PRAISE FOR HEAVEN IS FOR REAL
“You wil be moved by the honest, simple, childlike accounts of a little boy
who has been to heaven. It’s compel ing and convincing. It’s a book you
should read. If you’re ready to go to heaven, this book wil inspire you. If
you’re not ready for heaven, al ow a little child to lead you. Like Colton
says, Heaven Is for Real.”
— Don Piper
Speaker and Author, 90
Minutes
in Heaven
“Every now and again a manuscript comes across my desk where the title
intrigues me. That’s what happened with this particular book cal ed
Heaven Is for Real. I thought I’d just skim through it, but I couldn’t put it
down. I read it from cover to cover. I was so impacted by the story. It’s a
book that wil not only make you love God more and fear death less, but it
wil help you understand that heaven is not a place where we just sit around
for a thousand years singing Kumbaya; it’s a place where we begin to live
as we were always meant to live, before the fal . If heaven is something that
intrigues you, or troubles you, if you wonder what our lives wil be like, then I
highly recommend this book.”
— Sheila Walsh WOF
Speaker and Author,
Beautiful Things Happen
When
a Woman Trusts God
“Heaven is not a consolation prize. It is a real place that wil be the eternal
home for al who believe. Take a journey with Colton and Todd as they
describe firsthand the wonders, mysteries, and majesty of heaven. It wil
make earth more meaningful and the future more hopeful.”
— Brady Boyd
Senior Pastor, New Life
Church,
Colorado Springs
“There have been many stories of ‘near-death’ experiences that I simply
have not read because I frankly didn’t know if I could trust the author. Wel , I
have read this book cover to cover and, moreover, I could hardly put it
down! Why? Because I know the author and I believe him. Todd Burpo
gives us a wonderful gift as he and his son lift the veil on eternity, al owing
us a quick glimpse of what lies on the other side.”
— Dr. Everett
Piper President, Oklahoma
Wesleyan
University
Author, Why I’m a Liberal and
Other Conservative Ideas
“In this beautiful and wel -written book, Colton, age four, has an experience
consistent with a near-death experience (NDE) while under anesthesia. I
have scientifical y studied over 1,600 NDEs, and found that typical NDEs
may occur in very young children and while under anesthesia. Even after
studying so many NDEs, I found Colton’s experience to be dramatic,
exceptional, and an inspiration to Christians everywhere.”
— Jeffrey Long, MD
Founder, Near Death
Experience
Research Foundation
Author, Evidence of the
Afterlife:
The Science of Near-Death
Experiences
“A beautiful y written glimpse into heaven that wil encourage those who
doubt and thril those who believe.”
— Ron Hal
Coauthor, Same Kind of
Different as Me
“Some stories want to be told. They simply have a life of their own. The
book you hold in your hand is just such a story. But it won’t stay long with
you; it wil bubble over into your conversations in search of someone who
has not yet heard. I know it wil happen to you because that is what
happened to me.”
— Phil McCal um
Senior Pastor, Evergreen
Community Church
Bothel , Washington
“The Bible describes heaven as the dwel ing place of God. It is a real place
that al those who submit their lives to God wil have as an eternal dwel ing.
In this book Todd Burpo relays the account of his son’s experience when
he was in surgery for a burst appendix. It is honest and touching and
encouraging to al of us who have an eternal hope.”
— Robert Morris
Pastor, Gateway Church,
Southlake, Texas
“Heaven Is for Real is a wonderful book. It reaffirms how important faith is
in our lives—for children as wel as adults.”
— Timothy P. O’Hol eran, MD
“Colton’s story could have been in the New Testament—but God has
chosen to speak to us in this twenty-first century through the unblemished
eyes of a child, revealing some of the mysteries of heaven. The writing is
compel ing and the truth astonishing, creating a hunger for more.”
— Jo Anne Lyon
General Superintendent,
The Wesleyan Church
“God is so creative and credible! The discoveries of this book wil amplify
that in new ways. I’ve known Colton since birth. As a toddler, he already
had a keen spiritual interest and intensity. At about age 3, he sat on my
knee, looked me in the eyes and asked if I wanted to go to heaven when I
died. Then told me “You need to have Jesus in your heart.” I commend this
book as a fresh perspective on the reality of God, who often seems hidden
yet interrupts on His schedule.”
— Phil Harris
District Superintendent,
Colorado-Nebraska District
of
the Wesleyan Church
“It is always a blessing to hear that Akiane’s paintings have touched
another person’s life. Her Prince of Peace depiction of Christ remains one
of her most beloved works. And as parents of a child that has experienced
something extraordinary and unexplained by earthly measures, I celebrate
with this family in their joy and in the tel ing of their special story.”
— Forel i Kramarik
Coauthor, Akiane: Her Life,
Her Heart, Her Poetry
Heaven Is for Real
Heaven Is for Real
A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven
and Back
Todd Burpo
with Lynn Vincent
© 2010 by Todd Burpo
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,
scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior
written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered
trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Author is represented by the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard
Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising,
or
sales
promotional
use.
For
information,
please
e-mail
[email protected] Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotatio
ns are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW
INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by
permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. © 1996,
2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All
rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public
domain.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Burpo, Todd.
Heaven is for real : a little boy’s astounding story of his trip to heaven and back / Todd
Burpo with Lynn Vincent.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-8499-4615-8 (pbk.)
1. Heaven—Christianity. 2. Burpo, Colton, 1999– 3. Near-death experiences—Religious
aspects—Christianity. I. Vincent, Lynn. II. Title.
BT846.3.B87 2010
133.901'3092—dc22 2010023391
Printed in the United States of America
10 11 12 13 14 EB 5 4 3 2 1
“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little
children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
—JESUS OF NAZARETH
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Prologue: Angels at Arby’s
1. The Crawl-A-See-Um
2. Pastor Job
3. Colton Toughs It Out
4. Smoke Signals
5. Shadow of Death
6. North Platte
7. “I Think This Is It”
8. Raging at God
9. Minutes Like Glaciers
10. Prayers of a Most Unusual Kind
11. Colton Burpo, Col ection Agent
12. Eyewitness to Heaven
13. Lights and Wings
14. On Heaven Time
15. Confession
16. Pop
17. Two Sisters
18. The Throne Room of God
19. Jesus Really Loves the Children
20. Dying and Living
21. The First Person You’l See
22. No One Is Old in Heaven
23. Power from Above
24. Ali’s Moment
25. Swords of the Angels
26. The Coming War
27. Someday We’l See
Epilogue
Timeline of Events
Notes
About the Burpos
About Lynn Vincent
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In tel ing Colton’s story, we have been afforded the chance to not just work
with dedicated professionals but with real and caring people. Sure, we
have been impressed with their expertise, but Sonja and I have been more
delighted by their character and their hearts.
Phil McCal um, Joel Kneedler, Lynn Vincent, and Debbie Wickwire have
not just invested their own lives into the making of this book; they have also
enriched our family. Without their enormous efforts and sensitive spirits,
Heaven Is For Real would have never developed so wonderful y.
We thank God daily for assembling these gifted and talented people to
help us tel Colton’s story. Each one has been a blessing to us.
Sonja and I count it a wonderful privilege to cal them our friends.