Quotes from Don Piper

I have absolutely no fear of death. Why would I? There's nothing to fear-only joy to experience.

None of the hymns that filled the air were about Jesus' sacrifice or death. I heard no sad songs and instinctively knew that there are no sad songs in heaven.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord to those who love him and know him.

He is your God, the one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done mighty miracles that you yourself have seen.

Yet here we are, sitting in a restaurant, surrounded by people, many of whom are probably lost and going to hell, and we won't say a word about how they can have eternal life. Something is wrong with us. "You're absolutely right," I said. "We're willing to save someone in a visible crisis, but a lot of folks are in spiritual crisis and we don't say a word about how they can get out of it.

We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

I want to experience everything heaven offers, but most of all, I want to hear those never-ending songs again.

Some may not believe my account; they may think it was some kind of wish fulfillment during a point of severe trauma. I don't have to defend my experience. I know what happened to me. For those of us whose faith is in the reality of heaven, no amount of evidence is necessary.

I woke up to singing and found myself singing too.

If we played three CDs of praise at the same time, we'd have a cacophony of noise that would drive us crazy. This was totally different. Every sound blended, and each voice or instrument enhanced the others. As strange as it may seem, I could clearly distinguish each song. It sounded as if each hymn of praise was meant for me to hear as I moved inside the gates.

The Greek word for "spirit" is pneuma. The word can also mean "wind" or "breath." That Greek word is the root for what we call pneumonia. Just as it was necessary to reinflate my lungs to overcome pneumonia, I needed the breath of God to help me overcome the depression of my spirit.

Heaven was many things, but without a doubt, it was the greatest family reunion of all.