Flight to Heaven: A Plane Crash...A Lone Survivor...A Journey to Heaven--and Back

by Capt. Dale Black, Ken Gire

Overview

Imagine getting a glimpse of heaven, a preview of life in God's presence.

Could life here ever be the same?

Capt. Dale Black has flown as a commercial pilot all over the world, but one flight changed his life forever—an amazing journey to heaven and back.

The only survivor of a horrific plane crash, Dale was hovering between life and death when he had a wondrous experience of heaven. What he saw, what he heard, and what he learned there continues to ripple through his life and touch others.

Against all odds, Dale miraculously recovered from his injuries and learned to fly again. Now, with his life as a testament, he shares his inspiring story—offering hope and encouragement for those dealing with serious injuries or the loss of a loved one, and those looking for assurance about this life and the next.

Experience a Life-Changing Vision of Heaven

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780764207945
Publisher:	Baker Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/01/2010
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	8.48(w) x 5.66(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Capt. Dale Black has spent his life flying airplanes with more than 17,000 hours of professional pilot experience, from the Boeing 737 to corporate jets to small private planes. A retired airline pilot, Capt. Dale is still an active aviator and a certified flight instructor, and is co-owner of a real estate company. He has also been a Bible teacher, evangelist, and volunteer missionary pilot in over 30 countries. Dale and his wife, Paula, are parents of two grown children and live in Southern California.

Ken Gire is the award-winning author and co-author of many books, including Moments With the Savior, Windows of the Soul, The Divine Embrace, and When You Can't Come Back (with Dave and Jan Dravecky). A full-time writer, he holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, has coauthored study guides with Chuck Swindoll, and has studied screen writing. He lives near Colorado Springs.

Read an Excerpt

Flight to Heaven

A Plane Crash ... A Lone Survivor ... A Journey to Heaven-and Back

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By Dale Black Ken Gire

Bethany House Publishers

Copyright © 2010 Capt. Dale Black with Ken Gire
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0794-5

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Prologue

My life was forever changed after a plane crash.

I was the only survivor.

For days I remained in an intensive care unit, but not before taking an uncharted trip ... to heaven. What I experienced there, words cannot do justice. Even the best words pale before the indescribable. For many months following the crash, due to serious amnesia, I remembered nothing. Nothing of the crash, the first three days in the hospital, or my visit to heaven. At least, my mind did not remember. My heart? Well, that's a different story.

I was assigned to Dr. Homer Graham, best known as Evel Knievel's surgeon. My injuries were massive, but when I awoke in the ICU, I was a changed man. Yet I had no memory as to why. It seemed as if I had been given new eyes. I felt as though I were looking into another dimension. That was forty years ago.

What you're about to read is how my life was turned upside down by an airplane crash and why every major decision I've made since then has been a direct result of my journey to heaven. Those who know me may now understand why I've seemed like a bit of a misfit and why my life has often followed an offbeat path.

You'll learn why I've been emboldened and compelled to share the love of God with others. Why I volunteered on almost a thousand flights to more than fifty countries, building churches, orphanages, and medical clinics. And why I've trained lay ministers and medical personnel to help the needy worldwide, usually at my own expense.

Since that fateful day, I have shared my story about the crash and the amazing recovery many times. But I have never shared publicly about my journey to heaven, until now.

How could I keep this life-changing event a secret? There are several 1 reasons.

Right after the crash my memory was like a jigsaw puzzle with only a few recognizable pieces. It would take eight months to start getting my memory back. And even longer for my injured mind and my transformed heart to get in sync.

As soon as my memory returned, I told my grandfather everything that had happened, but he cautioned me about telling others. "Dale," he said, "you can speak about your experience, or you can treat it as sacred and let your life be a reflection of your experience. By that I mean, if you really did see the other side, then live out whatever you believe you saw. Live what you believe you heard. Just live what you learned. Your life's actions will speak louder than your voice."

So I made a solemn promise to myself and to God not to share my experience with anyone until He made it clear to do so. At the time I figured God might want me to keep the secret for only a year or two.

Soon after the crash I attended a church service where a man claimed to have died, visited heaven, and come back to life. To me, the service was more self-serving than sacred. The very essence of heaven is God, yet the people were more interested in the sensation rather than the One who created it all and Whom heaven is all about. I was grieved by the event and my decision not to discuss my journey with anyone was further solidified.

It also wasn't hard to keep my secret because at times in my life, I have been truly disappointed in myself. Why couldn't I have lived an even better life? Since I had clearly seen heaven and was so changed by the experience, why did I fail again and again to be the man I truly wanted to be? Why did I fail often to be a reflection of what I had seen and heard and learned? I guess seeing heaven didn't change the fact that I'm human. Not only human—but also very flawed.

So why share my experience now? Personally, I was perfectly content to keep my silence longer still. But the Lord orchestrated a series of events that convinced me it is now His time to share about my journey to heaven and back. For four decades I did live my experience. Now I am compelled to tell how.

In some ways this story is about me. But it is not about me ultimately, nor should it be. It is about God. And it is about you. The two of you together, entwined in a story that, to me, is still breathtakingly sacred. My hope is that you will read not just with your mind but with an open heart. If you do, you may receive more than you bargained for.

My story begins as I pilot a jet on a volunteer missionary flight in the dark of night over Zambia, Africa ... at 41,000 feet. So please, fasten your seat belt, put your tray table in its upright and locked position, and hold on. It's quite a ride.

For the first time in forty years, here is my story.

—Capt. Dale Black

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Flight to Heaven by Dale Black Ken Gire Copyright © 2010 by Capt. Dale Black with Ken Gire. Excerpted by permission of Bethany House Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Prologue 11

1 Flight Into Eternity 15

2 Portal of the Folded Wings 28

3 At the Edge of Death 33

4 New Eyes for a New Dimension 37

5 Under His Wings 44

6 Shrine to Aviation 53

7 Destined for the Sky 59

8 Secret Place of the Most High 66

9 Fear and Memory Loss 72

10 A Future and a Hope 78

11 Surviving the Unsurvivable 82

12 Good News and Bad News 87

13 From Horrific to Heavenly 93

14 Journey to Heaven 97

15 Celestial Perfection 104

16 Ask and Receive 111

17 Losing Life to Find It 125

18 On Wings Like Eagles 130

19 Anniversary Surprise 142

20 Invisible City 146

21 Adventures of Faith 157

Afterword 166

How This Book Came About 182

About the Author 186