90 Minutes In Heaven

On the way back from a Southern Baptist convention in Livingston Texas, Don Piper’s life changed forever. On a rainy day he headed back from the convention filled with hope and new insight, but was involved in an accident that would leave him dead. That’s right, dead! Piper describes in detail his experience in Paradise. His welcoming committee, the singing, the colors, and other things the rest of the world can only imagine. While confined to the car due to the severity of the wreck, another Baptist preacher, also on his way home, was stuck in mile long traffic behind the scene of the accident. Feeling compelled and convicted by the Holy Spirit, he begins to walking to the site of the wreck to pray for those involved. Arriving at the scene, he is confronted by authorities and tells them he is a pastor, and would like to pray for the parties involved. The officer tells him that a couple of people received minor injuries, but there was one fatality. After convincing himself and the officer, they allowed him to go to the car that Piper owned. He crawled inside through the trunk because of the significant damage, and grasped the hand of Piper and began to pray. Praying lead to singing, and singing lead to a chorus with both him and Piper singing! Oh yes! He was alive singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” All while fighting for the life he had previously lost. Immediately he called for the medical personnel to reevaluate Piper, who had been officially pronounced dead for 90 minutes. After being life-flighted to Houston, Piper began life after death by enduring countless surgeries, a painful experience with a device placed on his leg to stretch his bone, bed sores after being confined to his bed for more than 13 months, doubt, and depression. While dealing with the suffering, he questions why God would allow him to experience such bliss only to have him then return to earth to deal with such agony. After his recovery, he confides in one of his closest friends about his experience in Heaven almost 2 years after the wreck. Piper felt like the experience was for him only, and that no one would believe his story anyway. After convincing Piper otherwise, his friend encourages him to detail the account and begin to share it, because he believes God allowed it to happen so he could share it with others, and now we have “90 Minutes in Heaven.” This book is great for encouragement for anyone enduring difficult times. The details of the suffering and pain had me in tears at a couple of different points of the book. Sometimes we feel like we have it bad, and then you read a story like this and it puts things in proper perspective. Other than Paul’s account of the “Third Heaven” in the New Testament, it is the only heavenly experience I have read about. After reading this book you will have a little more insight into what to expect as we head home. You can check out Don Piper at www.donpiperministries.com