INTRODUCTION: I selected the novel 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper, which was originally published in 2004 by Revell and contains anywhere from 208 to 299 pages, depending on the edition. This book is categorized under the genre of Christian literature and “Heaven Tourism”. In this extraordinary true account of life and death, the author and main character of the book, Don Piper, is involved in a severe automobile accident that leaves him dead for ninety minutes. During this time, Don encounters a life-altering experience, which raises questions about his faith and changes his entire outlook on life: a trip to Heaven.
However, Don returns to earth to share his remarkable story. Overall, 90 Minutes In Heaven is an inspiring autobiography, which gives the reader security in God and the undeniable notion that Heaven is real. BODY: The purpose of this book was to explain the author’s near-death experience and describe what Heaven is like from his own personal account. This autobiography is told from the point of view of Don Piper, a pastor from Texas. To begin, the story 90 Minutes In Heaven takes place in Texas on January 18, 1989 when Pastor Don Piper was driving home from the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
Don decides to take an alternate route, in hopes of avoiding the traffic rush. Unfortunately, the story takes a turn for the worst as Don is crossing a narrow bridge and a semi truck from the state correctional facility hits his Ford Escort head on. As a result, Don’s car is thrown into the side of the bridge, crushing him inside. Consequently, Don has shattered bones in his left leg, dislocated his right arm, and glass shards embedded in all parts of his body. When paramedics arrive to the scene, Don is unmistakably pronounced dead.
While Don’s body lay lifeless and cold under a tarp, his soul is taken to Heaven for 90 minutes. Don recalls seeing a welcoming party, including everyone he knew who had passed on before him. He had trouble describing his experience because human words could not explain the extravagant details of Heaven. Don goes on to illustrate gates constructed from pearls, a heavenly body illuminated by light, and choirs of angelic voices, like nothing he had ever seen or heard on Earth.
Additionally, he states that while in Heaven, there was no measure of time, and he could not remember anyone from his former life, including his wife and children. Meanwhile on Earth, another pastor from Texas, Dick Onerecker, and a man who had never even met Don, felt a calling from God. By some miracle, Dick had attended the same conference as Don and was only a few cars behind when the accident occurred. Dick quickly rushes to the scene, where paramedics inform him that the man in the vehicle was dead, but Dick insists that he needs to pray over the lifeless body.
Dick crawls into the smashed vehicle, lays his hand on Don’s shoulder, and begins a series of intense prayers. As time goes on, Don returns back to Earth and his first conscious memory is that he began to sing ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus. ‘ Dick recalls that he began to sing and the dead man began to sing with him. Shocked by what he just heard, Dick immediately signals a paramedic, and Don is transported to the hospital. Don has become a living miracle. For almost a year, Don spends his days in the hospital recovering.
Due to the fact that almost all his bones are either broken or shattered, Don’s mobility is extremely limited, and he is forced to wear an experimental contraption, the Ilizarov frame, on his leg to stimulate bone growth. At this point in the story, the mood changes from a light and happy tone to a dark and gloomy one. During this time, Don faces depression as he struggles with his faith. He questions why God would allow him to enter into such a beautiful place, then take everything away from him in an instant and send him back to Earth, where he spends his days in constant agony.
One day, Don is faced with reality as one of his longtime friends, Jay B. Perkins, informs him that his continuous negatively affects those around him and does not let them share their gifts. Until this time, Don had not realized that he was taking away the one thing that God had sent these people to do: to care for Don. After this realization, Don is posed with a challenge to say “yes” to everyone. Soon after, Don sees the face of Christ in all those who are helping him, whether it be friends, family, or the medical staff. After a long road to recovery, Don is released from the hospital, still limited in his mobility.
With his newfound positivity, Don is inspired to talk to anyone he sees with the same leg contraption that he once had, and encourage them that although life might be rough, it will all work out in the end. After months of absence from the church, Don finally returns and retells his story, including both his physical and spiritual recovery. Don does not speak of his encounter in Heaven until years later, when he realizes that people believe him. Don becomes a role model to many, and acts as a glimmer of hope for all those looking to find console in the Lord.
