ONE DAY I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM A LADY IN LONDON REQUESTING ME FOR AN INTERVIEW. SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD BE ARRIVING IN TEXAS THE NEXT DAY TO BEGIN WORK ON A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT AND THAT SHE WANTED TO TALK TO ME.
SO THE NEXT NIGHT SHE CALLED AND ASKED MY HOW CLOSE I WAS TO DALLAS. I REPLIED THAT I WAS TWELVE HOURS WAY BY DRIVING AND TWO HOURS AWAY BY FLYING. SHE THEN ASKED ME IF IF SHE COULD FLY ME INTO DALLAS FOR AN INTERVIEW. OF COURSE I SAID THAT I WOULD BE DELIGHTED.
THE NEXT MORNING SHE SENT ME A ROUND TRIP AIRLINE TICKET VIA EMAIL AND WHEN I PRESENTED IT TO THE TICKET COUNTER THEY ISSUED ME A BOARDING PASS AND I FLEW TO DALLAS. (I WILL ADMIT THAT I WAS A LITTLE HESITANT AND DOUBTFUL IF THIS WAS FOR REAL, AND WAS HAPPILY SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS LEGITIMATE!)
WELL, I HAVE BEEN TO DALLAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF TIMES, BUT HAD NEVER HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE DEALEY PLAZA WHERE JFK WAS ASSASSINATED. THE FIRST THING THAT I DID UPON ARRIVAL WAS ASK THE TAXI DRIVER TO TAKE ME THERE WHICH HE DID. HE HAD TAKEN SO MANY PEOPLE THERE THAT HE WAS PRETTY EXPERT IN ALL THE HISTORY, FACTS AND CONSPIRACIES.
ONCE I SAW THE PLACE FOR MYSELF, I AM QUITE SURE THAT A SINGLE SNIPER COULD HAVE PULLED IT OFF. IN REAL LIFE IT ALL CLOSED IN, LIKE A CRAP SHOOT. ANY MARINE COULD HAVE MADE THAT SHOT, ALTHOUGH I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS MORE THAN ONE GUN MAM.
BACK TO MY STORY.......
WHEN I ARRIVED IN DALLAS I WAS DELIGHTED TO FIND OUT THAT THEY HAD PUT ME UP IN A REALLY NICE HIGH RISE HOTEL, WITH FLOOR TO CEILING WINDOWS WITH A VIEW. BUT MY HOST, THE LADY THAT HAD CALLED ME, WAS TIED UP IN PRODUCTION AND TOLD ME TO SLEEP IN AND THAT A DRIVER WOULD PICK ME UP IN THE MORNING TO FOLM THE INTERVIEW.
THE NEXT MORNING A DRIVER CAME BY THE HOTEL AND TOOK ME TO A LARGE BUILDING DOWNTOWN AND INTRODUCED ME TO MY HOST. SHE WAS EVERY FRIENDLY, AND PRETTY, AND WE HAD A LONG TALK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCES IN THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT AND ABOUT FAITH HEALING.
AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR, SHE INTERRUPTED ME AND TOLD ME THAT DERREN WOULD BE COMING DOWN TO GET ME FOR THE INTERVIEW. THAT WAS A SHOCK TO ME BECAUSE I THOUGHT THAT I WAS BEING INTERVIEWED BY HER! SO, A FEW MINUTES LATER DERREN BROWN WALKED UP TO ME, INTRODUCED HIMSELF AND THANKED ME FOR FLYING IN ON SHORT NOTICE.
I HAD NO CLUE WHATSOEVER WHO DERREN BROWN WAS. I HAD NEVER HEARD OF HIM IN MY LIFE. BUT HE WAS SUPER COOL AND DOWN TO EARTH AND MADE ME FEEL VERY WELCOMED. HE TOOK MY UPSTAIRS TO A LARGE LIBRARY ROOM WHICH WAS PACKED FULL TELEVISION PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT AND A FILMING CREW. THIS WAS A SURPRISE TO ME!
NEXT THING I KNOW, A LADY STARTED DOING MY HAIR AND MAKEUP! THEN I JUST SAT THERE WITH DERREN CHIT CHATTING FOR A FEW MINUTES UNTIL THE CAMERAS STARTING ROLLING JUST LIKE IN HOLLYWOOD.
