To err is human

A number of years ago, at the age of 41 to be precise, I didn't really know how my life would continue. And so I decided to do nothing and wait.
     But when after a while something still hadn't happened big, some Christians started to criticize me. True to the motto: A lazy life is not a life pleasing to God!
    I have to say that I was already pretty tired of that. Obviously they didn't know the old Indian saying: "Run for half a year in another man's moccasins before you judge him".  And anyway, if they already judged me, how did they come to such a misjudgement?

During this time one day I came to the university library. I had just entered the book area when I suddenly heard a young woman say "To err is human! Unusually loud for such a place. And I immediately had the feeling that this could be a message for me.
   I wanted to make my way to my favourite place when suddenly a strange thought came to my mind: Why don't you take a tour of the library first? I stopped. Why not?, I suddenly thought and went off.     
     I wandered aimlessly along the library corridors without paying much attention to anything. Finally I stopped in front of any bookshelf and simply picked out a book "blindly".
   When I read the title of the book a few seconds later, I was astonished: About the error! stood up there. Of course, I immediately remembered the words of the young woman who had touched me so deeply: To err is human. What a coincidence!
   
A coincidence? Certainly not! After a blind flight through the library past tens of thousands of books I now held this book about error in my hands. Unbelievable, I thought. First the message of the young woman and now this book. Obviously I should read it now.
   When I closed it again two hours later, I felt a deep inner relief and a strong consolation. I suddenly understood that error is an essential part of life from which no one can absolve himself. 
    In this sense it was not really surprising that I had been judged so wrongly by some Christians. To err is human, I thought, even among God's children!

My first Miracle

When does a person become aware of his own mortality? Probably the first time he or she is confronted with the subject of death in a more personal way. With me this happened at the age of about five.

My friend of the same age, Elmar, and I had decided to move over from our settlement to the large meadow. When we reached the village road in between, I stopped because I saw a car approaching from the left. First blink of an eye!
    To my great surprise and dismay I saw my friend enter the road. Second blink!  And then everything went very fast. When Elmar noticed the vehicle approaching at high speed, he ran off. Exactly where the car was headed in the meantime. The collision seemed inevitable. Third blink!
    In the greatest emergency I shouted: "ELMARRR!!!", whereupon he stopped abruptly and turned. Again to where the driver tried to pass.
    Elmar escaped death by a hair's breadth - and this can be taken figuratively. The driver "escaped" with screeching tires and really putting his foot down again.

For a few seconds Elmar and I stood there heavily shocked. Then we separated wordlessly and went home. We had both looked death in the eye for a moment. We understood how quickly everything could be over. At the same time at least I intuitively understood that something - perhaps a higher power - had protected Elmar.
    Because actually it had been completely excluded that he had come out of this thing intact and undamaged. It had definitely been a miracle!

The Miracle that happened in Frankfurt

In 1987 a large faith conference took place in Frankfurt am Main. It was announced as a five-day Fire Conference with the promising subtitle: Evangelism with Signs and Miracles.        
   At that time I was very close to a Bible school where I had begun a theological education. But I probably wouldn't have ended up at that Fire Conference if there hadn't been a lack of folders. So some of us Bible students were recruited. I was one of them.
     
The conference took place in the large exhibition halls. Several thousand visitors visited the most different events every day and as a steward I had a lot to do. Nevertheless, of course I got a lot of information about the events and some experiences were deeply engraved in my memory.      
   For example the afternoon event where Loren Cunnigham, the then leader of "Youth with a Mission", said in front of thousands of people: "God has shown us in prayer that the Berlin Wall will soon fall!                                                
   To be honest, I was quite amazed at the announcement. The man really had a good reputation to lose. To say something like that in public, he had to be either foolhardy or pretty sure of himself. As we know today, history proved him right.
    Outstanding from all the stories experienced there is the one from Saturday evening. It's really quite extraordinary!

