“Heaven is for Real” is a quick read of 150 pages, a book hard to put down, and an exciting faith booster. The action moves along quickly, never boring or dragging in any part. It pulls the reader through four year old Colton’s visit to Heaven during a life-threatening surgery, an appendectomy after his appendix ruptured, leaving him near death.
It also details the days of anguish and trials his family went through at the time.
Written by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, who also aided Sarah Palin with her book “Going Rogue,” it was published by Thomas Nelson. It is the amazing story that four-year-old Colton Burpo told his parents about his time in Heaven, a number one best seller.
Todd Burpo, pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska, and his wife Sonja, first became aware of Colton’s heavenly visit when he offhandedly told them about angels singing to him.
In conversations over time, Colton described Heaven, Jesus, the throne, and angels.
In the simple terms of a young child, he told his parents things many details that he could not have known from the simple stories read to him or videos he saw. His father illustrates the many cases where he realized that the child’s description meshed with certain verses found in the Bible.
Among his amazing revelations:
Colton described Jesus as a man with brown hair and blue eyes that sparkle. He wore a white garment with a purple sash. Colton said Jesus loves children and let him sit on His lap. He named specific children in heaven with him, but no longer remembers their names. He described God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus.
He met a sister who died before birth and lamented that he missed her when he returned from Heaven.
In addition, he met his great grandfather named Pop. Pop died long before Colton’s birth. Colton did not recognize the last pictures of Pop in life but when he saw a picture of earlier days, he recognized him instantly. He claimed that everyone in Heaven is young.
He loved playing with swords in his real life and said that the angels have swords to keep Satan out of Heaven. Colton saw the final war, Armageddon, and informed his father that he would be fighting in that war.
Colton, a handsome youngster at age eight, plays trumpet and piano. He enjoys Christian rock music, Greek mythology, and Nebraska football.
I recommend this book to everyone. Thought provoking and interesting, it gives a fascinating glimpse of the riches awaiting those believe.
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/books/heaven-is-for-real-is-publishing-phenomenon
http://shroudofturin.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/akianes-jesus-heaven-is-for-real-and-the-man-in-the-turin-shroud/
Reading the book.