Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo

It's one of the ultimate human questions - what happens to us after we die?  Even for those who believe in heaven, there are wide-ranging and sometimes divisive opinions, theses and books on the subject.  Heaven is Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent is a fresh look at the subject through a child's eyes. 

The story begins with the events leading up to the hospital admission of Todd's son, Colton, due to acute appendicitis.  At almost four years old, Colton is fighting for life.  After his recovery, in bits and pieces he tells the story of his trip to heaven and back, providing astoundingly accurate details that correspond to Scripture.  He also talks of people who passed away decades before his birth and events of which he had no prior knowledge.

This book pulled me in from the start with a bright yellow cover and adorable picture of Colton.  The book was a fast read, one that I found myself saying, "Just one more chapter" until I had read almost all of it in one sitting.  I kept turning pages, eager for more details and descriptions.  I marveled at Colton's responses to the questions his family asked and his seeming nonchalance about such an incredible experience.  And I appreciated the way Todd Burpo told the story with humility and honesty.

If you are looking for an extraordinary story told by an ordinary father, you will really enjoy this book.

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 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Kindness of Strangers

While looking for books on traveling with children, I happened across this book in the stacks. I was actually at the library alone, so I had time to browse.

It's a compilation of stories by both published and first-time authors about encounters with kind strangers while traveling around the world. With an introduction by the Dalai Lama and a focus throughout on kindness and what binds us together as humans, this book radiated faith in the goodness of people.

A little bit of everything and a fast read, this book would make an excellent companion on a journey or a good escape through the adventures of others for the homebound.

The Hole in Our Gospel

Don't let the word "Gospel" throw you off. This book is about social justice, plain and simple. It's about authentic faith. It's about poverty, children, hunger, injustice and what the Church with a capital C is neglecting. It's about the gaping hole in the message of Hope Christians are supposed to be promoting.

Richard Stearns is the current president of World Vision, a Christian based humanitarian organization. In the first part of the book he tells the story of how he was challenged to leave his job as CEO of Lenox, a luxury tableware company, and take the CEO position at World Vision. He is brutally honest about his struggle and eventually realization that "he is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose".

The first part of the book tells Stearns' story and as an avid memoir and biography reader, I thoroughly enjoyed it and appreciated the humility and transparency with which he shared his journey. The second part is a dizzying account of the statistics of poverty and injustice in our world. The third section is a challenge to do something about it.

This book has changed my thinking, or rather solidified my thinking. I've traveled to a third world country. I sponsor two children, one in Bolivia and one in Sierra Leone. We give money to various international charities. These issues are ones I think about...but this book took it to a new level.

Here are a few of the statistics I found staggering, "...AIDS has now left 15 million children behind as orphans. Again, this is a number that is incomprehensible. Picture a chain of children holding hands and stretching out across America. This chain, starting in New York, would stretch all the way to Seattle, back to Philadelphia, back to San Francisco, then east to Washington DC, back again to Los Angeles, and finally to about Kansas City." Can you see those children?

"It is estimated that a child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes." That means about 12 children died in the time it's taken you to read this blog post to this point.

I could go on with the statistics but it becomes mind-numbing. Stearns does a great job of using word pictures, like the chain of children one above, to make the statistics real. But can we really fathom it? Does it mean anything to us?

Stearns advocates that it should. He constantly puts things in perspective with statistics like this one, "If you make $50,000 per year, you are wealthier than 99 percent of the world! ... If you don't feel rich, it's because you are comparing yourself to people who have more than you do--those living above even the 99th percentile of global wealth. It's also because we tend to gauge whether or not we are wealthy based on the things we don't have...our difficulty is that we see our American lifestyles as normative, when in fact they are grossly distorted compared to the rest of the world. We don't believe we are wealthy, so we don't see it as our responsibility to help the poor. We are deceived."

He also calls the Church to account for its negligence in these matters. He clarifies that not all churches are lacking and that many have done great things. But in general, all could do more. He states, "There is much at stake. The world we live in is under siege--three billion are desperately poor, one billion hungry, millions are trafficked in human slavery, ten million children die needlessly each year, wars and conflicts are wreaking havoc, pandemic diseases are spreading, ethnic hatred is flaming, and terrorism is growing...and in the midst of this stands the Church of Jesus Christ in America, with the resources, knowledge, and tools unequaled in the history of Christendom. When historians look back in one hundred years, what will they write about this nation of 340,000 churches? ... Will they write of ... Christians who lived in luxury and self-indulgence while millions died for lack of food and water?"

