HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, by Todd Burpo

This is a story about 4-year old Colton Burpo, who, according to his father (author and pastor) Todd Burpo, had a heavenly experience when he died briefly on the operating table.  Throughout the course of the book, young Colton reveals bits and pieces to the family about heaven, Jesus, family in heaven, etc.  It is a very easy read and only 154 narrow pages in length.

THEOLOGY:  I've never been thoroughly convinced of what we call today "near death experiences", or NDE's.  I don't recall any accounts in the Bible like the ones given by those who claim to experience them.  The experiences relayed to us in the Bible about heaven are from the standpoint of visions: Ezekiel, John, and Paul to name a few.  In those situations, though, the men were alive and well and in their right minds when they had the visions.  They did not die on earth, depart for heaven, only to return again to tell the story.  Instead, God gave them the visions as they lived on earth.

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't provide us any interviews with those who died and were raised from the dead.  Those people seemed to live in obscurity as they followed Jesus...if they even followed at all.  It is interesting that the authors of scripture did not include these peoples' accounts of what heaven or hell was like.  I wonder if it's because they never happened or if they were skeptical themselves.

So, what explains the explosion of NDE's in modern time?  I don't know. Hollywood?  Vivid imaginations?  Bad tacos?  Nevertheless, I found this book very hard to believe...although the story was told and written well.  One aspect of the account that renders it unbelievable is the following conversation between Colton and Todd (p.72)

"Everybody's got wings," Colton said.
Wings, huh?
"Did you have wings?" I asked.
"Yeah, but mine weren't very big."  He looked a little glum when he said this.
"Okay...did you walk places or did you fly?"
"We flew."

I haven't yet come across a Biblical account of saints in heaven wearing wings, let alone flying from place to place with them.  We read of saints in white robes (in Revelation), but no wings.  We read of angels with wings (Ezekiel), but no saints.  This is one of those aspects of the story that make me believe it's more about a 4-year old's wily imagination than a true heavenly experience.  (Other portions of the story render it unbelievable, but I only have so much space to write.)

On the other hand, how did young Colton know he had a sibling in heaven due to miscarriage?  Todd wrote that nobody ever told Colton this, but we can't be sure as readers.  How did young Colton know while he was on the operating table that his daddy was in a certain room praying?  How did young Colton know many of the things he was not privied to other than via a heavenly experience?  I don't know.  I guess you'll have to read the book and come to your own conclusion.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars...not for theology, but for at least having the courage to put this story out there in print.  Also for the readability.


I review books given to me for free for "Book Sneeze".

WHAT DO YOU DESERVE?

Do you remember this guy?  Maybe not by face, but he's the one who took a family hostage in New Hampshire, sent the wife to the bank for ransom money, beat the tar out of the husband of the house, tied up the 17 and 11 year old daughters, killed the wife when she returned, then set the house on fire.  The husband escaped and the two girls died of smoke inhalation.

He deserves the death penalty he's getting.

But do you know the difference between him and us?  Not so much that he committed these atrocities; not so much that he destroyed a family.  No.  It's that he knows he deserves what's coming to him.  You and I, on the other hand, think we deserve mercy! 

This guy has simply shown what human beings are capable of doing, given the right set of circumstances...and you are not beyond its reach.  We think our "petty sins" against the Almighty are nothing compared to what this animal did.  Yet, those sins are more heinously gruesome to God than are this man's crimes against society.  We don't hate sin nearly as much as God does, and we think our sin is minor by comparison.

We think we've been "good enough" to deserve demand God's mercy on us.  We think He somehow owes us His forgiveness.  But in reality, you and I deserve justice.  We deserve an eternal death penalty for our sins.  Apart from Christ, we are left to bear the consequences of our own sin before the Almighty.  But the Spirit of life in Christ has set us (those who abide in Christ and who are His) free from the law of sin and death. Thank God Christ would be sin on our behalf.

GOD IS NEAR:

I have a good friend -- a godly friend -- who is going through divorce proceedings with his wife.  After years of hurt, brokenness, and frustration, he decided enough is enough. He is right now going through a time where he feels as though he has disappointed God in the way a child disappoints a loving parent. "My world is turned up-side down, Mike."

I've been close to where he is.  Thankfully, God rescued my marriage, which was running downhill on a one-way track toward divorce.  But, thankfully, I only know just a smidgen of what he's going through. Not all of it, cuz I've never been exactly where he is.

One thing is certain, though: I won't give up on him.  I'm praying for his marriage AND for his broken heart.  I'm praying he'll not feel this despair that he feels that God seems distant or altogether absent.

But here's the saddest part: "All my Christian friends who were once by my side have abandoned me."  Right, wrong, or indifferent, he should be able to lean on his Christian brothers and sisters at a time like this when he needs it most. 

Brother, Jesus Christ died for you and your sins and for your wife and her sins...in spite of knowing that you would be going through exactly what you're going through right now.  He knew you before you knew Him, and He died for you way back when he saw you in the junk you would have to face.  Don't give up, brother.  God loves you, and He definitely hasn't given up on you.  I love you.  And I'm here for you and with you.