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Real Life Story:- Invisible attacker.

2012-02-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

From our Facebook page:

first hand confirmation by the Pastor dealing with the case:

On the weekend just gone by, a young man was walking behind a well known strip of shops in Cronulla late at night. He was not affected by drugs or alcohol and he was an athlete who knew the area well.
His friend, who was also an athlete was at Macca's over the road when he recieved a text "Urgent. need u to come help me know, I'm behind (XYZ) surf shop".

His friend sprinted over the Kingsway and when he arrived behind the shop he saw his friend being held up against the wall with his feet off the ground - but no other person was present - he was being held up by an invisible force.
His friend was then thrown to the ground and he couldn't help him up. Eventually he got him to his feet and they ran across the road where it stopped.

What had occurred was as follows: As the young man walked behind the stores, he was physically assaulted by an unknown force - there was no-one present. He ran fifty metres, where he stopped to make the urgent call. He was then grabbed by his arms first, and then he saw it - an evil looking man materialised out of nothing - and said "if you ever come back here again I'll kill you". He was then lifted by his throat, and within less than a minute his friend arrived and saw him being held up - by no-one.

The Pastor who is looking after him said that there was clear bodily bruising to arms and throat and his father had taken photo's of the bruises. The photos are not available to me at this point in time. The young men are now very keen to come to Church and are receiving prayer and counselling and some deliverance ministry.

I have spent my whole life walking through this alley and it is very eerie at night (aren't all alleys?) and has a history of drugs, alcohol, domestic and other violence as it was the old main thoroughfare out of Northies hotel. The key to this story's authenticity is the close connection between us (our Pastoral team) and the witness - an incredibly honest young man with no reason to fabricate or embellish a story.

And a conversation which basically confirms the following:

1. These have been confirmed by the ex-manager of the bar adjacent to the laneway. There was a sexual assault in the lane (at 2am after work) in 2003. She was a bar worker who left work and was assualted near the same stairs off the lane way and had physical injuries, bruises and a split lip and there was no "physical" perpetrator.The rape kit showed that an assault occurred but there was no semen or DNA but her underwear was torn and she was slapped by an invisible person.

2: A man who was asked to leave the bar and was aggressive to staff, who was chased into the lane, returned the next day with a black eye and graze on jaw and apologized to the staff and said as he walked down the stairs to Nerang Rd (off the lane) he was pushed down the stairs and when he looked back he couldn't see anyone there.
The bar owner believes that there is a territorial spirit near Nerang road which is where the young boy was started to be assaulted.

Bizarre In The News - Spooky Holiday Snapshot

2012-01-16T15:22:00.001-08:00

The Mercury

A FAMILY has a spooky souvenir of their trip to Tassie after an eerie apparition ghosted into a snap taken of the Poultney family at Port Arthur's Trentham Cottage.

Tasmanian-born Adam Poultney was taking a few run-of-the-mill pictures of his wife, Tania, and their children Tarrah, 10, and Lochlan, 7 without realising he'd captured what appears to be the image of a ghost dressed in a "wide-brim hat and a long coat".

It wasn't until the next day when Tarrah was going through the photos - taken with a digital camera - that the family realised a ghost had haunted some of their captured memories.

"The kids were very excited to see a ghost," Mr Poultney said.

"They kept asking: 'When are we going to see a ghost, dad?', but we walked away without actually seeing one.

"But when Tarrah started going through the photos, she noticed this ghostly apparition standing behind the fly-screen at Trentham Cottage."

Read more here

Bizarre In The News - Padre Pio's 'Stigmata Wounds' caused by Carbolic acid?

2011-11-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

Huffington Post

Italian saint Padre Pio reportedly used carbolic acid on his hands, feet and sides to "self-inflict" the wounds Christ endured during the crucifixion, according to a book by professor Sergio Luzzatto.

In his award-winning account dubbed Padre Pio: Miracles and Politics in a Secular Age, the historian describes correspondence between Padre Pio and his pharmacist that suggest the saint used acid to mimic stigmata wounds, according to The Sun.

Padre Pio is a popular saint among Italians, and a survey conducted around 2007 revealed "more people prayed to him than to Jesus or the Virgin Mary," according to The Telegraph. In his book, Luzzatto suggests the Vatican succumbed to public pressure to canonize the popular priest.

In an earlier book, The Other Christ: Padre Pio and 19th Century Italy, Luzzatto examined the same documents found the Vatican archive, but his claims were dismissed in 2007 by the Catholic Anti-Defamation League, according to The Telegragh.

Born Francesco Forgione, Padre Pio was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002, but not before two previous popes had debated the validity of Padre Pio's wounds, The Montreal Gazettereported.

Read more here

Bizarre In The News - Bizarre structures in the desert in China discovered by Google Maps

2011-11-14T19:27:00.001-08:00

Telegraph.Co.Uk

"What is China building in a remote desert area? Vast, unidentified, structures have been spotted by satellites in the barren Gobi desert, raising questions about what China might be building in a region it uses for its military, space and nuclear programmes.
The first image looks like a random arrangement of lines. Could it be a targeting grid for satellites? Perhaps they're roads? Some conspiracy theorists have suggested this pattern matches the layout of streets in Washington, DC. Maybe it's just the world's biggest QR code?..."

See them here

Gundiah - Mackay Abduction

2011-11-14T18:53:00.001-08:00

Have a read of this story from Paranormal News Australia via Phantoms and Monsters

Flight Attendant Ghost Stories via Phantoms and Monsters

2011-11-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

gadling - A few layover hotel ghost stories from flight attendants...

At a hotel in San Francisco the water kept turning itself on during the night. After the 3rd or 4th time, instead of getting up and turning it off, I had a little talk with the ghost. I was thinking I must have lost my mind. Water went off automatically. Never came on again! - Vicki Howell

At our current Paris hotel, I had an apparition appear at the foot of my bed. At first I didn't think it was anything until I felt somebody sit on my bed. I turned on the light near the bed and of course there was nothing there. – John Gonzales

On a layover in Miami, I felt someone/something pull the covers off of my shoulder and breathe cold air onto the back of my neck. I jumped out of bed, ran for the door, turned on the light... and no one was there. On the next trip another flight attendant couldn't get into that same room with her key. Security couldn't get in either. They had to change her room. Gives me the chills even talking about it. - Penni Reynolds Piskor

At a Sheraton in New Jersey in 1989, I kept thinking there was someone in my room. Woke up several times convinced. Searched the room. Nothing was there. Found out later the hotel was reputedly haunted, and one of the elevators was known to run all night, stopping at each floor even though nobody called it - Julie Meyer

Read more here

Bizarre In the News - Phantom Glass Slinger Caught On Camera

2011-10-17T17:47:00.000-07:00

via Shurland Hotel Ghost Blog, Phantoms and Monsters, Kent Online.

"Strange occurrences have been reported over the years by staff, customers and guests staying at the Shurland Hotel.

Now, one of the spooky incidents at the Eastchurch venue has finally been caught on film.

Staff got a fright when a full pint glass flew off one of the tables and smashed on the floor as they sat talking about the issue of suicide.

Desperate to prove it wasn’t a prank, they begged owner Steven Haynes to check the bar’s CCTV.

The recording of the event, which happened at 10.36am on Friday , can now be viewed on YouTube.

Mr Haynes, who took over the hotel in March 2009, said: “It is 100 per cent genuine."

Bizarre In The News - Russian and US Scientists Gather To Hunt Down Yeti

2011-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

from guardian.co.uk

Telegraph.com.au

SCIENTISTS from several countries, including Russia and the US, will gather in the Kemerova region of Siberia to hunt down the Yeti, after alleged sightings of the legendary creatures increased threefold in the area over the past 20 years.

Scientists from Russia, the US, Canada, Sweden, Estonia, Mongolia and China were invited to evaluate evidence of the creatures - the existence of which has never been proven - at a conference later this week, according to Russian radio station the Voice of Russia.

Alleged sightings of Yetis in Kemerovo and the neighboring Altai region, about 3200 kilometers east of Moscow, are up three times compared to 20 years ago, with scientists estimating that there is a current population of at least several dozen in the area.

Other evidence of the existence of the creatures - such as basic twig huts, twisted branches and footprints of up to 35 centimeters - also has been found in the area.

A group of scientists from the conference will be sent out to search the region's mountains to examine the evidence and try spot a Yeti.

Read more here

Bizarre In The News - "Irish pensioner 'died of spontaneous human combustion'"

2011-09-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

I kind of love it when really really clever people can't really explain something. It just shows how much we DON'T know in this world.

Telegraph

Michael Faherty, 76, was found lying face down near an open fire in his living room in Galway, Ireland.

Apart from his body, investigators could find no other damage in the house.

Dr Kieran McLoughlin, the West Galway coroner, said it was the first time in his 25 year career that he had returned a spontaneous combustion verdict, which is believed to be the first in Ireland.

Spontaneous combustion occurs when an object – in this case a human – bursts into flame from an internal chemical reaction, apparently without being ignited by an external heat source.

In most cases the victim is almost completely consumed, usually inside their home, while little to no damage is recorded to the property itself.

There have been hundreds of reported cases of death by spontaneous human combustion around the world over the last 300 years, although few have been properly assessed by experts.

The inquest on Thursday heard how investigators were baffled as to the cause of death, the Irish Independent reported.

Forensic experts found that a fire in the fireplace of the sitting room where the man's badly burned body was found had not been the cause of the blaze.

The court was told that no trace of an accelerant had been found and there had been nothing to suggest foul play. The coroner said he was satisfied nobody had entered or left the house that night.

The fire which killed Mr Faherty was confined to the sitting room. The only damage was to the body, which was totally burned, the ceiling above him and the floor underneath him.

Bizarre In The News - Mystifying 'Nazca Lines' Discovered in Middle East

2011-09-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

The giant stone structures form wheel shapes with spokes often radiating inside. Here a cluster of wheels in the Azraq Oasis. CREDIT: David D. Boyer

Paranormal.about.com and Yahoo! News

They stretch from Syria to Saudi Arabia, can be seen from the air but not the ground, and are virtually unknown to the public.

They are the Middle East's own version of the Nazca Lines — ancient "geolyphs," or drawings, that span deserts in southern Peru — and now, thanks to new satellite-mapping technologies, and an aerial photography program in Jordan, researchers are discovering more of them than ever before. They number well into the thousands.

Referred to by archaeologists as "wheels," these stone structures have a wide variety of designs, with a common one being a circle with spokes radiating inside. Researchers believe that they date back to antiquity, at least 2,000 years ago. They are often found on lava fields and range from 82 feet to 230 feet (25 meters to 70 meters) across.

Read the rest of the article here

Bizarre In The News - UFO chase on Territory Highway

2011-09-18T17:51:00.001-07:00

Katherine Times

A Territory man was involved in a wild UFO chase on the Stuart Highway in a desperate bid to avoid abduction.

The man, who only wants to be known as Aiden said he was about an hour south of Tennant Creek, when a bright light approached him from behind.

"I was traveling south of Tennant Creek on my way to Melbourne. I had left Tennant around 3.30am after spending the night there and about an hour after I had set off I looked in my side mirror and noticed a light behind me.
"I thought nothing of it as it was probably another car."

Aiden said he noticed the light getting brighter.

"I thought geez they must be driving fast as I was doing 120kph.
"When I looked again after a few minutes the light was really bright but it was in the bloody sky."

Aiden said when he noticed the light was not coming from another car or truck behind him he "started to get freaked out and put the foot down a bit more".

"Then I looked back again and this time the light was huge and the most brightest light I had ever seen but the strange thing is that the light had like an orange colour to it but was white at the same time.

"The light was about the size of a large car and stayed with me for around 20 to 30 mins.

"There was also like a faint drone as well but at the time I put it down to road noise but who knows."

Aiden said he was sure the mysterious light was not another car when he came to a windy stretch of road.
"I went around a bend on the road (and) it was still behind me in the same spot even when the road went left and right," he said.

"It was I suppose about 700 to 800 metres behind me in the sky.
"I said to myself: No, no, not me, go and take someone else, I am not interested."

Aiden said when he looked in the mirror again the light had suddenly disappeared.

"It was gone ... completely, so I stopped got out and there was no light to be seen anywhere at all," he said.
"That freaked me out heaps and in some strange way got me hooked as well due to witnessing something that was incredible to see and thinking this is not from here."

Territory top UFOlogist Alan Ferguson said the sighting was not a surprise.

"This has happened many times to people travelling down the track here in the Northern Territory," he said.
He said two of his friends have had a simular experience a couple years ago when they were heading to UFO hotspot Wycliffe Well, south of Tennant Creek.

"They were travelling late at night and the same thing happened that a light started to follow them.
"As it got close they would freak out then the light would go back for awhile then speed up.
"Then - just like Aiden'ss sighting - it just disappeared without a trace."

Mr Ferguson said sightings of lights in the sky at the Wycliffe Well area have been around for tens of thousands of years.
"The Aborigines called them 'min min' lights," he said.

Read more here

Just a case of Pareidolia or a could this be a ghost?

2011-09-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

Check out paranormal.about.com for more info on this picture.

What/who are the black eyed kids?

2011-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Via From the Shadows and Paranormal.About.com

It was warm the night Carris Holdsworth walked to her apartment from a friend’s house in Lisburn, a city of 71,465 in Northern Ireland near Belfast.

Then 18-year-old Holdsworth didn’t know terror waited for her at home.

“It was about 10:45,” she said of that night in 2009. “I was only 18 and had a small flat in a very rough part of the neighborhood. That’s why it unsettled me when I saw two boys standing in my small patch of grass which I called my yard.”

The boys one about 16 years old the other 13 or 14, stood with their backs to Holdsworth.

“I edged around the corner, and as if they knew I was there, both turned around to face me at the same time,” she said. “They were just merely boys.”

As the teenagers turned to face her, she felt more than just unsettled.

“I felt raw fear when I laid eyes on them,” she said.

Holdsworth stopped a few yards from them, a fist in her handbag wrapped around a tin of pepper spray.

“I was ready to defend myself if one of them made any sudden movements,” she said.