The call to action section of the book is full of stories of individuals making huge differences by simply offering what they are able. This one was my favorite: Austin Gutwein, a nine-year-old learned about children orphaned by AIDS. He decided he could do something so he decided to shoot 2,057 free throws on World AIDS day, one for each child orphaned by AIDS that day. He got people to sponsor him and raised almost $3,000. Today, he's raised almost a million dollars. A nine-year old.

I am contemplating what I can do. What more I can do. How I can teach my children to live with compassion, generosity, and genuine faith. I want to get beyond the feeling of hopelessness and find a way to help. Even if it's small, I have to do something. I will not be a self-indulged, apathetic, lukewarm Christian.

Sleeping Through the Night

This book was the only book on infant and toddler sleep that wasn't checked out of the library. That made me feel a little better. Apparently I am not alone in my quest for my baby to sleep all night, or alone in the desire to sleep all night. Or at least for more than three hours at a time.

I've been down this road before. I swore I would never make the same mistakes twice. But then I did. Because the mistakes are easier at the time, and because I was trying to figure out how to get two kids to nap and go to bed, and because I was flying solo a lot of the time.

In my quest about a year and a half ago, I read many sleep books and articles on the internet. I read Ferber and Sears; I read the No-Cry Sleep Solution and the Baby Whisperer; I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child, which was my favorite and the approach that ultimately worked for my son.

For those of you who've never had to pry your bleary eyes open for the third time in a night at 4:00 am, I doubt you've given much thought to how to get a baby to sleep. I know I never did. I love to sleep! It's one of my favorite things. Little did I realize how complicated it really can be.

Most sleep books talk about the basic structure of sleep, how it works, etc. So I skipped right on through those chapters. In essence, every human wakes up multiple times in the night. And every human figures out ways to fall back asleep, often without even realizing they awoke (or they have insomnia). Babies begin to associate "conditions" with sleep at an early age.

Parents unwittingly (or in my case, knowingly) cause negative sleep conditions by providing "sleep props" that help the baby sleep and consequently must be there when the baby awakes naturally several times a night. If a baby gets a bottle, or breastfed, or rocked or sung to (you get the idea) to fall asleep, then they expect that at night. Wouldn't you be a little disturbed if you awoke and your favorite pillow and blanket had been removed in the night and placed in the hallway?

Experts disagree about how best to respond to night-wakings. Some advocate straight crying-it-out and others promote a gentler approach. Still others say do whatever it takes to get your baby to sleep as it's your responsibility as a parent. And as a parent, there can be a lot of guilt and angst involved when sleep-training occurs.

Jodi Mindell provides the most moderate, middle-of-the-road approach I've read yet. Basically, you do the sleep-training only when you are putting the child to bed in the evening. After you've established a set bedtime and a bedtime routine (something all experts agree is crucial) then you lay the baby down awake in the crib and leave. Most babies will cry, some will scream. The parent should continue to check in and stay no more than a minute, then leave again, continuing this until the baby falls asleep. On average, the first night babies cry 40 minutes, the second night 60+minutes and the third night 20 minutes. After that most babies will simply fall asleep, maybe with a little crying.

But what is different (and so encouraging if it works) about this book is that the author advocates continuing to do whatever you normally do in the middle of the night to get the baby to sleep. She says within two weeks of sleep training at bedtime, most babies will learn to console themselves to sleep and will begin sleeping through the night.

When we did sleep-training with our son, we did cry-it-out in the middle of the night. It was awful...he screamed for more than an hour (from midnight to one thirty) the first night. Personally, I'd rather go through the crying earlier in the evening when I'm not desperate for sleep. And I also now have a two-year-old that I don't want to awaken from his sister's crying for long periods in the middle of the night.

We've got a trip coming up so now isn't a good time to start, but the book provided several ideas for changing things that I can do now without implementing the full-on training. I feel like this book and this author finally gave me a solution I can live with. Highly recommended.

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky

I judge books by their covers. When I'm strolling through the library, I look for interesting covers. With my two little ones in tow, I don't have time to peruse the stacks like I used to. The cover of this book drew me in.

What a fascinating story Heidi W. Durrow has created. Tragedy woven with growing up tied into racial identity. Told from multiple points of view at multiple points in time, this book kept me turning the pages to see what happened next (or had already happened but not yet been revealed).

