Why Did You Write the Book?

My journey with the book, Choosing Heaven, began with a powerful spiritual experience in March of 2012 (Chapter 1). It left me with an intense feeling that I had been given a job to write about what I experienced. As I encountered the many questions that the experience raised, I felt myself on a journey to find the answers. Ultimately, in the book, the quest for answers became larger than the experience itself.

The initial experience occurred during Eucharistic Adoration at St. James Church. Catholics believe that at Mass, when the priest blesses the host, or bread, and the wine, they are transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ as at the Last Supper. They are not just symbols of the body and blood, they actually become the body and blood of Christ, and that makes Christ truly present in the gathering. When we pray in front of the sacred Host, we are praying directly to Jesus who is present.

That evening, the room was filled to capacity, and beyond, with all those present. Every pew and aisle and space was occupied by the faithful. I was standing in the middle aisle at the very last pew in the church. I was praying on two rosaries. When I finished one, I began on the other.

As I was praying, the Sacred Host began to grow and glow in my sight. It grew until it filled the space above the altar. Everyone and everything else began to drop from my view and senses.

As I continued to pray directly to our Lord, I realized that I was blessed to become witness to a soul, at the moment of death, choosing between Heaven and hell. Jesus was there with the soul, but the soul was walking away from Jesus. This was the most amazing experience of my life, but it was also the most terrifying. While I was witness to the event, I had no power to intervene. Even still, I begged the soul to turn around to receive Jesus’ love and mercy. I begged Jesus to save this soul and many others.

During this time, I sobbed and felt terrified for the soul. I felt the extreme agony of Jesus as he watched the soul walking away. I felt the comfort of God’s mercy as I was brought back to what was around me. I was exhausted, and overwhelmed, and awed by what I encountered.

As I attempted to write the story, I realized that there was so much more than just the event, so many questions that needed to be answered and so many answers to be discovered. Through prayer, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it took me many attempts, and 10 years, to complete the book I offer to you today.

The book is dedicated to helping you find your path to Heaven with help from the scriptures. I pray that it will touch your heart and open your mind to things you may not have considered about your own eternal home.