A near-death-experience, or an NDE, is profoundly personal—typically involving a “tunnel of light” or “angelic encounters”—recounted by someone who survived life-threatening conditions that brought them to the brink of death. Contrary to what many might think, NDEs are a rare occurrence, with only about 10 to 20 percent of people who have a close brush with death experiencing one.
Many people who have experienced NDEs have described them as positive experiences in which they’ve witnessed bright lights and deceased loved ones, heard serene music and sounds, all while taking place in a common setting—heaven.
Guideposts’ new YouTube channel, Witnessing Heaven, is dedicated to sharing these powerful stories, told by people who have experienced death, glimpsed the hereafter, and lived to talk about it.
We sat down with Navy ocean technician analyst, Laurie Lambert, who describes the moment she drowned while on a white-water rafting trip on the Rogue River. After crossing over to the spiritual realm, she recalls meeting three angels who instantly made her purpose in life clear.
We also share the story of Don Piper, who was in a devastating car accident and was declared dead for 90 minutes by four medical professionals—until he came back to life. He describes his experience in heaven as proof of God’s supernatural and powerful love.
As part of the team working to bring these stories to life, Guideposts’ Senior Lead Editor Colleen Hughes, shares her thoughts on the new channel:
“Heaven is real. I’ve heard about it all my life, at home and in church, but for a long time heaven, to me, was more of an out-of-reach promise I couldn’t really imagine. Almost a wish rather than a place that truly existed. I’ve come a long way in my years as editor of Guideposts Angels on Earth magazine. Helping real people tell their true stories in Guideposts books and magazines has given me a whole new perspective. Actually getting to know real people – alive in our world today – who’d seen angels or visited heaven, hearing their firsthand accounts in their own words, trying to help them find words to describe what they’d experienced, so we could share their stories with others in our print publications, has been an overwhelming personal blessing.
Finding words for the miraculous isn’t always easy (even for an editor), and in Angels on Earth magazine, we often rely on illustrations to show the truth that sometimes has no words. Heavenly stories are visual stories.
That’s why I’m particularly thrilled with the way these true stories come to life on Guideposts’ new YouTube channel, Witnessing Heaven. In just a click or tap, you can watch and listen and spend some time with the real people who’ve made heaven real for me. All of them are eyewitnesses to a promise, and they will take you on a journey to the comfort that awaits all of us.”
Our hope is that through these true stories of death and the afterlife, you’ll feel encouraged hearing eyewitness proof that heaven is real and filled with an unexplainable love from God, angels and our deceased loved ones.
Join us on June 3, 2022, as we launch Witnessing Heaven with the premiere of Don Piper’s inspiring story. Don’t forget to subscribe to the channel so you can see each new video as they go live!