Heaven Is For Real...

This book was a "faith builder" for me.  I have always believed in heaven...but, like many, still have a very hard time actually visualizing it and even getting my mind around the concept of heaven.    Being an extremely "visual" person anyway...I am finding myself thinking more about the verse in 2 Cor 5:7, where is says, "We live by faith, not by sight".   Well, in this book, 4 year old, Colton Burpo gets to be our eyes...and it has helped grow my faith in what is usually unseen....but has obviously been seen by the eyes of this little 4 year old ... and the book tells the whole story to help you understand that this is not just some hokie spoof type book...but this little guy actually was in heaven.  Gotta read it!!!  By the end of the book, your faith will grow too...and hopefully it will help us all live even better lives here in the meantime, until we can see it for ourselves.
Here is the link for the book:  http://www.heavenisforreal.net/
And here is a link for one of the better news articles out there related to the book, if you want to read it to get an idea of what the book is about:News article - Heaven is for Real

Also, in this book is the story of how this picture/painting of Jesus is quite possibly very accurate in the likeness of how Jesus really looks.   Here is the link for the artists web site:  http://www.artakiane.com/home
If you click on the "gallery" you will see this painting of Jesus along with many others.

A Blogging slump....

Well, the holidays have come and gone...and I have found myself in  a blogging slump.  It has been over a month now since I have made an entry... and in that time I have celebrated Christmas three times, (here at home with my own little clan of 5, down in Greenville with Mom and Dad, CK, Kayce...and a surprise visit from Benton that we all totally enjoyed, and then also here at Mom and Dad Osborne's with the whole Osborne-Johnson-Smith gang).  Of course, we rang in the New Year with family and friends gathering here at our home...and a good time was had by all.  Emily was home for all of the above, and it was great having her home for the holidays.  Zack has had basketball practices and games and both he and Caleb are in the spring play (Guys and Dolls)...and they just had auditions a little over a week ago and have just started practicing.  The boys and I also enjoyed the NFL play-offs, although the Colts did not go very far (which is the team we would have all enjoyed rooting for...) so, instead I decided to become a cheese-head (Greenbay Packers fan). 

I have also started reading 4 different books...unfortunately, that is one of my idiosyncrasies, in that I read multiple books at the same time...well, not exactly at the same time...that would really be amazing...but, I think you know what I mean.  Nevertheless, at least 2 of these books are "life changers"!  Crazy Love, by Francis Chan  and Heaven is for Real,  by Todd Burpo.    I will tell more about Heaven is for Real in another entry.   Both of these are awesome books...and I can only hope that God will allow them to penetrate into my innermost being. 

Christmas at Nana & PawPaw's house

A cheesehead "wanna-be"