Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Edited by
JENNIFER SKIFF
Three Rivers Presss and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of
Random House, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-307-38269-6
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
God Stories
visit one of these online retailers:
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
Contents
Introduction 1
“A BEAUTIFUL SIGN”
Looking Beyond 7
“IT’S ALL GOOD NEWS”
Listening to the Voice
33
“IS THERE ANY WAY YOU CAN HELP ME?”
Having a Prayer Answered 65
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
tightly for a short time and then released. But our appetite re-
mains insatiable. Like ants to a grain of sugar, we crave more. And
that’s what has brought us here.
As you turn the pages in this book, a chill may overwhelm
you, your eyes may fill with tears, and the hair on your arms may
suddenly stand as the answers to the questions you’ve always
wanted to know become apparent.
My reason for writing a book of this nature is not the obvious
one. I’m certainly not an expert on the subject of God or reli-
gion. The idea first came to me when a minister asked if I had
any “God Stories.” I asked her what she meant, and she ex-
plained that a God Story was a miracle-like experience that
proves God exists.
No one had ever asked me that question before. I did have
stories. I hadn’t dared to tell many people about them, but I defi-
nitely had had what I believed to be encounters with the Di-
vine. The concept piqued my interest as a journalist, and I
wondered if many other people had stories too. To find out, I
began to poll my friends, and what happened next surprised me
most. I realized that a Divine intelligence that many call God is
connecting with millions of people every day.
One of my own encounters happened when I was thirty-two
years old. It was a time of overwhelming sadness and disappoint-
ment. Professionally I was thriving—working as a correspondent
for CNN, the biggest news network in the world. But personally
I was very unhappy and felt like a failure. I was married for the
second time, and for the second time I was planning to divorce.
It was at this time that I began experiencing a debilitating
pain in my right leg. After months of consultations with doctors
who couldn’t determine what was wrong, I was sent to the chief
of orthopedics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston,
where it was confirmed that I had a tumor in my bone marrow. I
needed to be operated on immediately.
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
voice reassure and comfort her. In this book you find out why,
today, she says the experience was enlightening.
I realized the significance of this project when I started
collecting stories. My goal was to be interviewed by the media
in hopes that the publicity would direct people to my website,
where they could submit their stories. At the beginning of
this process, I was interviewed by a newspaper editor in his
office. When he wrapped up his questions, I asked him if he had
a story. He did, and as he told it, he cried. I was completely
taken aback and didn’t know what to do. And then, as I lis-
tened, I realized how privileged I was that he was sharing his
story with me.
Little did I know that this profound experience would be re-
peated every day from then on. As the sun rose each morning, I
found myself hopping out of bed and rushing to my computer to
read the incoming stories. Some brought me to tears. Others
simply surprised me, like the one my husband unexpectedly
shared about the scar on his forehead.
When I began the search for stories, I said I was looking for
one thing: the moment a person received personal proof that
God or a Divine Power exists. People of many religions, cul-
tures, and races responded. The stories they provided are true to
them. There will be skepticism in response to this book, and I
think it makes for a healthy dialogue.
I started the collection process by setting up a website,
www.GodStories.com, where people could submit their stories.
I then worked with the media to direct people there. At
GodStories.com they were asked to provide personal details, de-
clare that the stories were their own, and agree to their names’
being used. Those who were not willing to verify their credibility
by using their own names were not considered for publication.
If I thought the story was right for the book, I contacted the
person and often began a series of interviews via e-mail and over
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
sun, but this ribbon of color in the sky told us in ways that defy
explanation that our beloved husband and father was being es-
corted from this world to a better place.
I have never questioned this experience, and I have never
expected to fully understand it. I simply accept it as a remark-
able expression of the gracious mystery.
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
M y mother passed away when I was six years old. She was a
single mother and had been raising me by herself. She
was all I had.
My mom was a huge Elvis fan. Listening to Elvis records
with her is one of my most cherished memories. After she
passed, Elvis was my way of reconnecting with her.
When I was twenty-six years old, my wife and I had the
chance to go to Nashville. I made her promise that we would
end the week in Memphis. I wanted to see Graceland.
The tour was great, and we had a fantastic time. There is a
gift shop at each of the museum exits at Graceland, tempting
you to buy something as you leave. I picked up a DVD at the
first shop and was determined to stop spending money and just
breeze through the other shops on the way out.
After leaving the Sincerely Elvis Museum, I was walking
swiftly out of the gift shop when a shiny little object caught my
eye. There were hundreds of name pendants on display, and the
one that caught my eye was out of alphabetical order. It was heart
shaped with a silhouette of Elvis and my mother’s name, Sheila.
At that moment I felt a shiver throughout my body. I believe
that my heart was reaching out to God, asking for confirmation
that my mother was in a better place, and he felt compelled to
answer. At that moment I knew there was a God and that I was
loved. I have never doubted since.
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
R e a d I t F o r w a rd . c o m
http://www.readitforward.com
for great reading recommendations,
downloadable reader’s guides,
author chats, sneak peeks at
future publications, and fabulous
book giveaways.
www.ThreeRiversPress.com
God Stories
visit one of these online retailers:
www.ThreeRiversPress.com