That Saturday morning started with a praise march through the city of Frankfurt. Together with a few hundred other Christians I marched through the streets singing Christian songs. In between there was a loudspeaker announcement of an escort vehicle, in which we were invited to the evening event: "No matter who you are, come by! Bring your sick with you. There will also be prayers for healing tonight. And signs and miracles will happen. Hallelujah!" That or something like that was the announcement.
      In the evening the main hall was filled to capacity. The sermon was delivered by Reinhard Bonnke, an African missionary known in the Christian scene. Anyone who has once looked into the videos, where he preaches publicly in front of hundreds of thousands of Africans, can hardly remain uninvolved. But that is another topic.
    At the end of the sermon Bonnke called as usual for a decision for Jesus. And as usual in his meetings many people came forward to give their lives to Jesus.  Then he made a second call for the sick: "If you are sick and want to be healed, come forward. Jesus healed earlier and will heal again tonight. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord". In the hall it echoes a thousand times "Hallelujah!                          
    "Yes," Bonnke shouted now," he has done it and will do it again. "Come! Flocks of people streamed forward and were received there by the preachers and pastors.                          
     I stood in one of the back rows and observed how many small prayer groups formed on the large platform and how a life of its own developed there. A camera team from Hessischer Rundfunk came on stage, but filmed discreetly in the background.
    Maybe five minutes might have passed when I suddenly saw a young, pretty woman in Hotpants walking down the aisle. On her arms she was carrying an elderly woman, who obviously consisted only of skin and bones. 
     Arrived in front she rose the small side rise to the platform and put there the older woman then on the ground. Nothing else happened for several minutes. The small prayer groups were busy with themselves and the young woman continued to stand next to the woman lying on the floor.
     Suddenly a prayer group disbanded and a few seconds later Bonnke stormed in. A short exchange of words with the young woman, then she grabbed the microphone, raised her left arm and said: "Please rest in the hall, and all prayers on the stage please stop". 
     14,000 people stopped singing, and the prayer groups on the stage also looked at him, the young woman and the older woman. One could have heard a pin drop. The Hessian Television television team, which had previously kept in the background, sneaked onto the stage very close to the three people in the focus of the action.

    And then Bonnke asked the young woman pointing to the woman lying on the floor: "Who is that?" She replied: "My mother!" "What about her? Bonnke asked further. "She has terminal cancer. I heard the invitation this morning during the city march. And there I took my mother and brought her here.
    Bonnke he bent down to the woman and gave her the microphone: "Do you believe that Jesus can heal you? A moment of silence, then you heard a fragile "Yes, I believe that!
      Immediately Bonnke straightened up again and with a loud voice he announced: "Jesus cannot only heal you, he will heal you tonight from your cancer. Hallelujah!"
A moment of unbelieving amazement. Then a hurricane broke loose in the hall. "Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah." The cameras of the television team swung over into the audience. Then the team moved very close to Bonnke and the two women. Close-up!

I had followed the action on stage like a spell. But now he has hung out his window quite far, it went through my head. If the miracle doesn't happen now, he's dead! They will tear it apart in the media.
    But Bonnke was already further. "Lord Jesus, we ask you to reward the faith of these two women and heal the cancer," he prayed out loud. The cameras were now fully directed at him and the woman. And then the command: "In the name of Jesus. Get up!" The woman remained lying!
     Even before an embarrassing silence could arise, he turned to the audience. "Please all pray in the hall! In the hall began a thousand voices of murmur. And then Bonnke shouted: "In the name of Jesus! Get up!" At the same time he pulled it up with one hand.
     And then she stood! Looking around unbelievingly! Her daughter slapped her hands in front of her face. Bonnke called. "Go! Go!" The woman began to take a step. Bonnke yelled: "Go up and down! You are healed! Jesus healed you and then she began to walk. Once to the right, once to the left, the TV team's cameras fully pointed at her.
       In the hall and on stage an indescribable tumult broke out. Mother and daughter were in each other's arms, the hall was raging. And Bonnke drowned everything out: "Jesus did it again! Halleeelluuujjaaaah!

