Real Life Stories: Divine Intervention: A personal account

I had heard an online friend of mine mention they had had a near death experience. I didn't want to pry but it was obvious that it had had a profound effect on this guys life and his path with God. I asked him recently if he would share his story on this blog and as it turned out it was something he had felt he needed to share so here is his story. His name is Jeff.

Divine Intervention

I was compelled to compose this entry not so much because I was asked to, but because I needed to. A truly miraculous thing happened to me roughly one year ago. Prior to this event I did not believe in miracles, per say, nor was I very spiritual. I was raised in the church, but as I entered adulthood my faith was lost to reason.

One night, as I slept, I went into respiratory arrest. To this day, no one is sure how long I was “out”. Since my near death experience (NDE) I’ve read numerous books on the subject, and all accounts seem to differ. The one common thread I have found is that the person that experiences it is forever changed. My story is no different.

Unless you’ve experienced what I have, one cannot fully understand how difficult it is to describe with words. Many accounts report a beautiful white light, feelings of euphoria, and angels or family greeting them. Few report something different, something terrifying. My experience shook me to the core of my being. It was horrific, yet also empowering.

My personal ordeal was more of an intellectual one. I was shown truths about life and our interactions in this world. First was the terrifying part. I was shown my future should I choose to stay on the same path prior to the accident. It was a living hell. No joy. No satisfaction. It was a life full of constant want, pain, and sorrow. Needless to say, this got my attention.

Next, I was shown simple, absolute truths about life: Karma, or whatever you want to call it, is real. What goes around comes around. If I intentionally hurt someone or harbor ill feelings toward them, it’s like kicking myself. There are no exceptions. Somewhere, down the line, we are all related. Also, kindness and compassion are the keys to true happiness. Something as simple as a smile can change someone’s life. It will pay you back tenfold (again… Karma).

The last revelation was quite empowering. I was shown the choice is all mine. We get to choose who we want to be in this world. I can be a force for the good in this life, or the bad. But, there was no need to live the remainder of my days in a miserable existence. Although the majority of my life had been spent selfishly, it’s alright. God had already forgiven me and loves me unconditionally. How awesome is that?

I remember coming back to consciousness like I had been struck by a bolt of lightning! I will NEVER forget that first, deep breath of life. My mother was standing over me screaming, but I could not hear her. Fortunately for me, she is a medical doctor so resuscitation was nothing new.

It took weeks to fully absorb and comprehend the gravity of what had happened. As time passed, it dawned on me I had been given a wonderful gift, and that is the gift of certainty. Clearly, there are unseen, divine sources at work. No longer was there a need, for me, to question the existence of God or an afterlife. I KNEW.

"I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness." - George Fox

For another story on an near death experience from our blog click here

A verse that is very relevant to this story is the parable of the sower:

Matthew 13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."

We reap what we sow, what goes around comes around. If we decide to go down the wrong paths and not listen to God then we will "wither" or get "eaten by birds". If we choose the good soil (God's soil)we flourish.

I pray that Jeff will continue to flourish in God's garden and that you who read his story will also flourish.

Check out his blog here:
http://southarkansasparanormal.blogspot.com/
http://realguide.wordpress.com

Real Life Stories: The Shadow and the disembodied voice

It was 1pm and the café was empty except for two men who were the last people left in the large and recently renovated Church. The friends often enjoyed this time hanging out after the Church services were over and the crowds had gone home.

As they sat on lounges talking, there was an uneasiness that kept drawing their attention to the corner of the café. It was hard to explain, except that there was a sense that someone was in the corner. But even with nervous glances to the spot out the corner of their eyes, they decided it must have been their imagination.

It continued until the man with his back to the area saw his friends gaze intently at the spot again. “Do you see something?” said his associate as he spun around to also see a black shadowy figure move quickly from the corner toward the counselling room.

The men got up and moved quickly to the locked room and as they unlocked and opened the door a disembodied voice above their heads and between them snarled “Gesshuuu…”.