Read more here

I've noticed a similarity with various black eyed kids stories. 1) Intense fear 2) The almost uncontrollable feeling of letting these kids inside)

Here is another story from Paranormal.about

In November, 2008, Thanksgiving weekend, I went to visit my grandma, who lives in a condo in Katy, Texas. It's a gated condo in a very upscale neighborhood. The condo has a full-time nursing staff, 24-hour security, and is extremely well lit. Any visitors must sign in at the front office and must show picture ID.
At about midnight, my grandma turned in for the night. I wasn't tired at all, so I deided to check some emails on my laptop. About 45 minutes later, someone began knocking on the door. Almost immediately I felt quite uneasy. It didn't take long before I found out why.
Whoever was knocking, did so persistantly. Most people knock a couple of times and wait for a response. Not them. They knocked incessantly, like they knew I was awake.
As I approached the door to look through the peephole, I was extremely surprised to see two young kids standing there. At this point my uneasiness turned into dread. At first glance, they looked like two normal boys. The oldest of the two must have been no more than 16, the younger one, 12.
Thinking they must have had the wrong condo, I began to unlock the door. The feeling I had, though, stopped me from sliding off the chain of the door. I opened the door, with the chain still on, and and said, "Yes, may I help you?"

Read the rest of the story at the link above.

So, What are they??

Another Bigfoot Video...

2011-09-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ghost Theory found the above video.
Now, am I turning into a massive skeptic or does this kind of look like a guy with a blanket on his head walking through the woods?

STRANGE LITTLE HAIRY MEN

2011-08-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

Circa 1998 Kane and his friend were driving from Sydney to the snow. As they turned onto the federal highway near Goulburn around 2am, the driver got a sudden urge....to answer the call of nature. As they got close to the Lake George area they pulled over to the side of the road. The driver got out to relieve himself and Kane got out to stretch. "It was sooo cold..." Kane said "and all of a sudden my mate swore and told me to get in the car". What had caused the swearing was the sudden appearance on the other side of the fence of two 4-5 feet tall 'men' who had long hair "like good luck troll's". He did not recall if they were clothed or not as he was stunned that people would be in that place, at that time time, in that temperature. He also felt very uneasy, considering how far they were from any civilisation - and thought back to 'whether they might have needed help - but then I'd feel really uneasy and were glad we kept going".Anyone else have any experiences on this stretch of road?

Baz

A quick follow up on the "keeping an open mind" story

2011-08-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

The same friend confided in me a dream which she had recently. A couple of years previously she had lost a baby with her boyfriend. She fell asleep and was talking in her sleep.
In this dream she was at her own funeral. She dreamed she spoke to her boyfriends deceased father who told her "I was hoping you two would name the baby after me but don't worry I'm looking after the little guy." He left her with a message to his son to tell him he had been forgiven and was not to blame (she is unsure what this refers to). And during this, in her sleep she was telling her boyfriend to answer the door as his father was there.

Obviously this freaked them both out and when she woke up he asked her what his father had looked like. Apparently she described him in a way she would not have known as she has never seen a photo of him.

She confided in me and is wondering whether the activity around the home is no longer her friends father but her boyfriends father now instead?

Previous story can be read here.

Keeping an open mind

2011-08-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

When I was back in England, a friend told me a story. She lived in a share house and occasionally strange things would happen. The TV would change channel by itself, the volume would go up and down. Things would crash in the kitchen with no obvious cause and cold spots and breezes would be felt when no windows would be open.
The housemate confided in my friend it was likely to be their deceased mother as a friend of there's who has psychic abilities had been in contact with the housemates father. The psychic was telling them that the father just wanted to watch over his child.
In circumstances such as these, I can't understand the theory that all ghosts are demons masquerading as the deceased. I don't understand how that theory came about and is being preached as gospel when it clearly isn't. Who are we to try and guess what happens after we die anyway?
In the bible God allows us to know some things but not all. Thus, I try to keep an open mind, an open but focused mind. What I mean by that is that I can have an open mind that is focused on God.
Does this make sense? Please join me in this discussion either here or on our facebook page.

Sasquatch Game Cam Photo?

2011-08-02T18:22:00.001-07:00

Bizarre In The News - What's human? What's animal? And what of the biology inbetween?

2011-07-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

Nik Brown of the Guardian

Friday's report by the Academy of Medical Sciences on the increasingly fuzzy boundaries between the human and the animal is the latest in a long series of policy reflections on how to keep pace with developments in the biosciences.

It can justly be said that politics and regulation have not dealt well with our newfound capacities for muddying the boundaries between us and other species. And yet the last two decades have witnessed an unprecedented growth in bioscientific techniques that increasingly call into question what it means to be human. Take the human genome project: many of us may have intuitively suspected that we might have more genetically in common with the chimpanzee than even Darwin had envisaged, only then to be told of our cousinly closeness to the fruit fly, maize and the zebra fish.

Casting a glance back to the 1990s, trans-species transplantationseemed to promise a new era of limitless animal organs and tissues. Who knows, it may still. But that dream slowly sank from view amid concerns about potentially catastrophic trans-species disease, and increasing evidence of its poor performance in preclinical trials with primates. Move forward a decade and we have the trans-species embryodebate, resulting in legislative changes permitting a whole new class of research embryos incorporating animal DNA. So to the classical question of "what is an embryo", has been added the equally vexing puzzle "what is an animal".

Bioscientific hybrids are difficult to categorise, disorderly, existing on the fringes of the humanised animal and the animalised human. And yet policymaking has arguably had a poor track in getting to grips with and understanding trans-species innovation. Trans-species biologies present acute difficulties especially in terms of regulation because they confuse and traverse regulatory institutional boundaries.

In the UK, as elsewhere, regulatory agencies have tended to regulate humans on the one hand, and animals on the other, with little consideration for what might lie between. The tendency has been to deal with all things animal through the Home Office and its Animal Procedures Inspectorate, and to deal with all things human through the Department of Health. There are good and disturbing grounds for suspecting this division has become increasingly naive and meaningless, as the biosciences enter their trans-species future.

PLEASE READ THE REST HERE

Buyer beware: Ghost tours‏

2011-07-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm reflecting on a "ghost tour" I went on two years ago. I'm not much of a consumer, but I imagine from what I have seen, read and discussed on numerous occasions with others that it was not that much different than most of the ghost tours being conducted all around the world and I have had time to reflect on it from a more critical perspective - I think it's helpful to look back.

My conclusion: It was an extremely interesting night but was flawed by the consistent use of false positives by the operator to the clients. What I mean by that is that at every location we were set up by being told of others experiences on other tours, and the sights, sounds, smells, feelings and phenomenon etc that we would experience. In hindsight, I feel that this either sets the operator up for both sides of the spectrum - the skeptic who writes it all off as a hoax and suggestion and the more easily influenced person who experiences things that are not there. There is a middle ground which I will discuss as well.

By being told we would see spirit faces in orbs, that angry ghosts would manhandle us in the jail, that strange forces would tug on our clothes, that we may feel weak, sick, sad or tired, we were being manipulated - operating out of the power of suggestion.

That's fine for a ghost train ride at a carniva or a kids campfire session, but it's not ok to manipulate people paying for a research experience, a search for the truth and in an emotionally charged environment tied to history, society, spirituality and culture - and we all know that people from all sorts of religious backgrounds use this type of thing on followers - even creating an emotional environment that is more conducive to offerings, imaginary healings and salvation experiences. That does not discount the fact that people genuinely want to be generous, do get healed and make decisions to really follow Christ as Lord.

And it was the same on the ghost tour.

There were a number of experiences that I did not expect that were difficult to explain:

1) When the tour operator cracked a cat'o'nine tails whip in an old courthouse, a white mist like shape with form moved straight at me from the adjacent corner and literally went through me, blurring my vision and numbing my arm on my right hand side.

Also, when the whip was cracked my EMF meter went all the way to the top after each crack, and I can't understand why that happened or what could have caused it.

2) There was an orb of light in the graveyard that in my opinion and observations was not conjured up by any type of mechanical or digital light source, it bounced around of it's own accord and behaved in a manner I would describe as sentient and reactive to the audience.

3) Even though I believe that we were being set up with a story to heighten the experience, I cannot deny that the back of my trouser leg was "snagged" by something which made me snap around quickly with my torch, only to see nothing but grass and no sticks, branches, wire or snaggable items.

4) We were told that on the Highway that the "Black Lady" inhabited a certain bend and when we hit that spot - you guessed it - the EMF meters went off the dial. Now something set them off at exactly the spot we were told they would. Unless there was a way that the operator could have triggered it with a device, there were no overhead lines or other devices noticeable enough to set them off. But that does not mean that something "supernatural" set them off, it simply means that on cue, they went off, which I think is interesting.

The whole time I was on the trip I remained in a highly prayerful state, at every location spending time seeking the Lord and praying protection over the people who were there. I often found myself drawn into the false positives that were being sown. That doesn't mean that the operator lacked integrity, it just meant that he valued experience over facts, emotions over rationale and probably a rollicking good time over a scientific analysis of the events. Which is fine, that's what I expected anyway.

But I don't think that should define what is counted as evidence. A couple of weeks after I got home I came to a lot of conclusions:

1) Orbs are a natural phenomenon, to promote them as supernatural evidence is just silly. The only exception was the one that was visible to the naked eye which moved of seemingly its own accord. It was too high to be a natural "ghost light" phenomenon in my opinion but I could easily be proven wrong.

2) The faces that we were "shown" or "asked to investigate" in our images was simple matrixing.

3) The feelings that we experienced of fear, fatigue and other feelings usually followed an explanation that we "may experience thesde feelings" in the areas we were in. That is manipulation, pure and simple.

4) There was a number of experiences that defied the false positive environment as mentioned in point form above.

5) That when people realised I was a Pastor, a number asked me to pray and felt more peaceful, which can be attributed to a number of things but one was it made people feel like there was a more powerful force present than any 'spirits'.

I think ghost tours which use the manipulative fasle positive techniques could have a very negative impact on people who are susceptible to fear or have an anxiety disorder or any obsessive/compulsive disorder as it could set them up for fears and attachment to fears that were needlessly placed in their life. They may also bring people into contact with a demonic force that they would have not opened the door too otherwise. But for the person who is strong in their faith, prayerful, discerning, skeptical, and emotionally detached from the environments, feeling healthy in their souls, it is certainly an interesting experience, although far too expensive and fraught with exaggeration to make it a regular event.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

From around the campfire: Pastor Baz talks to the community

2011-07-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Tales from around the campfire

All my life I've been involved in sport from Tae Kwon Do to Ballroom Dancing to Boxing to Surfing to Rugby league and Oztag. Right now I type this short article with a badly sprained thumb from attempting to score a try last night - try typing without your right thumb for a while!!! You keep missing the space bar.

And around sports you meet lots of people from various backgrounds, experiences and belief systems. You just have to be willing to ask - "Have you ever had a supernatural experience"

This week I was talking to my major sponsor, a sports warehouse and I asked that question "Do you guys have any stories".

And this is the story I heard from the manager - which was turned on its head two hours later when another person (a missionary raised in the occult) gave me an interesting perspective on what I'd heard.

The first part starts in an old house, which was built between the world wars. The lady who owned the house was named Minnie. Minnie died in the house and then it was sold as a deceased estate and snapped up by a young family.

Not long after, conversations could be heard in the oldest childs room - a child who had no understanding of the history of the property. One night, when the father of the house heard the talk, he walked in, saw no-one but the child and turned off the bedroom light. As he walked away the light turned back on. He walked back into the room puzzled and as he went to flick it off again he noticed his child sitting up in bed.

"Are you ok" He asked?

"I was talking to the old grannie of the house - she comes and sits on my bed. She said her name was Minnie. I told her to go away, so she did".

The same man went on to share with me stories of his wife working as a nurse at various Sydney hospitals, where similar stories - including that of an old lady who rummages through peoples belongings looking for cigarettes - but who is the same person who died in the hospital years before - for half an hour.

An hour later I had a meeting with a potential sports chaplain who shared with me his stories of being raised in Wicca, life as a missionary in Indonesia and the incredible supernatural stories from that country and deliverance ministry that followed them wherever they went. Stories of incredible demonic oppression of the local people and the freedom they encountered in Jesus Christ as they were set free.

I shared with him the story about Minnie and he added his own to it.

"We lived in a house in Sydney, and there was the ghost of an old lady in it. One night my mother saw her sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room and she said that the kids room was this room and we should be moved into here. My mum, being a person who was involved with many seances trusted the spirit and moved us into the room as indicated. One night I was walking past the room and saw the old lady pulling the bedsheets over my brother. I always thought this was a benevolent spirit who cared about us until I had a dream".

He then started to unpack the reality of the situation.

"In the dream the old lady was knitting in the room, smiling at me. Then the facade of who she was started to unravel - literally. Her skin started to unravel and I saw the most diabolical monster underneath - it had sharp teeth and claws and eyes full of hate. As her real form was revealed, she leapt at me from the chair and I cried out 'Jesus save me' and she dissapeared in a puff of smoke. I believe that when people tell me they see ghosts, especially of the departed, it is usually a mimic, trying to get the person to focus on the phenomenon and to lose their focus on God - which if you look at the increase in shows on this subject has worked. People aren't interested in God, their focus in on working out what this phenomenon is, and it draws them deeper and deeper in until they are snared in it".

Old Hag Syndrome

2011-07-10T16:23:00.000-07:00

Old Hag Syndrome or sleep paralysis as its now called is a type of sleep disorder where the person who is suffering it feels as though they are awake but cannot move. All other senses are awake except they are paralysed. That is in very simple terms. There is a tonne of different things people can experience in sleep paralysis. One of the main experiences is a vision of an old ugly hag that sits on your chest preventing you from moving or breathing. Thus it used to be called Old Hag Syndrome.
Accompanying the paralysis is usually a sensation of immense evil, a sinister presence etc.
From About.com The current explanation of sleep paraylsis is that it is a problem with the regulation of REM. In this phase of sleep the body is relaxed so we do not act out the dreams, if this carries on when we wake up, it can cause temporary paraylsis.

This seems a pretty good explanation but what baffles me is the similarities of what people experience. Why do they all experience the same feelings? The feeling of dread, a heavy chest, seeing eyes, hearing footsteps, feeling a presence etc?

Do you believe in the REM theory for Old Hag Syndrome? Or do you believe its something else? Ever experienced anything similar?

For further watching....

The Science of Sleep Paralysis

Real Life Stories: The Bleeding Monster of Tweed Heads

2011-07-03T19:22:00.000-07:00

This week Pastor Baz wants to discuss the bleeding monster of Tweed Heads on our FB page, so go to our page and read the story, then in that thread work together to assess what the encounter could have been or how it could be followed up.

Thanks!

