Suddenly I found myself going through a large tunnel, at great speed.  What could be happening? I was travelling so fast that I could hear a loud whooshing sound as I moved along.

As I travelled, I realised that I was moving towards a source of light.  This light was more beautiful than anything that I had ever seen on Earth.  It was a wonderful golden colour - more beautiful than anything I had ever experienced even on the sunniest day in Portugal.

Then I went through this entrance where the light was.  The atmosphere was totally serene, and I was now surrounded completely by this wonderful golden light.  At this point I had no idea what was happening to me, but I felt safe secure and very peaceful.  Then I felt a presence near to me, and realised that it was coming from the middle of this wonderful light.  The light was very intense, although it did not hurt my eyes.  I was aware of so much love surrounding me, a love the type of which I have never experienced before.  I knew that this love was far greater than anything that any human could generate, however much they tried.  I began to realise that the Presence within this light knew everything that there was to know about me, and yet loved me totally.  I could not see who it was that was in the centre of this light, although I guessed by now that it must be either Jesus or God Himself.  This was strange, because although I had been brought up in the Catholic faith, God had played little or no part in my life, although I had always wanted to know more about Him.

Then, my whole life started to be shown to me.  I saw the good parts and the bad parts.  I didn't feel condemned, even when I saw myself do or think things that I should not have done or thought.  I knew that He understood what had made me do those things at the time.  I knew that He loved me, in spite of everything that I had ever done.  We started to have a conversation together, although no words were spoken.  It was just a conversation within the mind.  I could hear His words in my head, and I found it easy to communicate in this way.  When I saw myself doing the things that I should not have done, I felt very sad and repentant, especially as I was experiencing so much of His love at the time.  I felt consoled, and I did not ever want to leave the place where I was, even though I had a young child who obviously needed my care and attention at that time.

I was aware of other things around me - I think I was standing near to a tree, but I was concentrating too much on the Lord and what He was saying and showing me to bother too much about what was around me.  Then He said that I must go back - it wasn't time for me to be with Him permanently yet.  I sensed that He had tremendous authority, mixed with this wonderful love.  I wanted to do what he told me to, although in another way I would have loved to have stayed where I was.

Then I made the journey back to my body.  It was a strange experience as I re-entered my body - it wasn't very pleasant.  I felt my spirit coming back into my body again, and it didn't feel very nice - I felt restricted, like being put into a box! And of course my head was very painful, due to the knock that I had given it, which had caused me to lose consciousness.

The intensity of the love that I felt from the Lord when I was in His presence, has given me a deep love for others.  I feel their pain, and that is not always easy.  It's like walking around with no shoes on at times! But you can't have an experience like that and remain unchanged.

I had only got out the words 'I'm of the Lord Jesus Christ' when a bright light surrounded me from head to toe.  The light dispelled the darkness and it was full of love, peace, joy and a real feeling of security.  In the light I smelt an amazing fragrance.  The light came down from above, while below it, and running parallel to it was a path of golden stones or cobblestones.  I was lifted by what seemed like two hands, one on each of my hips and I was drawn up the light along the path and soon it levelled out.  Before me were the walls of a huge city.  It reminded me of the walls I had seen in the film Jesus of Nazareth, but instead of the walls being the brown or tan colour as in the film, these walls were multi-coloured and shimmering from the light.  The colours were in layers reflecting the gems it is made from.  The beauty was amazing and glorious, more beautiful than any rainbow or anything on earth.

The path ended at a huge white gate which the Bible calls the pearl gates, and describes the gems of the walls in Revelation 21.  The same light I was moving in was radiating out from within the city containing the same love, peace, joy and warmth.  As I stood at the gates, I heard amazing singing coming from within the city, voices that sang in beautiful harmony and melody, singing to the Lord.

I'm not sure if the angel stepped through the gate or if he was there all the time, but only when he spoke to me did I become aware of his presence.  He said, 'Return from where you came from'.  I put my arms out pointing into the city and said 'I'm home, I'd like to go to be with my Lord Jesus and with my 'Abba Daddy'.  He replied, 'The Lord's return is imminent, I have more to do, you are to return from where you came'.  The angel was huge, above seven or eight feet tall.  He was broad, dressed in a white robe with sandals on his feet.  He had a leather belt around him that held a big sword in an ornamented sheath.  The belt was braided with gold and brass thread.  He had an amazing presence and spoke with the authority of God.

Just as I had been drawn up the path in the light, now I moved away from the City, and it was all darkness again.  I still had my arms outstretched, so when my spirit returned to my body my arms lifted up.  I was discharged from hospital on the first of January 1991, having made steady progress, and having been able to talk and pray with several patients about my faith in God.

'Jesus, if it's my time to come home, I'm ready,' I thought.  'I love You.'  I was engulfed in complete peace with no fear of death.

I opened my eyes, and I was standing in a field, surrounded by acres of green grass.  Every blade glowed as if back-lit by a tiny spotlight.  To my right stretched a dazzling expanse of vibrant flowers, with colours I had never seen before.  Above me the endless sky was a deep and pure blue.  The air around me was permeated with love.

I walked over a hill, a short distance away, then stopped beside the base of a large tree.  A light began to appear beside the tree.  The blinding aura was too bright to look at directly.  I squinted down toward the ground, and then saw a pair of sandals begin to appear at the bottom edge of the light.  As my eyes moved upward, I glimpsed the hem of a seamless white gown.  Higher, I could make out the form of a Man's body.  Around His head shone an even brighter brilliance, obscuring a direct view of His face.  Even though I could not see clearly, because of the dazzling splendour, I knew immediately the identity of this Man.  I was standing in the presence of Jesus Christ.

'Jim, I love you.' His voice washed over me, indescribably gentle, tender and peaceful.  'But it is not your time yet.  You must go back, for you have many works for Me yet to do.' I stood in awe, unable to utter a sound.  Within me I was protesting that I was never going back.  I wanted to stay right there beside Him.  Almost with the hint of a chuckle, He spoke again: 
'Jim, I love you but it is not your time yet.'

Then the brilliance surrounding Him reached out and engulfed me, immersing me in a total sense of love and peace.  I do not know how long I stood transfixed, but finally I turned away and began walking over the hill.  Then a blue mist of light began to come around me like a fog.  It turned into a dark shadow, and everything went black.

Suddenly I opened my eyes, and realised I was lying on the operating table, covered with a sheet.  I did not know until later that I had been dead for eight minutes.  Everyone had left the operating room except for the main surgeon, and one of his assistants.  They were at the back of the room, filling out a report on my death.  After a few seconds, I sat up.  The sheet slid down my lap, and I saw the two men at the far side of the room with their backs to me.

'Gentlemen,' I announced, 'I am ready to proceed if you are!' They turned and looked at me, their faces white.  'Get the rest of them in here quick,' the surgeon then said to his assistant.

They ran test after test on me.  Early the next morning, the surgeon came to my room and announced he was releasing me from the hospital. 'Come back this evening at 8:30 to my office, and we will go over all the results of your new tests.'

That evening I told my doctor what I had experienced during those eight minutes I 'died' on the operating table.  'Jim' he said after I was done, 'I am going to show you something you will not believe.'  Together we looked at the new pictures of my heart.  Rather than being enlarged, it was now the normal size.  Where there had been eighty-five percent blockage in two arteries, there was now no arteriosclerosis.  The main valve was functioning normally.

'We ran test after test on you, Jim!  He looked at me and winked.  'This is off the record.'  I saw a tear form at the corner of his eye, but he had a smile on his face.  'According to these pictures, this Jesus you have been talking about has either replaced or repaired your heart.'