Imagine Heaven Podcast with John Burke

Episode: Superintendent's Unbelievable Accidental NDE After Appendix Bursts

Date: November 4, 2025

Overview

In this episode, John Burke sits down with Mike McKenzie, a superintendent for a real estate development company and grandfather of fifteen, as he recounts his remarkable near-death experience (NDE) following a burst appendix. Mike’s story reaches beyond a dramatic brush with mortality, delving into a vivid encounter with Jesus, a vision of heaven, and a life-altering three-hour conversation with Christ while in the hospital. The episode explores profound themes of faith, the reality of heaven, the personal involvement of God in everyday life, and how long-awaited childhood prayers may be answered in unexpectedly powerful ways.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Lead-Up: Mike’s Illness and Crisis (02:25–06:14)

• Mike falls terribly ill just before his son’s wedding, experiencing escalating symptoms he attributes to the flu.
• After enduring days of severe pain and fever, he finally seeks medical help; against his protests, the nurse suspects appendicitis, confirmed by a creative but painful diagnostic test.
• Mike’s appendix had ruptured, and his condition becomes dire as he is prepped for emergency surgery.

2. The Near-Death Experience: Entering Heaven and Meeting Jesus (07:21–16:18)

• The Encounter: As he’s about to be anesthetized, Mike suddenly perceives Jesus entering the room in a physical form while everything else fades into sparkly fog.
• Jesus holds out his hand, saying, “I want to answer your prayer.” (07:24)
• Upon taking Jesus’ hand, Mike finds himself in a transcendent place—a hill with vivid grass, flowers, a sprawling city with white steeples, and a dazzling sky.
• Heightened Senses: He describes, “My senses were heightened to the point where I could count every single blade of grass that was touching my feet.” (09:19)
• He witnesses beams of light (like fluorescent tubes) from a glowing source, one strikes him with a warming sensation. The beams cross the city, igniting fireworks-like bursts atop pine trees.
• Jesus explains, “It’s the glory of the Lord.” (14:29)
• The overwhelming beauty and holiness cause Mike to fall to his knees, at which point he’s shocked back to life in the operating room.

3. Immediate Aftermath (16:18–20:10)

• Mike awakens confused, realizing he had coded and required resuscitation; a nurse puts away the defibrillator paddles.
• The surgeon later shares, “Yours is the worst case I’ve ever seen where the patient lived. God’s not done with you yet.” (19:00–20:10)

4. Processing the Experience: Jesus’ Appearance and Message (20:25–25:43)

• What Did Jesus Look Like? Mike recalls Jesus in a white robe and sandals, with dark hair and olive skin—quite unlike the “blond” Jesus from childhood imagery.
• “When the Savior of the world looks you in the eye and stands before you, you’ll know.” (21:36)
• The love Jesus exuded was unlike anything Mike had ever felt: “It’s indescribable. Like a kid that wanted a family forever...that love, like it’s indescribable.” (22:29)
• Answered Prayer: As a child, Mike had nightly prayed for God to show him heaven and the glory of the Lord—he realizes the NDE is the literal answer, albeit 40 years later.

5. Life After the NDE: Lasting Change, Healing, and a Second Visitation (26:36–37:03)

• Mike struggles to communicate the experience, overcome by emotion; it takes three days before he can tell his wife.
• Developing pneumonia post-surgery, Mike describes a second, three-hour audible conversation with Jesus in his hospital room. Jesus says: “Michael, I needed to get you flat on your back, away from all the distractions so you could hear me.” (29:17)
• Mike describes this as fully audible, witnessed by no one else. He repeatedly questions the reality, and Jesus reassures him.

6. The Aftermath: Sharing the Story, Skepticism, and Validation (37:03–40:06)

• Initially, Mike is hesitant to share the three-hour hospital encounter due to disbelief and skepticism from friends. Jesus reassures him, “You don’t have to tell this part yet.” (32:03)
• Over the years, Mike writes a fictionalized account (“Accidental Heaven”), gives interviews, and sees his story published—eventually feeling released to share everything openly.
• Jesus told him prophetically, “Our story is going to be heard by millions.” (37:25)

7. Integration Into Life: A Changed Relationship with God (40:13–54:17)

• Mike transitions from a “Sunday Christian” to someone in continuous conversation with God, even in mundane matters (e.g., finding a lost screwdriver).
• He learns to listen and respond to God’s promptings, sometimes audibly, sometimes as persistent thoughts.
• John Burke affirms these daily connections, sharing how the Spirit often nudges him, and how learning to notice and obey these “random” thoughts can transform one’s faith.

