NORTH -- This week, nearly 1,000 people at North United Methodist Church joined hundreds of thousands around the globe over the last four years who have heard the message of Don Piper, whose New York Times best-selling book, "90 Minutes in Heaven," relates his death experience following a collision with a tractor-trailer almost 15 years ago.

Piper spoke to packed houses and overflow crowds for his nightly appearances during the church's three-day revival, Aug. 18-20. North UMC's pastor, the Rev. R.T. Bowling III, said Piper tried to deflect attention away from himself and toward the higher message during his time in North.

"What is so wonderful is that (Piper) has truly been humbled and in awe of all the attention that has come his way," Bowling said. "His schedule is so busy. He'll be in Berlin in September, Stockholm, Sweden, next spring and Paris next summer. In between these dates, he also appears in many different cities and towns across the U.S. and Canada in any given week."

On Monday, the first night of the revival, Bowling said the church had a full house, with 291 people in the sanctuary and 44 watching in the fellowship hall via a closed-circuit feed.

"Many Christians have read (Piper's) book, and the entire community has been profoundly affected," he said.

Piper said his appearances in North have been well received.

"It's been wonderful," he said. "The crowds have been overflowing, and a number of people stopped by to share their personal stories of crisis and tragedy afterward. I was told that some came from as far as 200 to 300 miles away to attend the revival.

"The pattern that I've experienced in many of my appearances was repeated in North this week. That is, in many ways, my real ministry happens after the service."

Ready to introduce his fourth book next year, "Heaven Bound: Parting Instructions," Piper said he has been both amazed and stunned by the attention he's received for his story. His latest book is "Heaven is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy."

"It's interesting," Piper said. "People have already formed some opinions of me before I speak.

In a real sense, my presentation begins when I get up, and the audience sees that I am able to physically function. I've had 34 operations and was told I would never walk or have the use of my left arm again."

"I don't want any accolades for this, and I don't deserve them because I was really beaten down and depressed for quite a while after the accident," Piper continued. "I told the story at the revival as I've done everywhere else, warts and all. I want to make certain that people hear the message that heaven is real, God has a plan for them, and they can turn their lives around following a personal tragedy."

Some people who attended the North revival told Piper that at first, they didn't believe it when he said he found himself surrounded only by light and music, which he said filled him with a sense of peace, after he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. However, Piper said after hearing his story, a number of them said they now believe it.

"I am trying to tell people that there is an urge

ncy about what I do now because the accident occurred on the way to church," Piper said. "You can go at any moment. It does change the way I minister when I try to comfort folks after loss or serious injury because they know I understand what that is like and that I have experienced it."

Piper said North UMC revival attendees spoke to him about looking for hope -- both in the present and eternally -- while sharing their personal stories with him.

"One individual told me about the fact that his father died two years ago and that he seemed to be comforted and encouraged by my experience," Piper said. "Many people who have experienced this kind of heartache in their lives want to know if they can go on in this life and if heaven is really accessible. I always tell them that I have been beaten down but not beaten, and they can experience the same strength through God."

While Piper's story resonates with Christian believers strong in their faith, he said it's when non-believers turn their lives over to Jesus Christ that he sees the awesome power of God's work through his ministry.

"I was speaking in Hawaii during Easter last year and issued an altar call for those who wished to become a Christian," Piper said. "A 95-year-old woman in a wheelchair who had never been in a church in her life slowly came up the aisle and turned her life over to God. When you personally witness that blessing, it's a miracle."

The son of a career United States Army soldier, Piper moved frequently until the age of 15, when his father retired from the military, and the family settled in Shreveport, La., for six years. The 58-year-old minister has now lived in the Houston, Texas, area for the last 20 years.

Although he said he disliked life as an Army brat, in retrospect, Piper said he now sees God's hand in molding him into his current ministry.

"Now that I look back, the fact that I was exposed to many different kinds of people and cultures during my formative years has served to make my world view considerably larger," Piper said. "It has come in handy in helping me understand how people are different the world over, yet how they are all the same. There are good people everywhere, and I met a number of them in North, too."

Although he said the travel involved with being a speaker over the last four years has taken a physical toll on him, Piper said he will keep going "until God tells me to stop."

"When God opens a door, you just go through," Piper said. "I'm living on borrowed time, and I just want to maximize the time I have left. Even though I don't anticipate doing this for the rest of my life, I'm content to keep doing it as long as I am able and it matters to people."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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