受難節前的一件軼事

今天(19/3/08)，我想起了一件使我獲益良多的往事，它使我不禁自慚形穢，同時卻養成一顆自我反省的心，還引領我默默感謝 天父與及軼事的主角── 一位曾藉此事教訓我，從而接納我的戴弟兄。

當日下午，在一所公廁內，我沿著其狹小的走廊向前走動，準備洗淨雙手。我當時是托着我的公事包的。誰知，我突然聽到在我身後所發出的一陣碰撞聲；我轉頭一看，原來是我肩上的公事包意外地碰跌了後面一名男子手上的物件，使它跌在地上，並一分為二。

我立即向那位男子說道：「不好意思」，並想盡早離開現場了事；當時，他直斥我沒有禮貌待人。我本想以一句「不好意思」來平息事件，但他的譴責使我意識到不能匆匆走開，否則可能引至更大的爭執；他亦要求跟我理論，我遂跟隨他離開洗手間，走向附近的一座花槽。

當我們走到花槽之後，男子把兩片已破碎了的翠玉放在花槽邊上。我才發現，是我自己托着公事包準備離開公廁的時候，一不留神，弄丟了他手上的玉器，使它斷為兩片翠玉。還好，他只是不斷訴說其翠玉如何難以補救，並慨歎不知道怎樣向其長輩和朋友交代。他及後要求我與他共赴一座玉石市場，以便我為他買回玉器作補償。

我心中萬不願意這樣做 — 不知自己屆時會否蒙受欺騙或威嚇呢！所以，我向他表明自己不能跟他到玉器市場。幸好，我靈機一觸：何不付出身上的數張紙幣，作為向他賠償呢？我遂即時抽出身上的記事簿，並把內中夾附的鈔票全數交給了該男子。我更向他表明，自己已經作出應有的賠償，大家應「無拖無欠」了。感謝 主！他隨即展現笑容，向我道謝，還分享他自己的更生見證。

當時充斥着自衛意識和避忌動機的我，立刻感到無地自容。我很慚愧，自己為何看不出他原來只是據理力爭，而最後是真心饒恕我的弟兄呢？我亦意識到自己當初只想藉口頭道歉來逃避責任是不對的。其後我雖向他作出了現金賠償，但我的用心主要還是自保，尚欠缺一個真誠的懺悔！那時，我的心好像溶化了的冰塊一般，我真的慚愧了，真的後悔了。

我自覺地留下來聽他的更生見證，欣賞他娓娓道來的得救經歷。隨後，我特意送上一篇有待完成的稿件給他，作為回應。手稿恰好是以使徒保羅的《哥林多前書》第十章的一句語錄意譯為首的，他看後便和我分享其心中的金句 —《哥林多後書》五章十七至十八節，還有他從教會兄姊中所得到的寶貴支持，使我受益良多。我遂在手稿上寫了自己的名字，還即席以紅筆畫了一顆心形圖送給他，他亦告訴我他是戴弟兄。

最後，戴弟兄與我握手道別。這件軼事給我認真學習如何應對突發的風波，從而明白真心承擔責任的重要性，使我不至養成只知自衛和逃避的心態，我真的感謝戴弟兄的教訓和寬恕。我還有感恩的地方，因為這事使我在反省之餘，還讓我學會不要以貌取人，就算眼前的朋友看來是其貌不揚的，因為 主教導我們要愛人如己和不要偏待他人。

一名男青年

[林後 5:17-18]
[17]若有人在基督裡，他就是新造的人，舊事已過，都變成新的了。
[18]一切都是出於神；他藉著基督使我們與他和好，又將勸人與他和好的職分賜給我們。

Testimonies of Life after Death

Story 1: "My Trip to Hell and Back" (Source: Saved From Hell).

Dr. Howard Storm, a professor of art at Northern Kentucky University, had once technically died but was subsequently revived through his "Near Death Experience" on June 1, 1985 (Saturday) when he was in Paris with his wife, Beverly, and a group of students. While in his hotel room making plans for his last day in the city, Storm collapsed with a pain in his abdomen—so intense that at first the 38-year-old professor thought he must have been shot. He was sent to the nearest emergency room. It was later found that Storm’s duodenum had perforated, flooding his abdominal cavity with burning digestive acids.

