”God has set eternity in the human heart…Ecclesiastes 3:11

When Todd Burpo who along with WORLD magazine senior writer Lynn Vincent wrote a book about his son Colton’s account of visiting heaven, he never in the wildest dreams imagined it would hit the New York Times best-seller list, selling 8 million copies in paperback and e-books.  The film adaptation of Heaven Is for Real, released this Easter  is approaching the 66 million dollar box office mark. Heaven is for Real is striking a chord in the hearts of Americans who yearn to receive what God’s  word says,”God  has  set eternity in the human heart…Ecclesiastes 3:11  We all have innate longing  inside of us to know our destiny.   

Heaven Is for Real even though not your typical “Independent Christian film” is so much more than an “imaginative adaptation” as atheist director Darren Aronofsky’s Noah was. Director Randall Wallace, is a vocal Christian  who when asked in interviews professes to believe in a literal heaven, that man is made in the image of God, and that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Actor Greg Kinnear, who plays Todd Burpo, is also a professing Christian who reportedly attends church regularly. Heaven Is for Real deals in a sincere way with the real life struggles’ of  a pastor, a man of character who spend as much time worrying about  providing for his family, dealing with skeptics and their own doubts as he does preaching the Gospel. 

As for the real Colton Burpo, he’s now a teenager, a “pretty normal kid,” according to his father. He attends public school, plays sports, does his own laundry, and gets in trouble for the typical mischief of a teenage boy—but “his faith in who God is incredibly solid,” said his father. Colton was skeptical about the film at first. When he first heard about the movie deal, he called it “a bad idea, because movies are never as good as the book.” He’s since changed his mind after seeing the film.. 

I encourage you to see Heaven is for Real and if you can join with the C3 congregation this Sunday as we hear from Jesus himself about heaven and hell.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle