After-Life Experience or Damascus Road Encounter?

BRENTWOOD, TN, January 07, 2013 (Press-News.org) Ask author Jim Maxim if he had a near-death experience that fateful night when he miraculously survived a devastating car wreck, and he will respond with a simple answer: "I don't know, but it changed my life." Readers can make their own judgment when the popular book "Face to Face with God" is released in ebook form as a free download from January 7 through January 11.

"Face to Face with God" tells the true story of Maxim's supernatural experience after an alcohol-induced car crash shattered his face and nearly took his life. Lying in critical condition in the hospital, Jim describes being confronted by demonic figures that "were going to do whatever they wanted to me," says Maxim. But suddenly, another Being appeared before him and Maxim began conversing with this person he now clearly identifies as Jesus. After a long recovery, Maxim reemerged a changed man, giving up his addiction to alcohol and drugs. "I wrote this book for people like the old me who may feel like 'lost causes,'" Maxim said. "I'm living proof God answers prayer, and that absolutely no one is beyond His reach."

Maxim rejected the Christian faith as a young man, choosing instead to make drugs and alcohol his salvation. Maxim's mother was a born-again Christian and prayed for her children consistently, an act which Maxim dismissed. "I didn't understand anything about the bible or prayer," says Maxim. "I thought it was all a waste of time."

But Maxim now believes his mother's prayers saved his life. "When the hospital called my mom to tell her I was in intensive care," says Maxim, "she knelt on her knees and asked God to heal me and specifically she asked that He not allow me to be blind. She was told that my face was shattered and as she prayed, she saw the hand of God reach down and touch my eye. Despite severe injuries to my entire face and head, I never lost my eyesight." Maxim describes his first words to his mother when she walked into his hospital room. "My mouth was wired shut, but I whispered to my mom, 'Jesus is here.'"

Once he was released from the hospital, Maxim began hanging out with his old friends, but quickly realized he was a different man. "They would offer me drinks and drugs and I would just say, 'No thanks. I don't need that anymore.' They couldn't understand what had happened to me. But I knew I had seen God up close--face to face-- and I was never going to be the same."

Maxim has become a sought-after speaker, traveling across the U.S. and to several foreign countries, speaking for various organizations and ministries. Maxim has a special affinity toward prisoners, having spent time in jail when he was an addict. Maxim shared the stage with Prison Fellowship's founder, the late Chuck Colson, at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility in Minnesota and later spoke for the entire staff of Prison Fellowship following Colson's death. Maxim continues to speak at various prisons across the country and spoke to men in several Mexico prisons most recently.

Maxim founded Acts 413 Ministries to promote corporate prayer in the worldwide church body. Acts 413 has hosted two annual prayer events in Maxim's hometown of Philadelphia featuring Pastor Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle, Gary Wilkerson son of David Wilkerson and pastor of The Springs Church, and Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. The annual events have been attended by over 3000 pastors and lay leaders in the Philadelphia area.

Maxim is founder and president of Maxim Automotive and MaximTrak Technologies which helps automotive retailers and OEM's manage and improve profitability and compliance. Maxim serves on the boards of various ministries including People for People and World Impact and is the chair of The Hope Center, an inner-city crisis pregnancy center. Maxim also works with various mission organizations in Africa, ministering to both pastors and children.

Since its release, "Face to Face with God" has been translated into Spanish, Indonesian and Urdu (Pakistan) languages and is now available in over 15 countries around the world. For further information on Jim Maxim, visit www.Acts413.net.