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Make your approach shots easier with the Top Flite Men's Tour Wedge. Forged from high quality stainless steel for a premium look and exceptional feel. CNC milled grooves feature True Spin Technology that produces the maximum allowable spin under the rules of golf. Player preferred sole design features toe and heel grinds for improved playability and versatility from all types of lies.
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Jim from Binghamton, NY | 11/26/2014 10:35 AM
Replaced my 52,56,and 60 with a set of these and never looked back. Much easier to spin the ball back with the milled face, and the price was right for the quality in these wedges. Love the black color. All my playing partners have noticed how well I play with them. They help me get rid of a few strokes around the green. Love them!
Lenny from Bethlehem, PA | 11/14/2014 5:00 AM
Bought this for winter golf. Played five rounds with this club and it didn't perform as well as my warm weather club.
woody from Rancocas, NJ | 8/31/2014 11:22 AM
Tommy the assoc who helped me was grate and the club is a great replacement at a good price until I find the one that matches my set..thank you
Art from Omaha, NE | 7/3/2014 9:52 AM
Easy to swing from a soft lob swing to a full chip swing. Playable from deep grass to bunker shots.
Reed P from Greensboro, NC | 4/9/2014 8:44 AM
I'm about a 12 handicap, but never had a proper wedge until recently when I purchased two of these for less than the price of most single wedges. The milled face generates a noticeable amount of backspin. I purchased the 54 and 58 and absolutely love them. My first shot with the 54 was a tricky, uphill shot onto the green, which I holed (of course no luck involved).
As others have said, the black finish wears off pretty quickly. Overall though, this is a good quality wedge for a great price.
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Welcome International Customers
We're excited to share our jewelry collection with you!
Just choose your country and currency to personalize your shopping experience.
We're excited to share our jewelry collection with you!
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Item#: 789423
A feminine floral design is dewed with .35 ct. t.w. diamonds. Sterling silver ring.
Due to the incredible value on your selection, no additional discounts apply.
Details Gift
Box Our 100%
3/16 inch
Sterling STERLING SILVER: Also known as "Standard Silver," sterling silver is silver alloyed with other metals to increase the hardness and durability. Generally, sterling is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. Some sterling silver jewelry is plated with 14kt-18kt gold and referred to as "vermeil," or "gold over sterling." Silver
Polished POLISHED: A buffed-out finish used to produce a mirror-like shine.
Stone 1:
Diamond Diamond: The hardest and most brilliant of all gemstones, a diamond can make the heart race with its pure and fiery spark. An ancient symbol of love, a diamond is the preferred gemstone for tokens of affection, such as rings, earrings, necklaces and bracelets. Diamond is the birthstone for April. (Quantity: 33, Shape & Cutting Style: Round, Color Grade: H-I, Clarity: I1-I2, Weight: 0.35 ct. t.w.)
All weights and measures are approximate.
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Community banks are facing many pressures: deposit growth that outstrips loan demand, loan portfolios that rely heavily on real estate and geographic concentration that is sensitive to local economic conditions.
At the same time, businesses that had borrowed from non-bank sources before the financial crisis are facing reduced credit availability.
There was a need on both sides of the equation: a need among borrowers and a need among this subset of lenders, said Lee Sachs, founder and CEO of Alliance Partners, an asset management firm based in Chevy Chase, Md., that coordinates operations for BancAlliance, a network of community and regional banks.
BancAlliances purpose is to balance that equation by allowing member banks to band together to meet the needs of larger borrowers.
The system allows community banks to add earning assets with good underwriting to their portfolios while diversifying both in terms of geography and industry, said Floyd Stoner, senior advisor at BancAlliance and former executive vice president for congressional relations at the American Bankers Association.
Geographic diversification is especially important for banks located in areas dominated by a single employer, Sachs said. If something happens to that employer, youre not going to be very diversified. It will all tend to correlate, so to get true diversification, you really do need to have some portion of your portfolio outside your immediate footprint, he said.
BancAlliance provides community bankers diversification so they can continue to serve their communities regardless of any local economic downturns, according to Sachs, and it allows community banks access to businesses they would not otherwise be able to lend to because of their size.
We just did a deal for a publicly traded, nationally known car rental company. That car rental company would never come to Congressional Bank and ask to borrow some money, said John Lane, co-founder and CEO of Congressional Bank of Bethesda, Md.
As the clients of community banks grow, BancAlliance also helps them keep pace, Sachs said. If a community bank has done business with a local company for many years, but that company grows and needs a loan that is larger than the bank can provide, BancAlliance members can share that loan, thereby allowing the bank to retain the companys business.
In addition to thinking about the potential benefits, bankers considering membership wonder about the regulatory consequences, Sachs said.
According to Arthur C. Johnson, chairman and CEO of United Bank of Michigan, which is based in Grand Rapids, examiners are often unfamiliar with larger credits. Its one thing for us to learn what were doing here. Itll be quite another to educate our examiners when they come in, and you certainly dont want to make any mistakes in that, he said. BancAlliance was very, very helpful in terms of us having the right kind of governance and the right kind of documentation in place so that wont be a problem.
Sachs recommends that banks considering membership discuss the move with their regulators. Alliance Partners regularly communicates with all the relevant regulatory agencies, and Sachs said bankers may have misperceptions about what regulators expect.
We occasionally hear that a bank might have the impression that their regulator doesnt want them lending outside of their footprint. In our experience, we havent found that to be the case. What the regulators have said is that you have to underwrite and understand every loan you put on your books. In addition, you have to have the right policies, processes and procedures in place to successfully engage with BancAlliance.
Aside from dealing with regulatory concerns, community bankers may have to adjust to the fact that they will not interact with the borrowers they serve through BancAlliance.
That is something that has always been very important to us, looking across the desk, looking somebody in the eye, going out and looking at the plant, at the collateral, said Johnson. And we dont get to do that with these businesses, but weve become comfortable with that.
Lane believes that as long as the data is reliable, bankers can be confident in the loans. We have forgotten to some degree that were in the finance business and finance is about financial analysis, he said.
Bankers may also have to adjust to the fact that these loans seldom reach maturity, Johnson said; instead, they are often refinanced.
Were not afraid of that, he said. In some respects that makes them a little more attractive. Refinanced loans may provide the bank an opportunity to take on another attractive credit, Johnson said.
Most of the loans that BancAlliance has funded to date have had a variable interest rate, offering members an alternative to fixed interest rate real estate loans.
In addition to the financial and risk-management benefits it offers, BancAlliance provides members with a network by holding conference calls and membership meetings, Stoner said. Members can go to that network with questions.
Stoner also noted that BancAlliances structure helps ensure its longevity: Alliance Partners takes a portion of every loan. Youre in it together. Alliance Partners is required it is a policy developed by the banker board to take a minimum of 2 percent of every loan. A bank can be a member of BancAlliance and never take any loans, but Alliance Partners must take 2 percent of each loan, he said. This business model only works if everybody wins.
Sachs emphasizes that BancAlliances purpose is to help community banks survive and thrive. We dont want to change and are not trying to change the nature of what it means to be a community bank. Our members are there to serve their communities, he said. Its a way for our members to be able to serve their communities through up and down cycles, good times and bad.
Elizabeth Whalen is a contributing writer based in Berkeley, Calif.
Copyright (c) February 2013 by BankNews Media


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August: A Month's Worth Of #OOTD Ideas
Feeling a little un-inspired by your closet? Let celebs, fashion bloggers, and real girls help pump up your #OOTD pics! Check back every day for a brand new outfit idea. (PS: Want to see yourself here? Tag #365outfits on Instagram!)
By Kristin Koch
Pair Graphic Prints With Boho Details
Even if you're spending the long weekend at home, take a trip to cool-girl island in graphic prints and boho accessories. Song of Style blogger Aimee Song channels a global-chic vibe in a printed wrap dress and cool extras. Check out more of Aimee's amazing style in the September issue of Seventeen, out now!
