EDITOR’S NOTE: Tom Tutton, is a retired attorney and the author of “A Friend Thru Terror.” He lives in Port Angeles.
By Tom Tutton
Special to Peninsula Daily News
PORT ANGELES — The Red Lion Hotel banquet room was packed with 160 early-risers at 6:30 a.m. last Friday, Oct. 19.
It was the 16th Clallam County Leadership Prayer Breakfast.
The program was emceed by Dan Wilder of Wilder Auto Center.
Terry Gallagher, Port Angeles police chief, gave a prayer for leadership.
The speaker was Phil Downer, formerly a senior partner of a large law firm and now president of Discipleship of America (DNA).
DNA is a nationwide network of people committed to following Christ’s life and making disciples in their work, marriage, family, neighborhood and church. Phil has been married 41 years and has six children.
Phil told of his misspent youth which surprisingly found him — at 19 — in the Marine Corps in Vietnam assigned as a machine-gunner. An enemy bullet passed through the pack on his back, narrowly missing his head.
His good friend John Atkinson – a fellow machine-gunner — was not so lucky. He died in Phil’s arms.
After Phil was discharged from the Marine Corps, he became a serious student, received his bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist University, and went on to law school.
While at SMU, he met Susy, the girl that was to become his wife. Their marriage began on a very sour note. Phil suffered from post-war trauma.
Although he never physically abused his wife, his raging, shouting, and nightmares in addition to his degenerative life style pushed the marriage to the brink of divorce.
It was at this time that a businessman invited Phil to lunch and told him, “God loves you.”
Jesus, a perfect man, voluntarily went to the cross, and died for you.
He gave you a free gift — eternal life, but you must receive the gift.
This caused Phil to think. He thought of John Atkinson who died in his arms. He began reading the Bible.
He learned that God’s grace was a free gift, but you must receive the gift.
Phil illustrated this by offering a free book to anyone in the audience — Brad, who was in the audience, immediately stood up and accepted the book.
Phil asked Brad several times — Did you accept the gift 100 percent? Brad affirmed.
Phil further illustrated the importance of the acceptance of God’s grace by citing a legal case, U.S. v Wilson. Wilson was on death row. He was granted a pardon, but he refused it. Finally, even though he had been granted a full pardon, he was executed because he refused to accept the pardon.
Phil confided with a mentor that he loved God, but he hated his father who had mistreated his mother.
She attempted suicide on two occasions. After prayer, Phil confronted his father and told him that he forgave him.
His father replied, “For what?” Phil asked his father, “If you died, would you go to heaven?” His father was non-responsive. At another time later, his father went into the basement and through several doors, opened a safe, removed a gun and killed himself.
Phil shared these times of personal trial in his life to demonstrate the redeeming impact of the gift of God’s grace in his life.
The prayer breakfast ended with a prayer for the opportunity for everyone to accept or recommit to the free gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Phil will be returning to Port Angeles on Jan. 25-26, 2013, as the featured speaker for the annual Olympic Peninsula Men’s conference.