Suddenly feeling weak the man in front quickly turned and confronted his friend “Did you just say something?”.

Wide eyed the other man said ….“No….but I heard it too”.

Interestingly enough, that very morning a heated dispute had taken place in the counselling room as had many other scenes of trauma, anger and deliverance ministry since the Church had been built. Had one of the spirits that had been cast out tried to make the area it’s home ever since.

The two men, devout believers, both prayed and asked Jesus Christ to remove the spirit from the Church. There was an immediate peace over the room.

But it wasn’t the last time something aggressive was confronted in the house of God.

Real Life Stories : Spiritual Attack

From Lee-Ann Kelly

Baz made reference in discussions to Spiritual Attack being more intense if past occult involvment. I also feel that Spiritual Attack is worsened when the person has been a member of a false church or movement and has come to seek and know the truth of God's grace. I have always been interested in Spiritual Warfare.... my husband and I had a terrible time becoming Christians.

We were the subject of an all out war which at the time I didnt recognize. It began 12 months before we went to church and gave our hearts to Jesus. So how did the demons know where we were heading? They did everything they could other than kill us. The attack only stopped once we got into church and Tim and I were married. It was like they did everything possible to keep us apart and away from God. My husband was a 5th generation Jehovahs Witness who left and sought God for the truth. He also had a Freemason grandfather......go figure!! They wanted him dead rather than with the Lord.

During the time we were under Spiritual Attack I called on "Mighty Angels". A few times I had visions of them. Many times I knew they were delayed. My step daughter had severe nightmares during this time when she would come to our house. One night she woke up with a nightmare and I got so angry I went into full Warfare mode in her room and over the house calling on Angels to stand over her. The following morning she ran to my bed and woke me up.....saying Lee-Ann Lee-Ann.....I woke up and there was an Angel standing next to me....I saw it I saw it she kept saying over and over. Her eyes were big as saucers. I just hugged her and said I know......we called them remember. I had no doubt what she saw was real.

Its great to see God's power working in Lee-Anns life. It's a good reminder of God's love, strength and power in our daily lives.

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Real Life Stories: The Gargoyle in the Chapel

We often think that the last place we would encounter anything demonic is in Churches. When we think of the Hollywood portrayal of the Church, it is the place of the last stand humans make against the supernatural forces of darkness, from End of Days, to Sleepy Hollow, it is sacred ground that cannot be crossed by evil.

Or is it?

In this first hand account, the associate Pastor felt that something was not right in the Church for months. There had been intense periods of tension between people, conflict that had seemingly been unable to be resolved.

He felt so strongly that he needed time out to pray, away from everyone to seek the Lord and see if God had any answers to what was going on.

The chapel was dark as he unlocked the front doors and as he walked over to the light switch he felt a presence in the room, like he was being watched, which drew his attention to the south western corner.

And there it was…..a grotesque figure, hunched over like Gollum from Lord of the rings. It moved quickly, in an ungainly fashion along the wall, toward another door.

Shocked at what he saw, it only took seconds before the Pastor unleashed a torrent of prayer at the living gargoyle, commanding it in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, the son of the most high God to leave the building.

And it was immediately gone, never to be seen again.

Such is the authority of Jesus Christ over the supernatural realm for those who believe.

Could it be that human anger, unforgiveness, woundedness and all the things that make up conflict are highly attractive to demonic agents, giving them access to places otherwise considered sacred?

Which is why we encourage people to, in the words of Jesus “…..love your enemies and do good to those who hate you….”.

Because ultimately unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.

By Pastor Baz

This Weeks Paranormal in the News (26/10/09)

The paranormal Pastors latest blog entry check it out here.


Click here for a video of what is thought to be lake chaplains lake monster from phantomsandmonsters.com


Click here for a very strange story coming from Perth. This guy has dozens of videos showing "orbs" in his home. What are they?


Tips for Ghost hunting click here for article from MSNBC.


Click here for an article on cryptozoology at the Natural History Museum in London.


