Book Review - "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo

I found out about a pretty neat program not too long ago. I could get free books if I'd agree to write a review. As a lover of books, with over 1,000 of them in my library, I jumped at the chance.

The first book I received was titled "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo. Needless to say, as a pastor I was skeptical! I thought, Oh no, not another I've been to heaven book! Beginning with 90 minutes in Heaven, the market has been flooded by books of peoples accounts of their journey to Heaven, Hell, and the Laundromat! I assumed this book would be little different and I thought I'd wind up relegating this book to the "not worth my time" pile. I was wrong.

"Heaven is for Real" is a a heartwarming, simple, and surprisingly biblical glimpse into a little four year old boy's journey into Heaven. Colton Burpo was four year's old when he found himself at death's door. His family didn't realize he had made his amazing journey until small but shocking revelations that amazed and bewildered his parents began to leak out. Colton didn't just have one sit down conversation, he let his journey be known one startling revelation at a time.

How could this little boy know these things? How could he know about relatives who had died long before he was born? How could someone so young offer such amazing insights into Heaven, Christ, and the glories that await Christians? How could he know things he'd never been taught and couldn't know?

As I mentioned before, I'm a skeptic at heart. A book like this one wouldn't likely catch my attention and certainly wouldn't win any praise from me. So many books like these are fanciful, unbiblical, and simply outright inconsistent with what I know to be true from the Bible. Colton Burpo's story was a refreshing and surprisingly accurate portrait of what awaits each of us whose destiny is Heaven. I read the book with a critical eye, looking for those little details that would prove this story to be at best inaccurate or at worst a fraud. I couldn't find them. His tale seemed honest. His descriptions fit the way a child would describe things, not one whose words had been fed him by an adult. Some of his revelations were simply amazing!

Who would be blessed by this book? I'd honestly say almost anyone. If you've recently lost a loved one or maybe you are a mother who has lost a child to miscarriage. You can find something here that will warm your heart and quite possibly help ease your pain. This book is a sweet, touching, and amazing story. I think you'll be blessed by it.

That said, you might wonder if I found anything in the book I didn't agree with. That's a tough question. I found nothing I'd say was blatantly wrong or in direct contradiction with the scriptures. There were a couple of things that made me raise my eyebrow but I can't quote a verse that says Heaven couldn't be like that, just a couple of things that didn't fit my expectation or interpretation of what Heaven would be like. Those things might make you wonder but I think you'll find they don't detract from what this book is meant to do, strengthen your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and maybe just maybe long for Heaven just a little bit more.

Hope this review helps you make your choice of whether or not to pick up a copy of this book. I'd recommend you do.

Micah

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://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 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Negligent Blogger

I can't believe it has been so long since I've posted on my blog. These last few months have been a whirlwind of medical issues, doctors, a hospital stay, new medicines and just trying to stay afloat!

I promise to get back in the groove again! We've had over 3700 visitors to this blog since we've started. I guess I'll have to get in in gear again if I want to pass 4000! :-)

After a brutally hot summer things are finally cooling off here in Texarkana. I love fall and hope this weather lasts for a while.

This summer saw the church go through the typical summer doldrums but we've seen things begin to pick up a bit as we come into the fall season. I'm sure my off and on absences due to illness haven't helped our attendance but I'm hoping a new regimen I'm on will get me back in the saddle the way I hope to be. I won't know for another couple of weeks whether it is really going to work but if it doesn't I'm planning on changing doctors. So, prayers appreciated on that.

The family continues to do well. I turn 39 on the 16th, so that means Samuel will officially hit the 2 and 1/2 mark! I can't believe my little man is already 2 and 1/2. Wow does it go by fast! Zachary is continuing his blazing path through high school. He is well on his way to finishing all of his high school curriculum by May of next year. This will mean he graduates at 16. He is one smart cookie! He'll go to school locally at first but if all goes well, he'll be able to move on to a bigger school somewhere else when he turns 18. Mom is just hoping it isn't Harvard or Stanford, they are MUCH too far away! :-)

I'm re-reading my favorite book of all time. It is called "The Problem of Life with God" by Tommy Nelson. It is an easy to follow, easy to read overview of the book of Ecclesiastes. He takes what could have been a dry difficult text and makes it come alive. No other book in my library, and I have over 1,000 books, begins to mean as much to me as this one book. I've given it to friends who are hurting, struggling, or grieving. It has never not helped someone understand that life with God is not always easy but it is always worth it. I hope to share some thoughts from the book as I go along in the weeks to come.