MORE: 15 Cutest Summer Rompers


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New Arrivals
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Leopard Cuffs
The most opulent accessory: faux-fur cuffs to warm the wrists in luxe style.
- Our fabulous faux-fur is crafted in cruelty-free synthetic materials.
- Pull-on cuff styling.
- Imported.
We're so sorry: this item sold out sooner than expected. For an equally chic substitute, please call our Personal Service Associates at 1.888.855.4986. Or click on Chico's Chat below for immediate assistance.


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Narrow your search
The Magellan Roadmate 6230T-LM DashCam combines a fully featured GPS navigator with an always-watching dashboard DVR camera.
Costing $149.99, the Echo GPS watch can chat with iPhones to keep an eye on your exercise.
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This portable navigator brings web-connected destination search and traffic to the dashboard via your phone's data plan.
Maps aren't just for navigation. Here's how you can keep track of your trip and share the journey with friends by making interactive maps.
We round up eight car technologies that you can add to update the ride you already own.
The Magellan SmartGPS bridges a gap between connected navigation apps and car-friendly GPS hardware with its ability to sync with the cloud and connect to the Web via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but its busy interface could use fewer moving parts.
Pricing not available
Jason Jones of "The Daily Show" talks with Glass Explores, or as he calls them "Eyedouches," about being discriminated against.
For the first time, astronomers detect the presence of X-rays being emitted from young stars outside of the Milky Way.
A dwarf planet out beyond Pluto has been found orbiting our sun — and there may be another planet 10 times the size of Earth.
No self-respecting entrepreneur of the future uses cash, checks, or barter -- especially when buying tickets to outer space.


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Olson Kundig Architects' 1,700 square-foot office addition was inspired by wind turbines — they deconstructed the turbine down to its main parts, which include sections of the tower and the blades. Two sections are used as the entrance to the office – one lies horizontally on the ground and the other is stood vertically. Visitors and employees enter the office through the horizontal tube that pierces the ground level of the office and leads to the vertical tower and a spiral staircase with a skylight in the top. A large fan (shaped like wind turbine blades) and vent are suspended in the tube — this system operates like a solar chimney that pulls warm air up and out of the building to naturally ventilate it and reduce the cooling load.
Solar panels on the office's sloped roof provide renewable energy, and the roof's angle directs rainwater into a rain garden and the adjoining landscape. Inside the office, materials like steel and concrete are left raw and unfinished to minimize coatings and toxic materials, ensuring a healthy and safe working environment. The two-story office building attaches to the company's manufacturing plant in Anacortes, Washington, where the fabrication of the wind turbine towers takes place.
Images © Olson Kundig Architects
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Colorful Yevlakh Seed F... November 10, 2010 at 1:33 pm
[...] seed manufacturing facility is the first of its kind in the country. It's equipped with the latest seed growth [...]
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2013 Lexus ES300h
by Dan Roth (RSS feed) on Feb 27th, 2013 at 3:00PM
The Lexus ES lineup, the brand's bread-and-butter sedan, has been completely redone for 2013. With that tip-to-tail rework comes the model's first hybrid. We think the ES350 is better in every way than its predecessor, so a spin in the ES300h is warranted to see what it's like to live with the model sure to become the best-selling Lexus hybrid sedan. In particular, we wanted to see how the gas-electric luxury cruiser handled the battery-sapping realities of winter, so we ventured out into the slush and snow to file this report. Driving Notes: Peel away the slush, and this car sure is... Read More


text: 5 Overall Excellentpe1ahtips | 18/09/2010 | See all pe1ahtips's reviews (2)I first ordered this game not knowing quite what to expect, but when I started playing it was nothing like the original first two games in the series. Sure the basic plot for each world, (game plot totally new btw), is roughly the same. The way you play it out is far different to methods seen in the past.The new battle system will have you rethinking how you play Kingdom Hearts because you have to be more rigorous with your choice of attacks as they are quite limited as to what you can use at one time. The AI finally has some sense with the enemies dodging various attacks, leading to a real battle instead of just a slaughter. Also I noticed enemies have weaknesses to certain elements, which only deepens the strategy aspect.The battle itself and the amount of options you have during battle will have you coming up with completely new strategies unheard of in Kingdom Hearts; which is a nice refresher.The average world is smaller then what has been expected out of the last two games, but this is only a minor problem as they are packed with adventure, enemies and the occasional mini game (which are quite enjoyable in themselves). New worlds, never before seen in KH is a lovely site bringing new characters and worlds into the mix.Birth by Sleep (although I have yet to complete it) has been a rollercoaster of a game and to top it all off, along the way this game may just answer some questions you've had about KH for several years since KH2.I believe this game fills in a bit more of the jigsaw puzzle of a plot that is Kingdom Hearts.It's a must buy for any KH fan but to all those who have yet to experience the epic Kingdom Hearts series I highly recommend playing the first two games in the series first, just so your brought up to speed on the whole concept.


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New Arrivals
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Lotus Double Marquise Drop Earring
Elongated drops tie our signature black to the perfect shade of Lotus teal, the color you'll see throughout our latest collection.
- French wire. Just under 1.75" drop.
- Faceted jet black glass stone; acrylic teal cabochon in solid-back goldtone metal settings.
- Custom designed exclusively for WHBM. Handcrafted with nickel-free and lead-free metal.
We're so sorry: this item sold out sooner than expected. For an equally stylish substitute, please call our Style Experts at 1.877.948.2525. Or click on Live Help below for immediate assistance.


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Los Cabos, which translates to "The Capes" in English, is the southern tip of Baja California peninsula. Separated from the Mexican mainland by "Sea of Cortez" a.k.a "Gulf of California", the cape is made up of two cities and a corridor. Picture a dumbbell, two spheres being San Jose del Cabo on the west, Cabo San Lucas on the east and the bar being the Tourist Corridor, 36 Km long. San Jose del Cabo, in short, San Jose and The Corridor has beaches which are part of "Sea of Cortez". Cabo San Lucas a.k.a Cabo contains the famous arch "El Arco", where the land ends and so does "Sea of Cortez" and there starts the mightiest of all oceans, The Pacific. Read on to know how we set the trend by doing a sort of backpacking in the land which attracts mostly the rich and famous.
Day 1: Arrival, Marina, El Arco
Our voyage began on Friday morning by Volaris airways. It was not as cheap as Vivaaerobus in any aspects, the seats, service and stewardesses were a lot better and the best part was their precise punctuality. We landed at San Jose at stipulated time, 1:15PM. The airport was crowded with skimpily dressed gringos mostly, after a quick baggage check, we were outside in the scorching sun looking for a taxi. I followed the tip for the budget travellers in one of the websites, which asked us to take taxi to the bus-stop about a mile away. I was utterly disappointed to pay 100 pesos for the taxi driver when we realized the bus-stop was at stones throw away from airport. The taxis are priced ridiculously exorbitant in Los Cabos. A green bus arrived at 1:45 which drove us to San Lucas, 36 km away, for just about the same price we paid for the taxi driver. The highway till San Jose was chaotic, but the journey on tourist corridor was smooth and fast. The vista on either sides were at odds while passing through tourist corridor, one side the azul blue sea of Cortez; hot and arid, cactus clad desert on the other.
It took about an hour and half to reach our destination, calle Morelos. We had to wander in search of our hotel, Santa Fe. With a couple of inquires, we reached Santa Fe with a tinge of tiredness and oscitancy. While others haggled with hotel authorities for problems like free breakfast or change of rooms, without even slightest botheration, I started wading in the pool to beat the heat. At about 4:30 in the evening, we set out of the hotel in search of a place to fulfill our hunger. The sight of the roasted chicken at "Restaurante el pollo del oro" made us not to think but act. Unfortunately the roasted chicken was not ready yet, we had to make do with Pollo Mole with rice and frijoles.
During the postprandial walk we caught the attention of a guide, Enrique, who helped us buy tickets for the water taxi to reach "El Arco". Marina, is the name of the wharf in Cabo from where we had to hire a water taxi. It has a wooden pathway all along, with small restaurants and pubs mainly for gringos. Wondering why for gringos? A bucket of 5 beers with Mexican chips and sauce would cost about 30 pesos outside, while it costs 100 pesos there. They rather project it in dollars...all that for 10$ only!!! The wharf was crowded with tiny boats, launches, fishermen and pelicans. Enrique told us that most gates close at 5:00PM and there was one gate which was open. We bought tickets for the boat, which cost each of us 120 pesos.
As the boat started, I saw some people walking along the ridge of the mountain, making their way through the rocks. I cursed the hotel authorities, for they said boat was the only means of reaching the arch. Nobody even gave a slightest hint that it could be reached in a much cheaper and a more adventurous way.
I was asking the driver to make it fast so that I should not lose the sunlight, but he cared a damn. He stopped on the way to show the colorful underwater life through the glass bottom, but I was least interested in that, I was getting restless to photograph "El Arco". We were lucky to reach the arch at the right time, the background was golden yellow, there was just the right amount of light required for photographing the arch. I was clicking without the slightest pause, losing my balance many a times on boat, the two gigantic rocks separated by water stretch and the magnificent arch. Those were the most artistic, most elegant rocks I've ever witnessed in my life. It seems few years earlier, there was no water near the arch and people could pass through it, but now there is much water flowing through the arch. "El Arco", the signature structure of Los Cabos, is truly worth the fame it has accumulated.
We spent few minutes in between Lover's beach and Divorce beach. It's interesting to see that Lover's beach, on one side, is calm and placid while Divorce beach, on the other side, is wild and noisy. The landscape in between is composed of a stretch of sand and gigantic Henry Mooresque rocky mountains. The sunset was blocked by the mountains, nevertheless the sky was orange yellow and sail boats embellished the beach making a perfect setting for photographers.
Day 2: Playa Medano, Todos Santos, Playa San Pedro
We threw ourselves out of bed at wee hours and hit Medano beach for sunrise. It's a vast beach in Cabo and could be reached by feet from downtown in less than 30 minutes. A good beach for swimming and photography. It has a panoramic view of the rocks near El Arco, an undisturbed horizon, friendly pelicans and soft sand. We started walking along the beach and the blood red sun started his ascent at the horizon. The beach, the sky, the sand, the birds, the boats...everything turned auriferous for few moments. We started walking back towards hotel after a quick dip in the sea, for we were hungry and didn't want to miss the free breakfast.
We had a sumptuous and filling breakfast of huevo ranchero and huevo mexicano (egg scramble with tortillas). We took the funny looking local city bus to the central bus stand. The tickets to Todos Santos cost 77 pesos per person, for an air conditioned Volvo bus. It takes about an hour and a half to reach Todos Santos. The view during journey is an absolutely gorgeous one, pristine pacific on one side and mountainous desert clad with cactus on the other. There are many ranches on the way which could be reached by an ATV or SUV.
Todos Santos is a tiny town housing artists from the North of Mexico and U.S.A. There are numerous art galleries selling their art works. We knew that summit of Sierra de la Laguna was about 8 hours long trek and from the summit one could see the pacific along with vivid landscapes of deserts and forests. We roamed in the town a couple of hours trying to find someone who could guide us to reach the same, but all our efforts were in vain. We quit the idea of Sierra de la Laguna, rented a taxi, grabbed beers and went to Playa San Pedro.
In the outskirts of Todos Santos, if you drive through the desert for a while, pass through the palms by feet, you reach one of the most placid beaches, Playa San Pedro. It has a small and a shallow estuary with very less water. The sand patters were aesthetically artistic, the mountains on either sides added to the beauty. Without any second thoughts, we undressed and got into the beach. The pleasure of having a chilled beer on a sunny day inside the beach is something that is inexpressible. We fought with sand balls like kids, swam in the sea, fought for left over beers, rode the waves, photographed...two hours ticked very fast. The taxi driver dropped us back to Todos Santos.
We took the bus back to San Lucas. The stage was set on the Pacific for the most opulent sunset I ever witnessed. The stark landscape of the wild desert and ocean were soaked in the golden yellow sunlight, the waters shimmered the faint light at the horizon. I cursed the idea of travelling at that hour, it was perfect time for photography. I couldn't even slide the window of the bus for it was sealed, I clicked few pictures from within the bus. All I wanted was a 5 minutes break in the journey so that I could quench my sunset photography thirst, I was sad it didn't happen.
Day 3: Playa Santa Maria, Marina
We had early breakfast and took the bus to Playa Santa Maria, one of the most photographed beaches on Tourist corridor. Can you believe that we spent one whole day at this place? Yeah!!! It was indeed very picturesque and a perfect beach for wave riding, swimming and snorkeling. It's almost midway between San Jose and Cabo. A 10 minute walk in the desert, after alighting the bus, is all you need to reach this pristine blue beach. An umbrella costs 100 pesos which is not too bad an idea to rent, for there is no shady place around. The beach contains unique, colorful and coarse sand, mostly worn-out corals or cherts. The waves were huge and powerful and would carry you back to shore even if you want to drown. As usual, we had carried loads of beer and spent most time swimming and riding waves.
I felt, I had to trek the neighbouring mountains, not just to live up to the reputation I have about mountains, but to satiate my passion for trekking. Nobody was ready to climb the bald, yellow mountain in the heat of the noon. I slung my camera and started the ascent. It was an easy climb, but the sun was burning every cell in my body. I reached the summit in about 20 minutes and the vista on the other side of the mountain was a delight to my eyes. Unoccupied azure waters hurling against yellow, rocky mountains, an unwonted and an unseen contrast was perfect for photographing. I didn't spend much time there due to scorching sun, I descended and made my way towards the mountain on the other end of the beach. It was more vegetated by cactus and other wild bushes than the other mountain. The view from summit was not as picturesque as the previous one. It was almost 4 :30 in the evening and crowd on the beach had enormously shot up. There were people snorkelling, sun basking, wave riding, boating, fishing, playing, munching...typical scene from a beach. At about 5:30 we took the bus back to Cabo. Spent time in Marina before having dinner at Pollo del oro. Too much of beach play had tired everybody.
Day 4: Playa Palmilla, Departure
We packed our luggage, had breakfast, checked out, boarded bus and headed straight to Playa Palmilla, the beach on Tourist Corridor closer to San Jose. The day was cloudy, the beach was rocky and was terribly rough. I was infact a bit scared to venture deeper into the beach for the waves were very strong, there was no crowd, weather was slightly cold and breezy, hurricane was also expected. It was a perfect place for bird photography, the pelicans and the albatrosses were slugging on the shore in perfect harmony.
We took the bus to airport, stopped over enroute for a quick bite and continued.
Notes for budget travellers:
1. Try to reach the arch by feet, maybe you need free hands to grip the rocks, but its a considerable saving on the boat tickets and more exciting.
2. There are not many cheap food outlets which remain open during night. Restaurante el pollo del oro is a good option for budget travellers in Cabo.
3. Public transportation sucks big time, no way comparable to the comfort and convenience Cancun offered us.
4. Local information is most times unavailable and inadequate. Don't forget to do the homework in google before reaching Los Cabos.
5. It would be perfect if you have a friend who can lend his SUV for going around, works out a lot cheaper and provides easy access to many beaches.
6. Los Cabos has many activities like fishing, snorkeling, diving, golfing, off-roading etc. But everything is exorbitantly priced.
7. Don't forget your camera, that's the only activity you can do for free (apart from lazing on beach) and every shot would be worth the click.
8. There are numerous supermarkets, the best place to buy beers and stuff.
Los Cabos, Baja California, Baja California Sur, San Jose Del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Travel, Mexico travel, Backpacking, Pacific, Desert, scuba, Cactus, photography, Fishing, hiking, ATV, Sea Of Cortez, Gulf Of California, El Arco, Pelicans, Albatross, Marina, Medano, Playa San Pedro, Playa Santa Maria, Playa Palmilla, Lovers Beach, Divorce Beach, travelogue, Landscape, nature, Tourist Corridor, Gringo, beach, Volaris, Sachin, Vacation, Santa Fe, Pollo Mole,


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4,041 of 4,446 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Is "Heaven is for Real" for real?
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...
Published on November 30, 2010 by The Heavy Revy
1,457 of 1,722 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story, but not a resource for theological discernment
It's a terrible thing to be young and jaded. I confess that, despite my belief that there is a real and dynamic spiritual world interwoven with material reality, I approached Heaven Is For Real with a high degree of skepticism. I have a hard time getting past the logical-critical methods which have been drilled into me through the course of my education. Part of me, I...
Published on March 7, 2011 by Amazon Customer
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4,041 of 4,446 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Is "Heaven is for Real" for real?,
The Heavy Revy (Texarkana, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
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.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the [...] 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."
1,457 of 1,722 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet story, but not a resource for theological discernment,
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
It's a terrible thing to be young and jaded. I confess that, despite my belief that there is a real and dynamic spiritual world interwoven with material reality, I approached Heaven Is For Real with a high degree of skepticism. I have a hard time getting past the logical-critical methods which have been drilled into me through the course of my education. Part of me, I suppose, deeply longs for quantifiable evidence of the spiritual. My jadedness comes from poring over scads of accounts of afterlife experiences and finding so many times that they come coated in a greasy film of sensationalism and self-promotion. Heaven Is For Real might just be the real thing.
Todd Burpo, co-author, husband and father, is a small-town minister and serves as the narrator. Todd went through a trying season of personal injury and illness, taking on large medical debts, which culminated in a life-or-death struggle for Todd's son, Colton. Colton had a bout of what seemed to be, and was misdiagnosed as, the stomach flu, but in actuality Colton's appendix had ruptured and the condition went untreated for five days. Railing against God for this Job-like testing, as Colton was wheeled into the operating room screaming, Todd thought he'd seen his son for the last time.
Against all odds, and through multiple surgeries, Colton miraculously recovered. The caliber of the miracle would not begin to be revealed till months later when Colton revealed to his family that he had been to Heaven. Over the course of time Colton would open up and share details of his experience; offering preternatural knowledge of things about which, his family says, Colton had no prior knowledge. As Todd described it, Colton's revelations came in the sort of call-it-as-you-see-it way of preschoolers who have not yet "learned either tact or guile." From details about Heaven to interactions with family members who passed on prior to Colton's birth, this story is one which invites the reader into contemplation of mystery.
What allows me to take this story seriously is the sense of humility and circumspection present in the narrative. The Burpos tread carefully with Colton letting him tell his story as he was ready. Seven years passed from the first inklings of Colton's experience to the publishing of the book.
The single aspect of Heaven Is For Real that concerned me was when Colton's reporting shifted from descriptive to predictive, recounting visions of a great battle-to-come at the end of time. In these visions, the forces of Heaven are arrayed against the forces of Hell and Christian men wield either swords or bows-and-arrows as part of God's army. Colton reported to his father that he saw him as a participant in that future conflict. What gives me pause is this: the Armageddon visions come much later than the earlier stories shared by Colton and are in a narrative peppered by frequent references to Colton's early and ongoing love for superhero battles played out with sword-wielding action figures.
Don't use this book as a basis for theological discernment about either the afterlife or the end of time. Take this book for what it is: a sweet story of the love of parents for their child, the care of Christians for each other in times of crisis, and the surprising mystery of the grace of God.
3,319 of 3,991 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Gonna get a lot of flak for my review, so here goes...,
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
For those of you who are going to rant and chastise me for being judgmental, save it...
I, too, have had a terrifying experience where my child was extremely sick, doctors could not diagnose him for a couple of days, he went into the hospital, and when he was finally diagnosed was not expected to live. This is where my 'judgmentalism' comes from...
Thinking I was going to be buying a sweet little, uplifting tale that would resonate with me as I am a person of great faith and unfathomable love and thankfulness to God _ I came to a point in this book (about midway through Chapter 6) where I had to quit reading this book. The more I read (as written by the little boy's father) about the actions of these parents before actually seeking medical attention for their obviously sick child, the more judgmental I became. I don't like it when I find myself judging people, so the best thing for me to do was to delete the book from my Kindle and just forget about it. If I could ask for my money back, so that no money goes into the hands of people who acted so ignorantly, I would.
Here are a few examples of their behavior that just stupified me: When little Colton first became sick, before a trip, his mother took him to the doctor and the doctor wrote his illness off as a stomach flu. The parents prayed not that their sweet little 3 year old get better, but that he would get better enough not to interrupt a trip. (The trip was for a district church denomination meeting.) So, little Colton seems to be back to his old self the next day, so they go on their trip. While out on their trip, both of their children become sick one night and the parents believed there was a revisitation of the stomach flu. That's understandable. However, when the 6 year old daughter who only threw up a couple of times overnight and the 3 year old continues to vomit "hourly", without any sign of improvement whatsoever, do they check-out of the hotel and take him to the ER or head back home? Nope, they take him to the home of some friends (let's just give this virus to everybody we know) so the mother can take care of him while the father attends church with one of the friends. Ignorant, selfish call I think. But, we're all entitled to a dumb move now and then. So, I keep reading. Once church is over, the father and his friend come home to find the 3 year old still very sick and vomiting "profusely". The male friend the father went to church with that morning is concerned, thinking the symptoms might equal appendicitis. The father, whose experience as a pastor and garage door salesman make him an expert, decides that it's not appendicitis. Fine, anybody can be wrong. Keep reading... so dad decides it's not appendicitis and must still be the (contagious) stomach flu, therefore the family will just stay another night with their generous hosts - just in case they haven't made them sick yet, I guess. The following morning,after a night of the little boy STILL vomiting, the parents pack up to go home and their host, seeing the sick child cradled in his mother's arms, says that the little boy looks "pretty sick" and suggests that the parents take him straight away to the ER. Well, the parents reason that the 3 hours they would sit in an ER would be better spent driving home, so they head on home. They call ahead to their local doctor, make an afternoon appointment, and before heading out explain their reasoning to their host. The host "said he understood", but the father "could tell he was still worried". Okay, even now the friends of the parents are apparently thinking "what are you DOING?". Two hours into the drive, after the parents have had to stop and change clothing on an already fully potty trained child (!!!) whose began soiling himself and the child is by now "crying constantly" and they've had to stop "every 30 mintues" for him to throw up. So, they're still an hour or so from home, and they STILL DON'T STOP AT AN ER! I mean, come on people, it doesn't take a triple digit IQ to figure out at this point that 48 hours of hourly to half-hourly vomiting by a 3 year old can result in dehydration so severe that he could be having organ problems. Wait, the dad even says that 2 hours into this 3 hour trip home that they know he must be getting dehydrated (ya think?!?) and they STILL DIDN'T STOP. So, they get back to their hometown in 3 hours and, though earlier in the book Dear Old Dad says they called ahead for an appointment with family doc, when they get home you know what they do? They go to the ER. FINALLY! And when they get to the ER, the kid is so sick, they don't make the family wait the dreaded 3 hours that the parents had speculated about earlier, no, one look at the child and the ER staff immediately takes them back. Blood work is performed, Xrays are performed, and IVs are run. Results... the doctor doesn't know what's wrong with the child, but the Xray shows 3 masses in his stomach. While the IVs and antibiotics (antibiotics... they don't give those for stomach virus) are dripping, friends begin streaming in. One friend suggests that the parents should have the boy transported to Denver Children's (ya know, since doctors at Podunk Hospital don't know what's wrong). The parents dismissed this, instead deciding (I suppose) to let the Podunk docs google until they make a diagnosis. On day two, after the boy is STILL throwing up and only getting worse "faster", mother stays on at the hospital while Dad works and prays. Finally, on day 3 at Podunk, it dawns on the parents of little Colton (whose looking like death to his parents)that maybe they should take him to another hospital. Denver Children's? Noooo, that would be too far from the parents "base of support". ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT ABOUT COLTON'S MEDICAL SUPPORT? This is where I quit reading. I know from the photo on the cover that little Colton survived and is doing well (he's obviously not 3 anymore). But I just, at this point, had formed such an unfavorable opinion of these parents selfishness or ignorance or both, that I just didn't want to read anymore. As a parent, I love to the point I would die for my kid. Sitting in an ER 3 hours from home is a far cry from death. Subjecting him to days of continual degradation of health and wellbeing so that I can be close to those who will pat my back and tell me it's all gonna be alright is not my idea of taking care of my child. I'm sorry if this feeling is offensive, but it's why I could not finish this book.
424 of 518 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A childish fantasy written by adults,
Steve P (Adelaide, South Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
Right up front, let me say that I think Todd Burpo's book Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back is one of the most naive, superficial, and disturbing "Christian" books I've read for a long time.
In brief, the book purports to tell of a 4 year old's journey to heaven during a surgical procedure for a severe ruptured appendix. Following the procedure, and over a period of months and years, Colton, Todd's son, gradually "revealed" bits and pieces of his alleged journey to heaven. Here's what he "discovered" and/or "experienced" on his journey:
- angels sang to him while he was in hospital
- he was sitting on Jesus' lap while he was in heaven
- while in heaven, he saw his father praying in a small room in the hospital and his mother in a different room talking on the phone and praying
- he met John the Baptist in heaven
- Jesus has a rainbow coloured horse and wears a golden crown with a pink diamond
- he was given "homework" to do in heaven while he was being cared for by his deceased grandfather - Pop
- everyone in heaven has wings and flies around from place to place - except for Jesus who who levitates up and down like an elevator
- everyone in heaven has a light above their heads (Todd Burpo interprets this in the book as a halo)
- God is `really, really big' and is so big he holds the world in his hands
- Jesus sits at the right hand of God, Gabriel sits on God's left, and the Holy Spirit is "kind of blue" and sits somewhere in the vicinity of the other three.
- the gates of heave are made of gold and pearls
- after Colton's return to earth, he became obsessed with rainbows because of the incredible number of colours he saw in heaven
- at times, following his return from heaven, Colton saw `power shot down from heaven' while his dad was preaching
there are swords and bows and arrows in heaven that the angels use to keep Satan out of heaven
the weaponry described above will apparently be used in a coming battle that destroys the world - and Colton's dad will be fighting in that battle
- the final battle will be against actual dragons and monsters while the women and children stand and watch the men fighting them
- he meets `a sister' in heaven - who was lost through miscarriage by the mother years before - and which the parents claim they never spoke to Colton about
- he claimed to see Satan in heaven but wouldn't say what he looked like
- and he described what Jesus looked like, comparing people's ideas of Jesus in their artworks as not right, until he was shown a painting of Christ by Akiane Kramarik which he said got the picture of Jesus right
There are a few more "revelations" in the book, but these are the essential ones. And all this was discovered in 3 minutes in heaven!
There are a number of reasons one should be highly sceptical of this book. Firstly, Colton was just 4 years old when he began to talk about his experience mostly prompted by his father - except for the first of his comments about the angels singing to him when he was having his surgery. Four year old children are renowned for making up stories and not being able, at this age, to distinguish fantasy from reality. After all, many children have imaginary friends and use their imagination constantly in making up stories while engaging in play. It would seem that the parents are still thinking like four year olds if they take what their kid says as literally true!
Secondly, why so many months and years for the story to develop - with the prompting of the parents? Surely if a child visited heaven they'd come back and be talking about it excitedly all at once - at least to start with. Haven't we all heard children bubble over with enthusiasm after having an exciting experience? Not Colton. He doesn't even mention it until he happens to say something about where his parents were during his operation. But given that it takes years for his whole "story" to come out, one has to wonder how much of it was constructed in response to his father's questioning.
Thirdly, the "information" provided by Colton is so obviously consistent with an evangelical fundamentalist view that it is not hard to see it has being informed by this culture as he grew up. Colton's father is a pastor and he admits to reading Bible stories to Colton as he grew up. He would have attended Sunday School and been exposed to all the detail he has described even if unconsciously. It's not surprising that his description of heaven draws on that culture.
Fourthly, Colton's father holds to a literalist reading of the biblical Book of Revelation which most people quite rightly understand to be highly symbolic and figurative. Colton describes things like swords and horses (rainbow coloured, no less, obviously similar to the children's Rainbow Brite toy!) in heaven and his father believes they are truly in heaven because verses in Revelation confirm it! So does Colton's father believe there is really a slain lamb/lion creature actually there too?
Fifthly, if Colton's descriptions of God on thrones with angels using swords to keep Satan out of heaven are to be taken literally, then God has been caught in an Old Testament era time warp. Are they really suggesting that God has eternally sat on thrones, ridden horses, fought with swords against real dragons? Most biblical scholars (and most Christians) would have a much more mature view of these issues than the childish view that Colton and his parents have. But then, of course, according to this book, we are to become like little children in our faith and just accept all this stuff without question.
Finally, the idea that Colton has told them a few things that he just couldn't have known about is highly unlikely. Church communities are renowned gossiping communities and it is much more reasonable to assume that he heard some of these things than to believe they are supernaturally revealed.
There's a lot more that could be said about this book. But the above will do. Heaven is for Real is simplistic, superficial, and naive. The most disturbing thing about this book is that it has become so popular - which doesn't say much for the people that swallow it whole without a second thought - even to the extent of stating that they have had their faith strengthened by it. If this is all it takes to reaffirm faith then, to my mind, that faith is pretty fickle.
Disclosure of Material Connection: 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."
175 of 212 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A Dad Who Lost His Faith,
ScribeBuddy "ScribeBuddy" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Kindle Edition)
There seem to be two schools of thought on the reviews posted here: either it's an amazing, overwhelmingly joyful confirmation of faith, or the father is lying in order to make money.
I have a different point of view. ALL signs in the beginning of the book (and even later, with the father's incredulity) point to the fact that the father was obviously losing his faith. He even raged against God at one point. And when he wasn't raging directly against God, he was picking over and over and over the fact that HE had been through so much, HIS health scares were so bad, HIS inability to work was so bad. When Colton was sick, it was all about how DAD felt about it, how DAD didn't like to see it, how DAD didn't know what to do, how DAD felt like a failure.
Then of course, Colton was begging for Dad before and after the surgery.
And later, with the tiny crumbs we're awarded that (supposedly) came out of Colton's mouth, we are swarmed before, during and after them with Dad going on about HIS reaction, HIS making parallels to scripture, and so on.
For the (co-) author, it's all I, I, I, me, me, me, I felt this, I saw that, I heard this, I couldn't take it so I went to have a glass of water, me, I, I, me, me.
It is so obvious. This person is a pastor. He can/could not forgive himself for beginning to lose faith. So he grabbed onto what may have been a snatch of a dream from his little boy (based on the dogma that had been instilled daily and even hourly in this child, both inside and outside the home - i.e., Sunday school) and began to see what he wanted to see.
He was so desperate for a confirmation of his now-flagging faith that, yes, he, even if only subconsciously, coached his son. You can see it in the writing. He asks a question, then later asks the question with a bit of a twist and of course, Colton, who wants to please his father, reaches and finds "a memory" that seems even more staggering to the father...even though each and every one of these "memories" is thrust into children's heads in Sunday school via words, stories and pictures, and in a preacher's household, in the home as well.
Dad, years later, collected and, yes, paraphrased (he admits that he "wishes (he) had written down" what Colton had said at the time Colton was saying it) Colton's supposed "revelations," from an adult point of view.
Colton was not being bad and he was not lying. A dream, memories, snatches of stories from Bible school - to a not even four-year-old, they all mingle. A child this age has NOT separated fantasy from reality. If I recall correctly, that happens at approximately age seven, which is why age seven and up is termed "the age of reason."
Colton saw how happy his parents were with what he was telling them - AND how their heads snapped in his direction and how riveted they were every time he talked about "Jesus and heaven." Well, what child wouldn't keep doing what gets him attention? Children want and need parental attention and love. They never feel like they're getting enough of it. When they hit upon something that has the parents all a-lather like this, well...of course they're going to keep talking, and, subconsciously, add and embellish. That is very natural.
As to the impossibility of Colton knowing about the miscarriage, his grandfather, etc., what on earth makes parents think children don't listen in on the parents' conversations when the parents think the kids are asleep? Obviously they do not remember being children themselves.
I very much wanted to believe this story but it was contrived, coached, manipulated (poor Colton) and overly eager to prove itself again and again. That itself speaks volumes for the fact that Dad, even with fame and fortune and looooooads of money from this book, and even with TV appearances (um, I thought this happened to Colton, not to him?) - is still trying to convince himself. Sadly, he sure hasn't convinced me.
71 of 84 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievable (literally),
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
If there is something--anything--redeeming about this book I could not find it, hence the lowest rating possible. Reading this book is maybe the nicest thing I've ever done for my friends. Now you don't have to. For me, it was kind of like being dragged by horses across a field of broken glass. . . during a blizzard. . . while passing a kidney stone. . . and listening to Bob Dylan. I didn't know anything about Todd Burpo, but I can tell you my respect for Lynn Vincent has plunged to the center of the earth. I can't even give it a bump for the quality of writing.
I was compelled to read "Heaven is for Real" by its popularity. The book is currently #7 on Amazon and the movie has grossed $65 million in just a few weeks. Millions of people have formed their beliefs about God and heaven from what Todd Burpo claims his 3-year-old son experienced in heaven and later relayed to him.
The story goes as follows: Young Colton Burpo underwent an emergency appendectomy and made a subsequent miraculous recovery. Several months later, Colton revealed to his parents that while in surgery he had an out-of-body experience, spoke with angels, and sat in Jesus' lap. For the next couple years, whenever the Burpo parents got a hankerin', they'd pump Colton for more information. There was a pattern to these sessions. Colton would be preoccupied (often playing with swords or action figures) when his dad asked something like, "Hey Colton, did you see God's throne in heaven?" Whether the question was, "Did you see animals?" or "Did you see Mary?" or "Did you see Satan?" or something else, Colton's reply never failed to gratify. His father was invariably stunned and amazed. Colton would then run off and play while Mr. Burpo pondered a passage of Scripture that confirmed his son's story, e.g., "Then I suddenly remembered what it says in the book of Revelation. . ." Signaling the completion of the pattern, the author exclaims something to this effect: I know exactly what they were teaching my boy in Sunday School and there's no way he learned this there. Our only reasonable conclusion is that Colton Burpo really did visit heaven!
If the Burpos' close family and friends want to believe this account based on their personal knowledge of them and their character, fine I guess. But should we? Everything in us wants to, but there's no good reason we should. In fact, in this case there are loads of reasons we shouldn't.
For one, I'm really suspicious about Jesus speaking to Colton Burpo in Evangelical clichés. Instead of learning that people need to believe in Jesus, for example, Colton learned from his encounter that we need to be nice and have Jesus in our hearts. Why did Jesus opt for Evangelical clichés over biblical expressions?
As well, despite valiant attempts at proof texting, we do have to choose between biblical theology and the Burpo story. For example, is God the Father physically big so as to require a physically big throne? Do people have bodies after death but before the resurrection? Did Jesus win the victory over the devil or not? For each of these questions and more, the Bible gives one answer; 4-year-old Colton Burpo gives another.
Finally, there are all the things that just don't add up for me. If you thought your child really visited heaven, would you investigate the experience intermittently over the course of years? Or, fearing he might forget some of the details, would you sit down with him at once, asking every question that comes to mind, taking copious notes? Is it even reasonable to trust the account of a child who by all appearances is wrapped up in a world of action figures, make-believe sword play, and fantasy? Does the notion of disembodied spirits having wings strike you as odd? How about Jesus on a rainbow-colored horse? If Colton was having an out-of-body experience, how is it that he sat on Jesus' lap? How did he hug people in heaven if his body was on the operating table? I don't have a verse to prove the Holy Spirit isn't "kind of blue" in color, but do I need one? I could go on. Frankly, not only can I not believe this story, I can't believe anyone can.
If I only had a nickel for every time I've heard Christians justify books like "Heaven is for Real" and "90 Minutes in Heaven" on the basis that, even if false, people are drawn to God by them. I say, no. Jesus told a parable (recorded in Luke 16) about a rich man who died and went to hell. There he suffered in agony. God allowed him to look far away and see a man named Lazarus sitting next to Abraham. From his life on earth, the rich man had known Lazarus as a beggar who lived near him. The rich man pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn his five living brothers to change their ways before they died. Denied. Abraham declared, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them." The rich man protested that a visit from dead Lazarus would do what Moses and the Prophets (i.e., the Bible) couldn't. Abraham gave this retort, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead."
God draws men to Himself through the Word. I suspect He does not draw men through sensational, unverifiable testimonies of complete strangers, much less those who are trusting in the ability of a 4-year-old to remember, interpret, and articulate the details of a supposed trip to heaven. As to the extra-biblical details of heaven and the afterlife, it isn't simply that we don't know these things; it's that we aren't meant to know them. After Paul's unique trip to heaven, he was forbidden to share what he experienced (2 Cor 12:3-4). We only know that he heard "inexpressible things". Why is Colton Burpo allowed to give details which Paul was forbidden from revealing? The answer is simple: Paul didn't have books, movie tickets, CDs, t-shirts, and bracelets (yes, bracelets) to sell. Perhaps God allowed Colton Burpo to tell his story so that his dad, Todd, could become a millionaire.
I'm sure I've raised some hackles. If you believed the Burpos' story based on the book or the movie, I ask: Did you believe it because it was believable? Or because you wanted to believe it? The apostles didn't preach heaven; they preached the gospel. The gospel is the power to save. "Heaven is for Real" is the power to tickle ears. That it occupies the #1 best seller position in the "Christian Book" category on Amazon is a testimony to the sorry state of Christianity.
61 of 72 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven is for Real- a review by a skeptic,
This review is from: Heaven is for Real Movie Edition: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Kindle Edition)
I'm generally pretty skeptical of "I went to heaven but came back and now I'm going to tell you all about it" kinds of books. I just think there are some things... ok, a lot of things, that God leaves as mysteries for us. I have to say, though, that Heaven is for Real is very compelling- it feels true. I read it cover to cover in less than 24 hours.
I know we can't base everything on feelings, especially with our faith, but let me tell you a few reasons why Heaven is for Real made me a believer-
1. The experience happened to an innocent, untainted child and his admissions seem to have come about very naturally, not coerced.
2. From what I can tell (except for MAYBE where he said the nail holes were on Jesus' hands instead of his wrists) everything lines up with scripture.
3. The reserve his parents had for many years in even sharing Colton's story and the way they went about it causes me to believe that they genuinely wanted to share something life changing that happened in their family with others to offer hope and ultimately to point people back to Jesus as the only way.
