On my recent visit to my parents in south central British Columbia, I heard about an amazing paranormal event that happened to John, a member of my parents' church.  Some here might find this experience inspirational; so I've decided to post it now and revise it when I learn more details.

John's wife Helen testified to the incident in question to the pastor's wife.  John had been killed in a serious auto accident.   The ambulance paramedics discovered that he had no vital signs (no breathing, hearbeat, or pulse) and John was later examined and pronounced dead by the medical examiner.  Helen was not in the car, but was summoned to the morgue to identify the body.

When the sheet was removed from John's face, she immediately confirmed his identity but asked for some private moments with him.    Suddenly, for no apparent reason, she felt an impulse to pray for his recovery.  She continued her intercession for two hours.   I have prayed over the dead myself, but only for about 5 minutes because I had no expectation of an imminent physical "resurrection."  After two hours of prayer, John suddenly came back to life and has now recovered from his injuries!

I wanted to talk with Helen personally, but my uncle in Toronto died and I was forced to leave B.C. prematurely to attend the funeral.  I hope my parents can contact Helen and get answers to these four questions:

(1) For how many hours was John dead?
(2) How did Helen discover that John had come back to life?  Did she hear him groan or see him suddenly start breathing or make some sort of movement?
(3) Did John have any memories of the period during which he was dead?  Did he have an NDE?
(4) How long did it take for him to recover from his injuries?  Was there a healing miracle as well?  

This is a delicate matter because charismatic Christians often dislike critical examination of their paranormal experiences and have no desire to establish their credibility to anyone.  In their circles, such apparent miracles seem commonplace.  But I will gently press for some answers.

I have heard of several Christian cases like this before, but this is the first case where I potentially have a chance to question the principals.  I will keep you posted if I learn more.   On my trip I also contacted people who experienced "miracles" that I've previously posted on this site.  When I return to this site for more regular posting on March 1, I will report the additional details I have gleaned from those other paranormal experiences.

Don

This is fascinating Don!  I look forward to any results you get from your investigation.  I just wonder... how much time must elapse before a NDE becomes a DE!  Assuming 3 hours minimum (1 hour for accident and 2 hours praying), the guy could have had rigor mortis and been close to room-temp by then.  This will be very interesting.

Thanks Don, I'll too watch out for your future posts. It would be very interesting indeed to get some more details about it, because the more detailed a report is, the more credible it is (at least for me).
Spooky

My previous statements about the medical facts and implications of this report was deleted.  I may repost it - not sure.  Clearly more information is needed.  

The power of prayer is strong and documented in the medical world in blinded studies.  We must decide to whom we owe the honor of the miracle though.  As Dave and I have remarked, many see on this board see man/woman as a co-creator with God.  Of course the concept of God is so much greater, and most of us are so very fallible and are striving for the divine but failing along the way.

There is a concept of divine grace; a miracle occuring from outside the realm of human intent.  If this is a true miracle (and this is a big if, since it is only hearsay at this point), did a human being create this miracle (a grieving widow) as a co-creator with God, or was it divine grace alone?

The question may seem moot, since both are miraculous, but I think it a key issue to see where man is in relationship to the universe.

Matthew

Well nothing is impossible it seems...or at least this is an approach to look at life.
Spooky

Lucy,

Good point!  I think Helen meant it was two hours before she got to the morgue.  Since she prayed for two hours, John would supposedly have been dead for 4 hours.

Don

Marilyn,

Yes, it would be interesting to see what John might recall about his "dead period" through hypnotic regression.

Don

A couple of weeks ago, I heard an unforgettable talk by a Pastor Jason Hubbard from Bellingham, WA., one of the least religious cities in the USA.  Jason had persuaded several pastors to sign their people up for an hour of prayer so that prayer was being offered 24/7.  The results? 

(1) 80 new churches in just a few years;
(2) The churches prayed for social issues like abortion.  The result?  Previously for every young woman visiting an abortion clinic there were 50 abortions for every girl who chose to carry her baby to term.  Now a recent study showed that only 2 abortions were carried out for every girl who  carried her baby full term. 

(3) Jason made a remarkable confession in connection with a miracle account.  His wife has a brain tumor that has only gotten worse after his frequent intercessory prayer.  Yet, buoyed up by his church's incessant praying, he felt divinely called to pray for a dying woman at a Bellingham hospital because he felt an inner assurance that she would be healed.  He didn't know much about the couple, except that they weren't religious at all.  When he met the husband, he learned that doctors were about to unplug the ventilator due to his wife' s organ failure.  She would soon be off to the morgue.  Nevertheless, Jason asked for permission to pray for her and the husband agreed.

Jason blew the husband's mind by what he did next.  He walked up to the unconscious woman and didn't really pray at all.   Instead, he proclaimed, "In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk!"  She immediately arose, gloriously healed, and within a few days was back at work!  The hospital staff were hysterical with awe and amazement.  Jason later admitted that he was afraid to tell the husband about his confidence that she would be healed.  After all, Jason's prayers did nothing for his own wife and he was afraid of looking really foolish.  Jason is confident that the miracle was made possible by the 24/7 prayer vigils of his church members.