 The next morning at the closing service of the 1987 Fire Conference, the hall was filled to capacity again. Again Reinhard Bonnke was the main speaker. But with quite a hoarse voice. He smiled: "I was asked why I was so sure that the woman would be healed". A question that probably everyone asked themselves the evening before.
    "Well," he continued, "I had just finished praying for a sick person when I received something like an electric shock. I drove around and saw the woman lying on the stage amidst all the sick and praying people. No one seemed to care for her. And at that very moment an inner voice said to me: "This is the key miracle tonight".
      He took a meaningful break and then said, "That's why I knew this woman would be healed!

I have to say that this event had really touched me deeply. I was all the more surprised when I heard that in a report on Hessischer Fernsehen this obvious miracle was not mentioned with a syllable.
    Instead, everything was presented as "religious rip-off". As evidence, extensive collection calls and fundraising were shown. In addition it is to be said that the execution of such meetings simply costs money.
 
 What remains to be seen is what happened to that woman. Perhaps everything was just a set-up?  A year later I saw a photo of that woman. The "skin and bones" woman had become a normal older woman, standing next to Bonnke, smiling friendly.
     The photo belonged to a newspaper article that reported about the Fire Conference the following year. She was invited there as a guest of honor and told thousands of listeners her view of the events at that time.
     After the miracle of healing she had been examined again. And to her great amazement, the doctors who had previously diagnosed a terminal cancer and sent her home to die could no longer find cancer. According to her own testimony, and clearly visible, she had gained about thirty kilos by now and was leading a normal life again.
     And that ends my little memory of a quite memorable event. After almost twenty-five years I felt a real need to write it down and publish it.

The Price for an inner Change

Some events in life are particularly deeply memorable, such as the following, personally experienced story from 1988, when I was 31 years old and had just finished my first school year at a Bible school in Erzhausen/Hessen.
  For a few days I recovered in St.Tönis with Hubert, a Christian friend. Before we should go up to Bremen for a community internship.
   
From St. Toenis to Düsseldorf it is only a stone's throw, and so we went to the Jesushaus on Saturday evening. There I had come to the Christian faith under dramatic circumstances just three years earlier and of course I was looking forward to meeting some friends and acquaintances again.
     That evening a well-known preacher spoke about how God could fundamentally change a person's inner self: "Do you believe that? A multiple "Hallelujah", "Praise the Lord" and "Amen! A common response to such more or less rhetorical questions.
    "Who wants to experience such a change? Raise your hands, please!" Hands were raised all over the room. Again some "Hallelujahs" and "God is great" shouts became audible. The preacher nodded and then looked silently into the slowly calming audience. Then he said: "Are you also prepared to pay the price for such a change? Suffer to put up with it?"
    Suddenly it became very quiet in the hall. "Is there anyone here who is willing to accept suffering for such an inner change? "Let him or her raise his or her hand, please!" Nothing happened, not a single arm went up. The preacher nodded again and then slowly and deliberately said: "Thank you, brothers and sisters, for being so honest!
 
In the following days I usually stayed at Hubert's house. The eight months of Bible school had been quite intensive and I enjoyed the days off without lessons, events, learning and triple rooms. My daily program consisted of sleeping in, doing nothing, stimulating conversations with Hubert and reading or dozing in the garden chair.
    One morning, however, Hubert was away on business, I sat down in the garden and took time for prayer and the Bible. And when I was sitting and thinking so quietly at some point, I suddenly remembered the sermon from the House of Jesus. Oh, I thought I could actually pray for an inner change. And so I closed my eyes and prayed that God would change me inwardly.
    I had hardly said the words when a thought flashed clearly into my head: Are you willing to pay the price for it? I immediately remembered the whole event in the House of Jesus. The silence in the hall when the preacher had asked almost the same question. Was I really willing to pay the price? To put up with suffering?
    For a moment I sat with my eyes closed on my blanket and thought. In conversation with God, one should weigh one's words when it comes to such things. Finally I said: "Yes, I agree! I'm willing to pay the price!"
    The next moment I saw myself entering a bank, going to a counter and receiving money. This "recording" may have lasted perhaps five seconds before it stopped abruptly and returned to a uniform black. I opened my eyes and thought: Strange!
 
