90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death and Life

And you thought YOU had a bad day. . . It is just unimaginable that someone could have been busted up so badly and live. Truly this life had a purpose, and it may have been to spread the word that Heaven exists. Don's story also speaks to the power of prayer and the power of God, and so much more. This 2004 edition, thirty-third printing of the New York Times Bestseller is reported as a true story of a man's death and life. He spends 90 minutes in heaven in between the two dimensions. Don Piper, an ordained minister, was reroute to South Park Baptist Church in Alvin (Houston) Texas. Returning from a large Baptist Convention, he headed down a different route than normal, in his 1986 Ford Escort. The roads were wet from the off-and-on driving rain and it was a windy and miserable drive. Fortunately, Don buckled his seat belt. As Don approached an old, rusty, steel bridge (the kind with the overhead steel structure, the rain turned into a cloudburst. Coming from the other direction was an 18-wheeler, driven by a trusty from the Texas Department of Corrections. Unlicensed to drive the truck, he had volunteered to pick up food items for the prison. The trusty weaved across the center line of the small roadway, hitting Don's Pinto head-on and sandwiching it between the truck and the bridge railing. Don's Pinto was smashed as the truck's wheels went on top of the Pinto. The truck side-swiped two other cars, then came to a stop. Contacted by the guards following the trusty in another vehicle, medical backup arrived almost immediately. Finding no pulse for Don, he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. For the next 90 minutes, he was in Heaven, where he was immersed in peace, love, and joy, as well as a brilliant warm light. He was greeted by many people he had known who had passed on. ". . .Their faces radiated a serenity I had never seen on earth. . ." He saw vivid, dazzling colors and everything was "like a first-class buffet for the senses." Don experienced heightened awareness and "felt so fully alive." He sensed that age and time had no meaning there and every feature on everyone was perfect and perfect love emanated from everyone. Don states, ". . .human words can't express the feelings of awe and wonder at what I beheld". As Don listened to the brushing of the angels wings' and the most beautiful music he ever heard, he sensed being part of the music, as the most beautiful sounds he ever heard played through him as well as all around him. The music was a non-stop, intense praise of God, impossible to explain. ". . .My heart filled with the deepest joy I've ever experienced. . ." Thousands of songs praising God were being sung simultaneously, in an inexplicable harmony. Don really did not want to come back, but he did, and certainly in pain. After the accident, Don spent 11 hours in surgery, then 12 days in ICU, 4 - 5 days in the hospital, 105 days in another hospital, 13 months in bed at home, endured 34 surgeries all together and had several infections and pneumonia. He suffered severe depression during the enormous time he was laid up. Because of the missing part of his femur, his options were to lose his left leg or to wear an Ilizarov frame (aka "fixator") and hope that they would be able to force the bones to grow to cover the missing section. The fixator, containing rods, wires, and at least 30 holes, took another 12 hours of surgery, was extremely painful, and held no guarantees that Don would still be able to keep the leg. Although Don suffered intense pain and uncertainty through the process, the fixator worked! As the use of this device has become more frequent, Don now visits with others who are wearing it and tries to help them get through the experience. Those of you who have had a Near Death Experience (NDE) will likely have no problem believing this man's experience, as will those with a strong faith in God. For those who find it difficult, ask yourself this question: How can you have no pulse for 90 minutes and not have brain damage? Just about everything Don had was busted up bad, except for his right arm, head, and internal organs. Even part of the femur from his left leg was gone. They never found it. BTW, that's another question for you. When you read about how badly his body was crushed--how come no internal organs were damaged? You will also read about Don's remembrance of someone holding his hand while he was in the car, but it was no earthly presence. This is a great book. Don talks about his 90 minutes in heaven in 2 chapters, followed by the tremendous ordeal of his recovery. After experiencing heaven, he asks himself why he had to return to such intense pain. No doubt, this is a test of faith that most of us would have. He wanted to go back to an existence that was so wonderful, it could not be expressed in words that would do it justice, but God said, "No, Don, not now." So Don had to begin to re-assess where his is now, let go of the past, and learn to look for what he COULD do, rather than focusing on what he could no longer do. (Is that not a lesson for us all?). He began to realize how telling others of his experiences could help them. This book is about faith, healing, persistence, using your gifts in a positive way, helping others, accepting help from others, and much more. It is also about overcoming fear of death and knowing there is a heaven and God and angels waiting for you, with your loved ones, when you cross over. This book may be very useful for someone who is terminally ill or who is grieving a loss, as well as those of us who just want to know more. (Note: my 40 year old brother had an NDE during a lung operation. He died, but not until 6 months later and not until he told me about his experience.) God bless you all in your search for truth. Namaste'

I love this book...have bought about 20 of them for gifts, you can't beat this book for a true story, inspiring and just a wonderful feel good book. It gives you hope and let's you have a glimpse into heaven.

