I was home, in rural Louisiana, for the weekend from a Air National Guard 90 day tour of duty at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS.  I had driven about 20 miles from the house and built a fire in the woods about 100 yards from the road. I was sitting in a lawn chair by a nice comfortable fire in the fall. Then without thought or any sense of anything happening I was a light. Oval shaped. I was still me, but I had no memory of ever being human. I was aware, and it felt natural, not like I was shocked, but the love was so beautiful. My light/spirit body was love. 

I was completely unaware of my body at this time, and I could see the woods and saw a being just like me floating towards me. I noticed inside that light sparks of even brighter light zooming through that light. I recall that very clearly. He spoke to me as a greeting but I can't recall what exactly was said. And the voice wasn't audible but more like heart to heart impressions. But I knew it was a greeting. 

He let me enjoy my newfound abilities, flying instantly from where we were to Egypt and moving things with just a thought, etc.  I'm sure I probably looked childish to him, but he never complained. 

After a time (?) we were once again back in Louisiana and we merged. My light and his light became one light and we instantly were in the midst of unknown millions, billions or trillions of souls. I never saw a face and I can't say if these souls had ever been human and had died. I never saw them, but very vividly sensed them. They were very excited and I could sense a great anticipation. 

I could hear, but I'm not sure hear is the right word. It will have to do for now. I could hear a very powerful sound. Very powerful. And if I had been in my natural body I would have been terrified, but I felt excited and like the other souls, anticipating something awesome. 

The sound grew closer then like a huge ocean wave, it washed over us... OH MY LORD... So much knowledge. So much love, peace and goodness. It was so much more than I can explain and I can't explain how incredibly much knowledge was passed. Awesome!!!

The next thing I recall is being back in the woods with the angel (?). Then he "spoke" and imprinted something very serious to me. I can't recall what was said. It was more like imprints were left but I can't remember the words. It feels like I wasn't supposed to remember the words.

After the very serious imprint he told me to turn around. When I did I saw my body sitting motionless by the fire. It didn't shock me. There wasn't any fear in me, but I did recognize that it was my body. 

He told me I had to go back. I can tell you this, I did not come back of my own free will. But come back, I did. 

Oddly enough, after that experience instead of settling down and being a productive member of society, I got wild. I was playing in a hard rock band at a rural hippy/druggie place called the Hippy Hut. Sex, drugs and rock and roll. Then came heroin, stealing and violence... 

I remember feeling so lost that after a party I went into the woods alone and prayed. "I know there's a God, and I pray you reveal Yourself to me."

Three days later I was arrested for manslaughter, though the man was revived and charges lowered, theft, burglary and possession of schedule two narcotics. 

While in the Tangipahoa Parish Jail in Amite Louisiana, I read all the books I could find, which was five, in five days. There was always an empty cell, but you don't just bust up into someone's cell. But after I realized it was empty i went in because I had noticed there were a bunch of magazines on the floor. I rummaged through the magazines and books and found The Gospel Of John. So I took it to my cell and rested on my cot on the floor and read. 

As I read I knew this was the Spirit that had released me from my body for the tour of things to come and I could feel an explosion of light within me and I knew I had been joined to God through my faith in Jesus. 

And I've never been the same. I tried being successful as a Christian. Playing in church bands. Writing and playing some gospel even in secular settings. 

I worked as a lab technician testing milk from 1983 to 1988. Then in 1989 I went to work for a group of rural newspapers. I started my own Christian newspaper at cost then opened two secular newspapers in 1985 that had a 13,500 print run weekly. I was put out of business in 1998 by a million dollar newspaper group. I disobeyed what I knew God wanted me to do, to take the papers south, instead I invested in going north into Mississippi and the papers closed. 

I told maybe a handful of people that experience over the years. Most were on their deathbeds. 

What triggered my need to speak was a flatline experience in 2005. That seemed to activate something in me. A great desire to tell people how great it is in Christ and how to get there. 

There is one thing we have to do as humans here. Jesus is the door to salvation. What do we do with Jesus? Invite Him into your hearts and live. 

The flatline: 

I was extremely sick and in 200I I had gotten too sick to work. My ex wife told my grown children they would find their daddy dead one day. I was diagnosed with terminal hepatitis C. But God wasn't through with me. I took interferon and Rebetol treatments for six months and was cured. But I have never fully recovered for some reason. 

In 2005 I was going through a week long bad spell. Very sick. My ex wife finally convinced me to go to the emergency room. I was immediately rushed into the big bay at LSU Lallie Kemp Hospital in Independence Louisiana.  They drew blood and connected me to the heart monitoring equipment and just like that I heard the flatline warning.

Instantly, I was surrounded by the same Spirit as my 1980 out of body experience and the 1982 salvation experience. Instantly, I was surrounded by the love all of us long for and I smiled. I'm going home. 

But something was wrong. Not with my peaceful state, but the doctors. The respiratory therapist checked the monitoring equipment and nodded it was correct while the doctors looked at me, all alert, then with gaping mouths at the monitor. 

So, I thought: I haven't told many people of my 1980 experience so I'm out of here, I'm about to be dead, so let me tell those who had collected around the open bay my testimony. About 30 people were standing there. It happened so fast that they never closed the big open bay or moved people away and I seemed to attract a lot of attention. 

My ex said when the flatline sounded, there was a powerful rush by the Spirit of God that permeated everyone in that area. 

After I finished my testimony, I told Vince Falcone, a preacher friend who was also the respiratory therapist, that I could feel myself slipping away. I felt his finger make the sign of the cross on my forehead, then heard him say, "In Jesus’ name, come back. In Jesus’ name, come back. In Jesus’ name, come back."

And here I am.