Jeff Taylor’s book has an unusual title because in it he tells an unusual story. At age 4, Taylor died in an ambulance and came back to life about 30-45 minutes later. He knows this story will seem uncertain or impossible to many people, so he researches his book with a faith in God that seeks understanding. Drawing on his experience as a scholar at Dordt University, Taylor investigates what happened, examining medical records and tracking down witnesses as he asks what can be known about the events of that day. His research and reflections lead to a life story that can help readers connect their life stories to the story of life in Christ.
In his preface, Taylor writes, “Sixty years ago, I died. But I did not stay dead.” He describes it as “a story of unexpected loss and unexpected miracle,” and then he asks, “Is it possible? Is it true?” With such questions in mind, Taylor goes on to reflect not only on his experience of death and life but also on how faith can include wrestling with questions and seeking complicated truths.
In his opening chapters, Taylor describes his intensifying illness at age 4; his entry into the Spencer Hospital in his hometown of Spencer, Iowa; the medical decision to transfer him to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa; and his death in the ambulance. These chapters show how the experiences of those around Taylor shaped the care he received. He recalls, for example, a nurse named Lorraine, whose compassionate heart was informed by the near loss of her own young son.
Taylor shows that our life stories affect how we live and treat others, most notably in the story of his mother, Judy Taylor. Jeff describes his mother riding in the ambulance with him, desperate and angry. When he died in the ambulance, “Mom heard a voice.” It was a voice different from anything she had heard before, and still, “She knew it was God.” That voice from God gave Judy encouragement flowing from Psalm 23; it led Judy to speak out loud to her Lord, and when the ambulance driver and nurse asked her what had happened, Judy was able to testify to God’s words to her. The driver and nurse said they also had experienced a presence that brought peace.
Taylor makes a good case for trusting his mother’s testimony in a chapter called “Judy Taylor’s Memory.” He also considers why the Sioux City doctor described his return to life as a miracle when speaking with his parents, but did not use that word in the medical report.
Taylor’s final chapter, “Life and Death,” leads readers to both hope for life after death in a new creation and to pray for “God’s will to be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” The book helps readers consider the three concerns raised by Taylor’s subtitle: Memory, Evidence, and the Question of a Miracle. And in the end, the book invites each reader to grow in faith and in the confidence of the larger Christian testimony that life is found in Jesus Christ. (Orison Publishers)
About the Author
Joel Kok earned degrees from Calvin College (now University), Calvin Seminary, and Duke University. He is grateful to have served congregations in the United States and Canada. He now serves at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa.