Book Review: 'Heaven is for Real' by Todd Burpo

Since even adults grapple with understanding the mysteries of heaven, how can a child not yet four-years-old relay to his parents that he took a trip to heaven and back? And how can a parent weave together the events of that trip as expressed through the language skills of such a young child and make those events real and meaningful for the reader?

The story of Colton and his trip to heaven and back is told by his father, Todd Burpo, pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska. Colton was in surgery when his out-of-body experience happened; he began to share bits and pieces of the time he spent in heaven with his family about four months after the surgery.

Early in the book Todd Burpo describes his son as a "smart, funny little guy with a black-and-white way of looking at life." That description stuck with me as I read the matter-of-fact statements that Colton would make to his parents that were based on what he said he saw and did while in heaven. Everything was stated with no wiggle room for believing - according to Colton this is exactly what he now knows about heaven, Jesus and God.

Over the matter of months that stretched into years (he was born May 19, 1999), Colton shared details of his trip to heaven that encompassed many experiences and stories pertinent to his family members about which he could not have been knowledgeable at such a young age. As a pastor, Todd Burpo was able to match what he heard to passages from the Bible and to events that had happened in their own family regarding the death of his grandfather, and an early miscarriage by Colton's mother.

I read this book in less than two hours last evening in one sitting, not wanting to put the book down as the story that unfolds is very compelling. I was left wishing for much more detail, although Colton's parents had the responsibility of deciding just how much they would press the young boy whenever he volunteered information about his time in heaven.

One thing that was often mentioned in the book is that the parents would show Colton pictures of Jesus from various sources, and the little boy would always say that they were "not right."

When Colton was seven, Todd Burpo received an email that directed him to a link with a short segment by CNN that was about Akiane Kramarik (Ah-kee-ahna). This 12-year old girl had been four when she started sketching faces and six when she began painting what she says she sees in visions. One of her paintings was of Jesus, the painting being named "Prince of Peace: The Resurrection."

Deciding to ask Colton about this picture of Jesus, Todd Burpo summoned Colton to view the picture on the computer, asking "What's wrong with this one, Colton?"

Utter silence.

Colton's father stated that he nudged him in the arm, asking again, "Colton?"

According to Burpo, the answer was, "Dad, that one's right."

You can view the video about Akiane Kramarik and see her painting of Jesus by clicking here.

"Heaven is for Real" is a compelling read by any standards. I recommend it for anyone seeking to read a book on the topic of the reality of heaven that is told by events and experiences as relayed by a child - a perspective that is quite different from what is often reported in stories of out-of-body experiences of adults.

Book excerpts are available at http://www.heavenisforreal.net/

See also by R.C.: Book Review: 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphey

Sources:
Burpo, Todd, Heaven is for Real: a little boy's astounding story of his trip to heaven and back, Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2010.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmm-0-Rdxo8&feature=related