Pastor, Former Boxer Tells of Heavenly Encounter after Brain Aneurysm
A former professional boxer, now turned Hollywood pastor, is currently on a book tour to share about a trip he had to Heaven following a brain aneurysm.
Published by Word Harvest Books, Heaven's Golden Vessel chronicles the personal account of Bishop Earthquake Kelley's visit to the other side, and how God has sent him back to give a message to this generation.
The book tour is an attempt to gain coverage for the book which was released in January 2006.
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"This is an exhilarating story about Heaven," reviewed Dr. Jessica Davis, publisher of Word Harvest Books. "As I read Bishop Earthquake's account, I was transported to Heaven with him."
Kelley's out-of-body experience occurred on Dec. 1, 2004, as he was sitting on the side of his bed about to go to sleep. At that moment, he noticed his head did not feel right, which was followed by a painful electric shock.
"It felt like a hundred volts hit me in the head and traveled down to my shoulders," the author explains in his book. "The pain that followed felt like twenty men were punching me with their fists."
Kelley was unaware that he was having a brain aneurysm, which according to the bishop, marks the last two hours to two weeks of your life. He was then rushed to the emergency room, but passed away in his hospital bed.
Heaven's Golden Vessel then tells about how Kelley remembers rising and looking at his dead body and traveling to Heaven. While in Heaven, Kelley speaks to his loved ones, including a visit with his murdered son, as well as a conversation with God himself. During this talk, the preacher receives a message to give to this generation, the reason he could not stay in the other realm.
"I cried, laughed and repented by the end of the book," commented Davis. "I look forward to seeing my loved ones again with greater anticipation after reading this book. Bishop Earthquake, on behalf of this generation, thank you for bringing this word from Heaven."
Kelley was born one of eleven children in Stamford, Conn., and was the son of a Haitian voodoo practitioner. As a child, he learned more than 1,000 witchcraft techniques, and began to have drug problems starting at the age of four. This led him into a life of drug dealing and abuse.
Following a drug overdose, he gave his life to the Lord during a revival in Milwaukee in 1971.
At the age of 14, he was recruited by a boxing manager who knew his reputation as being a "bad kid," and encouraged him to step into the ring. Kelley had approximately 20 professional fights between 1986 and 2001.
During his boxing career, he began a substance abuse ministry called the B.R.I.D.G.E. in Carson, Calif., which later moved to the West Adams Foursquare Church. In 1991, Kelley founded The Bridge of Hope Church, which in 2005, became known as Bridge of Deliverance.