A few days later I had finished my short vacation with Hubert and was on the train to Bremen. Because that's where I should be spending the next 15 months. First do a three-month church internship in the local Pentecostal church, and then work in the Christian social work there for another year.
   A few minutes before arriving at the main station I did not hold it in my seat anymore. I grabbed my suitcase and headed for the next train door. What would I find here in this town? Curious and exploratory, I looked at the rustling facades of the houses.
    The first impression was not bad, but also not very informative. Nothing that would have taken me directly for or against the city. The train started to slow down, then I heard the announcement: "Next stop... Bremen Central Station!"
On Monday morning I officially started my community internship. Since Pastor G. would not return from his mission until two days later, I tried to make myself useful in the church office. Quite monotonous, stupid work, so I was glad when the parish secretary asked me about my lunch break: "Could you come by later to see Sister Edermann. She lives at the end of the hall and probably needs help. She just got out of the hospital."
    So a little later I rang at that sister. It took quite a while until I heard shuffling steps inside and then an older woman's voice asked: "Who is there?"  
   After I made myself known as the new intern, a chain was unlocked and the door opened. An approximately 75 year old woman with white hair and an eye bandage stood before me. "Yes, come in! I've been expecting you." And so she turned around and slowly walked inside the apartment on one floor. I followed her.
"Sit down," she said when we arrived in the living room. "You'll have to excuse me, but I have to wear the blindfold. I just had eye surgery. Cataract! ...would you like a drink?" "No, thank you," I replied, "don't bother, Mrs Edermann. They told me at the office you needed help. How can I help you?"
   "Oh, young man," she replied, "I have no more money in the house. Could you come with me to the bank?" I was speechless for a moment. You can't be serious, I thought. "Blind" and handicapped, and now she wants to go to the bank? "Sister Edermann," I said, "do you really want to do this to yourself? Go outside in your current state? You know what? Give me a bank mandate. Then I'll go alone and you won't have to bother."

It took quite a while until I had convinced Sister Edermann of my idea. "But I don't even know you!" was her repeated argument. Finally, however, she realized that in her condition a trip to the city by tram would be very difficult and that I was after all a "Bible student" known to the congregation.
    "How much money shall I pick up, Sister Edermann?" I asked her now. "I had thought about 1000 DM," was her prompt answer. "That much?" I asked in surprise. "Yeah well," she said, "I have to pay the rent, and I have to eat and drink, too."  She probably just wanted some cash in the apartment, but that was none of my business. "Well, Sister Edermann, I'll be on my way."
     I was almost at the door when she called out to me: "Wait a minute, Mr von Bünau! I just remembered something else." I stopped while she slowly approached supported on her cane.  "Could you bring me a pack of fresh milk on the way back from the supermarket?" she asked. "Sure," I said, "No problem!" "And for God's sake, take good care of the money. There's a lot of thieves out here!"
    I smiled and said reassuringly: "Sister Edermann, don't worry about that. Your money is in safe hands with me. This won't get away from me."
    With these words I opened the door and said: "See you later!" "Yes," she said, "just watch the money. This is an insecure area." Smiling at so much unworldly concern I walked through the door and closed it behind me.
 
Everything was running smoothly at the bank counter. Half an hour later I was already on my way back, the 1000 DM plus my identity card well stowed away in a purse, which Sister Edermann had given me.
    I was only a few meters away from the community when it suddenly occurred to me that I should bring a carton of milk. I stopped and looked around. Far and wide no business. Shit! I thought and went looking. I was lucky! I found a supermarket two blocks down. I went inside, bought the carton of milk and a few other little things for myself. As I approached the queue at the checkout, the things lay together with the purse in the shopping cart.
    What do you do when you have to wait? You think, dream, look around and hope to finally get to it. But in the end everything was paid for, I took the things and left the supermarket again.
   I may have walked maybe ten meters when I stopped like a thunderbolt. I was struck by a thought that went straight to the core: The purse is gone! Shocked, I turned around and entered the supermarket again.
   
