My Journey to Heaven: What I Saw and How It Changed My Life

by Marvin J. Besteman, Lorilee Craker (With)

Overview

On April 28, 2006, as he lay in his hospital bed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, visions of celestial beauty were the last thing on Marv Besteman's mind. He had just had surgery to remove a rare pancreatic tumor. It was after visiting hours and his family had left for the day. Alone and racked with pain, Marv tossed and turned, wanting more than anything else to simply sleep and escape the misery and discomfort for a while. The retired banker, father, and grandfather had no idea he was about to get a short reprieve in the form of an experience he never could have imagined.

In My Journey to Heaven, Marv Bestman shares the story of his experience of heaven with astounding detail. Readers will hear of his encounters with angels who accompanied him to the gate, his conversation (argument, really) with St. Peter, and his recognition of friends and family members who touched his life. His story offers peace, comfort, and encouragement to those who have lost loved ones and gives security and solace to those who are grieving, dying, or wonder about the afterlife. Marv believed God sent him back to earth to fulfill this mission of comfort and reminds readers that God has work for each of us to do before he calls us to be with him in heaven. Secure in his belief that his book was the fulfillment of his own mission, Marv returned to heaven in January 2012.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780800721220
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/01/2012
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	1,079,680
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Marvin J. Besteman (1934-2012) was a graduate of Calvin College, a veteran of the US Army, and a retired bank president. He spoke frequently during his last few years of life about his experience of heaven. He and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of three children and the grandparents of four. Marv passed away in January of 2012, joyfully anticipating his return to heaven.

Lorilee Craker is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Through the Storm by Lynne Spears, and the author of several books on parenting and relationships. A frequent speaker, Craker is also an entertainment writer who has been interviewing celebrities and music artists for many years for the Grand Rapids Press. She lives in Michigan.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction 11

1 A One-in-a-Million Case 21

2 Two Angels 29

3 Lights, Colors, and a Love Story 53

4 At Heaven's Gate 71

5 Hello, Mary, My Name Is Peter 85

6 The Book of Life 101

7 Inside the Inner Gate of Heaven 113

8 Heaven's Cradle Roll 121

9 The Six People I Saw in Heaven 139

10 Losing and Finding My Best Friend 155

11 After I Woke Up 169

12 Until We Meet Again 183

Postscript 195

Coauthor's Acknowledgments 201

Editorial Reviews

Craker coauthored and finalized the manuscript of this posthumously published book by a man who says he was taken to heaven by angels for a brief visit while he was hospitalized for an acute illness. He describes a conversation with St. Peter about whether he could stay or had to return to earth. “‘Marv, I talked to God,’ ” says Peter, “ ‘and God told me to tell you that you had to go back, that he still had work for you to do on earth.’ ” That work, he says, is the goal of the book: to somehow put heaven into words and conclude by asking readers, “Will I see you at the gate?” Witnessing thousands of babies born and unborn, he comforts grieving parents who have lost infants. He also consoles his daughter by relaying that her late husband was one of the six people he sees in heaven, that he is no longer in pain, and is waiting for her. Finally, he claims to have seen God but only from a distance. “I beheld the throne, where our God and his Son are seated and will reign forever.” Besteman takes a reasoned and cautious path that targets the skeptical mind, those wondering if he was only hallucinating or dreaming. For this new entrant on the I-saw-the-afterlife bookshelf, heaven only knows if readers will find his story believable. Agent: Esther Fedorkevich. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly