Sunday, March 9, 2014

Between Heaven and Earth by Steve Berger

Between Heaven and Earth by Steve Berger is an unorganized book with a good basic concept undeveloped. Berger seems to want to focus more on heaven inspiring Christians to act than on Heaven itself, but he also gives a very quick overview of Heaven that doesn't really satisfy. I was hoping for more of a detailed look at Heaven. And I didn't see the point of taking time to look at Heaven if it wasn't really part of what his book was about. I couldn't really find anything worth underlining in the book, either. I have trouble with books that focus on action because they make me feel guilty for not acting on gifts God has not given me. Berger's book was like that. But at least it was a fast and easy read. Still, it seemed more like a self-published book (I usually avoid those) than a book published by an actual publisher (Bethany House). I expected more based on the several Christian celebrity testimonies supporting the book. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if the book had been more focused and organized.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Heaven is For Real Movie Edition

It's easy to be super critical of a story like that of the Burpo family presented in the book Heaven is for Real, now a movie. And I am a tad bit critical. But my problem with the book isn't what it presents. The young boy's story of going to heaven while coming near death in the hospital matches up with Scripture as far as I can tell. And I did kind of find myself believing the story and being encouraged by it. It was definitely a very quick and easy read.

I actually just found the book fairly boring. The father, Todd Burpo, tends to go off on tangents in his writing, assisted by professional author Lynn Vincent. And they tell the WHOLE story, even the details that really don't seem all that relevant to me.

This is a good book for beginners looking for an intro to heaven. It also provides a lot of hope for parents who have lost young children or mothers who have had miscarriages.

The behind the scenes looks at the movie at the end of the book are fairly interesting. They include interviews with actors and other crew members. I would have enjoyed a longer interview with the original Colton Burpo, now in his teenage years.

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review.