Christian Retailing

Pastor’s wife is forced to face her fear of the dark Print Email
Written by Leslie Santamaria   
Tuesday, 28 May 2013 04:45 PM America/New_York

AWalkThroughTheDarkEva Piper shares her personal story after husband Don’s popularity rose with his trip-to-heaven testimony 

One split second was all it took. In 1989, Eva Piper’s life changed forever when her pastor-husband, Don, was pronounced dead at the scene of a car accident. A semi had crossed the center line and hit his car head-on. A pastor who was driving behind Don stopped, laid hands on him and prayed. 

As told in 90 Minutes in Heaven (Revell/Baker Publishing Group), Eva’s husband returned to life 90 minutes later, and he says that in that time, he had gone to heaven. Told with the help of Cecil Murphey, Don’s story stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for nearly four years.

Now Eva has also collaborated with Murphey to explain her experiences at her husband’s side during recovery, including his 34 surgeries and severe depression. Releasing this month from Thomas Nelson, A Walk Through the Dark: How My Husband’s 90 Minutes in Heaven Deepened My Faith for a Lifetime recounts how her journey strengthened her faith and revealed abilities she didn’t realize she had.

For 15 years, Eva had relied on her husband for decision-making. With the accident, however, she had to make all the decisions. One of the most difficult was whether to authorize either the amputation of her husband’s leg or the use of a device to stimulate bone growth.

Since childhood, Eva had feared the dark. She also feared figurative darkness and yet she faced many dark days after the accident. Eva tells how God caused her to grow  as she became more assertive and her prayer life intensified.

Eva’s decision to allow the use of the device on Don’s leg resulted in success. In time, his major injuries healed, although he still deals with pain and some long-term challenges. The book also provides helpful information to caregivers. 

To order, call 800-251-4000 or visit www.thomasnelson.com.