Will There Ever Be Enough Evidence?

2011-07-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

Recently I blogged about Sanger Paranormal and their up coming press release that was penned as the most significant bigfoot evidence since the Patterson-Gimlin film.

They presented what they see as pretty significant findings which can be found here. The basic gist of the story is they had to abandon their car in remote forest and when they went back they found face imprints on the truck. They are looking for a lab to process the DNA and they are convinced its not a bear, mountain lion or gorilla.

But from what I have seen there has been pretty much negative feed back. Most say it is most definitely a bear.
Here's a pretty convincing picture from Ghost Theory that says its possibly proves it is a bear.

And from Sanger Paranormals website they have tried to prove its NOT a bear or any other animal:

Now I am hoping that someone will test the DNA and this can be settled. I won't comment either way as to what I think this could be. My question is, will there ever be enough evidence to satisfy the masses?

What would convince you to the existence of Bigfoot?

Bizarre In The News - 'It's real': Priest reveals exorcism rituals

2011-06-30T17:22:00.000-07:00

ABC.net.au

Apart from heads spinning in 360-degree circles and streams of flowing green vomit, real-life exorcisms are remarkably similar to what you see in the movies, an Australian exorcist says.

Father Barry May - an Anglican priest, exorcist, author and former police chaplain - has performed dozens of exorcisms in his 40 years of ministry.

The 73-year-old Perth man says more Australians are seeking exorcisms, and as such, over the past four years he has dedicated his life solely to ridding people of their demons.

Father May tells anyone sceptical about the ancient Catholic ritual to "get real" and psychologists have backed the man, saying exorcism "has its place" in society.

"I've been spat at, yelled at, grabbed at, sworn at, had people trying to rip my crucifix off my throat, gouge my eyes out, fighting, assault. I get all that stuff and you tell me it's superstition?" Father May said.

Read the rest here

Revisiting the ghost child of Bundeena

2011-06-26T20:30:00.001-07:00

*New Information*

You don't need to look far to find stories of the supernatural. You just need to hang with people and give them space to share their stories.

If you can recall way, way back, we published a story about a house in the sea side town of Bundeena where the little girl kept telling her parents of a 'ghost boy" who would appear at her window. The boy shared with the girl that he had drowned. Of course, that information freaked the parents out even more than a boy appearing at the window. And when you hear of cases like that you often think "could it be an overactive imagination or is something really going on"? Also, the owner didn't know if there had ever been a drowning in the area.

Well this morning I got an SMS that said "Baz give us a call ASAP very Interesting news I have".

And it went something like this:

Two older ladies visited the house last weekend where the little boy had been appearing. They informed the owner that one of them was a previous resident in years gone by and was now in the process of buying a house on that street again. They asked if they could look at the house and yard, which bordered a creek that ran into the estuary. As they looked around they walked out and looked at the creek. "It's a shame" one of the ladies commented "that the little boy drowned in that creek, that was very sad for the family and the community".

So what is going on here? Having not seen the boy with my own eyes it's still an issue of taking the owners word for it.

But if they are conducting themselves with integrity and the story is true - then how does that effect our views on the afterlife? A dominant view in Christianity is that children go "straight to heaven" as they are too young to sin in their own free will. So that leaves us with a couple of possibilities - someone is playing a prank - one is that it's a spiritual mimic - and the other is that the spirit of a child still hangs around Bundeena.

The family is not very keen to be investigated but add that to your own list of "understanding the afterlife".

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

The Phantom of the Housing Comission Labyrinth‏

2011-06-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

In the 1960's the NSW government built masses of housing for low income earners. They envisaged communities who would thrive in communal spaces so they built common play areas, interconnecting pathways that ran alongside and behind blocks of adjoined houses and their common walls. These were known as Housing Comission projects.

It was a grand idea in theory that was a monumental failure in practice terms of building the community in a unified manner. Whilst there were many low income earners or people in need who genuinely benefitted from affordable rents, after the introduction of the 'dole' in the 1970's they often became a hub intergernerational welfare dependancy - to the point where we are now seeing up to four generations of families in the housing commission environment who had never worked by the 2,000's.

And in those graffitied labyrinth like pathways that weave around and behind those housing blocks is where our first investigation this year begins to take place in our series of 'real life stories' on the border of the Sutherland Shire and St George area's in Southern Sydney.

The young man knew he was not allowed out so he did what all teenagers do - lied to his parents - about where he was. He was not meant to be visiting friends in this housing commission block, nor did anyone know he was zipping around on his Razor scooter on those pathways, alone at 10:30pm on a cold, drizzly and misty night in Sydney.

As he headed home along the pathway between the houses he heard something that wasn't overly odd - the sound of someone calling out. He stopped and looked and realised that the odd thing was that someone was calling out to him - was it a cry for help? He stopped and looked back at the source of the sound - no one was there. He was aware of a story whispered around this block in hushed tones - that a mother and baby had been run down accidentally in a terrible automobile accident many, many years ago. Not only had something terrible happened but there was a grisly reminder - people often saw the mother pushing the child in the pram around the block and vanishing in plain sight.

He pushed these thoughts out of his mind. He was Aboriginal and his family had grown up with many spiritual experiences - why would something like this faze him. He continued on his way.

As he came around the corner of a tiny cul-de-sac he heard the cry again. This time he looked and there not 20 metres from him - a lady pushing a baby in a pram - in the freezing cold night in the peak of a blustery southerly wind. He watched as they walked toward him and then dematerialize before his eyes. He kicked his scooter as quick as his feet would push it along with the echo of the racing wheels bouncing off the buckled and scribbly tagged colourbond walls.

"Sir, you should do an investigation eh" He said to me as he recounted the story.

And so, the investigation begins - with the search for the details of the mysterious lady and child. Is this story rooted in fact or another urban myth. Is there another darker force at work here, mimicing a dead person. Checking with Births, deaths and marriages, newspaper articles and questions for long time residents are our starting point. It's time for us to take a walk down those dark alleys, past groups of young men in hoodies dealing in danger to find out what is really going on.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

Upcoming Real Life Stories

2011-06-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

We have spent the last month looking at the subject of Dragons covering areas from the mythology of in dragons primordial chaos and end times eschatology to real life encounters people may have had with dragons or dragon like creatures throughout history.

And now, thanks to simply hanging out with people and asking them for their stories, we have a new series of weekly. real life stories, that will stun you. These stories come from discussions with indigenous and pacific Island teenagers who have one foot in western materialism and the other in their cultures and the spirit world that surrounds it.

Imagine if your house was circled by a black figure dripping with blood with glowing red eyes - In suburban Tweed Heads.

What if you were swimming in a water hole and had your foot gripped by the icy hand of the thing you believed was a tribal myth. And what if it tried to pull you to your death?

Moari hunters alseep when they are attacked by a white mist with malicious intent.

Running down a trail when your sister is grabbed by an invisable force and carried away into the bush - who is released instantly when you cry out "Help me Jesus".

Discovering a beautiful white horse which circles you and then dissapears before the whole families eyes.

A floating man that taps on the second story window who is seen by all the occupants.

And thats just the start.

I asked a man who is a psychologist who lived in Ireland for two years why he thought that people in rural places or had ancient beliefs experienced so many encounters. After his stories - real life stories - of people encountering elementals, leprechauns, gnomes, faeries, trolls and all sorts of strange creatures - he described these creatures as the "fallen kingdom" all created by God but somehow fallen. "Seventy percent of the universe is dark matter" he said "I would expect 70% of our world to be dark matter that needs to come into the light - the light of redemption - which is Jesus' plan to restore a fallen universe". People who live close to these primeval spirits understand they exist - we who are so busy and so connected to technology - the virtual universe - miss it and when we get glimpses its terrifying".

Join us for these stories in the weeks to come.

Pastor Baz.

Did Sanger Paranormal Society Find Evidence Of Bigfoot?

2011-06-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

Press Conference Info From Jeffrey Gonzalez of Sanger Paranormal Society:

"Potentially the Most Convincing Evidence of Bigfoot, Since the Patterson Film of 1967.
We have an full upper body impression including half of its face. On the passenger side window of a pickup truck and on the drivers side window, the Nostrils, Nose and Lips of a Bigfoot.
Who: World Media - Please RSVP to SangerParanormal@aol.com
We will contact you to confirm your attendance.
What: No, it’s not a Bigfoot in a Freezer and we are not affiliated with those guys in any way. This evidence was captured during an expedition in the High Sierra’s of California during the Memorial Day weekend of 2011. There were a total of 5 people in attendance who made the discovery. Three of those people are…
1. Is an award winning High School Principal with a Masters Degree, Formerly a Science Teacher and a former investigator for www.BFRO.com.
2. Correctional Officer for 19 years and is Employed at a prison in California. Was featured on a Episode of Monster Quest titled" the Sierra Sasquatch”.
3. Is a Employee at AT&T Telephone. Associates Degree in Electronics. Founder of the www.SangerParanormalSociety.com
Also, a 14 year Forensic Specialist who is friends with 2 of the people mentioned above was called out to come and take photos and swab
For DNA......
This location where the evidence was captured is known for heavy Bigfoot activity and has been regularly visited by the investigators mentioned above.
When: June 23, 2011 at 4:00 pm
Where: Piccadilly Inn, Banquet Hall 5115 E. McKinley Ave, Fresno, Calif. 93727 Ph: 559-251-6000 fax-559-251-6956
Directly across from Fresno Yosemite National Airport."

______________________________________________________________________________

I saw the photo on Jeffreys profile before he had to take it down in order to do a press conference. I will be interested to hear more details about the photo and see what the world has to say.

Bryony.

Dragons In Celtic Culture

2011-06-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

According to Wikipedia The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages. Language wise they survive in the modern Celtic speakers of Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. But that is slowly dying out unfortunately.

In Celt mythology the dragon had influence over the land (like the Japanese and Chinese dragons in my previous blog post). On the website dragonorama areas frequented by dragons had special power and the regular paths taken by dragons would turn into ley lines. They are strongly associated with water and unlike many depictions of dragons these tended to have no legs...

Like in Japanese and Chinese culture they were seen as representing power. They also could represent the circle of life as depicted with their tail in their mouth.

Since the introduction of Christianity into Ireland, the dragons have been portrayed as devils or satan. The story of Saint Patrick (The patron saint of Ireland) is about him converting the Irish. Many people see the dragons/serpents that were chased out of the country as actually just a representation of paganism and not ACTUAL dragons/serpents. What do you think?

The dragon is in the Welsh flag. From Wikipedia "The flag incorporates the Red Dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 after which it was carried in state to St Paul's Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959."

So why are they still so prolific in Celtic culture today? Is it to acknowledge heritage and history? Do Dragons exist today? What are your thoughts?

Dragons in Eastern Culture

2011-06-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know if its the same for you but when I think of Eastern culture, especially Japanese and Chinese I think of dragons.

These creatures generally look different to a western dragon. Eastern dragons don't have wings for example.
Dragons in western culture are said to be a representation of evil, but in eastern culture they are benevolent and are revered. According to about.com the Chinese dragon is a symbol of imperial power. The dragon was a symbol of the emperor, a 5 toed dragon represented the emporer and 3 toed dragons were commoners. Also dragons are considered symbols of good luck.

According to about.com "Traditionally the dragons are considered as the governors of rain falls in Chinese culture. They have the power to decide where and when to have rain falls." The chinese dragons are associated with water, lakes, oceans, storms, floods etc.

The japanese dragon is also associated with water. It was considered a water deity. There are a lot of similarities between the japanese and chinese dragons, according to wikipedia "Japanese dragons are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon"

The eastern dragon fascinates me more than the western style dragon. Maybe because the eastern dragon is more associated with peace and nature where as the western dragon is fierce and fiery.

I find it interesting though that dragons feature in both western and eastern mythology. Does that lend credability to the existence of such a creature? Or are these no more real than the loch ness monster?

What are YOUR thoughts on dragons? Personally, I think they belong to myths and legends but its interesting to have a look into. There is A LOT of information on dragons in different cultures but I don't want to just copy and paste a tonne of information. I encourage you to look into this yourselves and share your discoveries.

Share your thoughts below.

Bizarre In The News - Another Bigfoot video

2011-05-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Is this Bigfoot caught on video?

Dailymail

A woman hiker got the fright of her life after she went walking with a friend in Spokane, Washington, and stumbled across what she claims is Bigfoot.

Samantha, who has not revealed her surname, caught the footage in Downriver Park with her iPhone camera and posted the video on YouTube.

After capturing the mysterious creature, also known as a Sasquatch, on film, her YouTube video has become a hit and has already been viewed almost 8,000 times within four days.

In her post, Samantha said she didn’t realise Bigfoot was there until she replayed her video after the hike at home.

She wrote an email to KXLY news website in the US, and said: ‘Someone asked me in the comments section if I believed in Bigfoot before the video.

‘I have never given it much thought, but now I’m not so sure. Seem real enough to me.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391825/Is-Bigfoot-caught-video-Hiker-swears-really-HAS-caught-time.html#ixzz1Nnpw1b56

Why i doubt this is bigfoot:

"Bigfoot" wasn't noticed until she watched the video back later. Surely someone in their group would notice Bigfoot walking in front of you?

I looked up the park and its near a quite populated area. Next to a college, golf course etc. Isn't it a little too populated/busy for a Bigfoot to be walking around in broad daylight?

It seems to me that it is just someone taking a short cut through the park. Admittedly they are walking in quite a hunched/odd way. Could it be a hoax? Someone in costume? What are your thoughts?

Who am I to say if its been faked, case of mistaken identity or what? I just offer my humble opinion and would love to hear yours.

Dragons in Middle Ages Mythology

2011-05-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

Dragons - Where does the myth end and real life begin?

There are stories from all over the world that involve dragons. This week i'll focus and show you two stories from around the middle ages in the western world and then in a couple of weeks I'll focus on tales of dragons from the East.

The two stories that stick out in regards to medieval times are The Lambton Worm and St George and the Dragon.

Both written off as fiction, the stories themselves are pretty interesting.

The Lambton worm is a strange tale about John Lambton who finds this bizarre creature and is warned its a bad omen. He's told "It bodes no good for you but you must not cast it back into the river, you must keep it and do with it what you will."

Of course as all these stories go, Lambton ignored this advice and through the worm in a well that was on the way home.

