Heaven Is For Real ...by Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent

This was a random pick. I didn't know what the book was about until I was half way through. Yup! I sat glued to it cos I found it intriguing and insightful. The writer claims that the narrations in his book are collected from his 4-year-old who had a Near Death Experience (NDE), went to heaven and saw what it was like. Heaven... I mean, I've been taught about it. I think it exists, though sometimes, I wonder all sorts of thoughts. Often I am like DoubtingThomas...

And so mid way through, I decided to pause a while and google the book. Suffice to say I got a clearer picture but by then my eyes were giving way and I had to give them a break. Some hail this book as being too narrow because it works from the view point of Christianity only. These days, that kind of view point is considered offensive, I mean the 'one-angle-viewpoint'. We try to be inclusive. And very likely imagine how that argument will go. Then there are those who will be totally inspired after reading this book. The fact that this book made it to the Times Bestseller's shows the level of interest in the afterlife. We still want to cling on to that hope, I think. Anyway, after an afternoon of spring cleaning my cupboards, I went back to the book. I managed to finish it before the night was over, in part because it's written in easy language and less than 200 pages thick.

Does heaven exist? Through a 4-year-old who had a NDE (near death experience), it does. For him heaven is for real. And over the next few years (7 years before this book was published), his parents 'collected' the recollections of his experiences which he blurted or mentioned in various situations. So what do I think? For me, I think heaven is real. But that doesn't mean that I believe everything that is written in the book, as much as I may want to, in many instances. These are days where people try to turn (or create) whatever opportunities into something that sells. NDE is something that that has fascinated researchers and lay people. I guess deep down, everyone wants to know where they are headed after this life on this earth is over....

I enjoyed the book. One part of my mind tells me this might be one of those books written for profit. But another part reminds me that I don't know everything. I'm but a mere mortal, with an expiry date, and I wonder too, the beyond. But if one is encouraged to walk more faithfully in his faith because of the book, well, that takes conviction too. Not everyone is willing to let down their veil of self sufficiency for something that is beyond our mortal strength. It takes humility. We'd still like to rely on ourselves, many of us.... we'd like to think of ourselves as self-made, not created by some higher being or get where we are by grace.

The co-author of this book is Lynn Vincent who was Sarah Pailin's ghost writer for Going Rogue, and so some say this book has an agenda, anti abortion, gay, etc... which, for me, are okay agendas. We live in a society that is trying to accept everything these days. They can't be all that good! The first week isn't yet over and I'm already done with my second book this hols... and Book 12 for 2012! Happy!