Summer Reading

My doctor recommended reading at night before bed to help with the insomnia, so why not give it a try, right? By the way, it is currently 2:40 am!

I just finished reading the book 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper. It is about a pastor, Don Piper, who was in a horrific car accident back in 1989, and died instantly on the scene of the crash. EMT’s had pronounced him dead upon arrival, and Piper immediately went to Heaven. Ninety minutes after the wreck, a minister was praying for him while still inside the mangled vehicle, and Don Piper had come back to life. This book is Piper’s testimony of his experience in Heaven, his long and painful recovery, and the struggles he endured physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

First and foremost, I have no right to judge. I do not know this person, nor could I possibly know the actuality of his visit to Heaven. I am simply giving my personal opinion, and do not want to offend anyone who may believe otherwise. I am going to admit though that after reading this book, I am pretty skeptical of Don Piper’s claim of visiting Heaven. Do I believe that he was in a horrible accident and died for 90 minutes? Absolutely. Do I believe that through the power of prayer, he came back to life? One hundred percent. But, do I believe that he went to Heaven and experienced streets of gold and the ‘pearlescent’ gates, deceased people from his past greeting him in human-like, healthy forms, and a choir of angels? Not so much. Why? Simply because there is no specific scriptural support for near death experiences.

I don’t feel as if Piper is trying to deliberately deceive or harm anyone. He states over and over again that his goal in sharing his ‘experience’ is to bring people to Christ. And in many cases, he has done just that. I think he truly believes that what he experienced was Heaven, but in my own opinion, I don’t think that people are allowed to just take a peek into the most glorious Kingdom and get sent back to earth for a second go-round at life.

Overall, do I recommend reading this book? Sure. Don Piper struggled and suffered through unimaginable pain and recovered from a car accident that he should have died from. The details from the moment of the accident to his present day life are truly amazing to read about. I would be happy to lend out my copy to anyone interested in reading it.