, both copies distributed on The Sparks Street Mall with a collage of scriptures with the header, PUBLIC NOTICE The original was stolen during a break and enter of my apartment in Ottawa. I added the Canadian Coat of Arms and the colour in the green arrow pointing up and the red light.

No one in the room knew about my spiritual awakening earlier that day. As I studied the drawing, I joked, “Dave, that’s a jock-looking image. I wish my body looked that good.” Pointing to the shield, I asked, “Is that a cowboy hat?” He replied, “No. It’s a shield and a slingshot. You know, like David and Goliath.” His words struck me like a thunderclap. David and Goliath. Here I was, hours after my awakening, holding a portrait that seemed to mirror the very themes now stirring within me.

The headless body symbolized humanity without God—a body that cannot stand on its own. The car at the cliff represented the global economy, teetering on the edge of collapse. The “D” on the license plate, when I asked Dave if it was his signature was met with a cryptic response: “It could be Death. It could be Divinity. I have no idea.” The timing was uncanny. It was as if God was speaking to me through the artist’s hand, using symbols to affirm the path ahead.

That night, alone in my apartment, I was overwhelmed with peace, joy, and gratitude. Tears streamed down my face as I thought, God, I don’t know what you’re doing with me, but whatever it is, keep doing it. I love it! I love you! At that exact moment, a radio broadcast began with the words, “Now that you’re a Christian, your work is just beginning.” From that day forward, I began a deep communion with God and Christ within me. Though I didn’t fully understand what was happening, I knew it was real. But my life was forever changed. It was a profound, visceral knowing. God is real. God is alive. And God is in me.

This awakening was not something I sought or expected. I had spent no time searching for God in my live, thoughts or actions. Yet, in that moment, I was born anew—not of flesh, but of the Spirit, as described in John 1:13. It was a clear demarcation in my life: BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini). From that day forward, I began a journey of communion with God, learning to live not by the will of man, but by the will of the Spirit.

The day of my spiritual awakening—February 1, 1975—was not just a personal turning point; it was a microcosm of the larger battle we face as a global community. The portrait I received that night, with its headless body, shield, slingshot, and car at the edge of a cliff, was a prophetic image of the world we live in today. The headless body symbolizes a humanity adrift, disconnected from its spiritual source. The car at the cliff represents a global system teetering on the brink of collapse. And the slingshot? It’s a reminder that even the smallest among us, armed with faith and courage, can confront the giants of our age.

Those giants are more visible now than ever. The spectre of World War III looms large in the U.S. war with Russia over Ukraine, concurrent with the Middle East on the path to Armageddon—aka the Battle of the Great Day of God Almighty—shaping up between Jewish Israel, Christian America, and the Islamic nations. Escalating tensions between global powers, the rise of militarism, the erosion of moral values, and the unchecked greed of the few at the expense of the many are all signs of a world in crisis. Yet, as my awakening taught me, these challenges are not merely political or economic—they are spiritual. The battle we face is not just against flesh and blood, but against the forces of division, destruction, and despair.

In the biblical story of David and Goliath, David’s victory was not just a triumph of skill or strategy; it was a testament to his faith in God. Today, we are called to embody that same faith. Each of us, in our own way, has a role to play in confronting the giants of our time. Whether through art, activism, prayer, or simply living a life of integrity and compassion, we can be instruments of divine justice in a broken world.

The concept of Armageddon is often associated with catastrophic conflict, but it also represents a moment of reckoning—a time when the forces of good and evil come to a head. For me, the question is not whether we will face these challenges, but how we will respond to them. Will we succumb to fear and despair, or will we rise to the occasion, trusting in the power of faith and the promise of redemption?

My journey since that day of awakening has been one of learning to see the world through spiritual eyes. It’s about recognizing that the battles we face are not just physical or political, but spiritual. The forces of greed, division, and destruction are real, but so too is the power of faith, love, and divine justice. Like David, we may feel small and ill-equipped, but with God on our side, we are more than conquerors.

Now, in my 81st year, I have come full circle. That dream apartment with the low rent, where I came alive to God on February 1, 1975, I gave up seven months later to enter the U.S. and discover the Spirit of ’76. God saved it for me. Today, I have a large, well-laid-out one-bedroom apartment, heated, with a parking space on Hotel de Ville in Hull, costing $398/month US. That is a dream apartment in these times of crazy rents!

This personal blog has chronicled many episodes in my search for God since that February day to the present. Through all the ups and downs, The LORD is my Shepherd. I shall not want. He causes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even when I walk in the valley of darkness, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. You set a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

The day the veil lifted was not just a personal turning point; it was a microcosm of the larger battle we face as a global community. The portrait I received that night, with its headless body, shield, slingshot, and car at the edge of a cliff, was a prophetic image of the world we live in today. The headless body symbolizes a humanity adrift, disconnected from its spiritual source. The car at the cliff represents a global system teetering on the brink of collapse. And the slingshot? It’s a reminder that even the smallest among us, armed with faith and courage, can confront the giants of our age.

The day the veil lifted was the beginning of a journey—a journey of faith, humility, and divine purpose. It was a call to see the world through spiritual eyes, to recognize that the battles we face are not just physical or political, but spiritual. The forces of greed, division, and destruction are real, but so too is the power of faith, love, and divine justice. Like David, we may feel small and ill-equipped, but with God on our side, we are more than conquerors.

And I said, “Woe is me for I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and amidst a people of unclean lips I dwell, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Isaiah 6:5

This is a revised version of https://rayjc.com/2011/12/25/day-of-awakening-david-vs-goliath-vs-armageddon/