Demand List For Heaven

Dear God,

The Bible describes heaven with streets made of gold, as pure as transparent glass. The foundations of the walls made from precious stones. The gates made of pearls. There will be no more disease, dying, sorrow, pain, or tears! While that does sound exciting, I have decided that if I am going to be spending eternity there I would like to offer up some suggestions for my extended stay. Just a few things that maybe might not seem a big deal to many but would make my "Heavenstay" really enjoyable :)

No Calories, not a one. Even the triple chocolate Pazookie from Oreganos.  In the same line of thinking nothing should be made fat free. If it doesn't have fat in it why bother? It's like drinking non-alcoholic beer. Or coffee without caffeine. An ice cream sundae without whip cream and a cherry. Pointless.

Everyone can dance, even Oprah. It's a sad day to watch the awkwardness of some people dancing, especially when they think they are John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. Let everyone have some rhythm for when we are dancing in the streets.

Bikinis (all in good taste) look good on everyone! On Earth trying on bathing suits is a traumatic and horrifying event for 98% of women. It's up there with ripping all your body hair off with hot wax. I want to run free in my two piece without the thought of anything falling out or looking ridiculous.

Mosquitoes and Cockroaches Banned. I know you are the creator of everything but these things are just nasty. Anything that can live without it's head or through a nuclear explosion is creepy. Mosquitoes are terribly annoying and ruin most picnics. The repellent we have to use takes away the natural smells of nature around us.

No Gaps in Our Favorite (appropriate of course) TV Shows. It used to be a season meant more than 13 episodes. Now there are so many breaks it seems like there is always a hiatus or a rerun. We just need consistency in our lives.

Teachers Get "Paid" As Much As (or at least closer) Sports Stars. I realize I became an educator knowing money was not going to be the goal. But teachers spend more time with children than their parents, shaping the lives of the future. And while dunking a basketball or pitching a perfect game is incredible, A-Rod gets paid 170,000 per game. A teacher would have to work 4 1/2 years to make what he makes in 2 hours. 

A Big Selection of Books. I love to read and am worried with so many people in heaven I might have trouble checking out books. I am hoping the library will have all my favorite authors. Maybe people who never read on Earth will become avid readers in heaven!

Frequently Asked Questions Handout. I am sure people come up with A LOT of questions; many are probably the same ones. Maybe we could get a "Guide to Heaven" with all those answered and a map to get around? Could you also include the typical daily schedule and heaven expectations? I wouldn't want to take a wrong turn or something! Being organized is always a good thing, don't you think?

I am looking forward to hanging out with You and Jesus! I have so much to talk to you about! I know you have prepared a home for us and you have GOT THIS! 

Love,

Kimberley

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” John 14:1-4

I Will See You Again!

I just finishing reading the book, Heaven is For Real, written by the dad of a four-year-old. Colton had a 90 minute life threatening surgery to remove toxins from a burst appendix that had been poisoning his little body for five days. He was not expected to make it. The doctors did not give his parents much hope. Miraculously he did pull through and over the next year he would astound his family by saying stuff about his time in heaven. Colton would describe seeing the doctors working on his body, seeing his mom and dad in separate rooms in the hospital, all the while he was sitting near the throne of Jesus.
This blog is not to argue whether you believe Colton or not, whether you think his story is nonsense, whether you think his parents are crazy, or to poke holes in their story. I do not want to argue theology, probability, beliefs, or even religion.

Having three children of my own, who have humbled me by their wisdom, their love, their innocence, and whom have spoken words and thoughts clearly beyond what is reasonable for their age, I choose to believe Colton.

The part of the story that brought me to my knees and filled my heart with joy was a conversation between Colton and his mom.

Taken from the book written by his dad; "Mommy I have two sisters," Colton said. I put down my pen. Sonja (the mom) didn't. She kept on working.

Colton repeated himself. "Mommy I have two sisters." Sonja looked up from her paperwork and shook her head slightly. "No, you have your sister, Cassie, and.....do you mean your cousin Traci?"

"No." Colton clipped off the word adamantly. "I have two sisters. You had a baby die in your tummy, didn't you?

At that moment, time stopped in the Burpo household, and Sonja's eyes grew wide....

"Who told you I had a baby die in my tummy" Sonja said, her tone serious. "She did, Mommy. She said she died in your tummy."

Then Colton turned and started to walk away. He has said what he had to say and was ready to move on. But after the bomb he just dropped, Sonja was just getting started. Before our son could get around the couch, Sonja's voice rang out in an all-hands-on-deck red alert. "Colton Todd Burpo, you get back here right now!" Colton spun around and caught my eye. His face said, What did I just do?

I knew what my wife had to be feeling. Losing that baby was the most painful event of her life. We had explained it to Cassie; she was older. But we hadn't told Colton, judging the topic a bit beyond a four-year-old's capacity to understand. From the the table, I watched quietly as emotions rioted across Sonja's face. A bit nervously, Colton slunk back around the couch and faced his mom again, this time much more warily. "It's okay, Mommy," he said. "She's okay. God adopted her."

Sonja slid off the couch and knelt down in front of Colton so that she could look him in the eyes. Don't you mean Jesus adopted her?" she said.

"No. Mommy. His Dad did!"

Sonja focused on Colton, and I could hear the effort it took to steady her voice. "So what did she look like?"

'She looked a lot like Cassie," Colton said. "She is just a little bit smaller and she has dark hair." Colton went on without prompting. "In Heaven, this little girl ran up to me, and she wouldn't stop hugging me," he said in a tone that clearly indicated he didn't enjoy all this hugging from a girl....

Sonja's eyes lit up and she asked, "What was her name?" Colton seemed to forget about all the yucky girl hugs for a moment. "She doesn't have a name. You guys didn't name her."

"You're right Colton," Sonja said. "We didn't even know she was a she."

Then Colton said something that still rings in my ears : "Yeah, she said she just can't wait for you and Daddy to get to heaven." (Burpo, Todd, Heaven is for Real, 2010, excerpts taken from pages 94-97)

Many of you know Lawson, our third son, was a triplet. We lost identical twins at 8 weeks. Although we have "joked" over the past few years, "Can you imagine three Lawsons?" or "What on earth would we have done with five kids under the age of 4?" We asked ourselves where would we have put them in a three bedroom house? How would we ever be able to leave our house? How would we have been able to afford them? They out man us now, just think what two more would have done to our zone defense. One time on a flight to New Orleans, a flight attendant asked us in passing, "Aren't you glad you don't have triplets? Can you imagine that?"

Well actually yes, I can! The fact is we lost two babies. My life is full, I am happy and content but every once in awhile I pause and take a deep breath because I am a mom who isn't fully complete. Part of my heart is in heaven with my other babies. Colton's story was a message to me, reassurance, that God loves little children. He has adopted them and will take care of them until I get there. My babies are waiting for me with their hugs and beautiful faces. I will see them again!! That is what this MOM BELIEVES!