Five minutes later it had become a certainty: The purse together with the 1000 DM and my identity card had disappeared. It was not in the previously used shopping cart, nor had it been handed in to staff in the shop. I tried feverishly to remember. When was the last time I saw the purse? I remembered putting them in the shopping cart. But not that I took it out too.
    There was only one explanation: it must have been stolen from the shopping cart while shopping or at the checkout. I remembered Sister Edermann's words boiling hot: "But be careful. There are a lot of thieves out here...!"
   What am I supposed to do now? At least not face her! And so I returned to my apartment for the time being.
 
I lay on the comfortable leather sofa in the living room, but the thoughts in my head rest: What am I supposed to do now? Old Edermann might get hit if I confess to her.
   Suddenly - out of nowhere - I remembered Hubert's morning again. The prayer in his garden, where I had asked God for inner change. My breath stopped: Wait a minute!? I asked for the price of such a change... The answer was suffering! ... and then the movie in my head. I saw myself go into a bank and make a withdrawal!
   With a jerk I sat up straight. Inside me, a chandelier lit as if someone in a dark room had operated the light switch. Within a few seconds, all the incomprehensible "puzzle pieces" formed a clear picture: Of course, I asked for inner change and God showed me in the film what had happened four days later. So this had been planned by God!  
    I walked up and down the room restlessly. That changed everything! No one could avoid the will of God. Nor I the robbery of DM 1,000. I turned on the TV to distract myself. Two young men appeared on the screen, obviously arguing. A typical afternoon series! "Yes," said the one," I don't know how that could happen either. But the 1000 DM are gone. Stolen, I don't know... !"
    I stared at the screen in disbelief. Was I just going crazy, or had the words really fallen? In fact, it was DM 1,000 that had been stolen from someone. Now it was perfectly clear! It was meant to happen. The changing sufferings had begun!
 
A little later, with a heavy heart, I made my way to Sister Edermann. To my great surprise, she reacted completely differently than expected.  "Oh God, oh God! I knew it," she exclaimed. "And I told you to watch out for them around here!" "That's right," I said. "But it has now happened and can no longer be changed. I'm sorry!"
    Then she said calmly, "You'll have to replace the money!" "Yeah, sure," I replied. "That goes without saying! Is it in monthly installments?"
   When I left her apartment a little later, I was relieved. That went off fairly lightly, I thought. Thank God!

The Shadow of Finitude

I was late for the birthday party. The roaring party was already under way. "Hello, Heinrich", someone shouted, drowning out the loud music. I looked around and saw Peter sitting at a table with a couple. "Come", he said, "sit with us!" "Yes, now!", I replied and looked for the "birthday child".
 After finding Raimund, congratulations and handing over the gift, I sat down at Peter's table. "Why are you so late?" he asked. And without waiting for an answer, he continued: "You have already missed the best. Raimund gave a speech. About the finiteness of life!"
    I asked a little irritated: "Really?" It wasn't really like him to talk about such topics, and certainly not in public.
Peter continued: "Yes, first he had a sad song played by Leonard Cohen and then said he wanted to give a brief insight into his soul on such a beautiful day for him. He is very happy today and can see that life has meant quite well to him over the past sixty years. But", and now he took a little break, "and now it comes that he still can't really be happy. For above this day and its life would also lie the shadow of finiteness. And he was not a religious or religious person!"
I was astonished. I really would not have expected such words from Raimund's mouth, otherwise he would have been more of a fun-loving group.
     When I wanted to leave the party at three o'clock in the morning, I went over to Raimund again. That's when you missed my speech. I'm sure you would have liked it if you were a believing Christian!" "Yes, too bad," I replied. "But Peter told me a lot about it. The shadow of finiteness that hails the happiness of the moment a little." He laughed: "Yes, that's one way of putting it! Unfortunately, I don't have your faith. I just have to deal with the conviction that one day nothing will remain of me."
Thoughtfully I made my way home. I remembered my younger years when the shadow of finiteness had also worried me and made me aware of my secret desire for infinity. A few years later, under dramatic circumstances, I came to christian faith: Saved from the Devil's Kitchen (click)

The five Clouds

Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, Thomas, that is why you believe. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe!