Factory haunted by ghost click here for the story.


click here for a tale of the mysterious death candles


Black ball spotted in the sky click here for the story


Click here for an article on a news story about the hawkesbury big cat sighting.

Not really paranormal but interesting none the less "Ghost/Angel appears in brain scan" click here for blog.




Ghost tour stirs up haunting at cleveland cemetery click here for story.


Ghostly image caught by accident on camera click here for the story.

Real Life Stories: THE OTHER SIDE

I interviewed a neighbour in the year 2000 and was amazed by this story.

...When Kelly’s dad Mick got home, I got to talking to him about God. He then shared with me an amazing story.

“When I was 33, I had a heart attack out the front of this house. Your mum was the second on the scene, I was told, trying to being me back to life, her being a nurse and everything. I just dropped like a rock and my heart stopped. I was foaming at the mouth. Everything went dark. Suddenly, I was inside a white light. I saw angels and I saw Jesus Christ. It was so beautiful. I wanted to stay, But the Lord told me I had to go back. The music, the atmosphere – it was pure joy and love. Next thing you know I was back in my body and..well I’m still here. I always had a faith, but I’ll tell you, once that happened to me I knew, I just knew that God was real and that there is more to life than what you see and feel here. When I got better I was driving up the mountain and this huge cross appeared in the sky. That’s when I knew that God was with me. I just have no doubts. People can say what they like, but I will never have any doubts”.

By Pastor Baz

We pray this story will bless you this week.

Paranormal in the news this week 19/10/09

Who is this man that turned up in someones iphone click here for the story.


Meteorite causes UFO panic in Germany. Click here for story.


Are horror movies set in Australia chasing away tourists - check out the news story here.


This is one of the most interesting stories i've seen in a while - apparently this guy is appearing in lots of peoples dreams and no one knows who this is. Part of me thinks it might be some kind of social experiment to see how suggestable people are - plus the face is pretty generic. But anyways i'd like to hear your opinion, here's the link to story and the page.


Passages from the Koran appear on babys skin - click here for the news story. I'd quite like to know what passages are appearing? The skeptical side of me thinks this could be a hoax in which case lets pray for help for the little boy and family.


Straight from the phantoms and monsters blog - new bigfoot discoveries. Click
here for blog entry.


1o nights of fright (all for a poetry book) click herefor story.


Horror photographer bringing nightmares to life, read article here. His official website can be found here.

This is pretty creepy but just remember this verse:

The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1-3

Real Life Stories: THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE

As I heard the panicked sound of the Cub Scout leader behind me wondering ’What it was that was thumping and growling at her’ behind the tree line, three kilometres from civilization at nine o’clock at night, I could not help but smile. Here we were, all sensible people, trying to get our kids out into nature and away from their pasty, lazy, pre-diabetic 21st century lifestyles and we had possibly walked straight into the territory of the one thing that most Australians would never believe in unless they had seen one – a large, hairy, up right walking, in some ways human like creature known as the Yowie.

Crazy isn’t it, that we spend all those years lying to our kids about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy, yet at the first mention of ‘Yowie’ most people think you are a deranged lunatic who has just come off their medication.

Our society sniggers at the aboriginal legends – of course they are just the stuff of myth and fable. In our post-enlightenment era, sadly we modern humans know it all and the ‘primal savages’ of years gone by had to rely on gods and monsters of their imagining to have a crutch to lean on. Funnily enough, it’s generally the same reaction I get as a Christian minister in this very much post-Christian culture. Before I talk about the love of Christ, first I have to prove to the skeptical listener that he did not faint away, remove the stone and run off briskly to marry Mary Magdalene, pop out a brood of kids and start the Merovingian blood line. It’s the same with Cryptozoology. Before we discuss what it is, I have to discuss how I am not some insane zealot with an agenda to get them to buy my crutch and lean on it as well. Christian ministers and Cryptozoologist’s, I think, have one thing very much in common. No-one really cares about what we are peddling until they have an encounter with the object of our adoration/exploration themselves.

