Heaven Is Beautiful

United Church of Christ minister Panagore offers a harrowing account of a near-death experience when he was a young man in 1980 on an ice-climbing adventure in Alberta, Canada. Along with a more experienced climber, Panagore set out on a trip that took him to Lower Weeping Wall, where the two mountaineers found themselves trapped as they descended the face of the frigid mountain wall. After their rope became snagged and they were overcome by hypothermia, frostbite, and exhaustion, Panagore lost consciousness, his body shut down, and he nearly died. What happened on the other side of death changed Panagore’s life, resulting in his pursuit of a master’s degree focusing on systematic theology and Christian mysticism. Feelings of overwhelming love, forgiveness, and caring—but also of shouldering the burdens of others who he hurt during his lifetime on Earth—met him on the other side; he also encountered God. Readers who have a fascination with near-death experiences and mysticism will be drawn into Panagore’s remembrances of dying on the side of that mountain and the unexplainable feelings he encountered, and may find comfort in his assurance that death is not to be feared. Agent: Stephany Evans, Fine Print Literary Management (Oct.)