THEN THE INTERVIEW BEGAN, WHICH LASTED ABOUT AN HOUR, WITH DERREN ASKING ME ALL KINDS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT FAITH HEALING, MY DAUGHTER'S DEATH, AND THE WORD OF FAITH MOVEMENT IN GENERAL. I EVEN DEMO STARTED HOW YOU CAN HEAL AND PERSON INSTANTLY BY GRABBING HIM BY THE HEAD AND YELLING JESUS AT HIM!
AFTER THE INTERVIEW, DERREN AND I HAD A LONG CHAT ABOUT FAITH HEALING AND TELEVANGELIST, AND THE CREW KEPT OF FILMING IT.
AFTERWARDS, WE HAD LUNCH, AND I SHARED WITH HIM SEVERAL STORIES ABOUT SUPERNATURAL CLAIMS THAT PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE HAD, HE WAS FASCINATED AND PAID CLOSE ATTENTION. AFTER LUNCH HE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD A SUCCESSFUL TELEVISION SHOW IN THE UK, AND HE WROTE DOWN HIS NAME AND WEB SITE ON SOME PAPER FOR ME.
THEN HE INVITED ME TO ATTEND A REHEARSAL FOR A SHOW THAT HE WAS DOING IN A THEATER. WHAT HE HAD DONE, WAS TRAINED AN UNSAVED ATHEIST ON HOW TO BE A FAITH HEALER, AND HAD ADVERTISED IN DALLAS THAT A FAITH HEALER WAS IN TOWN TO DO A MIRACLE CRUSADE. THE CRUSADE WAS IN A FEW DAYS AND DERREN WANTED ME TO WATCH AND CRITIQUE THE REHEARSAL.
HIS POINT WAS TO PROVE THAT ANYONE CAN USE ILLUSION AND MIND TRICKS TO GET THE SAME RESULTS AS THE TELEVANGELIST SUCH AS BENNY HINN. THIS MADE ME SOMEWHAT UNCOMFORTABLE AT FIRST. I WANTED NO PART IN DECEIVING INNOCENT PEOPLE THAT WOULD SHOW UP IN HOPES OF BEING HEALED. DERREN ASSURED ME THAT IT WAS NOT TO HURT ANYONE, BUT TO EXPOSE THE FRAUDS BY PROVING THAT ANYONE COULD BE MANIPULATED AND DECEIVED.
SO, I WENT WITH HIM TO A THEATER AND WATCHED REHEARSAL. I COULD TELL RIGHT AWAY THAT DERREN HAD DONE HIS RESEARCH AND THAT HE HAD BEEN WATCHING A LOT OF FAITH HEALERS IN ACTION! THEY HAD WRITTEN A SCRIPT FULL OF CLICHES AND TESTIMONIES THAT SOUNDED JUST LIKE A HUNDRED SIGNS AND WONDERS MEETINGS THAT I HAVE BEEN TO MYSELF.
THROUGHOUT THE REHEARSAL, DERREN WOULD ASK ME ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS, AND I DID A LITTLE COACHING OF THE PREACHER TO BE. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN WATCHING HOW MUCH ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT THE CAST AND DERREN WERE MAKING.
AFTER REHEARSAL, I RODE WITH DERREN BACK TO THE HOTEL TO CATCH MY TAXI BACK TO THE AIRPORT. WE HAD A NICE DISCUSSION ABOUT RELIGION, DNA, EVOLUTION AND ILLUSIONS. IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION AND WE DID GO BACK AND FORTH WITH OUR OPINIONS WITHOUT ANY ANGER OR STRIFE.
ONCE I GOT BACK HOME TO BIRMINGHAM THAT NIGHT, I GOOGLED DERREN BROWN ON THE INTERNET AND WAS REALLY SURPRISED AT HOW FAMOUS THAT HE WAS IN THE UK! I HAD NO IDEA! AND IM GLAD, BECAUSE HAD I KNOWN THAT HE WAS A VERY FAMOUS ILLUSIONIST AND MAGICIAN, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN MYSELF!
BUT I WILL SAY THIS ABOUT DERREN BROWN. HE WAS A EXTREMELY CORDIAL AND DOWN TO EARTH GUY, FAR NICER THAN ANY OF THE CELEBRITY WORD OF FAITH PREACHERS THAT I HAD EVER MET IN THE MINISTRY. FAR NICER!
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