That actually wasn’t difficult after our recent bush walk with the Scouts. It had been twenty-three years since my ‘now wife’ and I saw a nine foot tall hairy man watching us from behind some houses being built backing onto the Grose Valley as nine or ten year old children. For me it was an almost unbearable twenty-three years of living in fear of what I knew dwelt in the bush. The quick dismissal of the story as fantasy by parents, adults and peers. The bad dreams and the night sweats. I can empathise with survivors of abuse, who cried out and no one believed them. I used to walk down those fire trails, become overwhelmed by anxiety and run from my abuser, who was lurking somewhere out there waiting for me.

I actually believed that 1982 would be my first and last encounter. In fact, I really hoped it would be. Maybe I had even questioned my own sanity until I found the Rex Gilroy and AYR sites. It was then that my worst fears came true. These things were bloody well everywhere and everyone including policeman, park rangers, business owners, aboriginals and house wives had seen, heard, smelt or even been manhandled by them. It ruined my plans to take my wife and four kids camping.


Even after I had been to the AYR website and taken note of the amount of sightings, I personally never thought that one man, especially me, could stumble upon this creature twice in a life time. Think about it for a second. We are talking about a nine foot tall, 300kg prehistoric creature that seems to possess the ability to speak into your mind at times, create fear and panic whilst being unseen, send the toughest dogs running back to their masters tail between their legs, give off a sulpherous odour and yet has never been captured. With all that in mind, I hoped never to meet this smelly, hairy, towering, diabolical beastie with red eyes and bad oral hygiene again.

We think that all changed on the 10th of April 2006.

After beaming with pride as my eight year old son was invested into the Cub Scouts about one kilometer down the bush trails at Waterfall/Helensburgh we continued to crash through the bush, torches beaming, children screaming, and me looking at my watch, as the clock almost struck nine, wondering how soon it was before I could get to bed.

Yes, I had read that there had been Yowie sightings in the immediate area. But no, tonight was not a night I was going to think about it. No, tonight I was going to conquer my fear of the bush and what lurked in it. And I was going to do that by walking through this trail, at night, and NOT have an encounter.

Unfortunately at around 8.45pm the following occurred!!!

I was three from the back of the line, with one the Scout leaders at the rear to ensure no stragglers were left behind. The group was in single file along a narrow bush trail that followed a creek. It was a full moon and a clear night. We were at the bottom of the trail and we hit a palm fringed forest that burst over the track. My son was in front of me, my daughter 50 metres ahead.

The Scout leader at the back of the line abruptly pushed into us.

“There is something in the bush back there” She whispered harshly “I heard it thumping”.

“Oh yeah” I thought, probably a wallaby. Still, the first alarm bell went off – not many animals thump. And why would an experienced scout leader be worried about anything in the bush.

“Hawk is that you” she yelled into the scrub “are you playing a joke?”

Unfortunately, Hawk, the other Scout leader, was a couple of hundred metres ahead of us.

She fell back into the line. Her son, who was walking with her, ran ahead. I later found out he told my son he was very scared and that he heard something “Thump, thump, thump – on something three times” in the bush next to him.

The scout leader pushed up close to us again on the trail fringed tightly by palms...... “It’s growling at me”.

“Crikey” I thought, alarm bell number two. Wallabies don’t growl like that. Two ticks.

Stay calm, stay calm, I thought. We are deep in the bush and if it is a big fella, we are in Gods hands so just be cool Fonzie.

Suddenly a massive rock or branch was tossed against a tree, making a very loud noise on the same side the growling was coming from.

“Falling branch” cried a leader up the path.

Falling branch, yeah right, I thought. That was thrown with a lot of force from…that direction….I turned my torch to the north east ……and it meant keep walking troops. Three ticks.

The Scout leader behind me was getting rattled and her son started getting stomach cramps and a feeling of nausea and was soon back with us.

Then a smell, as strange as it sounds, like a wet dog that had rolled in Kangaroo poo and then put on Jovan Musk Cologne. It came in wafts three times like it was being emitted rather than walked into.

