When Heaven Touches Earth: A Little Book of Miracles, Marvels, & Wonders

by James van Praagh, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Lisa McCourt

Overview

World-renowned author and psychic James van Praagh has spent years communicating with spirits on the other side, but he is far from alone in this experience.  Joined by psychic medium Sunny Dawn Johnston, best-selling author Lisa McCourt, and over twenty others who have had direct contact with the spirit world, When Heaven Touches Earth is proof that you don’t need to be a household name in mediumship to receive love and guidance from the spirit world.

This collection of stories will provide inspiration, comfort to those going through tough times as they prove that other worldly guidance, be it from a deceased loved one or from a universal benevolent source, is available to us all. 

When Heaven Touches Earth offers a unique glimpse into the world of spirit, one where unconditional love can always be found- even in situations and circumstances where it is least expected.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938289569
Publisher:	Hierophant Publishing
Publication date:	10/24/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	752,428
File size:	803 KB

About the Author

James Van Praagh is the New York Times bestselling author of Unfinished Business, Ghosts Among Us, Talking to Heaven, Reaching to Heaven, Meditations, and Healing Grief, among others. He is considered a pioneer in the mediumship movement throughout the world and has been the voice of the Spirit World for over twenty-five years. Some of his more known clients include various political heads of state, throughout the world, religious leaders and celebrities such as Cher, Shirley Maclaine, Goldie Hawn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Loretta Lynn and many many more. His messages have brought solace, peace, and spiritual insights to millions, changing their view of both life and death. James has also been a celebrated producer for CBS television network, creating several successful projects including: Living with the Dead, a mini-series based on his life, and a television movie, The Dead Will Tell, and the CBS show Ghost Whisperer. His books have enjoyed international appeal, having been published in over 50 countries and translated in over 60 languages.

Sunny Dawn Johnston is a bestselling author, speaker, psychic medium and spiritual activist. Sunny has thousands of clients worldwide that refer to her readings, workshops and books as life changing. Her message helps people connect with their heart and release the things that hold them back from being their greatest version of themselves. Combining the unconditional love of a mother and the tell-it-like-it-is honesty of a best friend, Sunny helps people move into a higher vibration of living … and a higher vibration of Being. She lives with her family in Glendale, Arizona. Visit her website at http://sunnydawnjohnston.com.

Lisa McCourt is a bestselling author and ghost blogger specializing in the field of personal transformation. She’s been the ghostwriter for many prominent thought-leaders, from New York Times bestselling authors to Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated Hollywood stars. Lisa has also penned over 3 dozen books in her own name (including the modern classic, I Love You, Stinky Face) that have together sold over 7 million copies. Visit her at www.lisamccourt.com.
 

Read an Excerpt

When Heaven Touches Earth

A Little Book of Miracles, Marvels, and Wonders

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By James Van Praagh, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Lisa McCourt

Hierophant Publishing

Copyright © 2016 James Van Praagh, Sunny Dawn Johnston, and Lisa McCourt
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-938289-56-9

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CHAPTER 1

Spirit Strings

James Van Praagh

It began as most Thursdays do: an ordinary, slight breeze floated over the ocean as the sun moved to find its place in the sky. But I have come to learn that there are rarely any "ordinary" days for someone like me, one who is able to communicate with souls no longer inhabiting this physical dimension. This particular day would send my mystical head spinning into unseen connections, spirit manipulations, and two worlds colliding. This day, the realization that the spirit world is pulling strings to let us know that it is still a very intricate part of our everyday lives struck me like an anvil.

It all started with a forwarded e-mail. A woman named Elaine White had given a speech to a sold-out crowd in Austin, Texas, and she'd mentioned my name. Joyce Elaine White was raised as a Southern Baptist and longed to be a missionary so she could share her faith around the world. She married a man with similar ambitions, and in the nineties Elaine became the executive director of the Capital City Christian Coalition in Austin and a lobbyist for the Christian Coalition in the state capitol. She even cohosted a two-hour show on Christian radio. Two of the main issues of the Christian Coalition were opposing abortion and gay rights.

I didn't know the name Elaine White when I received the e-mail that Thursday, but I soon learned that our experiences could not have been more dissimilar. Just as Elaine was having great success with her work with the Texas far right, I was volunteering at Norman Lear's left-leaning nonprofit, People For the American Way (PFAW). At the same time, I was making my living doing private readings as a professional medium and working on my first book, Talking to Heaven. I had also just begun dating my boyfriend (and now husband), Brian. It would be many years later that the earth fell out from under Elaine and steered us toward our meeting.