It all began on a quite normal Monday morning with a news report on the radio: "During excavations in Central Africa, researchers made a sensational human bone discovery. The age of the well-preserved skeleton is estimated to be around 30,000 years after investigations using the so-called C-14 method, a quite reliable method. It is thus the oldest archological evidence of human existence to date."
     I had interrupted my domestic work and stared at the radio in astonishment. The newscaster was already on the next message, but I stopped listening. As if an avalanche had started, thoughts began to race through my head "down the valley".
      A 30,000-year-old human bone find? How is that possible? ... According to the Bible, Adam and Eve lived about 6,500 years ago. ... But the C-14 method is reliable! ... Did I sit on an illusion with my faith... in a sect, as my parents claimed?
       I tried to stop my stream of thoughts: Get a hold of yourself. Try to think in peace! But the avalanche rolled on for a while. It wasn't until I dropped into my favourite chair that she stopped.
                                                         
It was perfectly clear to me that something profound had just happened. And I couldn't just go back to business as usual. If the news was true, and there was no doubt in my mind, I had a serious problem.
       After a little while I got up from my chair again and began to walk up and down in the room. I tried to concentrate on the essentials: Okay, what's the real problem?
      Well, that was obvious: In the church it is taught that the whole Bible is God's Word and therefore does not contain any untruths. After that, mankind has existed for about 6500 years! But how is that compatible with a 30,000-year-old human bone finding?
       The "avalanche of thoughts" began to move again. Panic-like I thought: I have to get out of the apartment! I decided to take my jacket off and walked towards the front door. Pastor Maurice from Ghana came to mind. He had been coming regularly to the House of Jesus for some time and we had made some friends. Yeah, I thought I'd go find him now and tell him the whole thing. Maybe he knows some advice
       Arrived at the bottom of the road I was wondering if I should take the bus. But then I decided to go for a little walk. A little fresh air might do me some good.
                                             
When I came through a small forest near my apartment, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I could pray. After all, the Bible said, "Call me in distress and I will save you!" But immediately the doubt came up: You want to pray to a god who might not even exist?
       I put the thought aside and prayed: "You know what happened! I suddenly have great doubts about faith. Please help me!" That's absurd! the doubt mouthed again. I just ignored him and moved on.
   Coming from the small forest I came on a path that led me past fields and meadows. I had walked it several times before, but this morning I had no view of this idyllic landscape. And even the bright blue sky with a few clouds of sheep could not cheer me up. Slowly and tiredly I moved towards the forest depicting itself on the horizon. There I sit down on the old bench, I thought.
                                                    
I was perhaps still about fifty meters away from the edge of the forest, when I had to realize to my regret that the wooden bench set up there was occupied. An older couple sat silently on it and enjoyed the sunny weather. Crap!, I thought, because actually I wanted to take a little break here. Why do they have to sit there now of all times?
      When I was perhaps still ten meters away from the bank and wanted to go into the forest, the two suddenly got up abruptly. Seconds later, they disappeared into the forest.

     I was puzzled and stopped. As if they had received an inner command, I thought briefly. Then I dropped powerlessly on the bench and stretched all four of me. Just a little breather, I thought. Then it goes on!

So I sat motionlessly on the old, wooden bench for a few minutes and almost painfully felt a deep, inner emptiness. Had everything in the past few months really been an illusion? Was I kidding myself?
   I had been looking at the landscape in front of me for a long time without much interest. Occasionally, the view also wandered skyward. Actually a really nice day, at least in weather conditions, I thought.
    My gaze now rested slightly sleepy on a small collection of small, white clouds in the otherwise almost radiant blue sky. They almost look like letters, I thought. Look away again, then again. Clouds like letters, I thought almost a bit amused. And became curious to take a closer look.
    And suddenly it fell like scales from my eyes! Unbelieving, I stared at the sky. That's not possible! I thought upset. But there was no doubt! In the sky five small clouds were lined up next to each other like letters in a loose form. A word was written so clearly visible in the sky. It was the name: J e s u s
 
I had got up from the wooden bench and looked at the clouds in the sky in disbelief. Can it really be? I put my glasses down and looked, I put them back on and looked. There was no doubt. Up there in the sky the word J e s u s was clearly legible.
    I remembered a Bible verse from Acts: In no name (other than the name of Jesus) under heaven is salvation...

