Story for Another Time Podcast · Story for Another Time Podcast

Our Next Guest Died Twice

October 2, 2023·31 min·1 clip

Joe Greenwood and John Jacob open the show with their usual loose back-and-forth. They bring Craig Bell back after part one and let him keep going with the story of dying twice. Craig says he was shocked back the first time. Then he says he went down again and the second transition was immediate, not slow or hazy. He describes being in exactly the same place. The details stay concrete: the sun still felt good, the breeze was there, and the park smelled like fresh-cut grass. He says he was not afraid at any point. That lack of fear becomes one of the episode's main turns, because Craig says it left him certain that life and death are in the Lord's timing, not his own. He says he is good with that timing. He also says his faith is stronger now. That idea is not treated like a slogan; it turns into a more urgent way of talking. Craig says he has been bolder about speaking up. He talks about not letting a moment pass when he has a chance to tell someone what happened. The conversation shifts toward a friend named Pete. Craig says they played football next to each other in high school and have been close for almost 50 years. He says Pete is Catholic and does not have the personal relationship with Jesus Christ that Craig is talking about. He presses the point hard. He says he wants to have that conversation with Pete and will not let him go without hearing it. Joe keeps pushing the story forward with jokes, interruptions, and mock cross-examination. That keeps the tone familiar instead of solemn. Craig answers plainly when Joe suggests the stakes are serious. The episode stays rooted in friendship as much as warning. Craig's conviction is not abstract; it is aimed at a specific person he cares about. John jumps in with amazement and asks whether Craig thinks the place he was was heaven. That question opens the door to a final stretch that wanders a little further. Craig says that as someone who grew up around synagogue and the Old Testament, he has always wanted to see the world of the Bible. He says he would want to go back around the time of Christ. He also says he would like to see Egypt at the height of its glory and the pyramids when they were new. The ending lands on a simple charge: live like you would die tomorrow. Craig asks what your gift is and says you got it.

As heard by us

A plainspoken near-death testimony centered on faith and urgency.

Craig Bell's account carries the episode more than the loose banter around it. The story begins with dying twice, then settles into the details that stay with him: the immediate transition, the sense of standing in the same place, the sun, the breeze, and the smell of a freshly…

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Why you'd press play

You want a near-death story that turns into a harder push into faith.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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