Heaven is for Real is a bio of a “near death” experience (NDE) but without all the “weird” and “sketchy” images that usually accompany such stories.

My review takes a positive approach. I believe Colton’s experience was genuine and his report is as accurate as any retelling of an event can be. And since heaven is not only real but very close we shouldn’t be surprised when it bleeds through occasionally.

The story is different in that it doesn’t focus on “long tunnels with lights at the end” or the sensation of watching medical personnel feverishly operate from a hovering out-of-body perspective. It is a matter of fact story shared from the perspective of an almost four-year-old child who had no preconceived ideas beforehand and explains everything casually. To him it wasn’t strange.

Colton Burpo, just before his fourth birthday, has a ruptured appendix that is misdiagnosed for several days. Because the event takes place in rural Nebraska, medical personnel and facilities are few and far between. The experience involved miles of travel between hospitals and desperate dependence on professionals who were not hopeful but gave it their best shot. His death was so expected his recovery was dumbfounding.

But recovery, though miraculous, is not the story. God’s answering many prayers in a hopeless situation is also not the story. Heaven is. [Read more…] about Review: “Heaven Is For Real” by Todd Burop