Event to reunite 'Heaven' co-writers
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By David Burke | Tuesday, April 01, 2008 |
The success of his book “90 Minutes in Heaven” still amazes Don Piper.
“We didn’t have any earthly idea it would have the kind of response that it has had so far,” he said in a telephone interview from a tour stop in Lakeport, Calif. “We’re both stunned, amazed and incredulous.”
Piper uses the plural to speak for himself and Cecil Murphey, the Davenport native and 1951 Davenport High School graduate who co-authored of the best-seller and two follow-up companion books.
In a first, the two will speak together April 9 at Moline High School’s Wharton Field House, an event presented by the Quad-Cities Prayer Center and Gotta Tell Somebody ministries. Murphey, 74, of Atlanta, has written or co-authored more than 100 books in his long career and is coming back to the Quad-Cities again after being here as recently as November.
Since it was first published in September 2004, the “Heaven” book has sold 3.3 million copies and been translated into 28 different languages, going from a small Christian publishing house to mainstream success.
“I thought I’d have a garage full of books for the rest of my life,” Piper said. “I hoped I could park in the garage again some day.”
The book began its life as a paperback and then went to hardcover so quickly it’s gone out of print — two feats unprecedented in publishing, he said. It is scheduled to return to hardcover release April 15.
In the book, Piper and Murphey tell of the former’s 1989 traffic accident when his Ford Escort was struck by an 18-wheeler as the Baptist minister was coming back from a church conference in Texas. Piper was killed instantly and pronounced dead by four sets of EMTs. A minister returning from the same conference arrived at the accident scene and prayed for “the man in the red car.”
But an hour-and-a-half after being pronounced dead, Piper began to show signs of life and vividly recalled what happened during his time in heaven. He saw luminous gates to heaven and streets of gold, and says he met those who had influenced him spiritually as well as deceased family members.
Piper’s journey back was not an easy one, having to undergo 34 operations over the next 13 months.
He wanted to convey those struggles as well in “90 Minutes in Heaven.”
“I’m not a hero in the book. Quite the contrary, I’m just an ordinary man struggling with a horrible set of circumstances,” he said. “People want hope eternally and they want hope for a better life here on earth. That’s really what the book offers.”
Based in the Houston suburb of Pasadena, Texas, Piper said he was familiar with Murphey and his work co-writing the autobiographies of the Rev. Franklin Graham, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and Chick-Fil-A fast-food chain founder S. Truett Cathy.
“He has written with some pretty high-profile people, of which I am not,” Piper said with a laugh.
Piper is a writer, but he didn’t want to put the words in print by himself.
“I didn’t exactly trust myself with translating what is essentially an autobiography into something that would be meaningful to other people,” he said. “ I think professional distance is really good when writing an autobiography because you don’t know if you’re always saying what people want to hear or leaving out something crucial to the story.”
Murphey initially turned down the offer, but later changed his mind, Piper said.
“He couldn’t quite shake the story. He thought it would be important,” Piper added.
Why does he think it has attracted so many readers and so much attention?
“Hope,” Piper said. “It’s a hopeful book, it’s an unvarnished book. I hand it to people and say, ‘Don’t read this if you want to be entertained.’
“It seemed that God just wanted it to be successful. We just did it and hoped it would be encouraging to people.”
Movie rights for the book have been purchased by Dawn Parouse, executive producer of the Fox TV series “Prison Break.” Many studios attempted to gain the rights, Piper said, but he was adamant about having control of content in both the “heaven” and “earth” portions.
Casting for the movie has not yet been announced.
“Brad Pitt’s probably tied up,” the 57-year-old said with a laugh.
Money raised from the book has gone toward his nonprofit Don Piper Ministries, which uses the dollars to fund other struggling ministries, from radio programs to homeless shelters to American Indian tribal concerns.
Piper said his journey to heaven and back left him exhilarated and frustrated at the same time.
“I’d seen heaven and lost it. And I wasn’t really happy about it,” he said. “I believe it’s there because I’ve seen it, and now it defines reality for me.
“I want to go back and I want to take as many people as I can with me.”
David Burke can be contacted at (563) 383-2400 or dburke@qctimes.com.
IF YOU GO
What: “Heaven is Real,” with Don Piper and Cecil Murphey
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 9
Where: Wharton Field House, 1800 20th Ave., Moline
How much: Free
Information: (563) 332-1622 or GottaTellSomebody.com on the Web
Also on the Web: DonPiperMinistries.com
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