conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a description for a book titled To Heaven and Back about Episcopalian, Dennis, Holy with the genre: Religion & Spirituality.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: the author is an Episcopalian lay woman who has been active in spiritual renewal since 1960. The author of eight books, she is best known as coauthor, with her husband Dennis, of the million-copy best-seller, The Holy Spirit and You and You Can Be Emotionally Free. Cofounder of the Christian Renewal Association, the author makes her home in Edmonds, Washington
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this book.. End with the sentence ' He conveyed the impression of complete love, compassion, kindness, and infinite patience.'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: To Heaven and Back
  I regularly attend church services and have served on the board of elders, but I believe that loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength is of the greatest importance. I live in a beautiful and mountainous area and many people claim the mountains as their church and believe they can worship God there instead of within a building. That can certainly be true but the question, as is often posed by my pastor, is not can a person worship God while in the mountains, but will that person worship God while in the mountains? Regardless of the harm that some individuals have done in the name of God or while hiding behind the doors of the church, I believe the institution is greater than the individuals within it. Churches provide a place of gathering for people who share common beliefs, support and encouragement for each other in faith, a place to find insight into and teaching about God's Word, and they provide a time and place where people can leave the world behind and focus only on their spiritual relationship with God. Just as God can meet us wherever we are, the variety of denominations allows for accommodation of people in all stages of spiritual growth.
  I believe that the fact that I really, really did not want to return to earth is an important part of my story. At the time of my kayaking accident, my four children were quite young, and other than telling my close friends and church about it, I didn't speak much about my experiences because I never wanted my children to think that they weren't enough of a reason for me to come back. I was a surgeon, wife, and mother of four, which did not allow much time for writing, and, frankly, I didn't want to do it. I was not a writer and was a very private person. Ultimately, God's timing is always perfect; I finished writing the first complete draft hours before my son's death.
  The job I was given was to share my experiences as accurately and precisely as I can. This is all I am trying to do.
  The people/beings were brilliant. They had physical form but seemed to be wearing flowing robes such that I did not see distinct arms or legs. I did see their heads, but their brilliance seemed to blur the edges such that their features were indistinct. They seemed neither young nor old—just timeless. When I had my out-of-body experiences while in intensive care, I saw children playing at the far end of the field in which I was sitting.
  I believe Jesus was holding me when I was still underwater. At that point I heard Him speaking to me but did not see Him. I believe it was Jesus with whom I was conversing in the sun-kissed field during my later out-of-body experiences. He was sitting on a rock while I was sitting on the ground and, like the people who led me down the path to heaven, He was wearing some sort of flowing robe and exploded with beauty and brilliance. His hair was long. His features were indistinct. I don't know how to describe this but my greatest impression of His appearance was that of love (yes, I realize we don't typically "see" love, but as I said, I don't know how to describe this phenomenon of "seeing" something we would normally "feel"). He conveyed the impression of complete love, compassion, kindness, and infinite patience.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me four more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The job I was given was to share my experiences as accurately and precisely as I can. This is all I am trying to do.
  The people/beings were brilliant. They had physical form but seemed to be wearing flowing robes such that I did not see distinct arms or legs. I did see their heads, but their brilliance seemed to blur the edges such that their features were indistinct. They seemed neither young nor old—just timeless. When I had my out-of-body experiences while in intensive care, I saw children playing at the far end of the field in which I was sitting.
  I believe Jesus was holding me when I was still underwater. At that point I heard Him speaking to me but did not see Him. I believe it was Jesus with whom I was conversing in the sun-kissed field during my later out-of-body experiences. He was sitting on a rock while I was sitting on the ground and, like the people who led me down the path to heaven, He was wearing some sort of flowing robe and exploded with beauty and brilliance. His hair was long. His features were indistinct. I don't know how to describe this but my greatest impression of His appearance was that of love (yes, I realize we don't typically "see" love, but as I said, I don't know how to describe this phenomenon of "seeing" something we would normally "feel"). He conveyed the impression of complete love, compassion, kindness, and infinite patience.
  I did not see animals, but I experienced only a couple of places and have no idea about the things and places I did not experience.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last four paragraphs.. Start with the sentence 'The absolute knowledge that God is real, that He has a plan for each of us, and that there really is life after death changes the way I experience each day'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The absolute knowledge that God is real, that He has a plan for each of us, and that there really is life after death changes the way I experience each day. I do not fear death, and that also changes the way I experience the death of others, even my own son. I know that every day really does matter and that I need to be about God's business every day. I also know that God loves all people deeply and unconditionally... even those people whom I may not like or agree with. It motivates me to try to see the beauty in them that God sees.
  I have given many details of my life not so that anyone should try to replicate them, but to show others that if you can transform your faith into trust, you can face any challenge with a grateful and joyful heart. What I mean is this: a small child has hope—hope that God will do what He says He will do. When we hear about and see God working in the lives of others, that hope transforms into a faith that God will really do what He says He will do. Not everyone has a profound spiritual experience such as a near-death experience, but taking the time to really look at the patterns of your everyday life and noting how events seem to unfold in a manner that is unlikely a result of chance allow any person of faith to begin to see God working in his own life. I think it is only when a person truly sees God working in his own life that this faith can be transformed into a complete trust that God's promises are true. Complete trust that God has a beautiful plan and that it is one with a hope and a future allows me, and each of us, to face challenges with confidence and courage, even when the plan and its beauty seem hidden.
  Dr. Neal is committed to the causes of environmental stewardship, individual responsibility for making the world a better place, and increasing awareness of God's presence, love and grace. She has served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, as a member of the board of directors for several non-profit organizations, and created the Willie Neal Environmental Awareness Fund (wnealenvirofund.org).
  An avid sportswoman, Dr. Neal participates in recreational and competitive skiing, kayaking, bicycling, as do her husband, William C. Neal, MD, and their children. In 1999, while on vacation kayaking in the Los Ríos region of southern Chile, she became trapped inside a waterfall and drowned. Before being resuscitated, she had a remarkable, joyful experience of going to heaven and engaging in direct communication with angels. As an inspirational speaker, she lectures publicly about this transformational event and how it has impacted her life and her family, as well as the important lessons it holds about the meaning and purpose of our lives.