Develous B NDE

Experience Description

I am Rev. Develous, and on this day, at sunrise in Houston, Texas, I offer my testimony about the day that I died and lived again.

The date was Mother’s Day, 1979.

I was a junior at St. Thomas High School, a varsity basketball player, student council member, active in clubs, proud of my future, and driving my first car: a yellow Camaro I had named Myrna.

The night before had been like so many others from those days, full of teenage invincibility, laughter, and alcohol-fueled bravado among friends. I came home late, slipped into bed in my room at the far end of our L-shaped house, and fell hard asleep.

My father, as he always did, came to wake me before getting dressed for church.

My grandmother, my mother’s mother, had spent the night.

It was Mother’s Day, and we were all going to Mount Vernon United Methodist Church together.

He woke me. I didn’t wake up.

When the family returned, fully dressed and ready to leave, they opened my door and found me still in bed. I heard voices, urgency, frustration, and I jumped up. I put on my black suit and dark sunglasses, rushed out the door, and drove alone toward church.

The morning was bright and warm, a classic Houston Sunday.

I headed west along North MacGregor, turned onto Cullen, passed through the University of Houston, and reached the intersection at I-45 South. The light turned green. I accelerated.

What I didn’t see was the Purolator armored truck running its red light.

I remember one clear thought: “No one survives a crash like this.”

I slammed the brakes.

I tried to cut the wheel right.

The impact hit square between my door and the front bumper, so hard it tore the engine from the frame.

And that is when I died.

Because what happened next did not happen in that car.

I was suddenly seeing my life, but not in memories, not in pictures, not in time, but all at once:

St. Thomas.

Basketball.

Student council.

My job

My friends.

My girlfriend.

College plans.

Becoming a senior.

Growing into my future.

Every hope, every identity, every dream, all of it was present in one single knowing.

And then a Light.

Brighter than bright.

Whiter than white.

But it did not hurt my eyes.

It was warm.

It was alive.

And it was love.

Not the emotional kind.

Not the conditional kind.

But the original source of love.

And it was intelligent. The Light spoke, not with words but with understanding, a language of knowing: “All of that is not important now.”

Everything I had thought mattered, my status, my performance, my image, my plans, fell away in an instant.

There was only presence.

Only truth.

Only God.

This Light was God unfiltered.

I returned with a twinge of regret, because the Light is a far more pleasant place to be.

In the hospital weeks later, memories returned slowly, like pieces drifting back.

I remembered floating above the car.

I remembered seeing the fire truck.

The ambulance.

The driver of the armored truck, grieving, believing I was dead.

I remembered being cut out of the car.

No engine remained in front of my seat, only empty space.

There were no broken bones.

No cuts.

No bruises.

Only whiplash, and a new life.

But the true aftermath was spiritual.

I knew I had encountered God directly.

And the God I met was not bound to any one religion.

So I searched:

Islam.

Hinduism.

Buddhism.

Mysticism.

I learned to chant.

I traveled to Morehouse College, and found God there, too.

I came to understand:

No single religion owns the truth.

So I returned to the tradition I was born in, with new understanding.

I became a pastor.

I preached for 21 years.

And I carried the Light quietly, inside.

I now know it is time to speak.

People everywhere are remembering:

We are spirit.

We are soul.

We are connected.

And we are not alone.

What I experienced was real.

And I am here to say so.

I died.

I met God.

And God said:

Live.

But live differently.

So I am.

And I speak now, not to convince, but to remind:

You are loved.

You are known.

You are not alone.

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date of NDE: May 13, 1979

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes
Car crash

How do you consider the content of your experience? Entirely pleasant

Did you feel separated from your body? I clearly left my body and existed outside it
I saw the firemen, paramedics, truck driver, police officer and the entire scene.

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? I was consciously alert the entire time but it took about an hour or so for me to return to my normal mind.
I didn't have to process what I experienced during the event the same way that I normally do.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness? More consciousness and alertness than normal

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning
No time in this place.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I didn't have to process what I saw during the event the same way that I normally do.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience I heard the Light in my spirit, like telepathy. I remember being able to hear and respond to people during my OBE.