“He cares that much. He loves me that much. Like if that was my dad, he’d say ‘Hey dummy, it’s in your truck!’” – Mike McKenzie (50:41)

8. Practicalities, Struggles, and Spiritual Warfare (54:18–63:53)

• Jesus encourages Mike to seek a genuine relationship: more prayer, Bible reading, listening throughout the day. This shift was gradual, not instantaneous.
• Mike describes the “valley” experiences that followed: personal losses, his marriage ending, adversity in his church—emphasizing that adversity increased after stepping out in faith.
• Jesus warned, “When you step out in faith, the enemy steps up his attack.” (60:05)
• John affirms: “We don’t have to take it lying down. We can fight. And you fight in your spirit. You resist the evil one, and he flees from you.” (63:34)

9. Reflections on Grief, Hope, and the Reality of Heaven (64:17–68:59)

• Tragedies like the Mystic Camp flooding, loss of children, and other evils raise difficult questions; Mike and John both affirm that the reality of heaven doesn’t remove grief but provides hope for reunion.
• Mike: “We are made to live forever...we can’t wrap our mind around eternity.” (65:49)
• Discussion on the perceptions of time in heaven: “...the surgery lasted a couple hours. For me it was maybe 10 minutes. Time didn’t work the same.” (66:58)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 07:24 | Mike | “I look to my right, and Jesus walks through the door in a physical. A physical body. And I was shocked. I was like, what is going on?” | | 09:19 | Mike | “My senses were heightened...I could count every single blade of grass that was touching my feet.” | | 14:29 | Jesus (to Mike) | “It’s the glory of the Lord.” | | 19:00 | Surgeon | “Yours is the worst case I’ve ever seen where the patient lived. God’s not done with you yet.” | | 22:29 | Mike | “He looked into my soul. I just feel this love like I’ve never experienced before coming from Jesus.” | | 25:43 | Mike | “I prayed as a kid: ‘God, that sounds like a really cool place. Could you show me heaven?’ … became kind of a nightly prayer for years… He was faithful. He answered prayers.” | | 29:17 | Jesus (to Mike) | “Michael, I needed to get you flat on your back, away from all the distractions so you could hear me.” | | 37:25 | Jesus (to Mike) | “Our story is going to be heard by millions.” | | 50:41 | Mike | “He cares that much. He loves me that much. Like if that was my dad, he’d say ‘Hey dummy, it’s in your truck!’” | | 60:05 | Jesus (to Mike) | “When you step out in faith, the enemy steps up his attack.” | | 65:49 | Mike | “We are made to live forever. We can’t comprehend that. We can’t wrap our mind around eternity.” |

Important Timestamps

• [02:25] Mike recounts onset of illness at the family wedding
• [07:21] First supernatural experience; Jesus appears
• [14:29] Jesus reveals, “It’s the glory of the Lord”
• [16:18] Mike resuscitated; realization he’d died
• [19:00] Surgeon: “God’s not done with you yet.”
• [22:29] Mike describes Jesus’ soul-penetrating love
• [25:43] Mike connects the NDE to decades-old childhood prayers
• [29:17] Second, three-hour conversation with Jesus in ICU (“needed to get you flat on your back”)
• [32:03] Jesus tells Mike he does not have to share the hospital conversation yet
• [37:25] Jesus predicts “Our story is going to be heard by millions”
• [50:41] Mike’s story about the lost screwdriver and God’s affection
• [60:05] Jesus warns that faith invites greater spiritual attack
• [64:17] Deep reflections on loss, tragedy, eternity, and hope

Thematic Insights

God’s Personal Involvement

• God cares about both the big crises and the smallest details, like a lost screwdriver or worries at work.
• “We kind of think, ‘Oh, the Lord is so big and busy, he doesn’t care about the things like, I lost my screwdriver…’ and that’s just the opposite. He’s so big, so amazing, he can care about every little detail...” – John Burke (50:51)

Answered Prayer—On God’s Timetable

• Childhood prayers, even those whispered for years and forgotten, may be answered decades later; God’s timeline is perfect but often surprising.

The Evolution of Faith

• Profound spiritual experiences can transform surface-level, ritualistic faith into a vibrant relationship grounded in daily communication, listening, and trust.

Hardship and Spiritual Resistance

• Stepping out in faith may bring increased adversity (“the enemy ups his attack”); but believers are not powerless and can “fight” spiritually by resisting, leaning on the authority of Christ.

The Reality (and Mystery) of Heaven

• Vivid, hyper-real sensory experiences; overwhelming love and beauty; new understanding of eternity and time. The “veil” between the physical and spiritual seems thin after NDEs.
• Grief for earthly loss remains, but the hope of heaven provides solace, promise, and perspective.

Conclusion

Mike McKenzie’s NDE is not just a dramatic tale of survival—it’s a compelling testament to the reality of heaven, the persistent compassion of God, and the possibilities of a personal walk with Jesus that extends into the trivial and routine. The episode invites listeners to ask: What prayers have I let go of that God still remembers? How might I invite God into the details of my ordinary moments? How can I listen, respond, and walk more closely with the God who “wants to be involved in every detail” of my life?

“He loves you. He hears every prayer. And he wants to do life with you—even the smallest things.” – John Burke (51:20)

Resources Mentioned

• Book by Mike: “Accidental Heaven”
• Book (John Burke): “Imagine Heaven”, “Soul Revolution”
• Bible App: YouVersion, especially the “Bible Recap” reading plan

For listeners seeking inspiration, comfort in grief, or a deeper experience of God’s presence, Mike’s witness offers hope that our lives are seen, known, and cherished in ways far beyond what we imagine on earth.