Read an Excerpt
Chapter 1
I was born on a Tuesday morning. It was a difficult birth, because I was thirty-four years old.
I opened my eyes, and saw a long bar of blue-white light. It hung directly over me, making me realize I was lying on my back. Looking into the light made my eyes hurt, so I closed them, welcoming the darkness. But then it seemed particularly important to see that light again, so I reopened my eyes, blinking repeatedly to adjust to the glare.
I became aware of movement. A blurry female figure clad in white entered my view on one side. I lay staring at her, instinctively trying to blink her into focus, but with no success. Suddenly she drew closer, leaning down over me. For a brief moment our eyes met. Then I blinked.
"Jesus," she said. The name sounded familiar.
She disappeared from view, and I realized that I couldn't raise or turn my head to try to locate her. In fact, the only thing I could feel - or move - was my eyes. I had a vague sense that this was not good.
Although she was out of my sight, I could hear her. She was speaking, a rapid stream of words I wasn't quite able to follow. Other voices joined in, overlapping each other in conversation, and the name Jesus came up repeatedly.
I formed my first conscious thought: I must be Jesus.