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From the pictures of that smashed-down car, it’s almost impossible to believe, but somehow Dick actually crawled into the trunk of my Ford. It had been a hatchback, but that part of the car had been severed. I was still covered by the tarp, which he didn’t remove, so it was extremely dark inside the car. Dick crept in behind me, leaned over the backseat, and put his hand on my right shoulder.

He began praying for me. As he said later, “I felt compelled to pray. I didn’t know who the man was or whether he was a believer. I knew only that God told me I had to pray for him.”

As Dick prayed, he became quite emotional and broke down and cried several times. Then he sang. Dick had an excellent voice and often sang publicly. He paused several times to sing a hymn and then went back to prayer.

Not only did Dick believe God had called him to pray for me but he prayed quite specifically that I would be delivered from unseen injuries, meaning brain and internal injuries.

This sounds strange, because Dick knew I was dead. Not only had the police officer told him but he also had checked for a pulse. He had no idea why he prayed as he did, except God told him to. He didn’t pray for the injuries he could see, only for the healing of internal damage. He said he prayed the most passionate, fervent, emotional prayer of his life. As I would later learn, Dick was a highly emotional man anyway.

Then he began to sing again. “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!”2 The only thing I personally know for certain about the entire event is that as he sang the blessed old hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” I began to sing with him.

In that first moment of consciousness, I was aware of two things. First, I was singing—a different kind of singing than the tones of heaven—I heard my own voice and then became aware of someone else singing.

The second thing I was aware of was that someone clutched my hand. It was a strong, powerful touch and the first physical sensation I experienced with my return to earthly life.

More than a year would lapse before I understood the significance of that hand clasping mine.

5

EARTH TO

HOSPITAL

But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.

HEBREWS 11:16

I’m not certain what the world record is for exiting a wrecked car, but Dick Onerecker must have surely broken it that Wednesday afternoon. When a dead man began to sing with him, Dick scrambled out of that smashed car and raced over to the nearest EMT.

“The man’s alive! He’s not dead! He’s alive!”

Who would have believed him? A preacher had started to pray for a man who had been dead for an hour and a half. Then he dashed across the road shouting, “That man has come back to life!”

The EMT stared.

“He’s alive! The dead man started singing with me.”

The words didn’t make sense as Dick thought of them later, but he could only keep yelling, “He’s singing! He’s alive!”

“Oh really?” a paramedic asked.

“I’m serious, this man’s alive.”

“We’re medical professionals. We know a dead guy when we see him. That guy is dead.”

“I’m telling you, that man just sang with me. He’s alive.”

“The justice of the peace is on his way here.” He explained that although they knew I was dead, they couldn’t move my body until someone in authority actually declared me dead. “But I can tell you this much: He is dead.” The man turned away from Dick and refused to go over to my car.

Several ambulances had already arrived and departed.

Dick walked up in front of the remaining ambulance and said to the driver, “That man is alive. Go look at him.”

The EMT began to act as if he handled feebleminded people all the time. “Please, we know our business. That man is—”

“Listen to me! I’m going to lie down on this bridge, and if you don’t come over here, you’re going to have to run over me.”

“He’s dead.”

“Then humor me. Just feel his pulse,” Dick pleaded.

“Okay, we’ll check