Four ticks. My pace picked up. I put my hand on my sons shoulder.

“C’mon Liam…good boy…let’s get a move on like a big boy, ok!!!!”

We came out of the palm forest, up a hill and onto the flats and open forest, with turpentine and gum trees that were sparse. At last we are safe now, I thought.

Then…whoosh… gut tightening fear, an overwhelming sense of being watched and the flight feeling that comes with anxiety. Just as I should have felt most safe, I now felt fear and wanted to get the kids out of there. Must keep walking. Must not fear or it will overtake me. Remember…the Psalms..”As I walk through the shadow of the valley of death……I will fear no evil.”

Five ticks and a line through the middle.

Well, to cut a long story short, we got back to our cars safely, gave a farewell dib and dob and talked about what a great hike it had been.
As soon as I got home I rang researcher Dean Harrison.

He laughed.

“Why are you laughing” I said, a little off put.

“Oh, there are a lot of reports from that area”.

“Yeah, well we hit the palm….”

“The palm forest at the bottom of the trail..” Dean replied abruptly.

“Yeah…how did you know?”

“That’s where he always waits for them. Teenagers have been stirring him up for years. I told them to stop being nuff nuffs, but you know, teenagers….”

Bingo. The old man of the bush and we were on his turf.

So for the die hard skeptic (sometimes with good reason in a world full of 'con jobs') who subscribes to the “Not observable, repeatable or testable…not allowed to think about it or believe it” mentality of modern science to consider this - Could hundreds of sightings and encounters by normally sane people be off the mark – even though the same features, smells, sounds, behaviours and foot prints are reported over and over again. What are the chances of Dean picking the precise location before I finished my sentence? Why did a scout leader who has been to every bush trail in the area in both day and night and seen all the wildlife the region has to offer- panic - without even seeing the source of the sounds. I believe this – even the greatest skeptic will become a convert after an encounter with this ‘thing that should not be’ but like many of the great mysteries of the universe ‘simply is’. The bush is a wonderful and mysterious place just waiting for you to put your hiking boots on and find out what strange and exciting things await you around the next gully. The world would be a boring, sad and repetitive place without a little mystery for us to explore. Get out there today for tomorrow has it's own worries.




By Pastor Baz

Pareidolia (AKA Matrixing)

Definition from Wikipedia: is a psychological phenomenon involving a vague and random stimulus (often an image or sound) being perceived as significant.

As I have gotten more interested in the paranormal the more examples of pareidolia i have seen presented as "evidence of the paranormal". This is not necessarily deliberate but it still is false evidence.




I think its really important to keep trying to debunk everything we come across as paranormal researchers (in a kind and gentle way) not only for ourselves but the people that present us with potential evidence.

These photos are just two examples of matrixing. And they DO look like faces. But that doesn't mean that its anything paranormal.



Here's a link to a very informative article on matrixing by Grant Wilson, TAPS.

And here's a link to an article on paranormal.about about photos that AREN'T paranormal.

This Weeks Paranormal In The News 12/10/09

Hotel Del Coronados longest staying guest - do you dare stay in room 3327. Click here for news article.


Ghost caught on camera in Wales.
Looks a bit like photoshop to me but would like other peoples opinions. Click
here for article.



Jim Morrisons ghost picture is not fake? click
here for article.


Goatmen and Satyrs? Click here for the article on Cryptomundo.


Personally i think its just a reflection on the glass (watch the video) but theres an interesting twist in the story. Here's the link to an article on phantoms and monsters.


Ghost photo - really looks like an actual person to me but click here for the news story.

Real Life Stories - What is lurking under the water at Port Hacking?

Where: School camp, at Telford camping ground, Royal National Park, Port Hacking NSW.