Beyond the cold, hard reasons why I feel this book is most likely not fabricated, I also have some gut reactions to the words in its pages. Just like Colton's mother, I too have lost a child to miscarriage and the thought of him being up there, with my great grandmother no less, and being adopted by God, it strikes a big cord with me. When I lost my Micah I very distinctly had the feeling that he went to be with Jesus when I released him to go be well. I had the overwhelming impression in my soul that he would be "raised" by God himself and even his name, which came to me out of the blue late one night, means "Resembles God" which I figured he would if he was being raised by the almighty Himself. So, the stories in this book lined up with and confirmed for me some very personal experiences and standpoints, to top it all off.
To go beyond just the original book, though, I have the movie version that contains interviews and pictures from the set as well as an updated interview with Colton. I always prefer to read a book before I see a movie anyway, but I liked that this version gave me a little more insight into the movie as well, which I appreciated. I must say that I had hoped to hear more life changing testimonies out of the actors and others involved, but I'm glad that at least seeds have been planted in them through their participation in the making of this film.
I enjoyed this book immensely, highly recommend it and also believe that it will probably cause you to want to see the movie as much as I now do. More than seeing a feature film, however, this book strikes a new excitement and anticipation for heaven and that is always a good thing.
719 of 890 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Full of Factual Errors - Mostly a Work of Fiction,
DaveT "davet" (Newport Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
I read this book truly hoping to find an account of life after death that I could believe in. Unfortunately the story has several factual errors which cast serious doubts about the legitimacy of the story. Add that to the increasingly fantastic imagery that emerges as the boy grows older and is exposed to more Christian "schooling" and Hollywood media and the whole story loses credibility.
The first factual error is the fact that the boy mentions that Jesus had red marks on his palms and feet (where supposedly he continued to bare the marks of the nails of his crucifixion even in Heaven). It is not a well known fact that Jesus was crucified through the wrist and NOT through the palms, as it is not possible for nails through the palms to support the weight of the body. This has been proven through scientific tests using cadavers. Even the Shroud of Turin if indeed it is authentic, bears stains that would correspond to a wound on the wrist NOT the palms. This is one of the most important errors because it is a description that occurs soon after the purported meeting with Jesus, and not years afterwards where the effects of a child's hyperactive imagination could, and in my opinion have, created incredible scenes.
Colton also says he watched Jesus send "power" in the form of the "holy spirit" down to his father (a pastor) while he gave his sermons. The only problem is that during the time he was supposedly in Heaven watching Jesus do this, his father was at the hospital and not preaching.
Another factual error was Colton's idea that Jesus looked like the painting by the God inspired child prodigy Akiane, which depicts a fairly light skinned man. Now most Christians in the Western world might like to believe Jesus was "white", but the truth is he was born in the Middle East. Just take a look at what the typical Jew living there looks like and you will see that he would have actually had dark skin and most likely black hair.
Another problem is that ONLY Christians can get into Heaven according to Colton, so all other religions, agnostics or atheists, no matter how good they are -- are screwed. Yet - conveniently, his miscarried sister who was never born to be baptized a Christian, turned up in Heaven.
As Colton gets older the story gets even more fantastic with "future" scenes of Heaven waging war with Satan with... wait for it: SWORDS as well as BOWS and ARROWS. Not surprising this happened to coincide with Colton's recent viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Not to mention that only males were warriors. It appears that female emancipation in the modern world has regressed in the future according to Colton.
Having been raised as a Christian and having religious parents and a Grandfather who was a Pastor, I am in no way anti-Christianity. However, like many, I am looking for the truth, not blind propaganda. When I read this book it pained me to eventually realize how fake it was.
Add that to the fact that the co-writer Lynn Vincent has written many political books, including ghostwriting Sarah Palin's, and the only conclusion I could come up with was that this book has to be taken with a bucketful of salt.
686 of 854 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars A question,
Bosco Hoggins (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
Around the world, people of faith all have different views of the nature of God, Jesus, and Heaven (not to mention other prophets, gods, and revelations). Of course, these differences exist not just between religions, but also within Christianity itself (there can even be many, many differences between believers within the same congregation and even within families). Even people engaging in similar approaches to biblical interpretation (e.g. literal readings of the King James Version of the Bible) can yield very different conceptions of the nature of Heaven. The result, of course, is that within Christianity, there are thousands and thousands of good-faith understandings of God, of the permanence of the soul, and of Heaven.
Given this, how could it be conceivably possible that Colton Burpo's revelation of the true nature of God and Heaven happened to conform exactly to his father's views on them?
I should note that you do not have to question the existence of God or of Heaven to wonder about this. In fact, I think the question is more troubling for true believers. For real believers, the question is not whether there is a heaven or not (that is beyond question); the real question is whether Mr. Burpo is using his son as a false prophet.
I think people should really consider that before endorsing or supporting this book.
96 of 118 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars This book doubles as a "do you have a lick of discernment?" test...,
Lyndon Unger "Armchair Theologian" (Abbotsford, British Columbia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back (Paperback)
So the story is that Pastor Burpo's son, Colton, got horribly sick and had an out of body experience where he went to heaven.
While in "heaven", Colton saw Jesus and a whole whack of things that sound amazing...
Sadly, the Bible gives me significant reason to question the validity of Colton's vision, since Colton says a bunch of things that sound 'biblical' to an undiscerning reader, but cannot be the case.
Colton went to a place where he saw Jesus' horse. Well the Bible speaks of Jesus having a horse in Revelation 19, but it's his war horse. It's not currently grazing in heaven and you DEFINITELY don't get to ride that one (unless Colton did a little pre-emptive judgment of his preschool or something).
Colton went to the stereotypical "gold streets and whatnot" heaven, but the Bible's clear that this is the New Jerusalem (Rev.21 & 22). Wherever Colton went, Colton DEFINITELY didn't go to the New Jerusalem.
Colton apparently had wings and a halo in heaven. The Bible is clear that human beings DO NOT turn into angels in heaven, and the whole "wings and a halo" thing is nowhere in the scriptures. It's from popular and secular media and 'Far Side' cartoons.
Colton apparently saw that the angels in heaven had swords, and this is apparently so that they can "keep the Devil out". So the angels need to wage physical battle against Satan because he's trying to constantly get into Heaven? What about places like Job 1:6-12 & 2:1-7 where Satan is found standing before God?
...and Colton asked for a sword but Jesus said he couldn't because it was "too dangerous". Dangerous for who? Was Colton in actual danger of killing someone or damaging something in Heaven? Was Jesus worried that Colton would cut himself?
I could go on and on but there's no need. This book was a complete insult to my intelligence by assuming that I'm so idiotic that I wouldn't check the claims of a 4-year-old prophet against scripture. What's even more unbelievable is that Pastor Ron Burpo apparently has a B.A. in Theology. *facepalm*
Pastor Burpo's son definitely saw something, but I have heavy reasons to question whether or not Colton had a heavenly encouter or something far more deceptive. Seeing how many people are buying this book (I saw it here in Canada on a top 10 best sellers rack at a huge national bookstore), I'm guessing that it's a distraction and deception from the spirits who typically do such things while manifesting themselves as angels of light.
Be warned. *False teaching alert*
Read at tremendous spiritual risk.
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Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Lynn Vincent (Paperback - November 2, 2010)
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Friday, September 4, 2009
Friday Discussion: Your Favorite d20/OGL Product
(Yes, I worked at an amusement park where I grew up, and had to work every Labor Day Weekend. Boo).
In any case, here at RPG Blog 2, we're working just a liiitle bit longer to bring you some Friday discussion. Nothing serious, nothing deep, just some good gaming discussion and a chance to air your opinions.
This Week's Question: From The Thousands To Choose From, What Is Your Favorite Product to Come Out of d20 and/or the Open Gaming License?
Yes, please do feel free to tell us why you hold it in such high esteem.
I'm guessing there's a lot of variety on this one. Have a wonderful, gaming-filled, Labor Day Weekend!
22 comments:
- David Macauley said...
Labyrinth Lord. Just because. :)
- September 4, 2009 at 8:13 AM
- Tim said...
Mutant Future. OGL post-apocalyptic mutant goodness. I friggin' love this system.
