Heaven is for Real

Scott brought home Heaven is for Real a few months ago.  I hadn’t heard much about it, but the title intrigued me and after reading the back of it, I put it on my must-read list.

 

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During a cozy night in, I finally sat down and started reading the book.  It started out with a car ride with father and son, then quickly jumped into a flashback of what happened to a little boy named Colton, just three months before a his incredible survival story started.

For the next few nights, I became glued to this chair anxious to see what happened chapter after chapter.

It is a quick read, and one could easily finish the book in a day or two.

Summary

When he was almost four years old, Colton Burpo almost died from a burst appendix.  During an emergency appendectomy, his family prayed for his recovery, but his chances of survival were slim to none.  After an hour an a half in the operating room, Colton miraculously starts his road to recovery and his family was thankful.

While riding past the hospital three months later, Colton tells his first story about how “angels sung to him in the hospital.”  He went on to describe where his father was praying during the surgery and what his parents were doing.  Over the next few years Colton continues to share stories about his claimed trip to heaven and back, including conversations with family members he had never met previously in life.

Colton describes specific details about the Bible, though he had not yet heard these stories or learned how to read.  He then goes on to describe Jesus, what heaven looks like and how “nobody is old and nobody wears glasses.”

You can find more information on the Heaven is for Real website, and meet the Burpo family in following interview, originally aired March 21, 2011 on NBC Today.

Interested?  You can get a copy of this book for under $10 from Amazon.com.

My Thoughts and Review

Todd Burpo tells a his story based on the experiences of his then almost four-year-old little boy Colton’s trip to heaven and back.  The book describes experiences Colton speaks of over a series of years, portraying details that reference stories straight from the Bible.

From physical descriptions of Jesus to stories about past loved ones he had never met, it is clear that Colton relays specific information that is impossible for a child his age to even know, much less understand.

While reading, I found myself literally saying the word “wow,” out loud, several times.  Just when I thought I read something astonishing, the next out-of-this-world story was just a few pages later.

After finishing the book, I spent a good amount of time surfing the web for videos of Colton.  I became engaged in television interviews and home videos, and a few that stood out to me are here and here.

Although some might be skeptical, I fully believe that Colton is telling a true story.  Todd is a pastor, yes, but in no way could that affect what Colton could have retained as a four-year-old child.

The book is told by his father, but the stories are often described with exact quotes and phrases from Colton himself.

Today, Colton is eleven years old and lives a healthy life in Imperial, Nebraska.  After being a #1 New York Times Bestseller and over three million copies in print, there is even talk of making a movie of this amazing story.

I always have and I always will believe that heaven is for real.

Questions of the Day

What is your take? Is it possible this little boy was granted such a great gift?