Don Piper - Encouragement from 90 Minutes in Heaven: Selections from the Life-Changing New York Times Bestseller

2004, 2008, 2011 by Don Piper

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com

Revised edition of 90 Minutes in Heaven: An Inspiring Story of Life beyond Death , published 2008

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked GW is taken from GODS WORD. Copyright 1995 by Gods Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, some details and names have been changed.

The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

Contents

Prologue

W hen 90 Minutes in Heaven was first published in 2004, I had no idea how people would respond. But in the years since then, as Ive traveled in the United States and abroad, Ive been amazed at the ways my experience has touched so many individuals.

If you read 90 Minutes in Heaven you know I began that book by saying I wrote it in self-defense. By that, I meant I wrote it so I would personally never have to tell the story again. I must confess I have failed in that objective completely. Since its 2004 release I have traveled all over this world and spoken to millions in person, on the radio, on TV, and in other books.

Indeed, what did happen after 90 Minutes was published has become an international phenomenon, with editions in every format possibleincluding some that didnt exist when the original book hit bookstores. Now in forty languages and with nearly five million copies in print, 90 Minutes in Heaven has brought hope, encouragement, and inspiration to millions worldwide.

Thats what led us to release a new edition of this riveting testimony. In this small book, youll read the story of what happened to me when I died. Youll also read just a few of the stories that others have shared with me. Some have graciously given permission to use their names. On other stories, Ive carefully changed the details to preserve privacy.

I also wanted to share with you some of my favorite Scriptures and quotations about heaven, comfort, and prayer. I trust theyll be as meaningful to you as they are to me. Dwight Moody said, Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Ive made my reservation, and I know Ill be going back someday. Prayerfully, Ill see you there, too.

The Accident

That is why we can say with confidence,

The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid.

What can mere mortals do to me?

Hebrews 13:6

T he Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) holds annual statewide conferences. In January 1989, they chose the north shore of Lake Livingston where the Union Baptist Association, composed of all Baptist churches in the greater Houston area, operates a large conference center called Trinity Pines. The conference focused on church growth, and I went because I was seriously considering starting a new church.

The conference started on Monday and was scheduled to end with lunch on Wednesday. On Tuesday night, I joined a BGCT executive and friend named J. V. Thomas for a long walk. J. V. had become a walker after his heart attack, so we exercised together the last night of the conference.

Months earlier, I had begun thinking that it was time for me to start a new congregation. Before embarking on such a venture, I wanted as much information as I could get. I knew that J. V. had as much experience and knowledge about new church development as anyone in the BGCT. Because he had started many successful churches in the state, most of us recognized him as the expert. As we walked together that night, we talked about my starting a new church, when to do it, and where to plant it. I wanted to know the hardships as well as the pitfalls to avoid. He answered my seemingly endless questions and raised issues I hadnt thought about.

We walked and talked for about an hour. Despite the cold, rainy weather, we had a wonderful time together. J. V. remembers that time well.

So do I, but for a different reason: It would be the last time I would ever walk normally.

On Wednesday morning the weather worsened. A steady rain fell. Had the temperature been only a few degrees colder, we couldnt have traveled, because everything would have been frozen.

The morning meetings started on time. The final speaker did something Baptist preachers almost never dohe finished early. Instead of lunch, the staff at Trinity Pines served us brunch at about ten thirty. I had packed the night before, so everything was stowed in my red 1986 Ford Escort.

As soon as we finished brunch, I said good-bye to all my friends and got into my car to drive back to the church where I was on staff, South Park Baptist Church in Alvin, a Houston bedroom community.

When I started the engine, I remembered that only three weeks earlier I had received a traffic ticket for not wearing a seat belt. I had been on my way to preach for a pastor friend who was going to have throat surgery. A Texas trooper had caught me. That ticket still lay on the passenger seat, reminding me to pay it as soon as I returned to Alvin. Until I received the ticket, I had not usually worn a seat belt, but after that I changed my ways.

When I looked at that ticket, I thought, I dont want to be stopped again . So I carefully fastened my seat belt. That small act would be a crucial decision.

There were two ways to get back to Houston and on to Alvin. As soon as I reached the gates of Trinity Pines, I had to choose either to drive through Livingston and down Highway 59 or to head west to Huntsville and hit I-45, often called the Gulf Freeway. Each choice is probably about the same distance. Every other time to and from Trinity Pines I had driven Highway 59. That morning I decided to take the Gulf Freeway.

I was relieved that we had been able to leave early. It was only a few minutes after 11:00, so I could get back to the church by 2:00. The senior minister had led a group to the Holy Land and left me responsible for our midweek service at South Park Church. He had also asked me to preach for the next two Sundays. That night was a prayer meeting, which required little preparation, but I needed to work on my sermon for the following Sunday morning.

Before I left Alvin, I had written a draft for the first sermon titled I Believe in a Great God. As I drove, I planned to glance over the sermon and evaluate what I had written so far.

Many times since then Ive thought about my decision to take the Gulf Freeway. Its amazing how we pay no attention to simple decisions at the time theyre made. Yet I would remind myself that even the smallest decisions often hold significant consequences. This was one of those choices.