Years went by and John was away fighting the crusades. The worm grew and grew, the well became unstable and released toxic vapours. The villagers said the well was cursed and surmised that something otherwordly had residence in the well. The truth came out one day when they saw the worm "had slipped out of the well and wrapped itself three times around a rocky island in the middle of the river, a trail of black slime outlined its path from the well."

The worm is described as follows:

"The dragon had no legs or wings, but a thick muscled body that rippled as it moved. Its head was large and its gaping maw bristled with razor sharp teeth, venomous vapours trailed from its nostrils and mouth as it breathed."

The worm eventually went to the Lambton Hall and was abated by warm milk. This went on for a few years, when John Lambton returned from the crusades, heard the plight of teh village and decided he needed to kill the worm.

He went to see a wise woman who advised him "You and you alone can kill the worm, go to the blacksmith, and have a suit of armour wrought with razor sharp spear heads studded throughout its surface. Then go to the worm's rock and await its arrival. But mark my words well, if you slay the beast you must put to death the first thing that crosses your path as you pass the threshold of Lambton Hall. If you do not do this then three times three generations of Lambtons will not die in their beds."

The story goes that he killed the worm and as he was returning to Lambton hall his father rushed out to greet him. John panics and asks the servants to bring the dog which he kills. But he hasn't fullfilled his oath and for generations the Lambtons didn't die in their beds.

The "worm" described in the story is how dragons are said to look like. The above story according to Wikipedia "is a legend from North East England in the UK. The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats."

Now, for George and the Dragon, the tale comes from around the same time as the Lambton Worm story.

There are a few different ways this story is told. The basis of the story is of a dragon in a lake that required sacrifices in order to be appeased. First of all it was cattle, then when that wasn't enough it was children (picked by a lottery), One day in the lottery the kings daughter was picked out and the King begged the kingdom by saying he'd give them all the gold and silver but the people of his kingdom refused the bribe. So the daughter decked out in a bridal gown went out to the lake.
At this point Saint George happened to be riding passed and spoke to the scared princess. She tried to make him go away but Saint George was having none of it and refused to leave her. Whilst they were talking the dragon appeared. Saint George did the sign of the cross and thrust his lance into the dragon, wounding it. He then put a girdle around the dragon and the dragon meakly followed the girl by a leash.
As they neared the kingdom, the people became terrified. Saint George then said "Convert to Christianity and then I will slay the dragon". They converted and Saint George killed the dragon.

According to some, this tale is an adaptation of Perseus and Andromeda due to similiarity in events and location. Others say the dragon was controlled by Satan "The creature blocked the city's water supply and would only move if given a virgin sacrifice. Over time, all of the virgins were sacrificed except for the noble's daughter, and even she was sent to quench the castle's thirst. However, Saint George arrived at the last moment on his white horse, striking down the dragon with a spear between its eyes".

Like St Patrick and the snakes, many think that these stories about dragons/snakes etc represent paganism and the saints that went around and converted people to Christianity.

What do you think? Are dragons mythical representations of satan? Are dragon stories just ways of telling stories about the conversion of pagans to Christianity? Real life animals that are now extinct? Or a case of mistaken identity?

Bizarre In The News - Maori activists slam Ghost Hunters International as 'gauche'.

2011-05-25T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hawkes Bay Today

The international crew of ghost hunters secretly filming at Napier Prison have been condemned as "gauche" by local Maori activists.

The prison is the site of several hangings, including that of famed Maori warrior Kereopa Te Rau, who hanged the missionary Reverend Carl Volkner outside his Opotiki church, and ate his eyeballs.

Denis O'Reilly, a close observer of iwi affairs in Napier, said the television series ghost-hunting at the Napier Prison, a Government-owner property landbanked for possible use in treaty claim settlement, was inappropriate. "Maori history and Kereopa should be treated with respect and that's not what's being done with the ghost busters here, there's no need for cheap thrills. It's the lowest common denominator of a reality TV show, it's gauche in the extreme, and not where we should be positioning Hawke's Bay tourism."

However, Mr O'Reilly said Peter Wells' new book, Sparrow on a Rooftop, which was this week awarded the $100,000 Michael King Writers' Fellowship, had a strong following and was exactly how the situation should be treated. "It's great that someone is doing some research into the story of Kereopa Te Rau, it's an important story."

The group of about 20 Ghost Hunters International staff were reportedly attracted to the prison, which was open between 1862 and 1993, after reports of "strange sights and sounds", said co-manager of the prison, Marion Waaka.

She said the decision to let ghost hunters film was not taken lightly.

"We have to be respectful and we take our guardianship very seriously...

Read the rest here

Dragons: Part 1 - The ancient near and middle east.

2011-05-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

From wikipedia - "Destruction of Leviathan". 1865 engraving by Gustave Doré

Dragons - a large subject to be sure. Firstly, I'd encourage everyone to go and visit the Wikipedia "Dragons" page because its a great article with lots of information and we don't want to simply re write it here. That will give you lots of insight into the subject. But don't go there just yet because this is a research community and there are a number of points of discussion first...........

We'll start with the word Chaos. It's a word we are probably more used to being associated with household disorder, the series 'Get Smart' or a comedy club chain. In ancient Greek it refers to a state lacking order or predictability. In Cosmogony (see expansion of term below) it refers to the ancient abyss or chasm, the primeval world.

But in the world of mythology - chaos - the state of the earth and the universe prior to creation, is also the place where we find the dragon. The oceans were a fearful place as the world was created. Leviathan, the primordial sea-monster lived there. Most ancient near and middle eastern people could not swim, and saw the ocean as a fearful and foreboding place. What was on the periphery of the ocean? What existed at it's edge? What monstrous beasts from out of the primeval chaos would we encounter - that's the view of the ancient world.

In the Chaoskampf, the ancient battle or struggle in the creation myths or the formless and void state of the earth often involve gods and Dragons or the "Mighty Men of Old, the Men of Renown" the Nephilim or similar heroes of mythology from Genesis vs dragon type figures. We see this ancient struggle also used in stories and devices such as Michael the Archangel vs the Dragon in the book of Revelation and in more recent stories such as St George and the Dragon and the Lambton worm story (which we will look at in greater detail in weeks to come).

The dragon represented the powers behind evil and chaos in the ancient world. The Caananite myths also reflect this dragon-behind-the-chaos mythology and I would encourage you to read the Catholic Version of the Bible to see the stories in the book of Daniel and Bel and the Dragon to see an expansion on this topic straight from an ancient source (I recommend that we don't do big quotes from literature because you should do your own research, that's why we tend to ask more questions than we answer - the community does the research together). Read Job 7:12; 41:1-11 and Psalm 74:13-14. What insights does this give us on the ancient view of dragons and serpent type creatures? What does it tell us about God? Does it literally refer to dragons or is God meeting culture where they are at in their own mythology? Is the inspired author using this as a device to show people how God ultimately intervenes and deals with fear and chaos by bringing victory and hope? It's really, really important to do your own research on ancient near eastern cosmology (The science of the origin and development of the universe) and cosmogony (The evolution of the universe) to understand the literary devices used in relation to this subject. When you realise how ancient people viewed the universe, you will understand the stories in a way much more richly and more importantly......accurately.

The dragon is also used later on to derscribe Egypt and Babylon as corruptand idolatrous powers opposing God - and much further on in the bible in the book of Revelation we see that the dragon is the evil spiritual and political power behind the beast (Who is in Rome - whether practically or metaphorically).

So in part 1, we establish the middle/near eastern motiffs, symbols and stories from the ancient world of the dragon representing the dark powers lurking behind the shadows of creation, doing battle against God or the other near eastern deities and representing the adversarial power that opposes the good works of God and men.

But what of the reality of dragons as a real physical being. Are there any truths to the stories of St George and the Lambton Worm. Next week Bryony will take a look at Dragons in the medieval world and how they became so prevalent in story and heraldry - which are still part of our mythology in movies and books today.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

The Witch of Endor - Part 2 by Pastor Robin Swope (The Paranormal Pastor)

2011-05-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

Saul was a deeply disturbed King. God had chosen him as the first King of the united kingdom of Israel. He was God’s man. And his prideful disobedience led him down a dark path, a path of demon possession, paranormal encounters and suicide.

King Saul’s story is told in the biblical book of 1st Samuel, a historical book that describes the transition of the ruling authority of Israel from anointed judges to a monarchy. 1st Samuel is one of my favorite books in scripture, it reads like a Conan novel: swords and sorcery abound. It also contains the only scripture that describes a ghostly entity that is directly called the spirit of a deceased human being.

Saul was a vain and proud king. His disobedience to God cost him his kingdom. He disobeyed God’s prophet Samuel and offered a sacrifice in preparation for battle (1 Samuel 13:3-14). Only a priest was to offer such a sacrifice, and what he did was tantamount to sacrilege. So God decided to remove him from the throne and chose David instead. After David is anointed as King by Samuel, Saul still retains the throne, and he is possessed by an evil spirit. David has to play his harp to settle the spirit within him (1 Samuel 16:14-23; 18:8-16; 19:8-10).

Perhaps it was this possession that motivated Saul to put the mediums and spiritists out of the land of Israel after Samuel’s death in 1 Samuel 28. Even though he was a rebellious king, Saul relied on Samuel as a prophet of God to help direct him in battle. When another battle arose, and Saul had nowhere to go, God would not answer him by dreams or consulting the Urim. So strangely he turns to a medium, the same kind of person who had had just tried to throw out of Israel. The Scripture tells us:

“Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”
And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at Endor.”
So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”
Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”
And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”
And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”
And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”
And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” So he said to her, “What is his form?”
And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.
Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”
And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”
Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”
Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.” I Samuel 28:7-20 NKJV

Most Christians believe that all ghosts are really demonic spirits. They deceive people to believe that they are the spirits of the dead and with their cunning skills they draw away Christians to follow false teachings. However the scripture here tells us different. The Bible implicitly tells us that it is the ghost of Samuel. When he talks to Saul, it does not say “The spirit said to Saul”, no. It says “Samuel said to Saul”. Some look at this passage and they feel it is an evil spirit telling Saul of his defeat in battle which leads to Saul committing suicide. But the word of God does not tell us that, it says it is Samuel’s ghost. The Bible is pretty explicit when it comes to details. Not paying attention to the details of obedience is why Saul lost his throne. Why would the Bible tell us it is Samuel when it is an evil spirit? That would make the scripture and God Himself deceiving us, and that is heretical at the least. This was actually Samuel being brought by God from the grave to pronounce His judgment upon Saul. Notice the medium seems to be unnerved that this bringing up of Samuel from Sheol actually happens. Than as now, many psychics are in it only for the money. This woman was a huckster who suddenly actually became a medium between the dead and the living by the power of God.

So what are ghosts? In Christian Systematic Theology we have two main divergent views of the make up of humans. Some people believe man’s essence is physical and immaterial, body and soul/spirit. They make no distinction between soul and spirit, it is the same thing. Those who believe in this view are called Dicotomists. The alternative view is that of the Tricotomists. The tricotomist believes that man is body, soul and spirit. The soul is the rational part of man, responsible for self awareness and the spirit is the part of man that interacts with God. The word ghost and spirit are interchangeable in scripture, they are both translations of the ancient Greek word PNUEMATOS, which literally means wind. That is why we call the third person of the trinity the Holy Ghost or the Holy Spirit; they both describe the same person of the trinity. A spirit/ghost is an invisible force like the wind, you can sense it but it is immaterial. Some tricotomists assert that while the soul is with God, the spirit may be able to roam.

The main problem Christians have with ghosts is the belief that when we die we immediately go to heaven. Actually, the bible is very vague as to what happens right after we die. There are hints, but nothing directly spelled out. However according to scripture we do have access to heaven after we are transformed into our resurrected bodies. When Jesus died, he did not immediately go to heaven. He went to hell. For three days Jesus was in the grave, Sheol in the Old Testament language, delivering the Old Testament saints and raising them from dead along with Him. Matthew 27:50-53 says,

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.”

We see these saints in heaven in the book of Revelations:

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.”
Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crownsof gold on their heads.” Revelation 4:1-4

Who are these 24 elders? Many say they represent the wholeness of the Old and New Testament in heavenly form; 12 tribes and 12 prophets. But John was one of the prophets. Instead might these be some of those who were resurrected with Christ, the Old Testament saints who waited in Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22-23, where the righteous dead await resurrection) for the victory of the cross?

Jesus Himself only entered heaven after He was resurrected. We celebrate His ascension into heaven in the church calendar every year, it occurred 40 days after the resurrection.

A problem does arise with Jesus’ statements to the thief on the cross. He told him that “Today you will be with me in paradise”. Did the thief go straight to heaven when he died? It stands to reason that he did die before Jesus’ resurrection. He would have gone to Abraham’s bosom in Sheol. Therefore he also would have been raised with the righteous dead as Matthew reports in 27:50-53.

Another problem is Paul’s statement in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8,

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

Many read into this scripture that we go to heaven when we die, but that is not what the scripture says. It says we are with the Lord in some capacity. What exactly does that mean? Scripture does not elaborate. God is not limited to heaven, and the only time humans are seen in heaven in scripture is after their resurrection. So it would seem this means something…else.

Christian Theology tells us after our mortal life we can expect a glorious new body in the resurrection. Theologians call the space in between death and resurrection the intermediate state. Some adhere to a theory that the soul or spirit is asleep in this state because of scriptural references to the dead being asleep (Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6). Some early protestant theologians believed in this, a good site to detail the history of this theological idea in historical theology is http://www.counterbalance.org/neuro/christ-frame.html. However, it is more likely that the sleep described in Scripture is not an actual sleep of the dead, but a metaphor because the dead do look as if they are asleep.

The current theological view that a person goes straight to heaven when they die lies in an interpretation of Christian beliefs that became popular in the revival movement of the early to mid 19^th century. The basis of this belief does not rely upon Scripture itself, rather a re-interpretation of the theory of “Particular Judgment” espoused by many early Christian theologians such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and Hippolytus of Rome. Their original theory was that after death the person foretastes their eternal destiny in either Hades or a special place that is either darkness or light. American Evangelical theologians of the 19^th century morphed these realms into heaven by mixing it with unsriptural popular beliefs.