What occurred: 'H' was canoeing with a friend at 11.30am on the 22nd of May 2007. They were 30metres away from a wharf (at the Telford camp). It was sunny with a slight breeze. As she put the paddle down due to tiredness she looked down into the water and saw a long hairy creature, submerged, partially under the boat but to the side with it’s eyes looking up. The face was human like with hair around its face but not on its face. The creature had long arms on the upper half with hair on them, brown and rough but like a dogs. The creature was about as tall as 'H' who is about 5’2. The mouth had clear lips and no teeth were visible. Legs were not observed due to bubbles from the canoes being paddled.
'H' told her friend what she had seen who responded with “It’s probably someone tricking you”. 'H' didn’t look back and didn’t see it surface for air.

This Weeks Paranormal News 5/10/09

Tutu wearing aliens in Winchester, UK? Click here for article.


I read an article on www.phantomsandmonsters.com about some evidence that S.P.O.O.K.S captured at the Stanley Hotel (made famous by Stephen Kings the Shining) click here for their page.


An interesting article on Sleep Paralysis - also known as "The Old Hag syndrome" click here for the article.




Does this video show a ghost walking around Disneyland? Or is it camera trickery? click here for a link to the video at paranormal.about.com

Demonic Attack - This Weeks Story From Baz 4/10/09

It was exciting to be getting ready to go to Tahiti. I had been invited to go as part of the Christian Surfers movement for ten days. My good friend Brad was going in the contest and I was his sponsor and support person. We were helping a great guy called Kevin, an American surfer who had started out with WYWAM back in the early eighties, married a local lady and became a surfboard manufacturer – and Christian witness – of some renown on the Island. I was going to be sharing my testimony in the local Church as well. It was going to be awesome.
My good friend and surfboard manufacturer had made me two new surfboards. I was so pumped. It was my first mission trip – and what a place to be going. Brad and I were in contact almost daily in the lead up to the trip.

“Baz, one thing about Tahiti..” Brad informed me over the phone “..is that it’s not just a tropical paradise. There are some deep spiritual…actually demonic strongholds over the Island. And some really serious opposition to Christianity”

“Yep, ten-four, over and out and away we go” I thought, not really taking what Brad was saying all that seriously. I was more concerned with how much fun we would have.

Two nights before we went, I went to bed – early. I was wearing my St Benedict Cross around my neck on a Puka shell necklace.

I remember having a really bad dream – not a normal nightmare but a physical manifestation. In my dream, something was strangling me.

I woke up. I could see the light coming in through the window. Yet the strangling continued. Something was pulling my cross and the necklace tightly around my neck. I opened my eyes and a black figure was sitting over me. Who was it?

“Kel” I threw my arm over at my wife” Get it off, get it off”.

“What, what is it” Kel woke up very alarmed.

“My necklace, it’s got my necklace, get the necklace off my neck”.

I felt like I was dying. It was the sickest I had felt. The presence of evil was palpable.

Kel undid the back of the necklace and I ripped it off my neck threw it against the wall.

“Oh, I’m so hot…..I feel so sick” I cried and I stood up and thought I was going to faint. Then a wave of nausea hit me. I ran to the bathroom and dry retched. Now I was freezing cold and the sweat still dripped off me. I felt like I was going to die.

“Oh Lord. I need to go to Tahiti. Please Lord, not now. Please heal me”.

Like a huge chain being removed, the weight was lifted. Within a couple of minutes the nausea had subsided. I walked back into our room.

“What was it – are you ok?”

“Kel, that wasn’t sickness. That was demonic. There was something in this room – it was sitting on me in bed and was strangling me with the necklace. But…I just asked God to help me get to Tahiti and…bang….He just took the feeling away”.

The strange thing is, I always thought if something like that happened to me I would just lay awake all night in fear. But the most amazing thing was I lay down for ten minutes – prayed a prayer of thanks to God – and had a great nights sleep.

And so the trip to Tahiti was great. Brad won the contest against an international field. And although the huge waves snapped his boards before the contest he was blessed to have one board left to win on. I got to give my testimony. Kevin reached the surfers of Tahiti. We made lots of new friends. And the Spirit of the Lord touched many people in that 10 day period.