I'll have some new pictures of the family in a few days. Some folks have been badgering me for those. I'll do my best to get back in the saddle as I should! Praying God's best for you and yours.

In His Service,


Micah AKA "The Heavy Revy"

Assorted Christmas Pics

The smile says it all!!

Thought I'd post some of our Christmas pics. I know I'm only a month late, but oh well. :-) I have some pictures of Carrie too, but she won't let me post them. She got a Snuggie for Christmas, a bright blue one. She looked like a smurf in all her pictures.....a very cute smurf, but a smurf none the less. I wanted to go on living, so I didn't post them. :-) Here are some more!

Both our boys really enjoyed Christmas!

Daddy.....Christmas WORE me out!

Check out my new Duds I got for Christmas!

I know he'll hate us later, butt man is this picture cute!!!

Daddy, I have no idea why I'm getting all these new toys, but I'm LOVING it!!!

Even my BIG baby still loves Christmas!

Why wrap all the presents, when you can just wrap the kid!
Proof positive we don't need to spend all that money on toys!

SOBBYS!!!!! (Samuel's word for dinosaurs...he used to say Saurs,
now Sobbys....I have no idea where he got Sobbys!) :-)

Daddy.....how could you ever be mad at this face?

Who ME?

Samuel fighting the sleepy monster!

Prayer and Praise

Our two very handsome young men! We are blessed to have such wonderful sons!

After a really nice evening out with my wife, with my little one tagging along, so I guess you can't call it a date night, we settled in for a wild night of partying. I drove to Wal-Mart to buy milk while she baked some pumpkin bread!!! Yep, partying like it is 1899!!!! We sat on our hind parts and watched a Netflix movie. What can we say? We are some wild and crazy folks.

I should have known it was going to be rough night when about 10 pm a kidney stone started moving. Felt like someone had knifed me and was just spinning the blade around! Been up most all of the night, even now it appears no end in sight!

But I don't intend this to be a negative post! My relentless battle with kidney stones is what it is. It is horribly painful and unfortunately, not fatal! ;-)

I did want to share a verse God gave me over the last couple of days and some praise. I am just now seeming to come out of the worst physical tail spin I've had in about 16 months. The last time I've been this bad, I spent 6 days in Baylor hospital and was told to get ready to spend the rest of my life in the wheelchair. So, you can imagine how my last couple of weeks have gone.

I started declining rapidly the day my Uncle Bill went in for surgery. By the day after I was struggling to walk even short distances. I could barely lift my hands above my shoulders. By the second day I could not get out of a chair without assistance. Getting out of bed took minutes, not seconds. My pain has been unbearable. Every muscle seemed to scream with pain. Simple tasks like personal hygiene or getting dressed were quickly becoming huge obstacles. I didn't say a lot about it, because I wanted everyone of my friends to be focused and praying for my Uncle who is very dear to me and not be fixated on me. My condition stinks but is not usually fatal! His was the more serious prayer need by far!

By Tuesday of this week and into Wednesday, I had reached a new low. I was struggling physically that was obvious. I was also struggling mentally and spiritually. It was really difficult seeing all the progress I've made in these last two years just slip away and be right back where I started. My seizures were as bad as I've had them. I've had seizures back to back to back. Days have been spent just barely getting out of bed.

I received a baptist newspaper, The Southern Baptist Texan, in the mail yesterday and my eye was immediately drawn to one story. It was about a burn victim and his amazing story of recovery and faith. In that story, which I will put a link to at the bottom of this post, a verse was given that the Holy Spirit really used to lift me up and encourage me when I needed it most. The verse was this:

"Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD." Ezekiel 37:5-6

I know the context of the verse is different than my personal application, but I know God gave me that verse to encourage me when I needed it. What the world says is dead, what the world says can't ever live again, is never impossible with God. My God is the almighty and living God. Nothing is impossible for Him!

Many of you have already read how some 16 months ago, when I had reached the lowest physical point of my life the Lord assured me in my spirit that HE would heal me of this disease, in His time, and HE would receive the glory! I still believe that, I've never stopped believing it, though I know at times my faith has stumbled. God's faithfulness has never stumbled. I've already seen the doctors prognostications proven wrong. I've gotten so much of my life back, though it is give and take at times. I've been able to return to pastoral ministry, something you would never have believed had you seen me in that hospital bed back then. God is faithful! He can say to this body, LIVE! And it will have life. In Him alone I trust. In Him alone I have complete faith! He is still on His throne and His promises to me from 16 months ago are as true today as they were back then! I will live! I will serve Him! He will receive all the glory! I cannot ask for more!