However, since the dawn of civilization there has been a belief that the dead can somehow either dwell or visit the physical realm in spirit. In Catholic and Orthodox tradditions this view has been transformed into the idea that the dead saints of the past can see and interact with living believers as intermediaries to God. Other popular Christian ideas are that the saintly dead or children take the form or ministry of angels in the afterlife. What do we make of these ideas in light of evidence from many stalwart bible believing Christians that they have been in contact with the dead spirits of their loved ones? Are they demonic entities trying to decieve them? Why would demonic entities give hope to the grieving by supposed proof of life after death? Most who have these encounters have an incredible boost of faith. They did not seek it out in some form of necromancy, it just happened. Perhaps it is an act of God’s special grace to ease their grief. We do not know, and it is foolish to jump to judgement to these claims. Demonic spirits can imitate the dead, but usually this happens when one attempts to contact the dead in a direct purposeful action or ritual. 1 John 4:1 tells us,

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God”
A good way to test is by whether these encounters give hope and inspires faith in Christ and how it affects the individual who has had them. We can test by observing the fruits of the encounter, as Christ Himself said,
“every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” Matthew 7:17b-20 NKJV
When approaching unexplained phenomenon as a Christian I like to use one axiom that has proven true over and over. “Do not put God in a box; for if you do, you will find that you are the one in the box.”

Job 14:10 “But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last and where is he?”

To check out Robins blog go to www.theparanormalpastor.blogspot.com

Dragons: Myth, legend or cryptozoological reality?‏

2011-05-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

A pickled baby dragon?

I was having to chat to Bryony and I mentioned the subject of Dragons. Maybe we should do a blog on them.

And what an interesting subject it is.

From the Biblical imagery of satan as a great dragon and the mentions of Babylonian dragon worship, to Chinese New Year, to Tolkien and Harry Potter, to Celtic Heraldry, to movies by Dreamworks (ie How to train one) to real life stories of strange beasts in the past and in our own time, dragons are a huge part of our mythology.

All I have to do where I live is look up as I walk to streets to see an image of a Dragon everywhere - the St George Dragons Rugby League team. The imagery of dragons is all pervasive in many cultures.

Where did that imagery come from? Did the bones of Dinosaurs inspire the stories? Did humans ever actually see creatures that were similar to those representations? Like the Bombadier beetle, have there been other animals that through a chemical process can shoot flames. Were stories like the Lambton worm, that terrorised England in the period of the Crusades legend or based on some evidence.

What about the stories today - the Raptors spotted in Utah, strange dragon or dinosaur like creatures spotted in the forests of Papua New Guinea and the swamps of Africa. Could that be possible.

And why is satan represented as a dragon in the bible - what is the meaning behind the symbology.

After we take a look at Robin Swopes blog on "The Witch of En Dor" next week please join us on an investigation into the realm of dragons, past, present and....in a biblical sense.....the future.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

Weird Skulls

2011-05-09T18:11:00.000-07:00

Below I have compiled a VERY brief overview of three strange skulls:

The Starchild Skull

The Starchild Skull according to starchild project is a "genuine 900year old bone skull found in Mexico in the 1930's. The Starchild Project is an informal organization which began in 1999 when Ray and Melanie Young, the owners of the Starchild Skull, asked Lloyd Pye to head research efforts to determine what caused the unusual shape and properties of the bone.

The results uncovered by the research team ruled out all known deformities and presented the scientific community with a genetic and physical profile never before seen on Earth.

Now new DNA findings indicate that the Starchild Skull may well be “alien”! Now all that remains is to determine whether alien means “foreign to normal human genetics within the framework of that subject as it is currently understood,” or “definitely not from planet Earth”…. or something in between. "

On their website there are reports that you can read.

According to the website "At this time, no known medical condition or cultural practice has been identified that can explain the Starchild Skull."

There is a TONNE of information to read on the website... http://www.starchildproject.com/index.htm

Elongated skull

According to paranormal.about.com "Researcher Robert Connolly photographed this strange elongated skull in 1995. It was found in South America and is estimated to be tens of thousands of years old. Apart from its obvious abnormalities, it also exhibits characteristics of both Neanderthal and human skulls – impossible in itself, according to anthropology texts, since Neanderthals did not exist in South America. Some believe that the unusual shape of the skulls might be the result of a primitive practice known as "skull binding" in which a person's head is tightly bound with cloth or leather straps throughout his lifetime, causing the skull to grow in this dramatic way."

Palau skeletons

According to The National Geographic "The remains are between 900 and 2,900 years old and align with Homo sapiens, according to a paper on the discovery. However, the older bones are tiny and exhibit several traits considered primitive, or archaic, for the human lineage.

"They weren't very typical, very small in fact," said Lee Berger, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Berger was on vacation in 2006, kayaking around rocky islands about 370 miles (600 kilometers) east of the Philippines, when he found the bones in a pair of caves.

The caves were littered with bones that had been dislodged by waves and piled like driftwood. Others had remained buried deep in the sandy floor, and more, including several skulls, were cemented to the cave walls.

Two sets of human bones were found in the Palauan caves. The most recent remains were found near the entrance to one of the caves and appear normal in size. Older bones found deeper in the caves are stranger and much smaller.

The smaller, older bones represent people who were 3 to 4 feet (94 to 120 centimeters) tall and weighed between 70 and 90 pounds (32 and 41 kilograms), according to the paper."

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What do you think of these skulls? Comment below.

The weight of evidence: Is it found wanting in the Paranormal world?

2011-05-03T16:16:00.001-07:00

One of the most interesting things about the supernatural realm is that it is so intangible.

Some of the experiences are purely individual experiences, some are group experiences, but none of it seems to be able to be captured and analysed deeply enough to have absolute proof.

Some first hand conversations include:

"I saw my deceased son and he reassured me he was ok".

"I saw my deceased husband and he told me to go back to Church".

"I saw an angelic being"

"I saw a ghost like figure.."

"I hear a voice say to me.."

"I felt something touch me..."

"There was a presence in the room.."

Then occasionally, two or more witnesses see something tangible:

"We both saw the can move across the table..."

"My husband and I both had the same experience but were unaware of it until one day we discussed this strange phenomenon.."

"Everyone who worked in the back of the factory has seen the creature..."

"The whole group saw this blue ball moving back and forth above the graveyard..."

And then you have cryptozoology.

"...everyone on this street has seen the black panther.."

"..there was Yowie sign everywhere..broken branches, tree bites, stick formations.."

"..the whole group saw this large creature in the water that defied description and it was in an inland lake.."

But never any tangible proof for the scientific community. In a country where we have shot, skinned and stuffed every animal, why can't we catch a black panther (and I don't count the tail from the deer hunter that came back as domestic cat DNA as sufficient for the general community). Why no Yowie body? Why no anything.

I am not for one second discounting the experiences that people are having. But the weight of evidence suggests the encounters are less tangible than the paranormal community would like them to be. Which leads to all kinds of other theories - eg are these animals completely real or otherworldy by nature?

This week we celebrated a 2,000 year old story that a man was killed and then came back to life. That is very hard to prove scientifically. And I'm not going to try to.

Imagine if you were witness to that, and then had to tell people who didn't have the same experience. What would they think? Loony? Agenda? Easily influenced? Not rational enough?

Without a doubt, the weight of evidence of the supernatural/paranormal realm is found wanting. Yet even skeptics run blogs on it. Y'know why? Because the amount of experience far outweighs the amount of evidence and even without evidence, that is something that we all have to deal with.

Every week, someone tells me about a haunting but I can't prove it..

I saw a can move across a table and spin in a way that was controlled and sentient, but I can't prove it.

When I was a kid a saw a huge hairy thing on two legs in the bush, but I can't prove it.

I believe that Jesus is real, but in reality if you don't believe it, I can't scientifically prove it upon request.

And that's why, I believe that in sharing what we do believe, be it believer or skeptic, that we do it in "gentleness and respect".

Because the only reality is that we don't know everything and if you think you do understand a subject and refuse to move on it, your learning experience has ended and you are now in the realm of dogma.

My online friend who is known as Nightwalker has caused heaps of grief for people who are dogmatic in their thinking, simply because he challenges people to present their evidence. And they react angrily when they can't do it in the minimum way required by science. Yet he also respects my religious beliefs, even though he is agnostic and has insisted "there is a place for folklore, mythology and good old fashioned yarns" in cryptozoology. He's not saying it's harmful but is saying "lets not call it evidence, lets call it experiences" that take into account the whole physical, mental, emotional and spiritual range of human community.

So, in light of that, lets stay humble because whether you are skeptic, believer or something in between, we still have much to learn.

God bless you,

Pastor Baz.

The Witch of En Dor - Part 1: By Pastor Baz

2011-04-26T16:48:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited about this topic, mainly because the Paranormal Pastor - Rev Robin Swope is going to do the main blog on this subject in a couple of weeks time. I will be looking forward to that as much as our readers because I am a huge fan of Robin, not just as a colleague, but I'm probably a bit of a Robin groupie as well. He has had a huge impact on me in my ministry which has enabled me to discuss the paranormal now with thousands and thousands of people in every forum from school classrooms, large auditoriums of Christians all over Sydney and now to cyberspace through the great work Bryony has done with the blog. I consider myself to be a novice in the industry and feel incredibly blessed by the experience of other ministers like Pastor Swope, Rev Dr Gladwyn Turner and the team at Ellell Ministries at Menangle in South Western Sydney who I have relied on for help, who have relayed experiences and real life stories and practical advice from a ministry and theological perspective.

The story of the witch (or a more appropriate term could be medium) of En Dor is interesting because it forces us to look at a subject that is very uncomfortable in evangelical circles and that is the whole issue of ghosts and those who have contact with them. There is a prevailing view in western evangelical Christianity that all ghosts are demons impersonating those who have died to lead them away from God in some way. Dove tailing into that view is the prevailing opinion that people who can contact the dead have a 'familiar spirit' like the fortune telling slave girl in the book of Acts 16:16.

One of the verses used starts in Deuteronomy 18:9 in which the newly freed from Egypts children of Israel are warned "Not to consult a medium or spiritist..." because these are the very people who will lead them away from God. In fact, it basically implies that the Israelites will recieve the land from these people because their practices are an abomination to God.

The question is - what were the practices being conducted and what or who were they consulting? Were they demons or the 'spirits of the restless dead' the 'unclean spirits' as described by Professor of New Testament Studies at Moore College, Peter Bolt in his book "Living with the Underworld" (Matthias Media).

So it is an interesting tale in the book of Samuel, Chapter 28 when King Saul, Israels first King in the Old Testament, goes to consult the Medium of En Dor, after his own statutes and laws had them cast out of the land. Due to his disobedience to God, the Lord will no longer speak to Saul in dreams and visions, or using the Urim device or by prophets. God basically stops talking. So Saul breaks his own laws by disguising himself and taking a posse to consult a medium.

What happens in this confrontation needs to be discussed in a way that that combines great biblical and historical understanding, and then brings the answers into our time and space. What does Sauls interaction with a medium and conversation with the dead imply about where the dead go and those who claim to be able to contact them? Does a world post the ressurection of Jesus Christ interpret this verse differently. Who are the 'restless dead'? How could they not go straight to heaven, hell, paradise or hades.

This is where the theological meets the practical reality of what people are encountering all over the world. Ghosts? Demons? or both?

I look forward to Robin's blog next month and we would love to hear your comments:)

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

THE FEAR OF DEATH AND THE UNDERWORLD SPACES

2011-04-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

You would have heard (or possibly experienced) the list of common phobias. Hardly anyone is thrilled about being stuck in an elevator, being in close proximity to a spider or standing on the edge of a cliff. But most of those are generally avoidable.

But it's the thing other than taxes that we can't avoid that has driven people to do all sorts of strange things to avoid it.

It's "Thanatophobia" - the fear of death.

Be totally honest with yourself - would you be lying if you said you had NO fear of death whatsoever?

Death is a bit of a complex word. About.com explains that there would be many various reasons for fear of death. Fear of losing a loved one, fear of the unknown, religious reasons (eg I might not be religious enough to go to heaven), fear of pain and suffering, fear of a loss of dignity or control.

Is part of the reason we (both individually and in community) are so interested in the existence of ghosts and paranormal because we need to know what happens to us once we pass away?

There's got to be something else right? Surely our existence on this earth isn't just OVER when we die?

Do we descend into Hades? Do we ascend to 'Heaven'. Do you disappear into nothing? Do we become part of the force like Yoda, Obi Wan and Anakin when they carked it?

What are we scared of facing?

What creatures lurk there? Will it be like in the movie "Ghost" starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, where good people met a ray of light and orbs of angelic love and bad people encounter poorly illustrated CGI hooded demons who grumble and groan as they drag you into the underworld. Will it be like Pastor Baz's friends dying mother, who when he visited her in hospital said "When I get out of here I'm going to Church, because I've seen those other things waiting for me in my room and I'm not going with them".

In Peter Bolts book "Living with the underworld" he talks about the "spiritual underworld and shows how Jesus came to reveal its true nature, neutralise its power, and liberate us to live without fear."
In the book he shows us the verses in the bible that reference the underworld and why we should not fear death. Why and how Jesus has defeated death and the evil that lurks there. He points out the verse in Hebrews 2:14-15 "14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."

As a Christian, I have a firm belief in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ and it's neutralising affect on fear, death and the power of the underworld that has gripped humans for millennia. This week remembers, reflects and in some cases re-enacts a huge event that tore a hole in and then embroided a new patch on the fabric of the universe and has affected it ever since.

As you know, Its nearing easter and although we are all about to hand out baskets of chocolate eggs and eat hot cross buns, the easter story has a huge impact in the universe that we miss in all our outrageous eating, drinking and being merry. That message is that Jesus was destined to die on a cross so that He could die for the sins of the world. So that people would no longer have to sacrifice animals, or do other similar rituals for forgiveness of sins. So, that we would no longer fear death, the devil and the things that lurk in the underworld would no longer have power. Jesus was crucified and 3 days later he rose from the dead and was seen by His followers. Whether you believe this or not there are historic records stating people did see this guy called Jesus after he'd been dead and buried. They touched him. Their hands did not pass through him as though he were a ghost. His flesh was not rotting away like a zombie Jesus. He was there. ALIVE and He had sacrificed His life for ours. He had conquered DEATH and darkness.

So yes, I'll admit I am scared of the process of dying, but I am not scared of what comes after because of God's amazing love and sacrifice for us ALL. That is why its called "the good news" because that's what it is! Awesome huh?

Have a blessed Easter everyone.

Bryony and Baz

Do animals have an afterlife?

2011-04-10T20:39:00.000-07:00

Bryony's dog "Thea"

It's a question that a lot of people think about but rarely ask?

Do animals have an afterlife?

Many cultures revere animals, believe that we can become reincarnated as them or lift them up as gods.

