Our Guest Laurie Ditto
RYAN: Hello. Welcome to “Something More.” My name is Ryan Bruss. And I’m here with Laurie Ditto. Thank you for being with us.
LAURIE: [laughs] Thank you.
RYAN: And the name of this program today is “Encountering Heaven.” And Laurie has had many experiences in heaven with the Lord. And heaven’s a real place.
LAURIE: Yes.
RYAN: I know it’s in the Bible. I know we talk about it, we sing about it. But it is real.
LAURIE: It is real.
RYAN: And you really have been there.
LAURIE: [laughs] Yes.
RYAN: Well, talk about that. I mean, it’s real.
LAURIE: It is. You know, it’s better than anything that I can tell you. You can’t exaggerate the beauty, and the splendor, and the happiness, and the joy that’s in heaven. And it’s our home. And that’s where we’re headed. Hallelujah.
RYAN: So, are we going to be, when we go to heaven, are we going to be – Are there cherubs that are going to be flying around –
LAURIE: [laughs]
RYAN: – just handing us grapes? And we’re going to be laying around all day? What, Is it a real city? Is it a real kingdom?
LAURIE: [laughs] It is. And I didn’t see that. Although, I have seen angels. They’re mighty. They’re big. When they wear their wings it’s like they’re in dress uniform.
RYAN: Wow.
LAURIE: So it’s a wonderful place. It’s an operating city that I was in. There’s an operating city. And we can’t wait to get there.
RYAN: But it’s a kingdom.
LAURIE: Amen.
RYAN: And there’s a lot. And Jesus said pray like this, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.”
LAURIE: That’s right.
RYAN: So I know you have a real passion to bring heaven down to earth because it’s real. And you talk about how earth is like a playground –
LAURIE: [laughs]
RYAN: – you know, that God made for us.
LAURIE: Right. Right. And so, in heaven there are principles. There are heavenly principles that we really need, to operate in those, to see the kingdom break forth in our lives. So truth is a kingdom principle.
RYAN: Right.
LAURIE: And truth brings us into that reality. So there are a lot of words that were designed for heaven. And if we use them correctly here on the earth then we will get the same principle in heaven that’s happening here.
RYAN: Now you’ve had many encounters in heaven.
LAURIE: Yes.
RYAN: And, tell me about the red dress heaven story.
LAURIE: [laughs] That time I got to heaven, Ryan, I noticed I was not in the typical clothing. Most of the clothing in heaven is beautiful white clothing. And if you could take every single color – and there are colors in heaven that are not on the earth – if you could take every single color and compress it into a dot it would create sequins of, like light. That’s the white. And I was wearing this red dress that was, it was not a beautiful red dress.
RYAN: Hm.
LAURIE: It was cut all wrong. It was for a girl. It was much too tight. Just not a good dress. And I felt very self-conscious in that dress. And there were angels trying to take me to see the Lord, and I didn’t want to go, because I felt inadequate.
RYAN: Inadequate. Yeah.
LAURIE: So I got there. And when they arrived the Lord went to touch my hands. And He loves to grab ahold of us,
RYAN: Really?
LAURIE: or, you know, put His arm around us.
RYAN: And that’s missing in today’s world.
LAURIE: [laughs]
RYAN: A lot of putting your arm around, you know, that touchy –
LAURIE: That’s true. It’s true.
RYAN: So Jesus is kind of touchy-feely. [laughs]
LAURIE: [laughs] And He’s awesome. It’s awesome.
RYAN: Right.
LAURIE: And as soon as He went to touch me, I said, “Don’t touch me, Lord.” And right away He said, “What is the accusation.” And it just started coming out of me. [Sighs] I started telling Him how I don’t believe I am who You say I am.
RYAN: Wow.
LAURIE: Meaning, I didn’t think that I was special or important. And then He would hear that, and He would ask for more. And when the Lord asks for an answer from one of His servants it just, you’re going to answer. And sometimes I didn’t realize the answer that was coming out. I said to Him, “I am a prostitute.” Which was shocking there,
RYAN: Right.
