"Heaven is for Real, for kids" by Colton Burpo

As an adult I have read "Heaven is for Real" and thought it was amazing, so I jumped at the chance to read the kid version to my 4 year old. This is the story of Colton who while undergoing surgery travels to Heaven and meets all kind of people including Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit and many others. Colton tells his children readers what he saw and what he felt. The pictures that accompanied those descriptions were amazing and really helped to tell the story.

I think this book was very well thought out it can be read to a smaller child, and to an older child as well. To bridge this gap there are Bible verses to accompany the story, which reinforce what Colton is telling the reader. In fact, I thought of taking it to some individuals I know who are reaching the end of their life, because I think everyone could benefit from this refreshing story!

The end of the book also had some question and answers, which I thought would be very helpful. I read this book to my son just before bed, but I can imagine that when he gets up in the morning he will have some questions, I think these couple of pages could be a really great asset for any parent. I would recommend this book to all people, not just children, but it is a great way to teach our children about heaven and about our Lord. Awesome book!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://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

"Where Has Oprah Taken Us?", by Stephen Mansfield

"Where Has Oprah Taken Us?" a book by Stephen Mansfield takes the reader through Oprah's sometimes tumultous life and sometimes glorified life. As we travel through her life we begin to understand where she came from and how she traveled away from her faith during her lifetime. The author introduces the reader to the kind of "faith" Oprah has brought in front of her audience over the years, and even gives the reader an in depth evaluation of each of her spiritual guides.

The book was a fast read, especially during the story of her life and how she came to fall away from the church into this "new age religion" she now extols to the country. I have to tell you that I watched the Oprah show from time to time, and I was completely in the dark about her faith, which the author states many people are unaware of. It became pretty clearly that while she portrays herself as a Christian she is by no stretch of the imagination a Christian. I was shocked to find out that she mostly follows the practices of Hinduism, but that really she kind of molds all different kinds of faith together into whatever suites her at the time.

I found this book quite enlightening, and engaging. A must read for anyone who is both a Christian and a fan of Oprah. From this book I would say being both could be a danergous thing! Though the author is obviously writing from a somewhat biased opinion, that of a Christian, he does a great job of keeping his opinions to himself while he writes, unless it is in a special section, where he then makes his very personal comments. Comments that I very much enjoyed considering. Overall, I would recommend this book, it is an eye opening experience.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://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 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Kristin

The Stuff little Towns are made of!

Its been some exciting times around these parts, well for some it might seem ordinary,but for those soaking up time with their children exciting is what these times have been! So without further ado MY children! First up Colton enjoying a photo op inside the Mercy Air Ambulance! He is usually so shy, so I was pretty proud he let one of the pilots hoist him up there so he could look around and so I could snap this memorable picture. This was during our annual firemen's feed, they give firetruck rides and we eat lots of hamburgers and hot dogs!

Next up my boys doing what they do best these days! Play tractors! They love to play farm, and currently have some corn from the fields that they load and unload into every wagon and trailer they can get their grubby little hands on!

This was taken on the first day of school for Colton. He started 4 year old preschool which means he goes half of a day every single day of the week. You might notice that he is in the same outfit in every picture?!? Apparently, its my favorite shirt! This shot was taken as Carson and I were getting ready to walk him down the lane to catch the school bus for the first time! That's right our little one rides the bus every morning to school and afterwards rides it to the babysitter. He is getting so big!

This is the traditional "I have my bag on and I ready for my first day of school shot!"

There is so much more that we have been up to....we finally finished siding our house, and it does look amazing. We are adjusting to me working two jobs and sometimes having to put in some long hours and crazy hours for that matter, as well as getting used to mom doing HOMEWORK and going to school! CRAZY! We are managing and were looking forward to the pumpkin patch in a couple of weeks, halloween and even for school field trips. October might be busy but we're ready!

Kristin