In early 2011, Elaine's son, Josh, was due to travel to the Middle East for work. Josh was a globe-trotting, Indiana Jones type, and this trip was not so different from others he had been on. Elaine and Josh had dinner at a restaurant before he left, and as they embraced in the parking lot, Elaine heard a voice inside her head that said, This is your last hug. Elaine dismissed the voice as the protest of a loving mother whose son was traveling to a region of the world that had been occupying headlines for weeks with news of the Arab Spring.

Ten days later, Elaine was about to start preparing dinner. She was wearing her apron that said "The Queen of Everything," which was the nickname Josh had bestowed upon her. The phone rang. It was the unmistakable voice of her former mother-in-law.

"Have you talked to anybody?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Elaine.

"Oh ..." Josh's grandmother said. "There was a plane crash. Nobody made it."

Elaine went numb as the horrible story unfolded: The plane that Josh was in had crashed during takeoff from the United Arab Emirates en route to Saudi Arabia. Josh was dead on the other side of the world.

An agonizing eight days later, Josh's body was returned to Dallas in a pine box with his name written on top with black marker. Elaine drove up from her home near Houston and went to the airport with her cousin Randy, who owned a mortuary in town. As they were driving from the airport to the funeral home, Elaine said, "Randy, I'm a strong woman. I know there was a fire after the crash, but I need to see my boy's body. Anything. A finger. A toe."

The next morning, Randy told Elaine that he was not going to allow her to put herself through a viewing. But he did have a keepsake for her: Josh had grown a beard to blend in better in the Middle East, and Randy had saved some of Josh's whiskers for her. Elaine now keeps a few strands of her son's hair in a beautiful silver pendant.

The service was a particularly sad affair, and Elaine had special bookmarks made with Josh's photo and a Bible verse that she passed out to those in attendance. During the burial, as Josh's coffin was being lowered into the ground, Elaine knew that she could no longer be the Queen of Everything. If she were, she would've stopped Josh from leaving in the first place.

After the funeral, the family went out for lunch to Olive Garden. The waiter appeared and said, "Hello, my name is Josh. I'll be your server today." Elaine lost it. That evening, they went to Morton's for dinner. The waiter appeared and said, "Hi, my name is Josh. I'll be your server tonight." What was happening?

Several days after she returned home Elaine's computer was acting up, so she called the Geek Squad to come out. They assured her that a technician would be dispatched, and when she opened the door for the young man a while later, he said, "Hi, my name is Joshua. I'm here to help you with your computer."

The following year was very tough for Elaine. Christmas was tough. Birthdays were tough. About a year after Josh's death, Elaine decided to go to a conference put on by the Omega Institute in New York.

In her first workshop, "Women & Happiness: The Give & Take of Finding Joy," Elaine found herself in a room of about a thousand women. Despite having amonth them several well-known and respected women writers and speakers, Elaine realized it was not making her happy. She went to the organizer of the event and asked if she might try a different workshop instead.

"Sure, that's fine," said the organizer. "I can get you into the James Van Praagh workshop 'Touching the Unseen World: Discovering Your Spiritual Self.'"

Elaine didn't recognize the name.

"He's a famous psychic," the organizer said.

At an earlier time in her life, Elaine had thought that psychics and mediums were somehow demonic. That was what she had been taught during her fundamentalist upbringing. But Elaine's belief system had been evolving for some time. A close family member had had an abortion and Elaine took care of her. Her cousin came out as gay and then became an Episcopal priest. As Elaine was deciding whether to attend the event, a thought crossed her mind: Well, even Jesus talked to Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. How could it be bad? She decided to go for it and found a seat among the three hundred participants.

I've done many readings from the stage, and I didn't remember this particular one very well. So I had to ask Elaine what transpired. She said that I introduced myself to the crowd and told them a little about myself and how I worked. I said that everything is energy and that energy never dies; it just changes form. When the physical body dies, the energy that was our consciousness survives, and I had the ability to access it. But I didn't choose whom I communicated with — I was chosen. People aren't so different after they leave the physical world. If you were outgoing and a good communicator here on earth, chances are you'll still be a good communicator afterward.

After I had done a few readings for women in the audience, Elaine heard me say, "I want to talk to the mother of Joshua. He traveled the world, spoke several languages, and was a bit of a wiseacre." Elaine stood up on trembling legs.

I told Elaine that Josh didn't want her to be upset — that it was his time, and he was now with his sister. What sister? Elaine thought. Then she remembered the miscarriage she had had when Josh was a little boy. Even back then, Josh had thought it was a little girl. But what really got Elaine's attention was when I said, "Josh is putting a tiara on your head. And you know what that means!" She burst out crying ... The Queen of Everything!

