Mary Ann Johnston, author of Sustained by Faith, Messages from Jesus and That Heaven, is also a spiritual-living advisor, healer and retired occupational therapist.

In 1945, when she was five years old, Jesus appeared to her as a radiant, ethereal being. Ever since that encounter, he has been a companion to her, and has given her guidance throughout her life.

At the age of fifty, Mary Ann earned a degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University and then, in 1992, discovered she had a gift for spiritual healing and began integrating it into her personal life and occupational therapy work.

But this gift set her apart from her church family, who because of their religious conservatism, had difficulty accepting the idea that one of their own could be a healer. Mary Ann knew that her beliefs and spiritual growth would be constricted if she remained within the confines of her church, so she left.

In 1998, Mary Ann had a profound awakening. In 2002, at Jesus' behest, she began writing about her spritual experiences, visitations from him and great beings, and their words for humanity at this pivotal time in earth's history. Thus her relationship with Jesus was no longer just for her, but for all people everywhere.

In 2005, in a near-death experience during a heart attack, she visited the heaven she speaks of in her upcoming book, THAT HEAVEN.

Mary Ann feels that, by sharing what she has experienced and received through the blessings of God, she is helping others to draw closer to God, increase the light of their soul, and realize their highest good-divine love and joy.

She teaches workshops and has been a guest speaker at churches in Michigan and the Southwest, speaking about spiritual living, healing, and her experiences with God and Jesus. She co-leads silent retreats at Song of the Morning Retreat, in Michigan, where she resides with her husband, George.