Book Review: Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

I had heard of this book and was curious about it.  As soon as I saw it available for review I requested a copy.  Heaven is for Real is a "little boy's astounding story of his trip to heaven and back."  It is easy and entertaining to read.

This story is about Colton's emergency room visit, hospital stay and his trip to heaven during his operation.  Once he recovered, he knew details about what his parents were doing during his surgery; along with details about family members who died before he was born.  He's very adamant that "Jesus loves children."  And, for a child his age he remembers lots of details about heaven.

Now that I've given you the quick summary, here's my reflections:  First of all, I had to finish reading the part where they were in the ER and his surgery all in one sitting.  As a mother of a three year old, I can only imagine what I would be going through during something so serious!  However, I'm skeptical of this book.  Todd put scripture references along with the details about heaven.  All of this is great, but I will seek out those things for myself from the Bible to make sure it lines up theologically.  I also had a hard time with how much detail Colton remembered.  This is due to my 3 year old in the house; wondering what details she would say in a similar situation.  I'm not doubting that he had a spiritual experience, but I'm a true believer in the Bible being the true authority about heaven.  Truly, what this book did for me was bring up more questions about heaven and accepting the idea that I won't have all my answers until I see heaven myself. The true authenticity of this story is one thing I will ask God about when I get to heaven.  I'd also be interested to see what Colton does with his life to see if this experience as a toddler affects how he lives his adult life when that time comes.

Overall, I thought this was an entertaining book that brought about good table discussion.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 25