After the event, Elaine's mind was in a whirl. Had this really just happened? How could James know these things if he wasn't communicating with Josh? By this time she was famished and took herself out for dinner. She smiled when her server, Josh, introduced himself. She had a very peaceful meal knowing that her son, the wiseacre, had finally gotten through to her. Josh was pulling strings from heaven and Elaine finally felt the tug.

Elaine now looks forward to getting Josh's signs. On the third anniversary of Josh's death, February 27, Elaine and her husband made the drive from Houston to Dallas to visit Josh's grave. They spent all afternoon on a blanket beside it and then headed back the next day. It was then that Elaine noticed their car's registration tags had expired three months prior. Please don't let us get a ticket on the way home, she silently prayed, vowing to take care of the oversight first thing in the morning.

True to her word, Elaine went to the DMV the next day. But when she finally got her turn at the counter, the clerk was not pleased. "Have you been driving this car since December?" the clerk asked with attitude. After Elaine explained her recent loss and the reason for the oversight, the clerk changed her tone and proceeded to process the registration. As Elaine was waiting, her eyes wandered around the clerk's cubicle and locked onto her son's face. Pinned to the wall was one of the bookmarks Elaine had made in Josh's honor for his funeral.

"Where did you get that bookmark?" Elaine asked.

The puzzled clerk turned around and said, "A coworker gave it to me. I was going through a really hard time in my life, and it has given me a lot of courage. The verse on it always puts me in a good mood."

Elaine explained that the person on the bookmark was her son. Awed and humbled, the clerk made the rest of the transaction as pleasant as possible. Josh was pulling strings again.

Elaine likes to be away from home on Josh's birthday, April 23, and on holidays. She knew she had quite a story to tell — of her journey from Christian fundamentalism to a more open, accepting faith; and of her son's constant reminders that he really hasn't gone away — and she contemplated the possibility of sharing her story through public speaking.

Elaine wanted to tell her story with humor, so she decided to contact Judy Carter, author of The Comedy Bible and The Message of You. Elaine had used Judy's comedy principles back when she was in sales. Elaine hired Judy to coach her, and before she knew it, she was in one of Judy's workshops in Los Angeles. Judy is a hilarious comic who happens to be gay and Jewish, and the two became fast friends. Before long, Elaine found herself telling her story onstage in Austin.

Which brings us back to that seemingly ordinary day that a video of Elaine's speech arrived in my inbox. Elaine and I have since spoken about her journey of faith and transformation. She was open and helpful with all the parts of her story that I hadn't known. We plan on having dinner soon during my next trip to Texas.

In my teachings, I often mention a quote from Albert Einstein: "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." Elaine's story is too incredible to be fiction. Isn't it possible that the spirit world and our loved ones who reside there can in some way affect our lives in this physical dimension? And doesn't it make sense that the strong connection that Elaine and Josh had in the physical would continue even though Josh is no longer physically here?

Energy doesn't die. Especially the energy of love, which is what we are all made of. Our loved ones don't stop loving us when they pass out of the physical world into the spirit world. In fact, because their energy is no longer focused through the three dimensions of their human brains, they are able to be closer to us than when they inhabited a body. They are Omnipresent. They Nurture us. Their Energy never dies. We are ONE.

CHAPTER 2

Only Kindness Matters

Sunny Dawn Johnston

Just a few hours into a hospice volunteer training, we were given our first assignment: Write your own obituary. All of us, except for one big, bearded biker guy, went out to write among the red rocks of Sedona. This man, Tim, looked scary, actually, but as I wondered what had brought him into hospice work, I heard Spirit answer with the term "gentle giant." When Tim rejoined us after stealing a smoke break behind one of the buildings, I offered him some paper for his obituary. With the nicotine still on his breath, he said to me, "I'm not writing no fuckin' obituary. I don't even want one when I die." And with that, our friendship began.

Over the next twelve years, I would come to appreciate our soul connection. Tim and I would ebb and flow into each other's lives. He would come to some of my classes, see me for private sessions, and show up at events here and there. Each time I would see him, my heart would expand a little more. Tim lived hard and played hard — and I loved his spirit and his spunk and his tell-it-like-it-is nature. He was an inspiration, a challenge, a teacher, and a student — all at the same time. Most of all, Tim was dedicated to being of service.

Over the years, I got to know Tim's family and some of his friends as well. He would teach classes at my healing center once in a while. It was a joy to see him in the role that fit him so well, and that truly did fill him up.

Years passed, and one day he came in to see me for a private session. When I walked in, I could feel that something was wrong; and as I sat down with him, my spirit knew. Tim shared with me that he had been placed on hospice care. The years of playing hard had finally caught up with him, and his heart was only functioning at 15 percent. We sat and talked. Tim loved his family and was afraid to leave them, as he did not want to think of the grief they would have to live through to go on without him. I'd never seen Tim cry before, but that day he did, and as he cried, I could tell he was in his head rather than in his heart. So, I put my hand on his heart and called his attention there. "Okay, my friend, it is okay to feel sadness. But let's listen to what your heart, your spirit, has to say. What do you choose to focus on? Your fear, or your love?"

