Heaven is for Real!

    I will start by saying I am a devout Christian who was raised in the Methodist church. Growing up, I was extremely involved at church from Sunday School, to youth group, all the way to choir and childcare. I spent the majority of my weekends volunteering at different church affairs, with my best friend and the time who's father was the church maintenance man. I've been to huge conferences, brimming to the rim with youth that were on fire for God's love.   My faith has remained steady through my life, even after losing my mother far too soon  in a shockwave of events, I remained persistent, knowing that God wanted me to be stronger, and this was his plan.
   Now, with a two year old who doesn't like to be quiet, and absolutely refuses any type of childcare where I am not present, regularly attending church is just not an option for me right now. I suppose, although I hate to say it, I have put my faith, and God, on the backburner. It is so hard to admit, but true. The person who listens to my prayers, my struggles, and my frustrations 100% of the time, I have pushed to the back of the list. This changes here. It has to. He has blessed me with too much to not simply take the time to wake up early, struggle on a hard pew with a noncooperative toddler, and send him my praise.
   All of this is my response to reading a book written by a pastor, and a father to three well, four children. The story starts with the father reminiscing through a few health scares he had personally. Then it gears up to get emotional, and his four year old son's appendix bursts in his body, and doctors give the family the run around doing test after test to finally make this diagnosis, five days later. The boy is on the brink of death as he is wheeled in to emergency surgery where he "dies for 3 minutes and visits heaven". The book goes on to describe his trip in detail.
   I'll leave it at that for those of you who plan on reading it, which I strongly suggest you do. The little boy is eleven today, and going around teaching people God's word, which he was fortunate to hear from the lips of God himself. I am almost jealous. No, not jealous, because now I KNOW factually what Heaven is like, and that God will be waiting to take me home. Of course I have always believed that when we die we go to heaven, but somehow a then 4 year old's account of how it all works, makes it that much easier for me to grasp. I would love to meet the family, especially that little boy who said he "sat on the lap of Jesus".
   I look forward to teaching Lily more about the love that God has for her and that if she should need guidance in her faith, that she will be able to come to me and we can grow in God's love together.
To read a little more about the Burpo family go to www.heavenisforreal.net

also google : Akiane Kramarik who is a child prodigy, is to have believed to have also visited heaven and claims that she recieved the Holy Spirit and paints portraits of heavenly figures. She painted a portrait of Jesus  which Colton, the boy from the book, recognized as being what he remembered Jesus looking like as well. These stories are just so compelling and life changing that I had to share!! Hope you get a good ponder from it!