Some reviewers have complained that there was not as much description and information about Heaven as they expected, and that most of the book dealt with the author's long, arduous recovery from his injuries. If your only interest is reading about individual experiences of those who say they've seen Heaven, there are a multitude of books that contain anthologies of near-death experiences, and there are books written around one person's personal revelations of the afterlife. For those who sincerely want the truth about Heaven, the Bible will always be your reliable reference. 90 Minutes in Heaven was written for a much deeper purpose than describing Heaven. If you read it--and I heartily recommend that you do--don't miss its real message. This book tells the moving story of Pastor Don Piper's horrific accident, his experience in Heaven before being resussitated, and the difficult trials he faced during his recovery. I think you have to read the entire book to appreciate why the author decided to share his story. I found his account of Heaven credible and uplifting. But it was the rest of the story that really left its mark on me. I live with constant, severe pain from a bone disease. I've had two back and hip surgeries and I take strong pain medications, and I continue to get worse. The pain and many side effects from medication deplete my energy and can leave me feeling so discouraged. I was very interested to know how the author managed to deal with the tremendous pain, day in and day out, of having a fixator on his leg. This is a medical device that is attached to the bones with rods and hardware that can be tightened daily to stretch and promote bone growth. I couldn't even imagine how it must have been to actually experience the utter joy and bliss of Heaven, even briefly, and then be thrust back to life with a broken body wracked with unspeakable pain. The author was very candid about his strong desire to go back, and not have to face life as it now presented itself to him. He felt no desire to live, he was angry, and he simply could not understand why he was allowed a foretaste of Heaven, only to be sent back here to suffer. I could identify with his weakness, hopelessness, and anger. It seemed so incredibly cruel. Yet, as he struggled through each phase of his treatment, he slowly began to see some glimpses of God's purpose. God was able to use this unwilling servant to accomplish some great things in the lives of people who knew him, and even in people he'd never met. When he realized how his own experiences enabled him to help others, things started to make more sense. Not only had he been given knowledge of Heaven, he was also able to inspire others, give them hope, and turn them to God. He definitely had a mission, and his unique experience provided the wherewithal to carry it out. He also learned some remarkable lessons of his own along the way, which he shares in this book. Reading it has inspired me to rethink my own situation. It reminded me that there is a value in suffering: your prayers can be more efficacious and you can focus more on God and loving your fellow man. This is a book I'll not forget. It will be especially meaningful to anyone who questions God's mercy or needs stronger faith to face the world.

For me, this account of events was heartening, unforgettable, doubt-vanquishing, elevating, life-changing spiritually-renewing and strengthening. It was pick-me up for the soul, at a time when it was personally needed. So, more than worth reading then! (That would be an understatement.) But at what price? For me to receive such benefit which I value more highly than words can convey, feels priceless. However, that also seems horribly selfish because the price the author has paid in severe pain and anguish, so that his story could be told, is nothing short of immense. It is also therefore deeply humbling. My gratitude is woefully insufficient. I hope that millions will have benefitted like I have done, and more might yet do so. But I dare say that many intractable sceptics will remain intractably sceptical. I was once such a sceptic who would have resented any hope, which others might express, that this narrative might shine a reassuring light through any chink in my stubborn armour. And I most certainly have resented people praying for me. Nevertheless, now at risk of being resented myself, I dare to hope for others who may be as I used to be. This book alone did not change my mind about God, I have to confess, as I had already turned the corner; somewhat miraculously, considering the previous state of my philosophy and settled persuasions or convictions. It now seems as if I was spiritually stagnant before I came around. During that stage of denial, I strongly doubt that I would ever have entertained the notion of reading such a book, even through curiosity. However, as things had newly awakened deep within, I was probably one-quarter to half-way there. And so it did seem an attractive read, and I found that it did reinforce and boost my newfound faith just when this was most needed to seal the deal, as it were. I now feel much stronger for it, and hugely comforted.

First 2/3 chapter is all relevant to interest. Remaining juat make book commercial or look big

alla fine letto tutto il libro non e' rimasto molto, mi interessava sapere piu' dettagli del suo viaggio in Paradiso e invece non c'e' quasi niente , sono rimasta molto delusa !

It is a great book. I loved every word of it, and it is great to be reassured that there is a heaven for believers after we pass from this world. I bought a book for my daughter as she has lost her faith in the hope that it would let her see the light. She loved the book but was determined not to be swayed by it. It is a miraculous story of a man's faith to pray for a person he knew to be dead, and then to convince the medics to check him out after they knew he had been dead for an hour. Just amazing !

Firstly I being honest this, I have never seen this book in my life & I wish I could see the heaven but this book are great.