Overall, the overarching theme of the novel is that God never gives up on us; even in our darkest times when we begin to lose faith in Him, God always has a plan for us. ANALYSIS/EVALUATION: The purpose of the novel, which was to recall the author’s experience of Heaven and back, was definitely achieved through the course of the story. Through the author’s style of writing, the reader was able to imagine themselves as part of the story. One of the most memorable scenes of the book was when Don was telling the story of his accident to his congregation and he mentioned his comfort in Dick holding his hand.
Immediately after the mass was over, Dick’s wife approach Don and told him his story was lovely, except for one detail; Dick had placed his hand on Don’s shoulder, not his hand. Don’s arm had been barely attached to his body, and there is no way Dick could have reached his hand from his positioning in the backseat. Although Don had lost most of his memory from the day of the accident, he could distinctly remember the feeling of someone holding his hand, then it hit him. The person holding his hand at all was not a person at all, but rather it was the presence of God.
After reading this passage, I felt a shiver down my spine and immediately received goosebumps. I cannot even imagine how Don felt when he came to this realization, but I assume his reaction was very similar to mine. We hear about miracles all the time, but it’s not often that someone has experienced God’s presence firsthand like Don did. For this reason, I believe one of the most prominent strengths of the book is Don’s ability to provide spine-chilling descriptions such as this passage and his vivid description of Heaven creates no doubt in my mind that Heaven is real.
The only weakness of the book was that the author focused more on his accident and recovery than his actual experience in Heaven. Although the story of his recovery is miraculous, I would have loved to hear more about his description of Heaven, as I am truly fascinated by this topic. Nonetheless, this is one of the most intriguing pieces of Christian literature I have ever read. Once I began 90 Minutes In Heaven, I could not put the book down. I am intrigued by stories of near-death experiences and how the recipients are doing in the years following the accidents.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who may be struggling in their faith because I feel Don Piper’s story gives the reader a new sense of hope in God and the belief in life after death. All in all, this book is truly an inspiration to all and encourages the reader to appreciate the small things in life because everything could vanish in the blink of an eye. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, I found this book to be fascinating and I’m glad we were given this opportunity to read a piece of Christian literature for class, or I may not have otherwise considered reading this particular novel.
For me, this novel was chosen because my mother recommended to me when I informed her that we would be reading a Christian book. I went into the book believing it would be some imposter who had not actually been to Heaven, and was only writing a book to gain fame. However, my initial impression seemed to be incorrect in that Don’s description of Heaven is incredible. In addition, all the stories he included in this text were far too detailed to have been created from one’s imagination. This book left me with the impression that God is always present in our lives, even when we fail to see Him.
As a result, I have come to the realization that God has been with me at the lowest point in my life, although I may not have noticed His presence. It was at this time that I realized he has blessed me with many little blessings, all of which I take for granted on a daily basis. For example, he has blessed me with new friends when old ones have walked out of my life, with supportive parents when it seems as though no one else can see my potential, and with a retreat that truly helped me to grow in my faith and become closer to Him.
I think Don Piper would agree with me when I say, I believe that everything in life happens for a reason. Dick was sent into Don’s life to pray for him when everyone else believed he was a lost cause. God placed Jay B. Perkins in Don’s life to act as a mentor and teach Don to appreciate the care of others. It is no accident that Don received the Ilizarov frame because despite all the pain it caused him, he was able to use his experience to better the lives of others with the contraption. If the reader were to take one important aspect from this book, it would be that God is the most crucial player in the game of life.
It was by no coincidence that these people were brought into Don’s life; God placed them there for a purpose. Without God, Don would not have been brought back to life and his life would have ended the day of the accident. Fortunately, God’s plan did not include Don dying at a young age, but rather He planned to use Don as an instrument of spreading the good news of God to others through his inspiring tale. Once we realize how important God is in our lives, we can begin to let Him activate His own plan for us. I would encourage this book to anyone who is open to hearing God’s unique call for them.