On the praise front, I am improving. (minus this miserable kidney stone!) :-) It is slow and painful but I was able to drive myself to Walmart last night and grab a small dab of groceries. I know that task seems insignificant, but if you knew how far I'd fallen physically of late, you'd know just how significant that is! By the end of my little jaunt I felt like I had run a marathon and was about to fall out, but I had still done it. All praise to God!

My Uncle Bill Sillivan has made great improvements. He is out of ICU and on the road to recovery! I am so thankful and want to praise God for His wonderful faithfulness in answering the prayers of His people. Thank you for praying for him!

Thank you all for your continued prayers for me and our church New Beginnings. I am going to try and write later today on the church blog a summary of some of the things God has done for us over the last year! What an amazing God we serve!

I still have many questions. I am not sure how long it will take me to recover what I've lost. Not sure just how bad the seizures will be before they get better. Even though I have questions, I know Who has the answers. To God be all glory, power, honor, and praise!

In His Service,

Micah

Here is a link to the amazing article about the burn victim I told you about:

http://www.texanonline.net/default.asp?action=article&aid=6534&issue=12/21/2009

Here are some recent pics of the kiddos:

My almost 15 year old son Zachary. What a fine young man he is becoming!

(And dashingly handsome like his father too!) ;-)

Zachary at two years old....now wait till you see the next one!

Yes, that is the same outfit exactly! We are amazed at how much they look alike! Their smiles are different in the pictures, but we have seen both smiles on both boys so we REALLY see how much they look a like. Samuel is about 5 months younger in this picture than Zachary's picture but since Samuel is a whopper, I don't think it makes a lot of difference!

Happy New Year everyone! We love you all!

The Mauldins, Micah, Carrie, Zachary, and Samuel

The Call Amidst the Storm

I had to write a poem for an English assignment this week. I thought it turned out pretty good. The theme of the assignment was the TRUE meaning of greatness. Greatness being not measured by fame, worldly successes, or any of the world's faulty standards. True Greatness is measured in our response to the storms of life. The question is not will the storm comes, but when will the storms come? Secondly, when the storms come, what will your response be? Will you give up, lay down and die, or will you fight and persevere through the storm?

A Christian friend once handed me a slip of paper with these words:

"Some times God calms the storms. Some times God lets the storm rage, but calms the child." This precious Christian lady suffered the loss of her oldest daughter, having been brutally raped and murdered. A loss no parent should have to endure. What was her response to the storm? She endured, she stayed the course. She did not let Satan have the victory he sought. She chose fight, rather than flight. Through it all, God received all Glory. Can we be asked any less? Are our storms so severe that our case is different? The small measure of suffering that I must endure are but small and insignificant when compared to the price my savior paid for my ransom. To Him be all glory, honor, and praise. Christ is Lord, He is Lord of all. I am but his humble bond slave. If in this life my small and insignificant trials can bring Him but the slightest hint of glory, are they not infinitely worth it? I think they are. Here is the poem I wrote. I hope you like it.

When life assails and life's wind hails
Your sails are torn and tattered
Prevail you must and sail onward just
Though the ship is worn and battered

The shore draws near and rocks you fear
No safety calls and beckons
But strong must stand the Captain's hand
His hand assured and reckoned

Resolved you must and causes just
The hope that drives and wills thus
No fear too great uncertain fate
When duty falls and certain calls us

In His Service,

Micah
An unworthy sinner saved by a marvelous and amazing grace!

My Favorite Non-Biblical Quote - It says it all!

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt 1858 – 1919

"Where are the nine?"

I've seen a lot the last couple of weeks about what people are thankful for. I think that is a great thing. I wonder though, to whom are they thankful? We say all the time how thankful we are for this and for that. But how often do we stop and consider to whom we owe ALL thanks. The following passage ought to serve as a powerful reminder that all of us, and I mean all of us are blessed beyond measure. Certainly life is not always easy, but there is much to be thankful for. Have you stopped and thanked the one to whom you owe your thanks? I wonder, are you one of the nine or one of the very few who come back to the feet of your Master and give Him the thanks He alone is due.

"And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole."
Luke 17:11-19

Which will you be?

May you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday and may you thank the One who matters most. To Him be all glory, and power, and majesty. Jesus Christ is Lord of all or not Lord at all.

In His Service,

Micah