Who are we really? And what is the deepest kind of love? This book explores those questions in a way that a reader can identify with. Highly recommended.

Good Morning Lord by Sheila Walsh

I've heard Sheila Walsh speak and was always impressed by her eloquence and her heart. The book, Good Morning, Lord, did not disappoint. Each page is designed to be a daily devotional, consisting of a main idea, a few paragraphs, some questions, a prayer and a scripture verse.

I loved the format of this book. It would be easy to go through chronologically or to skim the main ideas to find something applicable to my current situation. The readings were thought-provoking and had a depth many shorter devotional readings lack. Also, many of the readings corresponded to stories or events in the Bible instead of cutesy anecdotes that I may or may not be able to relate to. I especially liked the lines provided to answer the questions, giving me the option of writing in the book or writing more in depth in a journal. The prayers seemed heartfelt and genuine.

Another appeal of the book was its design. It's a book I'd be happy to have sitting out on my kitchen table, ready for me in the morning. It would also make a great gift to anyone who wants to pursue the Lord.


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 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reckless Faith

I got suckered in by the bargain table. I picked up two books and a cd for $15. Little did I know that the books were going to stir up thoughts that are always swirling just below the surface for me. Reckless Faith by Beth Guckenberger was a quick read but a thought-provoking one.

Beth and her husband Todd live in Monterrey, Mexico. They serve orphans and are parenting nine children, with a combination of biological, foster and adopted children. The book is not so much a memoir as a collection of stories about moments in Beth's life that impacted her greatly and led her to where she is now, a missionary in a poor area of Mexico to the "least of these".

Each chapter focused on a person and situation that were keystone events in her life, even if they were as simple as a short interaction with a blind person. She elaborated through sharing her experiences how she feels her faith has become reckless, willing to trust God and follow His leading, even if it doesn't seem to make much sense.

My favorite chapter was titled "Joel". Edgar leads a children's home that Beth's organization works with. One day, he has no food to feed the children. So he gathers them to pray. One little boy, Joel, asks Edgar what food God is going to bring, if maybe God will bring them meat? That same day, a man named Carlos flies into town and calls Beth. He has a surplus of the product he brought to town to sell and is giving it away if she knows of anyone who needs it. She thinks of Edgar and calls him. He asks what it is and she replies, "It's high end cuts of meat, steaks, beef and pork." Of course it is.

This book spoke to me because I have always had a heart for children, particularly children with special needs, without parents, in search of love. I felt challenged to do more with that desire than just think about it now and then. I'm not sure what that looks like...but I want it.

Child of Mine

Chicken nuggets and french fries, sugar cereal, goldfish crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese...what do all of these foods have in common? They're beloved by toddlers and preschoolers and a guilt source of many parents. How do you get your young child to eat anything else? Especially something (gasp) green?

I recently finished Child of Mine:Feeding with Love and Good Sense by Ellyn Satter. A friend had recommended this book, saying that this approach to feeding worked really well with her kids and she wished she had read it sooner. Those kind of recommendations almost always result in good knowledge gained.

The book is for parents, child care workers, grandparents, and anyone else who regularly feeds children. Satter's underlying principle is:

The parent is responsible for what, when, where.
The child is responsible for how much and whether.

The first part of the book goes over her main priniciple in depth and her philosophy on feeding. Basically, it is the job of the adult to provide a variety of nutritious foods, regular meals and snacks, a pleasant atmosphere with the family eating together and a relationship of love and trust. It's the child's job to eat. According to her theory, over several days to weeks, a child's body and need to grow will drive them to eat the foods that will provide the nutrients that they need. And if you follow this philosophy, eventually your child will eat well and eat the things you eat.

After the philosophical underpinnings are laid out, she goes chapter by chapter developmentally including chapters on: breastfeeding, formula feeding, first foods (6-12 months), toddlers (1-3 years) and preschoolers (3-5 years). I found this a useful format and most of her advice seemed right on with other feeding advice I've heard. But instead of making a parent feel panicky with the need to check off each part of the food pyramid, she offers real-world suggestions in an empathetic yet firm voice.

I found this book extremely helpful. I know I'm going to do things differently with my second child (who doesn't?). I wasn't very good about continuing to provide opportunities for my first child to eat things he didn't like at first. It seemed like a lot of work (and a waste of money) to make food that I ended up scraping into the garbage can. So his preferred food list is pretty small and typical of young kids. He does love fruit but won't touch vegetables. The good thing is he'll tolerate anything on his plate and even tries new things occasionally.