- September 4, 2009 at 8:30 AM
- Alex Schroeder said...
Yeah, Labyrinth Lord. Just as I was getting fed up with D&D 3.5 rules complexity, here comes a simple alternative!
- September 4, 2009 at 8:36 AM
- Rob Conley said...
Wilderlands of High Fantasy by Necromancer Games & Judges Guild
- September 4, 2009 at 8:41 AM
- Tim Brannan said...
All the retro clones are great, but my favorites still have to be Mutants & Masterminds and True20.
They took the d20/OGL and took it to new levels.
- September 4, 2009 at 8:45 AM
- Dirk R. said...
I am divided among Microlite 20 and the French dK System, for exactly opposite reasons.
M20 is the nicest, smallest-possible game that still feels like D&D (and that can be used with D&D modules), and it fits in a pocket.
dK is a deconstruction and rebuild of the OGL, quite crunchy, heavy on feats (renamed atouts - "trumps") and no classes. It feels like "Savage Worlds as viewed through the d20 lens".
If hard pressed, I would go for dK. "Fast - Furious - Krâsse"
- September 4, 2009 at 8:48 AM
- R. Lawrence Blake said...
Labyrinth Lord! Simple, fun, and easy to teach new players.
- September 4, 2009 at 9:36 AM
Of actual d20 products, I'd go with d20 Modern. The fiddly mechanics of d20 seem to mesh best with the settings/styles of the game better than D&D style fantasy.
I guess being able to micromanage the skills and abilities of modern (or future) age characters seems more appropriate than it does for fantasy characters, who IMO should be more archetypal.
- September 4, 2009 at 9:37 AM
- DNAphil said...
By far my favorite was Iron Heroes. It was a Fantasy game where magic was not the most powerful force in the game. It created some of the best sets of feats for weapons, and had great character classes all variations of different fighting styles.
My runner up is d20 Modern. Great game, and had a lot of fun with it as well.
- September 4, 2009 at 9:57 AM
- Tyler said...
Common sense requires me to say Mutants & Masterminds, but I still have a fondness for Northern Crown. It's straight-up D&D ruleswise, but I love the alternate history setting.
- September 4, 2009 at 10:04 AM
- kensan-oni said...
I liked Arcane Evolved the best for the implied universe and the fact that the classes were not exact or even close mirrors to the older previous classes. The spells got a bit wonky, but it was a different faire, and I liked that.
- September 4, 2009 at 11:23 AM
- Thalendar said...
The Scarred Lands setting and their Creature Collection.
- September 4, 2009 at 11:57 AM
- Al Tarancón said...
Spycraft 2.0. I loved how you could costumise it and use if for almost everything. And now that fantasycraft is finally published, i like it even better.
- September 4, 2009 at 12:00 PM
- Scott said...
Judging the pros from the semi-pros (read: retro-clone publishers) separately, I'd go with Green Ronin's Testament for the sheer audaciousness of it from the pros and Swords & Wizardry: White Box Edition from the semi-pros for doing the best job at getting back to basics.
- September 4, 2009 at 12:35 PM
- gnombient said...
Swords & Wizardry White Box is my #1 pick, I love that little clone. Runner-up is the Necro Wilderlands box set, what a fantastic product.
- September 4, 2009 at 12:57 PM
- Thasmodious said...
Ah, I agree entirely. I think that's why I found 3e D&D so confining.
Favorites -
Tome of Battle for 3.5. Didn't fix the massive caster-melee power gulf, but helped and had nice flavor.
Iron Heroes - for the same reasons DNAPhil mentions (and I liked d20 Modern as well)
- September 4, 2009 at 1:34 PM
- Aaron W. Thorne said...
Basic Fantasy RPG
It's basically my favorite version of D&D (Rules Compendium) with race and class split and ascending AC. There are a lot of optional add-ons available, and I found the system to be very simple to run.
From the professional side of the fence, I have always liked what Monte Cook did with the Books of Eldritch Might, and pretty much every D&D3 game I ran since they came out has included some of the Eldritch Might rules.
- September 4, 2009 at 1:39 PM
- AWizardInDallas said...
I'm going to have to be different and go with software. I'd have to say Hero Lab. :)
- September 4, 2009 at 5:36 PM
- Tim Shorts said...
My vote would go to Castles & Crusades right now, but to be fair its only one of a few I have tried. But I like it enough to want to play it.
- September 4, 2009 at 8:14 PM
- Max said...
Fantasy Craft! the best d20/ogl re-envisioning so far
- September 5, 2009 at 12:07 PM
- Vincent said...
Hmmm... If Green Ronin were Paizo, Mutants & Materminds would prbably be a category killer here.
@Dirk R. heavy on feats (renamed atouts - "trumps") and no classes
Um, d20 without classes and the feats are called trumps? That sounds phenomenal!
Maybe I'm just overly fond of the word "trump".
- September 5, 2009 at 10:20 PM
- Gamer Dude said...
Toss up between Castles and Crusades and Labyrinth Lord...
Although, I'd really love to give Mutant Future a spin some time. I used to totally dig Gamma World.
- September 7, 2009 at 11:08 PM


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The recent Christmas Eve theft at the St. Francis Church in Narrowsburg was not the only burglary over the holidays. Now, the Fallsburg Police Department says there were two more thefts in Sullivan County. YNN's Eva McKend met with a Loch Sheldrake resident who came home Christmas evening to find his window open and his belongings gone.
SULLIVAN COUNTY, N.Y. -- When Michael Bound returned to his Loch Sheldrake apartment community on Christmas night, he found the traces of an unwelcome visitor.
"I came home from my father's on Christmas evening. When I walked in my house, the window was wide open, there were mud prints going up the stairs and I realized my TV, the kids' Playstation, everything was gone," Bound said.
An unnamed 16-year-old male has been charged with the burglary.
Bound is not the only victim of burglary so close to Christmas. Fallsburg Police charged Christopher Peachey, 25, with felony burglary in a nearby, but unrelated, incident in Hurleyville on Christmas Eve. Peachey is accused of stealing almost a thousand dollars worth of household items from a couple. He told police he gave away the stuff he stole as Christmas presents.
"It's more shock than anything. You would not think that on the Christmas holiday that something like this would happen, but I don't think it matters what day of the week it is, what month it is or what holiday it is, if somebody wants to take something they are going to take it," said Fallsburg Police Department Detective Brendan Pavese.
Police say the slew of recent burglaries are indicative of the larger economic challenges people face around the county.
"Just this past week, we've had five burglaries that I can recall that we are working on actively. It's a tough time. It's a tough area. People are burglarizing houses to get ahead, it seems," said Pavese.
With severe sentences that came down in Sullivan County last year for teen burglars Aniebal Santiago and Joseph Strong , 10 and eight year sentences respectively, local law enforcement officials say they are trying to send a message.
"I think that anybody that breaks into somebody's home needs to be held accountable. If the proper sentence is brought down, maybe this will stop happening in our county," added Pavese.
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Here in a single volume is a practical, comprehensive training course for budding illustrators working to master comic book art, graphic novels, fantasy posters, sci-fi book covers and illustrations, and computer games. The author, a highly successful fantasy artist, teaches the basics of human anatomical drawing and musculature, as well as perspective and composition. He then instructs on ways to distort, develop, and transform the human figure, giving it features that range from monstrous or magical to super-agile or larger than life. Detailed artist's references and step-by-step instructions show how to build bodies that truly stretch the imagination—mighty alien warriors, kick-boxing cyber-punks, and mega-muscled superheroes, to name just a few. Art students also learn how to show their characters in many different dynamic action poses, such as flying, spinning, punching, and jumping, as well as how to express each character's emotions through facial expressions. More thn 300 color illustrations. By Glenn Fabry, additional text by Ben Cormack. Softbound, measures 8 5/16 in. x 10 7/8 in. 128 pages. Barron's 2005. ISBN 0764129503
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