He responded with a question for me. "What is going to happen, Sunny? Am I going to die?"

I responded, "Yes, Tim, you are going to die; but not on my shift ... not anytime soon."

A week later we found ourselves back in Sedona — I was presenting at a hospice fund-raiser, and Tim and his wife were special guest attendees. The rough and tough biker I had met eleven years ago now resembled more of that gentle giant, as my spirit had referred to him. No longer able to walk on his own, Tim's loyal wife Teri stayed by his side, pushing his wheelchair. His body was weakening, but his spirit was still strong. During the event, I invited Tim up onstage to share what it was like for a hospice volunteer to be on the other side of the bed. His sharing led to applause and tears.

A year passed without much communication, which again wasn't uncommon for Tim and me. Our spirits were always connected, though, so even though we didn't see each other face-to-face we were always "in touch." However, on the same morning that I received a call that one of my longtime students had passed away the day before, I received another message from Spirit. It was very clear: Go see Tim. As divine timing would have it, just a few hours after rearranging my schedule, I received an e-mail from Tim's daughter asking if I would come and see him. I told her I would be there on Friday.

It was a beautiful January afternoon when Robin, a dear friend of mine and Tim's, and I headed out to his house. Just before leaving, Spirit guided me to put some archangel coins in my pocket. Four coins were safely tucked away to share with Tim and his family, to remind them that the angels are with them all during these last few days.

We were greeted with many hugs from Tim's wife and daughter and hellos from a bunch of other family members. I was surprised that there were so many people all hanging out in the living room where Tim had set up shop over the last few months of his life. It was as if he was holding court, with everyone gathered around his recliner, taking in every precious moment. As I got through the hellos, I finally saw Tim sitting in his recliner, oxygen mask strapped on, a very different man than the one I had met twelve years earlier. This man was softer, quieter, and afraid.

"Good morning," he said, as I walked over and gave him a hug. He squeezed me — hard. Our souls were happy to see each other again. We chatted about life, family, the weather. After a half hour or so, though, it was time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Tim said, "Sunny, what am I going to do? Am I going to die now?"

I responded with a smile as I got up and took his hand. "Tim, you tell me. What are you going to do? It is up to you, my friend."

He half smiled and half cried. He just wanted an answer, one that I couldn't give him — not yet, anyway. I could feel that his body was tired, that his life force had diminished, and that he was very close to transitioning. Death is such a personal journey, one our physical self struggles to discern. As Tim and I talked about what he was going to do, I watched him move between this world and the next. He would say something very profound and direct, and then he would drift away and mumble. I've been with many people during their transition process, and I have found this dance between two worlds to be perfectly normal, and fascinating to witness.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from When Heaven Touches Earth by James Van Praagh, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Lisa McCourt. Copyright © 2016 James Van Praagh, Sunny Dawn Johnston, and Lisa McCourt. Excerpted by permission of Hierophant Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction by Lisa McCourt,
1. Spirit Strings James Van Praagh,
2. Only Kindness Matters Sunny Dawn Johnston,
3. All That Matters Lisa McCourt,
4. The Real Deal Chelsea Hanson,
5. Constance Kristen Marchus-Hemstad,
6. Still There Wendy Kitts,
7. Mermaid's Message Phoenix Rising Star,
8. Grandma's Gifts Marla Steele,
9. Through the Heart of a Child Shelly Kay Orr,
10. The Documentary Ellen Cooper,
11. A Mother's Gift Kathy Jackson,
12. POP! Goes the Dryer Janet Rozzi,
13. Undying Friendship Michelle McDonald Vlastnik,
14. The Spirit of Cancer Jodie Harvala,
15. The Miracle of Marc Jean Mulvihill,
16. Conversations with Max Mandy Berlin,
17. A Divinely Orchestrated "Accident" Karen Hasselo,
18. A Father's Message Vicki Higgins,
19. The Mirror with a Message Laurel Geise, DMin,
20. The Golden Eiffel Tower Christie Melonson, PhD,
21. My Mother's Gift Kim Dayoc,
22. The Gift Thea Alexander,
23. Moving Beyond Fear Jessica McKay,
24. The Heart of an Intuitive Parent Debra J. Snyder, PhD,
25. Miraculous Cracks Karen James,
26. Surrender Avenue Jacob Nordby,
27. Angel in Disguise Shanda Trofe,
28. Life After Death Heidi Connolly,
About the Authors,