I decided, though, that I want to raise children who are less picky than I was. And I agree with Satter that unless the child is given opportunities to eat lots of different kinds of food then they'll probably not want to try new foods. I love her idea of the family table. I like that she doesn't advocate pushing kids to try new foods (mostly because it removes confrontation and tantrums from dinnertime). However, she advocates that you let kids eat as much of whatever food that they want (keeping in mind that as the adult you've given them the food). I feel like it's important to set some limits.


Her advice has steeled my resolve to be more structured about meals and snacks and not allowing grazing in between set feeding times. It's also encouraged me to be more well-rounded in what I prepare for myself (I don't really like a lot of vegetables either). It's also given me more backbone to say no to short-order cooking.


All in all, this book was helpful to me as a parent and such a good resource that I'm considering buying my own copy to keep on hand and lend out to friends.

My Antonia

I just finished this classic by Willa Cather. When we were on a family vacation this summer, it was on the shelf at the lodge so I picked it up and read the first chapter....I was intrigued but kept forgetting to pick it up at the library.

I am sure there are hundreds of reviews out there, all much better than mine. So I'll keep it simple. The writing was vivid. I was there, as she wove the scene around me. The words were elegant, drawing me in more than the story.

I've never been able to read and enjoy classics the way I feel I should. This story was different and it pulled me in through the sheer beauty of the prose.

This was one of my favorite passages:

"She lent herself to immemorial human attitudes which we recognize by instinct as universal and true. I had not been mistaken. She was a battered woman now, not a lovely girl; but she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that somehow revealed the meaning in common things."

Beautiful, isn't it?

Waking Up My Brain

Turned on Jack Johnson, grabbed a highlighter and felt like I was back in grad school as I sat down to read a chapter titled Speech, Language, and Communication Assessment and Intervention for Children by Gerber and Prizant, from the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL).

Sound like a mouthful? I did have to access areas of my brain that have lain dormant in my current mama-state. The article was a great review of all of the areas a speech therapist has to take into account when doing an assessment and planning treatment for children.

This article highlights the need for a developmental perspective. I found something to highlight in almost every paragraph. It was laid out in an outline style, which I loved. It made me miss working and it made me realize how very, very much I still have to learn. While this article didn't teach me anything new, it reminded me of how complex speech therapy can be and why I love it so much.

The ICDL is onto something. No longer is therapy about teaching a kid how to not say "My wabbit wooks weally tired". It is about meeting a kid where they are and facilitating the next step up the developmental ladder with a focus on the kid's ability to interact and function in his/her environment. It's about empowering parents to do their best by their children. It's for those kids with autism who cannot seem to find a way to access society and those toddlers who are tantrumming more than they are talking. I can't wait to explore the nooks and crannies of the ICDL website.

Waking Up My Brain

Turned on Jack Johnson, grabbed a highlighter and felt like I was back in grad school as I sat down to read a chapter titled Speech, Language, and Communication Assessment and Intervention for Children by Gerber and Prizant, from the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL).

Sound like a mouthful? I did have to access areas of my brain that have lain dormant in my current mama-state. The article was a great review of all of the areas a speech therapist has to take into account when doing an assessment and planning treatment for children.

This article highlights the need for a developmental perspective. I found something to highlight in almost every paragraph. It was laid out in an outline style, which I loved. It made me miss working and it made me realize how very, very much I still have to learn. While this article didn't teach me anything new, it reminded me of how complex speech therapy can be and why I love it so much.

The ICDL is onto something. No longer is therapy about teaching a kid how to not say "My wabbit wooks weally tired". It is about meeting a kid where they are and facilitating the next step up the developmental ladder with a focus on the kid's ability to interact and function in his/her environment. It's about empowering parents to do their best by their children. It's for those kids with autism who cannot seem to find a way to access society and those toddlers who are tantrumming more than they are talking. I can't wait to explore the nooks and crannies of the ICDL website.

Welcome

I am trying out a new program called Book Sneeze. They send you a book, you review it on your blog, their site and another site, such as Amazon. Then you get another free book to review. As someone who loves to read and share her thoughts, this sounded like a pretty good set up.

I promise:

* that I've read the book
* that I'll be honest
* that I'm not getting paid to do this!

I'm also going to include books that are not sent to me by Book Sneeze because...well, because I like to read a variety of books.