-“Now here was my kid, in his matter-of-fact, preschooler voice, telling me things that were not only astonishing on their face, but that also matched Scripture in every detail, right down to the rainbow colors described in the book of Revelation, which is hardly preschool material. And as he babbles, Colton asked me, his pastor-dad, every so often, ‘Did you know that?’

And I’m thinking, Yeah, but how do you know it?”

Although it wasn’t the usual conversation you would expect with a 4-yearold, it was one that Todd Burpo and Colton Burpo shared in “The novel.”Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back” Burpo co-authored the book about his son’s encounter with death. It recently reached the top of the New York Times Bestsellers List and has been a source of inspiration for hundreds of thousands.

The horror story begins when Colton was diagnosed with a ruptured appendix in March 2003. He also developed a serious infection. Burpo and Burpo were told that surgery was the only option. While his miraculous survival was remarkable, so was the journey he took to save his own life. Colton’s body was still in surgery but his consciousness was able to ascend into heaven.

Skeptical? Skeptical? Colton was honest in his description of the actions of his parents during surgery. He spoke of meeting his grandfather, who had passed away 30 years before. He even mentioned that he had met a sibling who had miscarried, but that his parents had not told Colton about the child that they had lost.

“We have all accepted the truth of Colton’s witness,”Todd. “As we read the Bible and hear Colton say over and over again, ‘yeah, that’s the way it is,’ [it] affects us all.”

Colton’s story has been shared on The Today Show and has even reached the top of the social media world. The Burpos set up a Facebook page for readers asking them to share their views on the afterlife. Nearly 16,000 people have visited the site since its creation to share their stories of loss and inspiration.

Visit www.abc.com to learn more www.heavenisforreal.net/.