Beyond Believing
My Story
"For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?..."
Isaiah 43:19
December 8, 1990 - In the middle of the night, I was suddenly awakened from a sound sleep with a gripping pain in my chest and my whole body trembling. I thought for sure I was having a heart attack. Only a few hours earlier, I had gone to bed after saying this prayer: "Lord (Jesus) wherever you want me to go, whatever you want me to do, I'll do it! Just lead me!" It was a desperate prayer, a plea for God's help and guidance.
At the age of thirty, I was still searching for love, meaning, and purpose in my
life. A bachelor and living alone, I hadn't dated in over six years. I was also unemployed, my house for sale, and I'd just had two job interviews earlier in the day that didn't seem promising. Nothing seemed to be working out in my life. I fell asleep hoping beyond hope, believing by faith that my prayer had been heard and would be answered. I never could have imagined in my wildest dreams what would happen next.
Now wide awake and fully alert, I heard a very sharp piercing noise followed by three bursts of wind that sounded like blowing breaths. The pain in my chest and my trembling suddenly ceased. Everything was still and quiet as I noticed a brilliant light streaming through the wall beside my bed. Within the light, there stood a figure. He said to me, "Look and remember." That's all. While not at first realizing that I was out of my body and in my spirit, I was shown a series of symbols that you see in the following picture.
The symbols themselves aren't very impressive! I'll admit they're even childlike in appearance. But what, at first glance, looks very simple and foolish, in fact, is extraordinarily complex and quite clever. You'll discover, as events unfold, that each symbol was individually selected and arranged by intelligent design. A design so intricately woven together that it would be impossible for them to have been conjured up by my own imagination. This is especially true because they consist of a symbolic language that is prophetic in nature and purpose. What you see could only have come from the omniscient mind of God, who narrates a story knowing the end from the beginning. How else could this first event be explained, except by an act of God?
Immediately following my near-death experience, I prophetically knew that I would be married when the corner's digital clock reached twelve o'clock noon. In the post titled, Mission Impossible, I describe how this was possible. In the follow-up post titled Mission More Impossible, I announce my wedding date to my co-workers at the Florida Attorney General's Office. There was just one problem with my announcement! I hadn't yet met my future wife. It's an improbable situation with a miraculous ending.
What I just described and the rest of this journey beyond faith begins with the November 2, 2019, post titled, Beyond Believing. While all this may sound beyond unbelievable, it is a true account of what happened. This is a story of providential events unlike anything you've ever heard. It's certainly worth investigating and you'll be surprised and blessed by what you find!
"Now to Him who is able to do so much more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen..." (Ephesians 3:20-21)