Unfortunately, he had to wait more than 10 hours before he received proper attention. When at last he felt death approaching, he whispered a tearful good-bye to his wife who was then by his side, and closed his eyes. The very next thing Storm remembers is he was standing next to his hospital bed, the pain all but gone. Looking more closely at the bed, Storm was dumbfounded to realize that his body was still lying in it. He walked over and spoke to his wife, but she just kept staring straight ahead, completely ignoring him. Then Storm heard voices calling to him from the hallway outside his hospital room. They were pleasant voices, male and female, young and old. Storm felt compelled to follow them.

As he walked down the hospital corridor after them, he saw figures around him. They were vague and indistinct. Gradually, he realized that they were malevolent beings. They approached and began to mock him, to push, to pull and bite at him with long, sharp fingernails and teeth! Storm was a one hundred percent cynic before. But what was happening didn’t allow for disbelief. A voice inside said to him three times, “Pray to God.”And that’s what he did. Ultimately, he yelled, “Jesus, save me!” All of a sudden, a brilliant white light appeared. He felt arms embracing and lifting him. A love more intense than any he’d ever known coursed through him. He felt that he was in the presence of Jesus himself with innumerable angels gathered all around. At last, they told him that it was not his time and he was back in his hospital bed and covered in bandages. According to the doctors, he was operated upon and saved at the last possible moment.

For further details, please visit: NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES

Story 2: “Matthew Botsford – To Hell and Back” by Tim Branson The 700 Club

Matthew and Nancy Botsford worked hard and played even harder. They pursued life with gusto -- except when it came to God. But everything changed on one March night in 1992. Matthew and two sales associates were in Atlanta on business. They had just left a restaurant and had gone outside to catch a taxi, when suddenly 3 of the men arguing behind them pulled out guns and started shooting. One of Matthew’s friends took a bullet to the head and died instantly. The other was unharmed. Matthew was also shot in the head, and he too died.

"Utter blackness. Incredible fear. I went to a place what I believe was hell. It was void of anything good. Beyond anything any words could describe”, recalled Matthew. But a hand came down towards him, and as it did, it brought warmth, flooding the room he was in with a brilliant white light. He was being pulled upwards. He heard a voice say, ‘It’s not your time.’ Mathew was resuscitated on the scene and taken to Piedmont hospital in Atlanta. Nancy flew in from their home state of Michigan and the doctor told her that there’s only a 30% chance Matthew would make it through the night. After that, he’ll probably be in a wheelchair and he might become a vegetable consequently.

Nancy took a walk down a corridor to clear her head and saw a blackness in front of her which was getting bigger and bigger. She was almost lost when she felt a heavy hand on her right shoulder, pulling her back. There was nobody there and she knew it was Jesus. Nancy went straight back to Matt’s room. He’s all wrapped up and bandaged. She said, “Lord, I’m not saved. Bring back my husband even if he’s in a wheel chair.…I promise I’ll stay with him.” Thereafter, Nancy lived hour-to-hour as it seemed that one crisis followed another. But with every crisis came a glimmer of hope.

After 27 days, Matthew awoke from his coma. The left side of Matthew’s body was paralyzed. They returned to Michigan where Matthew started rehab trying to rebuild his body and his mind. For two and half long years Matthew worked through the pain with Nancy by his side. Progress was slow. He eventually left the wheelchair and walked with a cane. Recovering mentally was a much slower process. But Nancy remembered her promise to stay with Matthew through it all. The Botsfords were so focused on Matthew’s regimen that they forgot their experiences with God.Not until they moved to Florida, one day Matthew met a neighbor while out taking a walk and asked for a good church around rather unintentionally. Eventually, they attended an Easter service. The peace, the anchor and the stability in Jesus came back alive to them. Through the years they began to recognize God’s hand in their journey. Today, Matthew walks without the help of a cane and even gets to drive.

For Video testimony, please visit: Matthew's NDE