What does the bible say on this subject?

Not a lot. But then again, an ancient middle eastern society didn't keep animals as pets in the same way we do, they either co-existed with them or used them as service providers, for food, hide or hair by products or as sacrificial offerings of atonement. It wasn't as up for disucssion or in the minds of the writers of the bible as it is for us today, in a country where our pets eat better than most families in Africa.

So how does God view animals?

The bible tells us in the stories of genesis of God creating animals and the first man naming them individually but not finding a suitable partner among them - hence the creation of the first woman!! After the animals were created, they were deemed 'good' just like the rest of creation.

It shows He saved them in the flood story, not just for food or burnt offerings but so they may live and multiply over the earth. Animals play a huge part in God's creation. Numerically a part far bigger and more expansive than ours.

God gave voice to a donkey so that it could rebuke the oracle Balaam, which saved him from being killed by an angel standing on the path. God uses animals in ways that we least expect. Ever hear the stories about animals sensing something and saving the life of a person from a house fire, accident, intruder or other animal? They truly have a 'sixth sense' whether that is purely practical (ie instinctive or functional) or partially 'spiritual' whether from God or part of their spiritual make up.

But what about when they die? Do animals go to heaven? Can their spirits roam the earth? What of stories like Black Shuck, the red eyed demon dog in the UK - is that the spirit of an animal?

It kind of depends on your theology of heaven. And according to most books by Fortean author Nick Redfern on the matter, Black Shuck is highly likely to be something other than the spirit of a mistreated hound - but that's for another blog and you can buy Mr Redferns books via Amazon (Three Men Seeking Monsters is the starter).

When we die, do we literally go to a place called heaven or hell, or is there a judgement day after which God makes a literal new heaven and earth for those entering the kingdom? If it is the latter will there be animals in it like on earth? Will they be the same animals or will we get to ride dinosaurs and co-exist with creatures that we never got to see!!!

Check out this verse from Old Testament book of Isaiah in chapter 11 as it speaks of the kingdom of God coming through Jesus. After it discusses the coming of the Lord in the flesh, the coming of the Lord in His Holy spirit and His justice and righteousness coming to all the earth it mentions "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze, their young ones will lie down together; and the the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobras hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the vipers den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

It then goes on to talk about the bringing in of the gentiles (non-Jews) to the Kingdom and the destruction of those who oppose His people.

So if we were going to look at that verse, we firstly understand it as a restorative process, which subverts all we know about death and hostility in Gods Kingdom. The whole chapter is about Gods plan to 'fix the earth' from all the evil that exists in it.

But it begs the question to be asked - is it indicative that in the coming of the completeness of Gods work at the end of the age as we know it, that there are literally animals and humans interacting in a new Kingdom, a restored heaven and earth and universe in a new way.

Personally I hope so, because we have lots of pets and those pets teach us a lot about Gods love and care. We learn about birth, life, death and love.

We also go hunting from time to time and experience Gods provision as food through animals. We would never consider taking the life of an animal for purely sport purposes. I believe this is abhorrent to God, even though it is mentioned in the Old Testament as part of what Kings did, we are clearly told that the earth is under our stewardship and we are to be good, merciful and loving custodians and not to bring cruelty or injustice or greed to any part of that creation.

So will Kokoe the wonderdog be in heaven, a new earth or walk the earth like Black Shuck, terrorising the local postmen for all eternity.

I can't say for sure. But I know God is good and I know He made the animals in all their forms and functions. They belong to Him and He has asked us to care for them and the planet they live on.

But if you have any thoughts, idea's or animal 'ghost stories' we'd love you to post them so we can discuss the subject in community.

God bless you this week - Pastor Baz.

From Bryony: Pastor Baz has written all the points I would have made regarding this subject. The bible doesn't have a yes/no answer regarding pets but I think there will be animals in heaven (the new earth), and that on this current earth we are living in right now we are to be the caretakers of animals and the earth. In regards to animals in heaven, In the book of revelation there is talk of horses in heaven. I personally can't imagine heaven without animals. They are an AMAZING part of God's creation. So, if there are animals in heaven, why would they not be the animals we treasure so much on earth?

In regards to the spirits of animals haunting the earth, I have heard many stories of people who feel or have seen the presence of their deceased pet. What about you? What do you think?

Bizarre In The News - Aussie Senators Yowie Encounter

2011-04-07T18:00:00.001-07:00

Cryptomundo

Politician’s yowie encounter
BILL O’Chee can remember it like it was yesterday. It was the day the former Queensland National Party senator came face to face with a creature straight out of a nightmare.
A young O’Chee was with a group of 20 fellow TSS students returning from a two-day camp near Springbrook when they saw what they described as a 3m tall hair-covered creature.
To this day, Mr O’Chee is certain what he saw was the mythical yowie.
He told The Gold Coast Bulletin on November 17, 1977 that the animal approached the boys’ camp on several occasions, at one stage coming within 10m of their cabins.
“About 20 of us saw it,” he said then.

“It was about 3m tall, covered in hair, had a flat face and walked to the side in a crab-like style.
“It smashed small saplings and trees like matchsticks as it careered through the bush, we spotted it several times and once watched it through binoculars. It definitely was there.

“We first saw it just before we returned back to Southport on the afternoon of October 23.”
Contacted this week, Mr O’Chee was happy to confirm the story and said his memory of what he saw was as clear to him today as it was 27 years ago.
Read more here

Are U.S. government microwave mind-control tests causing TV presenters' brains to melt down?

2011-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh Daily Mail, another quality conspiracy theory ;-)...

A bizarre spate of television presenters dissolving into on-air gibberish has sparked claims that the U.S. military could be to blame.

In four high-profile cases, the latest involving fast-talking Judge Judy, the presenters have started off speaking properly but have then descended into undecipherable nonsense - looking confused and unstable.

The frequency of the 'attacks' - and the fact that recorded examples of the mental meltdowns have been popular on websites - has led to conspiracy theorists pointing the finger at shadowy government experiments.

A popular theory being circulated online blames the U.S. Military’s supposed research into using microwaves as a mind control weapon.

America has never admitted conducting such research but proponents say the effects - produced by microwave signals stimulating the brain with fake images and voices - exactly mimic those displayed in the recent on-air breakdowns.

As to why the Pentagon might be targeting U.S. television presenters, the microwave theorists are less clear.

The phenomenon, which has provided internet video sites with some of the oddest footage for months, has now claimed one of America’s most highly paid broadcasters.

Judith Sheindlin, the fast-talking judge on Judge Judy, was taken to hospital on Wednesday after she began speaking a nonsensical string of words during a live recording of her courtroom TV show.

Studio insiders said Sheindlin, who earns £28 million a year for a show that is the most watched programme on American daytime TV, was sitting on camera and 'started saying things that didn’t make any sense'.

Sheindlin then announced she needed to stop as she didn’t feel well and asked a crew member to call an ambulance.

The 68-year-old lawyer was released from hospital the following day but a spokesman said medical tests had not revealed what caused her garbled speech and double vision.

Read the rest: here

The Birth Of Urban Myths

2011-04-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Image from Layout Sparks

Last week Unity in the Paranormal Community (UPC) asked the question "What's your favourite urban myth/legend". People responded with things like "Bloody Mary", "Magic Hill", "The Ghost of the one black eye" etc.

But what about the origins of more tangible urban myths - how do they start?

Some of the one's I can think of that have been debunked that really had people reeling were "Siberian Miners drill into hell and record screaming" and the photo's of the skeletal remains of giant humans, claiming them to be the "Nephilim". Both did the rounds on email and both were absolutely debunked.

Pastor Robin Swope "The Paranormal Pastor" gives us a great example of how they begin in "The Terror of the Omega Men" (Just google Paranormal Pastor Omega Men). In this thrillingly written story a tale is woven about a sophisticated and supernatural cults activities and how the town around some WW2 tunnels lived in fear of what went on there. The ending of that story (and I'll let you read it, I am not going to ruin the surprise) teaches us that things are not always what they seem. Yet if the truth never came out, the legend would still exist and a false reality about the situation would be the staple of campfire, sleep overs and late night bushwalks.

I have experienced the reality of this either starting from scratch or the hushed tones of one that has lain under the surface for many years.

The first one was when I was having a coffee with a member of a local Rugby League Club.

"You know that house on the water near the bridge, the big white one you see as you come into the Shire" He said, his steely gazed drawing me in.

"That house has never sold at auction. It is in one of the best spots in this area and yet it has never sold. And do you know why"?

"Um....no".

"I've done some work there concreting and it's a spooky place....."

Pause - this bloke is the biggest, burliest, ex Kings Cross bouncer I have ever seen. He doesn't get spooked easily.

Play - "...spooky place, when you work there you get the chills, like someone is watching you and all the tradesmen say the same thing...it's haunted"!!!!!!

"Why is it haunted"?

"I knew the guy who owned it when I was a kid. He was a doctor" (Now he's really straring me down) "And..... (almost whispering) it was an illegal abortion clinic, that dealt specifically with Catholic School girls who....y'know....had gotten themselves into trouble.. He would take them out in a boat in front of his house, perform the abortions and then throw the babies overboard into the bay....and the ghosts are those of the murdered babies who were stuck here on earth"

And there you have it - an urban myth right in your own area.

Another one that I am giving genesis too is this tale. This is a true story from the weekend just gone.

For many years I have noticed a large grove of tree's, a pine forest, that was an anomaly in the landscape of North Caringbah. I have always wondered what such an acerage of tree's is doing in the middle of an industrial area. I have to admit, I have never had a good look but would often drive past and wonder who owned the land, whether it was private or crown, how big it was. The tree's were very tall, a dark and wispy pine, planted too close together. Even on a summer day it looked dark, cold and mysterious. So after twenty years, I grabbed my two youngest kids and decided to find out what was going on. As we walked up Captain Cook Drive, trucks rumbling toward Kurnell, it seemed even more out of place that such a cluster of forest could exist untouched. My first effort was thwarted as I walked down an industrial estate only to be stopped by a huge wire fence topped with barbed wire.

This is strange indeed. If it is crown land, why wouldn't you be allowed in? I walked another 500 metres into the next industrial estate that framed it. Again, high wire fences topped with barbed wire, but now I could see directly into the forest. It was approximately five acres, heavily wooded, with tree's seventy feet high. It looked dark and forboding in it's middle, but through it I could see the most magnificent glass framed factory - what could this be? It seemed like a multi million dollar complex by it's sheer magnitude.

I had to go in. But there was no entrance. I kept walking and right at the very end.........a tiny hole in the fence.....but big enough for me and the kids to squeak through.

A man walking his dog startled me. We exchanged pleasantries and I asked him 'do you have any idea what that forest is and why it is fenced off'?

He answered 'Many years ago I worked in there as a forklift driver. It is one of the largest drug companies in the world'.

Ahhhh....I exclaimed, so this land belongs to (company name deleted). It hit me then of the magnitude of land that they owned - I never would have connected this area with the front of the company that was streets away from here.

'That's right' he said.

'And what of the forest' I asked what is the purpose of that - that land would be worth tens of millions of dollars - it doesn't make any sense in an industrial area.

'They say 30 years ago that strange experiments were conducted in that forest. I was fired not long after finding that out - maybe my forklift skills were not up to scratch, I was very young and it was my first real job'.

'Strange experiments'? I asked.

"Strange experiments were conducted in there many years ago, by the company - right there in the forest" he said as he watched my children lob pine cones over the barbed wire.

Crank or not, that was enough for me, I was through the hole and into the forest to see for myself..............

And that, dear readers, is how urban myths begin. What shall I find as I continue to explore my new forest and it's history of strange experiments? That is all my new friend would tell me.

But....we did find a feral kitten that was left for dead in a pond and brought it home and named it Tiger, so our experience was not fruitless.

What urban myths have you encountered in your local area? Perhaps you have accidentally started one? Maybe you are investigating one right now? Are they fact or fiction?

Christian culture is full of myths ranging from satanic cults to creation science hoaxes to "drilling into hell". A famous and popular Christian tract producer (God bless him), still stands by a lot of the proven hoaxes that he unwittingly and well intentionedly used in his tracts on satanism and the Catholic Church. That came from interviewing people who turned out to be cranks, but by then it was too late, their stories had been published as fact. We need to be diligent about what information we take in, and send out via email. I've spent too much time correcting propaganda that due diligence would have fixed in a couple of minutes. I think Jesus expects more from us than perpetuating myths even if we feel it supports our belief's.

God bless you this week - Pastor Baz.

Dreams: A purely mental/emotional experience or a real interaction with the supernatural?

2011-04-03T16:39:00.000-07:00

From Free Extras

After my Dad died when I was fifteen, I started having the most vivid dreams about him.

In those dreams we were always conversing about why he had died, and he would always act like he either didn't know he had passed or tried to convince me that he hadn't died. He always took me into his granny flat and spoke to me there in the dream. I would ask him questions and he would answer in great detail, without admitting he was dead.

After I awoke I always wondered - was that me just going through a process of emotional catharsis or were we actually speaking in some other place outside time?

When I was seven, I had a dream that we were searching a haunted house for the creature that lurked within it. I looked under a chair. This cat like beast flung the chair over and with it's talon forced into my back holding me down said "If you come looking for me, I will do this too you every week of your life boy". I awoke, curled backwards feeling the talon still stuck in my back. It is as vivid now as it was thirty one years ago.

Some people never claim to remember their dreams. Others live there lives as if their dreams guided them. Sometimes they are seen as omens, other times as an emotional response to anxiety and fear.

My mother in law has dreams of disasters, which then seemingly come true within 24 hours. It is hard to write off easily when you dream of a plane crash and it happens as you dreamed the next day.

In the Bible, dreams are taken seriously. In the old testament the dreams of Pharaoah and Nebuchanezzar were interpreted correctly by Joseph and Daniel and they implicated the outcomes for the greatest nations on earth at the time. Daniel himself had dreams that were of future kingdoms and empires. In the new testament Joseph was informed in a dream to marry Mary and also to flee from King Herod. These are quite directive dreams, which give instruction on which way to go and what to do - these dreams were to achieve outcomes that God was directing or aware of.

I know of Muslims who dream of Jesus. Of whole tribes in far away lands who informed the missionaries when they arrived that they had been dreaming about Jesus for many years. In one dream, Jesus appeared as a giant Manta Ray that covered the whole sky and then revealed itself to be the Lord Himself. He speaks to people in ways they understand.