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? No

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? No

Did you see any beings in your experience? No

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased beings? No

Did you see or feel surrounded by a brilliant light? An unusually bright light

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes
It washed over me with every characteristic of light ... warmth, love, understanding and intelligence.

Did you seem to enter another world? Some unfamiliar and strange place
I was no longer in the car but there was nothing to see but what I was consciously thinking at the time.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? Love, joy .. no fear.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Incredible joy

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt no longer in conflict with nature

Did you suddenly understand everything? Everything about myself or others
No keys to the Universe but knowing that there is more to life after death seemed like enough information for me at the time.

Did scenes from your past come back? My past flashed before me, out of my control
When i saw that the accident was imminent I knew that at my chances of survival was slim. My first thought was a question, 'What does this mean?' Immediately, my life flashed before mye eyes in an instant ... everything that was important to my 16 year old self.

Did you reach a boundary or limiting physical structure? Yes
I was under the roof of the car and above my head during the OBE part of my experience.

Did you come to a border or point of no return? No

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Christian- Protestant
Teenager, Catholics School, Methodist home church with a healthy dose of Baptist church

Have your religious practices changed? Yes
I discovered that there was such thing as spiritual work and I would have previously thought the term to be an oxymoron.

What is your religion now? Christian- Protestant
Master of Divinity from SMU, 21 year retired Methodist Pastor, certified hospital Chaplain Resident, and more

Did your experience include features consistent with your earthly beliefs? Content that was both consistent and not consistent with the beliefs you had at the time of your experience
I had an idea of Divinity which was not consistent with the Divine that I experienced The Light to be. It didn't look like my religious training had led me to expect.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? Yes
No fear of death and a commitment to spiritual work.

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I heard a voice I could not identify
The light said, 'That's not important.' But it was said in my spirit or telepathically.

Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? No

During your experience, did you gain information about premortal existence? No

During your experience, did you gain information about universal connection or oneness? Uncertain
There was a sense of such an eternal quality to The Light, but I don't recall receiving that exact message about Unity.

During your experience, did you gain information about the existence of God? Yes
The Light was definitely divine even if it did not look like i expected it to look.

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Uncertain
It took my many years to understand that I came back for a reason, but at the time I had not processed the event to that degree.

During your experience, did you gain information about the meaning of life? Yes
Yes, The Light said 'That’s not important' in response to me witnessing my life review. Not my life but the things in my life that were truly important to me at that time.

During your experience, did you gain information about an afterlife? Yes
I knew I was dead and the Light convinced me that I was not 'here' anymore.

Did you gain information about how to live our lives? No

During your experience, did you gain information about life's difficulties, challenges and hardships? Uncertain
Not really. But, afterwards I felt like saying in the light would have been the better outcome for my immediate wellbeing.

During your experience, did you gain information about love? Yes
It was overwhelming love and a deep sense of serenity.

What life changes occurred in your life after your experience? Large changes in my life
I became a seeker and chanted as a Buddhist in college. However, I realized that no religion had a monopoly on the truth about God, so I decided to worship within my home faith tradition. That led to my career 8. The ministry.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? Yes
I have been led to the death beds of more people since that experience than I believe that I would have otherwise.

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? Yes
There are no words to express how bright or white the light is, but it did not hurt to view it like it would through physical eyes.

How accurately do you remember the experience in comparison to other life events that occurred around the time of the experience? I remember the experience more accurately than other life events that occurred around the time of the experience
I remember it like it was yesterday. However, after talikg to my high school friends, all of our memories have shifted.

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Uncertain
I feel called and gifted as a Pastor and preacher. I'm good at it and the Universe seems to have supported my progress.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Not really ... it's all pretty mindblowing.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes
Actually, it took months before I really told anyone about my experience after the accident because it sounded crazy to me and I needed to protect myself against others who might think so also.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain
I almost certainly know about tunnels and beings of light, but I didn't experience it exactly like that.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was definitely real
It was definitely real, although I could not reconcile it with other experiences like I do in other times that I consider to be real.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real
It was realer than real to me.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No

Did the questions asked and information that you provided accurately and comprehensively describe your experience? Yes
From what I can see, yes.

Anything else to add? Absolutely nothing has compare to this experience in mu normal life.