I was recently able to procure a few books thanks to a wonderful Christmas giftcard from my sweet in-laws. I love books and usually find myself in the throws of 2 or 3 at once. Some books want to be savored and processed so I am a little slow with them. Some are "I need to finish this book!" kind of books. For me those are usually other people's stories. I love it when someone else shares their story. It is so sweet when someone is able to look back and see God's fingerprints all over an experience even if they may not have felt it so strongly at the time.
So it is my goal to try and read a book at week and share with you if I think it is with your valuable time and dollars. Unless you go to the library, then it's free. I don't do the library. I am forgetful and oftentimes the fines would have bought me the book. I do love going to the library, I love being surrounded by the possibilities in all those books but it's not for me.
All of the books I mention can (and should be) purchased from your local Christian book store. Full disclosure, my sister owns one and I have seen that by supporting the store in your purchases you are also supporting a very real, valuable ministry for the people who come in there seeking. Another disclosure, I don't have a small, Christian bookstore nearby, just a chain store, which is good, but I don't get my books there because....yet another disclosure, I have a nook and read my books on that. When we moved I had to get rid of books because of the volume I like to have around me and that was awful. This way my little books are in one compact little place. Ok, onward and upward. :)
The first book in the recently purchased "stack" is "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. What I really want to do it tell you EVERYTHING about this book but then you may decide you don't need to read it since you know everything. This book excited me, comforted me and didn't just leave me wanting heaven but it gave real comfort that God hears us, Jesus intercedes for us and the Holy Spirit does a work in us here on earth.
Here's the summary. The story is about Colton Burpo who was 4 years old when he was having emergency surgery and at some point in the surgery he left his body and went to heaven. Todd, his father, writes about what Colton shared over the course of a 1-2 years after the experience. A few of the things he described where how he saw his father praying during the surgery, meeting family members who had gone to heaven before him, seeing angels and having tiny angel wings. That may seem like things a preschooler may think about but theres more. There's things that a preschooler would likely not have learned in their Sunday School-how Jesus has a white horse (Revalation 9), "rainbows "around God's throne (Revalation 4), the Holy Spirit who "shoots power down" on us.
While all of those things are awesome, the point that this book drove home to me is how children are so, so, so special to Jesus. I believe children, because of their innocence, have the ability to see things that adults don't. I remember almost 17 or 18 years ago, a sweet friend of mine lost her precious baby girl to SIDS. My friend's son was 3-4 years old at the time. One day when they were together, the little guy told his mom he wanted to go see his sister. My friend thought he meant the cemetary and told him sure they could go there. But the little guy persisted and said "No, I want to go to her house. I saw her and her house, it's beautiful." How many preschoolers know John 14:2 "In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."?
It is amazing to me that God used the words and experience of a 4 year old boy to make the concept of Heaven a reality, again in my and so many other's minds. So sweet, so beautiful. I highly recommend this book. You will want to tell someone else about it too.
blessings,
joy
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