Dying to Meet Jesus is an interesting personal
journey. Can you tell us a little about
your accident?
I was returning from a long flight, and to relax after the
journey I went bicycling along the ocean in San Diego. When I returned home, my
calf began swelling and there was a dull ache and heaviness as though I was
lifting a large brick whenever I walked. I continued doing my daily routine,
planning for a long awaited vacation with my family after months of stress
having lost two jobs due to layoffs and the failure of a biotech business I had
started. I had been offered a great position with the largest healthcare
company in the world, and things were looking up. But, the swelling and pain
walking continued. Not wanting to interrupt our vacation, I decided to see an
orthopedic physician thinking the calf pain was a muscle strain from exercise.
Instead of giving me an anti-inflammatory prescription, the doctor rushed me to
the ER at the nearest hospital. By the time an ultrasound, blood tests, and CT
Scan were completed, it was discovered that there were six large blood clots
obstructing my pulmonary artery, the main airway to the lungs. I was
suffocating to death. The nurse told me that I was a “dead man walking.” Most
people in my condition die. I was immediately placed on anticoagulants and a
breathing apparatus. I continued gasping for air. The doctor came into my room
to draw blood, but he could not draw any blood from my veins. An infection had
set in through my intravenous line causing infection throughout my body, and
compounding the blood clotting, causing blood clotting throughout my body. I
started convulsing from septic shock and being depriving of oxygen. That is
when I passed out, and my heart stopped for approximately thirty minutes.
What will readers get out of Dying to Meet Jesus?
I pray they will draw closer to God through a deeper understanding
of His love. During my NDE, I met Jesus face to face, and that experience
overwhelmed me with the consuming presence of Jesus Christ. He was Love; unlike
anyone I had ever met. Also, I hope that readers will understand why suffering
exists, and how God uses our brokenness. I know that is a huge question for
most people – “Why does God allow suffering?” I use my stories as well as many
other stories to illuminate how God helps us to overcome pain and suffering to
ultimately experience joy, and a deeper relationship with God. I can certainly
testify that God and heaven are real, since I have been there. Ultimately, I
would hope that readers will feel closer to God, and immensely loved by God.
What inspired you when writing Dying to Meet Jesus?
I had interviewed on GodTV. The host/interviewer had been
the pastor of a church I attended, and he knew about my NDE. During the
interview he asked me about my NDE on air, before an worldwide audience up to
300 million people. I cried. Just remembering my time with Jesus took me to a
place of being completely overwhelmed with Christ’s love and wonder. On the
flight back, I remember staring at my peanuts on the tray, wanting to tuck my
experience with Jesus back into my own personal space and memory, but knowing
that the ‘cat was out of the bag,’ almost 14 years after my NDE. I then
distinctly understood God’s Holy Spirit speaking to me, telling me to write a
book. So I began writing, just as I had done for major publications and for my
self-help books in the past. Only this time I felt that God wanted me to share
not my successes, but my failures. Moreover, He wanted me to share about our
special time together in heaven. I resisted at first, but eventually started
writing Dying to Meet Jesus.
When did you decide to become a writer?
I started writing while a student at Northwestern
University, and wrote some articles for the Chicago Tribune. Then my writing
turned to marketing promotions with Procter & Gamble, and then I freelanced
some articles to various publications while working in marketing and sales for
some medical device and pharmaceutical companies, like Johnson & Johnson.
I’ve written several business articles in publications like Forbes. I wrote my
first book several years ago, and then published a fiction book to test a
different genre. Most of my books are in the business or self-help category,
like The 22 Most Important Things, Daily Keys to Success, and The
Power to Thrive. Dying to Meet Jesus is my first Christian book
based on several true stories, such as my near-death-experience, my daughter’s
struggles, and stories of extreme hardship that others have experienced. Dying
to Meet Jesus is the most significant publication I have ever produced,
because it gets to the heart of God’s love, and attempts to answer the question
as to why God allows suffering in this world.
When writing Dying to Meet Jesus did anything
stand out as particularly challenging?
Oh yes! I did not want to share my NDE with anyone outside
of my wife and less than a handful of people, because it was too personal, and
I did not want my experience with Jesus in heaven to be trivialized. Since
writing Dying to Meet Jesus and meeting other NDE survivors, I have learned
that many if not most have witnessed similar characteristics of heaven. Those
who have met Jesus oftentimes become very emotional, because meeting Jesus is
all-consuming, and unlike any other personal relationship in this life. I even
tear-up thinking about it. The absolute conviction of God’s love, and the
feeling that Christ was completely focused on me was extraordinary. I found it
difficult to explain, but many of the experiences in heaven defy any comparison
to this world. And, trying to answer the question of why a loving God would
permit suffering was at times daunting, but I think the book points the way to
a solution focused on drawing nearer to God.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I enjoy time with family, teaching, and exercising as a way
of countering the damage that was done to my organs and vascular system from my
NDE. My favorite time is time spent with my Lord, Savior, and Friend, Jesus
Christ. Our alone times together are especially close since meeting Him, and
there is nothing…absolutely nothing in this world that compares to times spent
with the Author of Love.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
I have an author page at randykayauthor.com, and a Facebook
page for Randy Kay Author and Dying to Meet Jesus. The book can be found at any
of the major outlets. I just wanted to mention that during the book launch
period, we have been donating a book to charities for each book ordered. For
example, we are donating Dying to Meet Jesus books to our military service men
and women, and to Bridge of Hope, which supplies food, clothing, and other
essentials to those facing extreme hardships. That was our way of practicing
the commandment of loving our neighbors. Thanks for listening and for your
interest. God bless you and yours!