     Yes, now and then this unique name stood clearly legibly in the sky. I involuntarily asked myself: Will others now also see this? No, I thought, probably not!
   Apart from the fact that I was completely alone on the wide corridor, a different angle would probably change the result. And if not, no one would probably have the idea of looking at clouds in the sky. That sign was all to me!
   And now, I suddenly thought, how am I supposed to deal with it now? Again I remembered a Bible verse. When God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, he said, "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.
    And so I knelt down and thanked God, looking at the five clouds, for this great revelation. Then I got up, turned around quickly and walked into the forest without looking back again.
 
A little later I sat across from Pastor Maurice from Ghana and told him the whole story from the news to my "cloud experience". He listened to me without a wince, quietly. Then he got up, fetched a Bible, and said: Yes, this was a revelation of God. There are some places in the Bible where God reveals Himself in the clouds. For example, in the second book of Moses..."
   He read me some other examples from his Bible that spoke of God and the clouds. They were actually only very remotely related to my experience, but showed that God occasionally revealed Himself to people in a very direct way. At least if you believed the Bible's tales!
   "Thank you, Maurice!" I said when I said goodbye. Although I no longer needed confirmation from his mouth - for my cloud experience spoke for itself, so to speak - his words had nevertheless done well.
    I didn't care that 30,000-year-old human bones had been found: So what?! I thought. What does that mean now? God answered my prayer and gave me a great sign. That alone counts!
    With good cheer I started my way home again. The doubt was finally vanquished. My faith had become certain again! Thank God!

(This text, - like every other text on this page - is copyright by mauerspringer)

An extraordinary Night experience

One of the strangest events in my life happened in the autumn of 1985, just a few months after those dramatic events that ultimately led to my conversion to the Christian faith.

In those autumn days, one morning while reading the Bible, I realized that in the early days of Christianity there had been the so-called adult baptism. So those who had come of new faith were baptized. Hm, I thought, if it used to be like this, why isn't it like this anymore?
   Two days later I noticed an announcement at the door of the church office in the Jesus House: "Next Sunday, the... Another adult baptism will take place in the Grevenbroich chapel. Please report to Eva's office." As it turned out, it was indeed that "Original Christian adult baptism" of which I had previously read in the Bible. I registered spontaneously.

On Saturday afternoon a baptism seminar took place in the church office for all baptized persons, where an elder of the church informed us about the meaning of baptism and prepared us practically for the next day.
    Afterwards I took part in the evening service and only came home around midnight, plentifully slaughtered and with slight headaches. I went straight to sleep.
    About an hour later I woke up and was wide awake in no time. I knew without any doubt that someone was in the room. The presence of this person was so strong that I did not dare to open my eyes or move.
    Instinctively, a thought crossed my mind: friend or foe? The next moment a hand on my forehead touched me briefly and gently. Immediately a warm, pleasant stream of peace began to flow through me from head to toe. And then I felt that I was alone again.
    As I opened my eyes and looked around in the pale twilight, I could see nothing unusual. No one was there and nothing in the room had changed. Nothing testified to any former presence of another person, except - the mighty stream of peace in me.

I lay awake for a while and thought about what had happened. Obviously, it was a social call. For an enemy would hardly have given me such an inner refreshment.
   But who had done it? Well, obviously it wasn't another person. How could he or she have come through a closed window or a locked front door twice unnoticed? And even if it had, how could a human touch have triggered such a stream of peace?
   Was it an angel or maybe even Jesus himself? I asked myself. The thought that Jesus himself might have visited me seemed a little presumptuous to me. But why not actually? After all, I wanted to be baptized in his name the next day.
  Anyway! I thought, tomorrow will be a strenuous day and I have to sleep now. And so I turned to my side again and fell asleep again shortly afterwards.

The miracle above the Castle park

After my conversion (1985) I tried with great enthusiasm to convince my friends of the correctness and importance of the Christian faith.
   Especially with Jürgen, who had played an important role in my story of conversion, I tried very hard.  But at the end of every conversation, the same reaction kept coming up: "Bullshit! There is only nature and nothing else!"
    At some point I began to realize that my stories and arguments would probably not convince him. His everything is nature - faith was simply too firmly anchored in him. A miracle, I thought, he must experience a miracle. Then he will convert!
 
Some time after that we had an appointment on Saturday around noon at my home. We wanted to take a walk in the beautifully situated castle park. But it was pouring out of buckets. When he got to me, he immediately said: "Well, we can forget about the walk!" I replied: "Let us wait and see! Maybe it'll stop raining again." And so I made us a tea, which we then drank in the living room, each thinking about it in his own way.
     After a while Jürgen got up and went to the window. "No," he said, "there's nothing left today!" He turned around and sat down in the chair again. "Listen," I said, "I have a proposition for you! Would you agree if I prayed for better weather?"
   He looked at me with an astonished expression: "Are you serious?" "Yes!", I replied,' and you will see that it will stop raining. So, do you agree that I pray?" For a moment he looked at me in disbelief, then he said with a laugh: "For my sake! If I don't have to pray!"
    I concentrated for a short moment and then I began to pray aloud: "Lord, you see that Jürgen and I want to take a walk in the castle garden. It's easy for you to stop the rain and give us better weather. And that's what I'm asking you to do right now. Amen!"
    While I prayed Jürgen had actually sat quietly, almost devoutly, beside it. Now he said: "I'm curious!" "You'll see," I said, "God will do a miracle! Come on, let's go!"
 
It was still pouring rain. So strong that the windscreen wipers on Jürgen's car again had all the trouble to create a clear view. In view of the fact that there was still a deep dark cloud cover hanging over us, I could have lost all courage. In a few minutes we would reach the castle park and how would the weather change in such a short time?
     Silently I sat next to Jürgen in the passenger seat and followed my thoughts: No matter what it looks like. I prayed seriously and I believe in a miracle! It will, it must happen! After all, it's about more... if he sees a miracle, he will convert! Stealthily I looked over at Jürgen. But he looked forward with concentration. Finally we turned into the road that led directly to the castle park.
 
As we drove into the parking lot, the rain suddenly stopped. "Looks like the rain is going down," I said as casually as possible. "Yes," he replied just as casually, "looks like this!" He parked the car and we got out.
    Now it was dripping and I could hardly hide my relief: "Looks like when God answered my prayer!" He looked at me in amazement and then laughed. I asked him: "Why are you laughing? Isn't it obvious?" But he didn't answer.
    And at that moment I saw something that took my breath away: "Jürgen, look!" With my finger I pointed towards the sky, hardly believing my eyes. Above the park, and only above it, was the dark cloud cover ripped open. A piece of sky blue and the sun became visible. I laughed happily: "Well, you old doubter, do you now believe that God has done a miracle?"
    He looked at me in disbelief and asked back: "Why?" I stopped abruptly. "You ask why? Doesn't it stop raining? .... Are you blind? Everywhere the dark cloud cover, only above the park a piece of blue sky and sunshine! This is the miracle I asked for!" Now he laughed and shook his head: "This is pure coincidence! Nothing else!"
    I couldn't believe it: "How can you say that this is just a coincidence. You were there when I prayed for good weather. And now right above the park", I pointed with my right hand into the sky, "a blue sky. And look around you." I slowly turned around my own axis and drove down the rest of the sky by hand, "otherwise only dark clouds.  This is the miracle requested. You have to admit that!" He remained unimpressed. "No, this is just a coincidence, as sometimes happens! Come on, let's go to the park!"
In fact, we walked for two hours in the sunshine in the park of the castle. The dark clouds over the rest of the city remained visible all the time. Of course I brought the language up again: "Jürgen, why can't you accept this as a miracle? "It is quite obvious that there is a connection between my prayer and the sunshine here above the park."
   He stopped: "No," he replied, "that was just a coincidence!" "But could it not also have been God's action", I tried to build him a "bridge". "No!" he said, "because there is no God!"

After we separated later at the exit of the castle park, I took some time to think. I have told so much about faith and my experiences. And now he has experienced a real miracle. But he wasn't at all touched by it. Suddenly I had a hunch that he might never find faith in Jesus. Sadly I started!