Visits from Heaven: One Man's Eye-Opening Encounter with Death, Grief, and Comfort from the Other Side

by Pete Deison

Overview

A tragic suicide may have ended the earthly life of Harriet Deison, but it didn’t end the love story she shared with her husband, Pete. Their connection continued through Pete’s vivid dreams of Harriet sent from her new home in heaven.

Pete and Harriet Deison were enjoying a full life of being parents, grandparents, and partners in ministry when deep depression spiraled Harriet into a darkness that caused her to take her own life. Suddenly thrust into unimaginable grief, Pete, a Presbyterian minister, turned to his roots as a student and educator in an attempt to make sense of it all.

Visits from Heaven is the love story of a man and his wife of forty-three years, which quietly becomes the story of God’s love for his children. The narrative of strange coincidences, amazing answers to prayer, and dozens of dreams and visions by Pete and others affirms that there is a continued existence of loved ones that can be experienced here on earth.

Is heaven a place where real life continues, or is it all clouds, pearly gates, and long church services? Visits from Heaven answers those questions, giving readers a clearer picture of what life is like for a believer after he or she leaves earth. It’s also a wake-up call for those who secretly think heaven is a dry and boring place.

Deeply grounded in the Scriptures and in the classic works of writers such as C.S. Lewis, Sheldon Vanauken, John Claypool, Randy Alcorn, and N.T. Wright, Deison shares biblical truths about the reality of our continued existence and the nature of our heavenly home. Visits from Heaven gently leads grieving people on an effective and insightful journey through the grief and recovery process.

Insights include

• the beauty and commitment of the marriage relationship
• why suicide is not an unpardonable sin or a solution to suffering
• indication that the veil between heaven and earth is more transparent than we think
• evidence that our personalities, talents, and gifts continue in the hereafter
• how God uses our dreams and visions
• the landscape of grief and a biblical framework for navigating through it
• three lenses for viewing heaven and ten truths about heaven
• powerful assurance of God’s love and goodness, even in our darkest times

Join Pete Deison in his discovery of unexpected comfort in the face of grief and his incredible new view of life, death, and our heavenly home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780718083601
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	11/22/2016
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.80(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Dr. Pete Deison is a pastor, teacher, and president of Park Cities Presbyterian Church Foundation. He has served as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church of America since 1978 and was on the National Team directing the campus ministry of CRU. He now serves as associate pastor of Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas where he has directed the men's ministry, workplace ministries, evangelism, and officer training, and where he currently teaches a large adult Sunday School class. He is a featured speaker at the Kanakuk Institute and the author of The Priority of Knowing God. Pete has two married daughters, eight awesome grandchildren, is an avid fisherman, and loves to travel.

Table of Contents

Part 1 A Heavenly Love Story

Chapter 1 In the Beginning 3

Chapter 2 Our Life Together 15

Chapter 3 An Earth-Shattering Instant 27

Part 2 The Road Back to Life

Chapter 4 Heaven's Compassion 41

Chapter 5 When the Dream Gate Opened 51

Chapter 6 Questions for Heaven 63

Chapter 7 Gifts of Grace-More Dreams 77

Chapter 8 The Landscape of Grief 87

Chapter 9 How Death Changed the Way I Live 103

Part 3 What Every Searching Person Needs to Know

Chapter 10 Climbing the Ladder of Truth 117

Chapter 11 Amazing Heaven-Its Setting 133

Chapter 12 Amazing Heaven-Its People 149

It's Not the Gift: It's the Giver 167

Acknowledgments 171

Notes 173

About the Author 177