For Tierney, whose zest for God inspires me The prodigal son. It's one of the most powerful stories ever told, and I never liked it. The younger son of a wealthy land owner greedily demanded his inheritance, then squandered it on foolishness. Hungry and destitute in a foreign land, the son returned home in shame to beg his father's forgiveness. The father was overjoyed at the prodigal's return and threw a big party to celebrate. The older brother, however, resented the fanfare. He had labored for years without reward while his reckless brother got a banquet just for showing up. [...]

I don't know his name or where he lived or what he did for a living. Here's what I do know: he had been completely blind since birth. He was young and healthy. He needed routine surgery. And he died on the operating table. This is where it gets interesting. At the time of his death, this young man – I'll call him Tim – felt himself floating upwards towards the ceiling. This provided him with a perfect view of the surgical team below, who were feverishly working on his body in an attempt to resuscitate him. Notice what I [...]