👣 This episode isn’t really about Bigfoot—though that story will blow your mind.
It’s about what happens when God uses the unexplainable to open our eyes to His reality. It’s about a man who saw something in the woods that shouldn’t exist, and then experienced something in a hospital bed that science can’t explain: the tangible, healing presence of Jesus Christ.
Matt’s journey from teenage Bigfoot witness to stroke survivor to a spiritual healing testimony proves one thing: God shows up when we least expect Him, in our weakest moments, and He speaks to those who are willing to listen with childlike faith.
The question isn’t whether God is real or whether He shows up.
The question is: Are you ready to encounter Him?
Connect With Our Hosts & Guest
Kevin Beasley - Co-host, Kingdom Effect Podcast & Discipleship Network Leader
🌐 Website: kevinebeasley.com
Glenn “Buckshot” Buckley - Co-host & Former Law Enforcement
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/rambler113.6
Matt Champion - Bigfoot Witness & Stroke Survivor
📍 Reach out to the Kingdom Effect Facebook Page to Contact Matt
Kingdom Effect Podcast Community
👥 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/472921304143638
Show Notes
❤️🔥 You’re not going to believe this episode—but that’s precisely the point.
Matt Champion had two encounters that changed his life forever: one with a cryptid in the Alabama woods at age 15, and another with Jesus in a hospital bed at age 39 after a massive stroke left him paralyzed. Both experiences taught him the same truth: some things you just can’t unsee.
And once you’ve seen them, you can’t unhear the voice of God.
In this raw and unexpected conversation, hosts Kevin Beasley and Glenn “Buckshot” Buckley sit down with their longtime friend Matt Champion for a story that starts with a teenage camping trip gone terrifyingly wrong. And a medical emergency that ends with a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
This isn’t your typical faith-based nonprofit story—it’s about what happens when God meets you in your most vulnerable moment and reveals that He’s been there all along.
🎯 What You’ll Discover:
The Bigfoot Encounter That Started It All
What really happened on January 1st, 2000 in the woods near Opelika, Alabama
The terrifying 7-foot creature that chased four teenagers through the darkness
Why three 15-year-olds couldn’t outrun something that was “galloping” after them
The moment Matt realized this wasn’t a bear, a person, or anything he’d ever seen before
How one encounter with the unexplainable opened Matt’s eyes to spiritual realities
From Skeptic to Believer—The Long Journey
Why Matt struggled for years to reconcile his Bigfoot encounter with his faith
The internal battle: “Did I really see what I saw, or am I crazy?”
How God used an “impossible” experience to prepare Matt for an even greater miracle
The shift from “I believe in Jesus” to “I KNOW Jesus shows up”
The Stroke That Changed Everything
November 29th, 2022: The day Matt’s life changed at age 39
Waking up completely paralyzed on the left side with no explanation
The desperate prayer in the hospital bed: “God, I’ll do whatever You want”
The healing journey that defied medical expectations and led to a new kind of life with Jesus
When Jesus Shows Up in Your Worst Moment
The powerful near-death vision that woke Matt up to a new kind of faith
Asking Jesus to enter the emergency, and actually seeing Him show up
Experiencing the tangible presence of God during a crisis
Why childlike faith is the key to encountering God’s voice
💡 Game-Changing Insights:
“Sometimes when you pray and ask God what you can do to stay on fire for Him, you'd better be ready for His answer. He’ll ask you: What are you willing to go through to get closer to Me?” - Matt Champion
On Hearing God’s Voice: “The sheep know His voice. My five-year-old daughter can hear my voice in a crazy, loud church nursery and come running to me. That’s what the Lord wants to do with you—you’ll recognize His voice because you’re His child.” - Kevin Beasley
The Purification Process: “God was boiling me. He was refining me like silver. Sometimes you have to go through the process of being heated up and purified. That’s what He was doing.” - Matt Champion
🔥 The Breakthrough Moments:
On Childlike Faith: “If you can remember when you were a child and something bad happened or you messed up, how quickly you would run to your parents—if you’ll run to the Lord like that, He’s going to show up and He’s going to fix you. It’s got to be childlike faith where you just put it in Dad’s hands and let Him fix it.” - Matt Champion
The Reality Check: “There’s a lot of stuff I don’t understand about the Lord and how He works, but I trust Him. I talk to God like He’s my best friend. I tell Him about stuff He obviously already knows about, but He wants to hear it from me. He wants a relationship with you.” - Matt Champion
🚨 Powerful Themes Explored:
The Unexplainable as a Gateway to Faith - How encountering something you can’t explain opens you to spiritual realities
Suffering as Sanctification - Why God sometimes allows us to go through fire to refine us
Visualization Prayer - The practice of inviting Jesus into your circumstances and asking Him to show up
Hearing God’s Voice - Learning to recognize and trust the voice of the Lord in your life
Childlike Faith - Coming to God with complete trust and vulnerability
The Sheep Know His Voice - Biblical truth about recognizing God’s voice as His child
God’s Timing vs. Our Timing - Trusting the process even when healing doesn’t come instantly
📚 Biblical Foundations Discussed:
“My sheep hear my voice” (John 10:27)
Childlike faith (Matthew 18:3)
Spiritual things are foolishness to those without spiritual life (1 Corinthians 2:14)
Coming boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)
🎁 Challenge for Listeners: What’s Your Spiritual Bigfoot?
We all have experiences where we think, “I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself.” Kevin and Glenn challenge you to identify your “spiritual Bigfoot”—that moment when God showed up so undeniably that you can’t unsee it or unhear His voice.
Drop your spiritual Bigfoot story in the comments. We’d love to hear how God has shown up in your life in ways you never expected.
🙏 Prayer Practice: Encountering Jesus in Your Pain
Matt and Kevin share a powerful practice for those seeking breakthrough:
Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted
Bring everything to Jesus—your cares, questions, hurts, frustrations, bitterness, joy, and peace
Close your eyes and visualize a peaceful place or the place of your pain
Ask Jesus to show up—invite Him into that space
Ask Him questions—He speaks to the deep places of your heart
Wait and listen—He doesn’t usually speak audibly, but you’ll hear Him if you know Him
Practice childlike faith—run to Him like a child runs to their father
“Once you hear Him, you can’t unhear Him. You just know. The sheep know His voice.” - Kevin Beasley
🎧 Next Steps:
Reach out to the Kingdom Effect Podcast on Facebook if you want to connect with Matt about his story
Try the visualization prayer practice Kevin described—invite Jesus into your circumstances
Share your spiritual Bigfoot story in the comments or Facebook group
Practice hearing God’s voice—it takes time, but He wants to speak to you
Run to God with childlike faith the next time you’re in trouble or need Him
“Some things in life you just can’t unsee. Once you’ve encountered God, you can’t unhear His voice.” - Kevin Beasley
Kingdom Effect Podcast - Where faith gets real and God shows up in the most unexpected places. Available on all major podcast platforms and Substack.
Warning: This episode contains discussions of a cryptid encounter and serious medical trauma. It also contains powerful spiritual content about encountering Jesus in prayer and healing. Perfect for anyone who’s ever wondered if God really shows up when you need Him most.