In many ways, dreams are a time of connecting to a deeper realm, either within ourselves or perhaps with beings that are supernatural. Often when a house is haunted or experiencing strange and fearful activity, people have horrific dreams and night terrors. When I slept in a room with the Churinga Stone of the Aboriginal People of Bowen Mt (prior to knowing what it was) I had awful dreams about Aboriginal witchdoctors and Doolagahls (Yowies)..

There are hundreds of books on this subject, including guides to lucid dreaming (where you interact within the dream of your own free will) so it's a subject of incredible interest and appeal to people.

I have noticed when I dream that when the dream is in "Blue Ray DVD quality" it tends to be directive, as if it is not emanating from my subconscious but is being put there. I qualify that by saying these dreams often have a narrative quality to them where I am being instructed in some way or given information. Other dreams, where you can't run, can't punch, are falling, can see people about to be attacked by something but can't do anything, are in public naked, are about to sit an old exam etc etc - these tend to be built more around periods of stress and anxiety and are more "VHS quality" and don't seem to be directive in any way.

Then there are the "ex girlfriend dreams, ex job dreams, old house dreams" where you seem to be resolving an issue from the past. Have you ever had a dream where you go "Why am I going out with my ex girlfriend when I am now happily married" or "Why am I at the old job I hated when I have a job I now love"? Can you relate to that!! You are recapitulating to a set of circumstances where you may have felt trapped or perhaps you were wronged or wronged someone, only to come out released at the end to your new life.

Or sometimes, like in the dream where the demon cat's talon was tangibly shoved in my back, perhaps the source is not God or emotions, but possibly an unclean spirit.

On the day of Pentecost in the book of Acts in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples of Jesus. They spoke in strange tongues that were understood by people who were in Jerusalem from all over the known world. And in his address to the crowd, St Peter quotes directly from the book of Joel and he states in part "....Your young men will see visions and your old men will dream dreams..". Visions and dreams have been part of Judeo-Christian stories for millennia and in all religions and cultures.

Most houses have a bible in them, whether you are a Christian or not. I'd encourage you to grab it and start making notes on the dreams in it, or just google 'dreams in the bible' and look at how many times dreams were directive, corrective, intructive or otherwise in that record of human-divine interaction.

Get a journal and start to make notes on your own dreams. Which ones do you class as "Inspired" and which ones do you class as "reactive" to life, love and labour. Pray and ask God to speak to you through dreams or to bring peace to the dreams you are having that are disturbing. It's just another way God has given us to process our lives and sometimes, to hear from Him.

God bless you this week, Pastor Baz.

Bizarre In The News - Who you gonna call? Family send in paranormal experts after 'capturing ghost' in home video

2011-03-29T16:05:00.000-07:00

Dailymail

A spooked family have called in a real-life 'ghostbuster' - after claiming to have captured on video a poltergeist moving a chair across a bedroom.

Lisa Manning and her children Ellie, 11, and Jaydon, six, have fled their house in terror several times because of bizarre goings-on.

They include pots and pans being thrown around the kitchen, window blinds moving up and down by themselves, lights being switched on and off and drawers being opened.

Now they have been advised to wear crucifixes by a priest after capturing video footage of a chair moving by itself in Ellie's bedroom.

Carer Miss Manning, 34, shot the film two weeks ago after putting hidden cameras in the family's home in Holbrooks, an area of Coventry.

The 52-second clip shows a wardrobe door opening before a pink swivel chair moves slowly backwards towards the wall.

While cynics might scoff and suggest the chair could have been moved by a length of strategically placed fishing line, Miss Manning is adamant the footage proves a ghost exists.

She said she feels like she is 'living in a scary movie'.

Miss Manning, who lives with her partner Anthony, 25, in the house, added: 'One medium came in and said our house is a portal, a kind of bus stop for spirits, which they use to pass into our world.

'I set up the video camera because I wanted to prove the ghost exists.

'I couldn't believe it when I played the tape back, it sent chills up my spine.

Bizarre In The News - Farmer says his sheep gave birth to a dog

2011-03-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

telegraph.com.au

IT would - if true - give a whole new meaning to being a sheep dog.

Scientists say it's impossible, but Chinese farmer Liu Naiying believes he is the proud owner of a miracle - a sheep that has given birth to a dog.

The "puppy" has wool like a lamb but its mouth, nose, eyes, paws and tail look more like those of a dog. Thousands of people have visited Mr Liu's Shaanxi province farm to see for themselves.

"I was herding the sheep, and saw a sheep licking her newborn lamb on the grassland," Mr Liu said.

"When I went up to check I was shocked because it looked so weird, like a cross between a sheep and a dog.

"I was a bit frightened, as I've been raising sheep for 20 years and had never seen such a creature."

Researcher Yue Guozhang said "it's likely that this is just an abnormal lamb".

Do we create spooks - is the paranormal industry self perpetuating?‏

2011-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

With respect to the real researchers out there, I think I have alluded to the fact a number of times, I am way more interested in sport than the paranormal. For me it tends to be more of a calling, in the way that a guy who owns a utility truck always gets asked to help people move house, but if you asked him if he loves it he might say "I'd rather be playing/watching sport" but I do it because it helps people. And because in the same sense they see the truck and ask, if you are a minister you are going to encounter the supernatural realm in your job.

But I do enjoy other peoples work. Generally I scan the guys whose blogs I think are relevant and competant at what they do - but most of all have integrity. A couple of names that come to mind are Lon Strickler, the guys at Eidolon, Pastor Swope and Bryony who runs Unity in the Paranormal Community. I check in at about.paranormal. I also respect the bluntness of Abel Garcia and Ozcrypto in their quest to expose the people who are in the game for personal fame/affirmation. If I left you off the list I apologise. I do it for research purposes and realistically 99% of it is unverifiable so all I can do is add it to the list of what people are sharing with me and hope it improves my own research methodologies.

But if we were going to be honest, it has become an industry and if it is source of income or personal pride/identity, then you might be walking a dangerous path.

Because.....and be really honest with yourself here....if there are no spooks there is no business. And that is where perpetuating myths or quasi evidence can be dangerous.

I'll give you an example of self perpetuation, I once failed a college subject because I challenged the lecturer on this subject. The other subjects I failed were all due to my own laziness :)

It was in a Human Resources class and our teacher was telling us the protocols for firing employee's or accepting a resignation.

I then started sharing with the teacher and students the story of how an emloyee at our company resigned, threw her keys at my boss and stormed out.

"Well your boss is an idiot, he should have got her to sign a form stating that she had ended her tenure with the company and....."

"Hang on, did you miss the bit about how she threw her keys at him and stormed out"

"That is irrelevant, the fact is that you left yourself open and therefore you should have gone through the process with your HR manager......."

"Did you miss the bit where SHE STORMED OUT...."

"Your boss is incompetant if he let her leave without signing the form that your HR department...."

"Aaaaargghhh" I yelled "Your whole industry only exists to self perpetuate HR people, you create rules, regulations and scenarios so that you guys have jobs, regardless of whether it is practical or not"

And there ended my career as a student in that class.

Does that sound familiar. We had a case this week where a lady who had come out of the occult had been so freaked out by "Christians" about the demons of her past that she was an anxious mess.

So one of our team members interviewed her.

"I am seeing all these orbs in photo's and I went on a ghost tour and someone told me they saw a noose around my neck. Then I was told I needed deliverance ministry for all the masonic ties that came down...then....."

And so on and so on.

After a quick discussion about the realities of "orbs" the credibility of the "psychic" that ran the tour and saw the noose, the fact that Christ is victorious in the life of a believer, in the sense that fear gives way to hope and fear no longer owns us.....she....and all her supernatural fears.....calmed down.

I rang her today. "Hi there, just ringing to see how your week has been".

And it had been fantastic, because the musings of other 'paranormal experts' and some well meaning folk had made her a mess, when there was nothing really going on. Plus even if something had been occurring, the heightened anxiety levels took them into the realm of superstition where the line between the filters of the mind and reality were blurred.

"Do you guys still need to come to my house and investigate"..

"No I don't think we do".

"This was all in my mind wasn't it"

"Most of it had been put there by people who had an agenda, some good, some well meaning"

"Can you still pray for my family".

"Sure thing. Prayer is always good and we don't even need to be there to do it".

So what's the big idea here?

Could it be that just like my old HR teacher at college that we fall into the trap of self perpetuation. I could have responded "I'm glad you had a great week, but we still need to come and investigate....just in case". Would that have caused more harm? If we assume things, it certainly would have. Even if you have evidence that something strange is afoot it needs to be handled gently because we get to go home - and those fragile souls get to stay at home with a 'spirit that has followed you for generations due to your fathers involvement in freemasonry" that is 9/10 times a being or situation we have created.

We have a great responsiblity to our clients. We are to be a source of life, hope but most importantly truth.

It's so easy to fall into that trap, put your hand up if you have in the past (mine is up high).

But I think we can have integrity and unity in this 'industry'.. Firstly, we need to repent of our sins, self aggrandising, personal agenda's and desire to be known and respected.

Secondly, we need to realise that we can achieve more together, even if one is a Christian, agnostic, athiest, humanist, skeptic, Muslim, Buddhist, etc etc. Our dialogue can be respectful and supportive and hopefully, light can be shed on some things.

I'd encourage you this week to join Unity in the Paranormal Community which is a safe place for people to share thoughts and experiences on the paranormal world.

The link to it is here.

Let's make an agreement this week - total honesty, total integrity and total accountability in all we do in this area, And don't get offended when challenged, because that means your pride is bigger than your evidence.

"And seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you"

Because trust me on this one, seeking God is more important than seeking ghosts. He loves you and wants you to abide in Him.

Pastor Baz.

Urban Legends...

2011-03-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

At some point in our life we've heard an urban legend. We've sat around a campfire or a torch in our bedrooms and told some ghost stories. The ones I remember are "The Licked Hand", Bloody Mary and "The dead boyfriend".

Photo by Meg Edan

I'm sure all around the world kids and towns all have their own urban legends. One from my home town was that there were ministry of defence tunnels and secret buildings under the hill. Or there was a ghost of someone who'd hung themselves on a tree in a certain park, everyone knew that tree as the haunted tree.
Whether these are true or not has never been found out.
Some urban legends are just too over the top to be true where as others leave you wondering... could it be true?

So why are these urban legends still going around? I think its because we all love a bit of a scare don't we? It pumps the adrenalin and thats why we watch scary movies and tell ghost stories around the campfire.

Don't believe everything you hear or read though! Some urban legends are based on real stories but have been twisted beyond belief and others are just pure imagination. I suppose some stories are cautionary tales. Like the "dead boyfriend" story is a "don't go off into the woods alone" type thing.

Anyway, I'd love to hear some of your urban legends?

The source of the supernatural - A question that is not easy to answer

2011-03-22T18:11:00.000-07:00

One thing that never stops my mind ticking over is the source of the experiences that people have.

Some people see dead relatives. Others see strange creatures that cannot be captured despite incredible amounts of effort. Some people see creatures that looked like they escaped from the pit of hell. Others meet benevolent aliens, others malevolent aliens, others reptilians, etc etc etc.

A lot of evangelical Christians claim that all of the above is demonic..

When I read the Bible, my understanding is that satan is a:

- Tempter of humans.

- A deciever of nations.

- An accuser of the human race before God.

- A liar, the father of lies.

- A murderer, from the beginning of time.

- A bringer at times of sickness and natural disaster.

- The leader of an army of fallen angels.

- A being that seeks to take the glory only meant for God.

- Defeated being with no power in comparison to God.

I have written a lot on this subject and the influence I believe satan has on the world's affairs, media and culture. But that does not explain every supernatural occurence.

So what is going on when someone see's a dead relative days, weeks, months or years after the funeral and talks to them in their bedroom.

What about if that relative encourages someone to go to Church and believe in God?

Is that a demonic impersonation as is so often claimed. If so, what diabolical purpose could it serve sending them to Church.

Perhaps our doctrine on the afterlife and the spiritual realm is not as black and white as we would like it to be.

Peter Bolt who teaches New Testament Theology at Moore College Sydney makes the claim that in ancient times the spirits that people feared were the ghosts of the dead - not the fallen angels we (in his opinion) wrongly label the demonic realm. In fact Bolt claims that the word demon and unclean/restless human spirit are synonymous. The spirits of the dead they feared would be manipulated, called up or down, invoked and used by magicians and sorcerers, witchdoctors and priests against them - and the inscribed 'magic' tablets that controlled them via sacred writing were cast onto graves and into wells to be close to the underworld spirits. They also wrote 'magic' tablets with the power to abolish the curses which could be bought for a tidy sum by the person under spiritual assault!! These spirits of the dead also were believed to have had the power to possess the living and were known as 'unclean spirits' because they came out of the filthy miasma of the underworld.

Mr Bolt concludes through his research of the ancient world and of ancient languages that Demons are in fact the restless spirits of the dead.

So now all of a sudden we have the devil, fallen angels and the restless spirits of the dead prior to judgement day.

What about the black cats, hairy bipeds and other red eyed creatures that are reported along with sulpherous smells and a focused 'panic' they inflict on those they encounter.

They are at first written off as cryptids and the smells and sights as "physical attributes like eyeshine and poor hygiene". But that doesn't cut it when they start appearing in places like England, Ireland and other countries with no previous reports. Bigfoot in Cannock Chase in the UK!!! - Why suddenly appear now, so long after the ice age 'landbridges' that supposedly brought Sasquatch, Bigfoot, Yeti, Yowie, Yeren, Funu, Agogwe, Alma's, Orang Pendek and all the other "missing links" to their destinations. Folklore, fiction or something else less tangible than a real animal but able to manifest it's presence. Uncatchable, immeasurable and as elusive as vapour in the wind.

Are they beings from an ancient world called into our existance by diabolical rituals in various forms of ancient priestcraft and pagan rite as hypothesised by Nick Redfern and others. When you visit the true tales section of 'About.Paranormal" every month you will be confronted by stories of unbelievable beings that visit our realm that defy description, capture and analysis. They seem as though they are the 'elementals' that have been encountered for millennia. Are they the true demons in the sense that Christians are trying to understand when confronting true supernatural evil.

I would never say "This is the truth on this subject" as the scriptures and the experiences both have to be interpreted - and there is no consensus. So this is also a theory because I don't know the answers with full clarity. But it would seem at least possible that there are distinct classes of beings that cohabit our world with us:

- The Father, Son, Holy Spirit and the Holy Angels.

