Read below transcript of testimony at water baptism on the 18.12.2016:
Although raised a Catholic I've never felt like I was a Christian. Somehow I've always had a resistance to Jesus Christ. I've prayed to God a lot but not really His Son. I guess only in times of real stress and life and death situations have I called out to Christ.
When I was sixteen I had a serious cycling accident where I collided with the back of a caravan and knocked myself out, as well as cutting my throat 2mm shy of my jugular vein. My brother Nick rode in the ambulance with the paramedics and he said I broke out into continuous streams of praise to Christ throughout the journey to the hospital, in my semi conscious state.
Another time I was swimming in Byron Bay in Australia with my best friend Hamish when we both got caught in a rip over a large hole. So instead of being dragged out to sea this rip pulled you under, as the waves broke over the top. I escaped and was going to get my flippers when I looked behind me and saw Hamish go under and then resurface with his hands held high and his eyes wide. I knew that he was about to disappear for good so I swam back out to him and tried to coax him to keep swimming. The situation became really desperate and I remember I looked up to heaven and swore at Jesus to save him.I then watched in amazement as an ocean current transported Hamish around me, in a wide half circle, and then dumped him on the beach. Exhausted I asked Jesus what about me and realised I shouldn't have sworn at Him, so I began the slow process of getting myself out of the hole which took every ounce of my remaining strength.
I've also had a few unusual spiritual experiences. I fell into a half sleep on the floor of my brother's flat in Palm Beach Australia. And I heard something come into the flat and start laughing which made the hairs on my body stand on end. I tried desperately to wake myself up but I was frozen to the ground and my eyelids were like lead. The entity then grabbed my ribs and began applying a strong downward pressure while cackling. I cried out to Christ for His protection and immediately the presence left and my eyes opened. I ran to the bathroom and lifted up my top which revealed five red marks on my ribs in the mirror, these turned into bruises two days later. I couldn't sleep properly at night for months after that episode.
Another time in an old villa in Sydney, would you believe opposite a graveyard. I used to watch my bedroom door slightly open each night and wondered why on earth would the husband and wife living there be checking up on me. I was 18 years old at the time and boarding.So one night I asked them to come in and again all the hairs on my body stood on end and I was pinned frozen to my bed as I watched the door fully open and felt a dark presence enter the room. I was so terrified that I couldn't produce any words until finally with all my determination I whispered - save me Christ, save me Christ, save me Christ and the entity left.
These experiences combined with a childhood inferiority complex and an independent curious nature prompted me to start a journey of esoteric exploration. In brief, I found importance and answers in studying numerology and astrology, as well as reading tarot cards as a daily guidance tool. I've been through past life regressions, attended meetings where people channelled so called wise entities and even once walked over a mountain carrying a large green stone, with 12 others, to honour the ancestors. I've also worked as a spiritual healer and for a time became clairvoyant. Interestingly through all these experiences I felt God's protection and believed in my heart I was working for Him. Finally, in 2002 I entered in on a spiritual path of God realisation under a living master called Gurinder Singh. For 12 years I mediated between 2.5 and sometimes 4 hours daily rising as early as 3:30am to repeat my daily simran.I visited India five times travelling to a place called Beas in the Punjab. I've attended satsangs which are gatherings with as many as 500,000 devotees to listen to Gurinder Singh.
Six years into the path I met Summer and that's when Jesus began to reel me in, as I knew from our first encounter Summer was a bonafide Christian with a very active faith. For another 6 years, including 4 years of marriage, we had a very bumpy relationship as our love was tested in the fire on all fronts including our first child. Summer knew I was searching for God but that I was horribly lost.
Thanks to a lot of prayers from family and friends I came to a realisation that the path was not working and I felt closer to God while surfing than I ever did while meditating. This bothered me greatly and started a snowball effect over the course of a year, culminating in me leaving the path and saving our marriage.
For 2 years now I have been attending Catholic church and it's been a slow process of recovery - well that is until 3 months ago when Summer's mother Sandy gave us a copy of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. Literally, as Summer and I worked through the book for 40 days a firecracker has exploded in me resulting in a deep and sincere desire for Jesus Christ. I've realised where the real power lies and that He never gives up on His lost sheep.
I've done a lot of searching for God in all the wrong places when all I had to do was surrender to His most beautiful Son - my all time saviour Jesus Christ.