- The devil and the fallen angels.

- The spirits of the restless dead.

- The invoked elementals, which may or may not be fallen angels, the spirits of the pre-flood hybrids, if that interpretation of scripture is correct.

Don't call me a heretic if you disagree with me, because this forum is meant to be about considering what exists with us and discussing it.

Some of the worlds most devout Christians and mainline theologians happen to support that view and I think it is worth putting it out there as possible scenarios.

Or we could just all be slightly mad and the skeptics are right, there is nothing but the material universe.

But that's not the experience of billions of people in the world, so l suggest we go with the weight of opinion across the globe - there is something out there. And sometimes it's in the basement and I don't want to do down there at night!!! :)

God bless you and may the light of Christ guide your path this week - Pastor Baz,

THE END OF THE WORLD.....AGAIN

2011-03-20T15:15:00.000-07:00

I thought we'd dealt with the whole 2012 thing in 2010, and then all of a sudden it's a huge topic again.

Every week I get asked this question by teenagers at the school I teach RE at.

"Sir, is the world going to end in 2012"?

"Why do you think it is"? Is usually my reply.

A year ago the answer was "because I saw that movie". But now it's more along the lines of "...because of all the disasters that are happening line up with the movie".

I had to remind the kids that way, way before they were born people were saying that the world was going to end.

When Napoleon threatened to take over the world. When WW1 was in full flight. When the Pandemic following WW1 killed 20 million people. When WW2 began and Hitler was labelled the Antichrist. During the cold war. When the Vietnam war escalated. In the wars in the middle east between Israel and her neighbours. During the Reagan years of nuclear rhetoric. In the gulf wars. And on St Patricks Day when I realised that they stopped selling Guinness in the 750ml version longneck and were charging $4.75 for a 440ml version that was nothing like the real deal. :)

In Matthew 24 Jesus is recorded as saying (Verses 7-8 When asked "when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age")

"...For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows...".

So I expect those things to happen and for God to allow them to happen, to answer Martin Bashir's questioning of Rob Bell recently on whether God didn't care or was powerless to stop these things. These things happen, they are the beginning of sorrows and they were happening 2,000 years ago as well as today.

Kids are really, really anxious about this stuff, but to be fair, my generation were terrified of nuclear war, especially when movies like "The day after" portraying the results of a Soviet v USA conflict showed us that we were all going to be vaporised by atomic bombs. There has always been fear of death.

And there, dear readers, is the devil himself. That is the supernatural aspect to the story.

Because fear of death ultimately makes us slaves to the devil - by driving our desires and influencing our actions. The best book you will ever read on this subject is "Living with the underworld - by Peter Bolt" and you can buy it via Amazon or Matthias Media in Australia. It shows that the fear of death has made us slaves in life to the 'prince of this world' whilst Christ's message, life and death free's us from that and changes the way we live and die.

Think about that in your own life. What drives you. Is it the fear of death? Is that why you take those supplements? Stress about your life insurance? Travel to all those countries before you die? Tick off the bucket list? Stress that every strange pain is cancer or heart disease? Visit Clairvoyants? Need to know what happens after we die?

A lot of the supernatural experiences people have are real - no doubt. But often the source of them plays further on our fascination or fears about death. And in my experience that can be a trap to lure you in.

How much time do you spend thinking about the dead when you are amongst the living? How much time do you spend watching tv shows about the dead, traipsing around looking for ghosts, reading blogs, writing blogs, analysing data, doing research - when Christ called us to life and life abundantly.

I don't care if the world ends in 2012 and frankly it's none of my business. My business is to love God and love my neighbour, both of whom are alive and well and around me daily.

The supernatural realm is interesting, but it's a cheap parlour trick or a sideshow ride compared to living life abundantly. It's exciting for a minute but you need to keep going on better rides or more interesting shows to keep the thrill alive. It enters our world, co-exists with our world and tries to influence our world for good and bad.

But Jesus never said "pursue the supernatural realm". He said "Abide in me". Here is the supernatural love of God given freely to us, rather than the mystery of what could be lurking in the old graveyard down the road. If you want a real supernatural experience, abide in Christ and let Him abide in you. Recieve life here and life everafter.

All the other stuff will continue to remain largely a mystery, despite the digital and thermal recorders, EVP playbacks and new technology. Keel said "It seems to meet us wherever we are at in history" (paraphrased), which is the parlour trick that suckers us in. It is interesting, yet ultimately non-essential to life on earth and hereafter.

Live. Love. Laugh. Get out in the sun every now and then and don't stress about cancer, you've become too pale and vitamin D deficient from all that web research and ghost hunting :). Stop reading your horoscope and dreading the day ahead. And don't worry about when the world ends because...

Matthew 24: 36 "...But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.."

And the angels can't figure it out, you've got no chance.

God bless you - Pastor

Baz.

When Christianity goes wrong - supernatural influence or social ailments?‏

2011-03-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things in my job is seeing people go over the edge.

Literally, when someone is sent to to lockdown in a mental health ward because of hyper spiritual behaviour.

People that you love and care about deeply at times.

Religion is one of those things that can great peace, comfort and hope.. It can change lives, it can give people the power to be transformed. History is littered with the stories. Slave traders became the people who inspired others to break the back of slavery because of the influence of Jesus Christ. The dying in Calcutta were cared for regardless of religion or caste.. Drug addicts were reformed. Women were given the opportunity to come of the sex trade. And sometimes people are miraculously healed.

But when religion goes bad, the question is are the practitioners going mad or are they under the influence of something?

There are the narcissists who are sociopathic by flawed design, upbringing or choice who seek to gain influence, power and sexual gratification. When these people fall, the result can be deadly for their followers. And the world is full of cults started by this type of personailty.

There are the mentally ill, who simply need medication, correct care and prayer. And at some time, past, present or future most of us have/are/will suffer bouts of depression, anxiety or some type of post traumatic stress or stress related illness. The statistics suggest you are in the presence of someone right now who needs support through this.

And then there is something otherworldy that happens at times. Like the times when it goes bad and there are phenomenon that are hard to explain around it.

When we have had conflict between Christians at Church, something else seems to step in. At first you think you are imagining it. But when multiple colleagues confer, share stories, discuss facts, that you start to realise something very odd is happening.

Every time conflict arose between two parties in our Church, poltergiest like activity occurred. Things were thrown around. Strange beings were seen in the building. Voices were heard calling out, especially to the cleaning staff. Then it would die down. As soon as the conflict arose and there was a meeting in the building, it would start again.

I'm not apportioning personal blame to any of the people involved, but something seemed to be attracted to the conflict.

This week, very sadly, I saw an intelligent, articulate, passionate and strong Christian tip over the edge. And I could see it coming.

He had undoubtably and medically experienced miraculous healing. But things started to become obsessive. Obsession with the end times. Obsession with the occult. Obsession with the Illuminati. Obsession with satanists working in all industries. All day and night were spent studying the Bible. There was only one version that was from God. Everything else was deisgned and printed by the devil. Not a new idea in fundamentalist Christianity but a common thread when people start to 'come under the influence' is a very rigid and unchangeable approach to the above listed area's.

He started to share stories of seeing black figures appearing in his room. Holding him down in bed.

Was this mental illness or was something else starting to get involved that was not the Holy Spirit?

Then he declared that Jesus was returning that night and it started to go 'pear shaped in the worst possible way, with the Police having to become involved'. Again, was this the trauma of an injury, lack of medication or the influence of something else?

Jesus did not return that night, like so many other people who have made the claim that only they have that knowledge.

And like every time that claim is made wrongly, the skeptics scoff and rightly so. With the best of intentions, our personal witness is destroyed, people become dissillusioned and walk away from the faith. A perfect trojan horse to kill, steal and destroy faith in Jesus' real return at some indeterminable time.

This type of thing is sadly more common than you would think. The internet is full of people who are now too spiritual for any earthly use. And the symptoms include:

- Being a self declared prophet who is the only one who can hear Gods voice.

- Declaring themselves as one of the 'two witnesses' of revelation.

- Considering demons to be behind every social ailment, taking away people's free will and personal sin.

- Claiming to hear God's voice and providing aggressive and arrogant words of knowledge.

- Being the 'gatekeeper' of the Church who has the only correct doctrine.

- Being the only 'interpreter' of the Bible.

- Controlling the flock and preventing social interaction outside the church with the threat of 'losing their salvation'.

- Declaring salvation can only come through 'their Church', 'their teaching' or their 'priesthood'.

And so on and so on. That's not to say that people don't have those gifts. But satan is the one who appears as an angel of light. He's the deciever. And when he deceives Christian through hyper religious behaviour and hyper spirituality, the Church gets taken out from the inside. No Church ever closed because of athiests in this country. Churches in the west are destroyed from the inside out. Infiltrated and decimated.

We are told to test the spirits. They are all not from God. Not every feeling, sense or inner monologue is God speaking.

Jesus is returning and we don't know the hour or day. Let's focus on what He wants us to do today, including buying fair trade items, feeding the poor, inclusion of the outcasts and the practical aspects of faith as well as prayer, meditation on the Word and spiritual warfare, which He fights for us.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

REAL LIFE STORY - THE ILLUMINATI VOODOO MAN

2011-03-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

Out of the mouth of children I often hear the most interesting stories..

When you have been teaching a while, you learn to seperate the good old Aussie yarn from something that has potential to be true.

This is what happened in scripture this week, when a fourteen year old described this story.

"Sir, have you heard of the Illuminati"?

"Yeah, a little bit. Not sure how deep I buy into all of it, why do you ask".

"Because I was on my way to youth group and there was this gang of older teens, dressed in goth clothing near where we go to Church. And this guy stopped me and said 'don't go to youth, come with us'. And when he grabbed me, I saw on his arm a tattoo of a pyramid with an eye in it. And I saw that in a movie about the Illuminati."

"Ok, well maybe that's just a symbol he liked" I responded half listening.

"But then sir, he pulled out this doll, which had the same hair colour as me and said 'if you don't come then I'll put a voodoo curse on you' - sir what is Voodoo"?

I gave him a three minute spiel based on what I knew, without elaborating enough for him to use the details to embellish his story - which is why it is very interesting.

"I pulled away and we ran and then started walking to youth, then my body spazzed out, I felt like someone punched me in the side and I couldn't walk. I was really scared.

After youth we were walking home and the guy with the tattoo says 'hey kid' and hold up the doll but now it has pins in it".

He wasn't joining the dots. He wasn't saying "and the pins made the pain come" he was simply relating what happened.

I found this very interesting because of the detail in which he described certain aspects. He had asked about the Illuminati the week before and didn't have any knowledge of it himself, he just wanted to know who the heck this guy was with the tattoo and did he have any power?

"Don't worry mate, you are a believer yeah. When anything like that happens, just pray 'Jesus protect me' and leave the rest to God".

People are attracted to the power of the occult because so many people feel powerless in this world. That is satan's plan, to create fear, and out of fear comes the need to control.

But here is the key. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you".

Illuminati voodoo man, if you are indeed real, we pray for you to find the love of Jesus Christ and his restoration this week.

God bless you - Pastor Baz.

Paranormal In The News - SRI ghost photo

2011-03-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

Phantoms and Monsters

Here is a photo taken by our Spirit Rescue International associate PoD in July 2010 while on a ghost hunting tour at The Chocolate Factory located in Hull, Yorkshire, UK. Irene and I examined the image and there seems to be either a woman or girl in a Victorian style riding hood. There is also an free floating entity above and behind the hooded figure. What do you think?

Bryonys thoughts on the image:
I can see the dark shadowy part. However, the whole picture is full of images. Look at the light patches all over the photo. The "free floating entities" are everywhere in this photo...
Its an interesting photo but as to whether its paranormal? I have to reserve judgement. It kind of looks like it was taken through glass? Definitely one that needs further investigation.

A Look Into "End Times"

2011-03-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

I would imagine we've all seen the horrific scenes from the Japan quake and Tsunami. I've seen and heard a lot of mention about end times and whether its near.

From a Christian perspective the end times would be the return of Jesus Christ.

This morning at Church my pastor spoke briefly about this and said "Live today like Jesus is coming back tomorrow." He went on to make the point that He might be coming back tomorrow but we won't know when he's coming back because we aren't supposed to know the exact date. There will be signs like the ones written in the book of Revelation and these disasters, civil unrest, wars and starvation could be the signs of the end but he pointed out that the earth is not benign and these disasters are nothing new. Wars and famine are nothing new either. This is in no way belittling the enormity of the disaster but just that our focus should not be that it's the end of the world.

Let our focus be on the things that are important. Love and friendship, kindness and like my pastor said "Live today like Jesus will return tomorrow".

Here are some verses which reference Jesus's return and why we won't know the exact date:

Revelation 3:3 "³ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

2 Peter 3:10 "¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare."

Luke 12:39-40 "³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Matthew 24:36 "³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Let's keep our eyes on the Father and our arms around each other.

Bizarre In The News - Siberia air traffic control claim a female alien purred at them

2011-03-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

Herald Sun

SIBERIAN air traffic controllers claim that a female-sounding alien spoke to them in a cat-like language.

They say that a mysterious object - which they believe was a high-speed UFO - appeared on flight monitors over the remote Russian city of Yakutsk, the Daily Mail reported.

It rapidly changed direction in the sky and reached speeds of nearly 1000km/h - surrounding planes were seen to be travelling significantly slower.

The aviation workers tried to make contact with the ship, as evident in a video posted to YouTube.

"I kept hearing some female voice, as if a woman was saying mioaw-mioaw all the time," one air traffic controller told the pilot of a passing Aeroflot flight.

Read more here

Bizarre In The News - Family UFO film backed by Police Teams

2011-03-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Wales Online

When a family saw 20 to 30 flashing red and white lights zig-zag their way through the sky they captured the eerie scene on camera to prove it happened.

The parents and their child were backed up by police officers and a police helicopter team who also witnessed the weird UFO and a whirring noise.

The crew reported the incident – which happened at 2.25am on November 17, 2003 over Bromley, Kent – to Swanick air traffic control and RAF Neatishead.

Officials checked their radar coverage but it revealed nothing unusual.

Report documents from the time state: “A policeman sent to investigate confirmed the sighting. Objects were moving faster than any man-made aircraft.”

The files – released as part of thousands of pages disclosed today by the MoD - showed the police thought the lights might have been aircraft approaching Heathrow, but an audit of traffic by Swanick proved otherwise.