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'Travel Guide to Heaven' a review
Go ahead. Ask anyone if they want to go to heaven when they die.
Nine times out of ten, you'll get an affirmative response.
OK, now go ahead and ask the next question:
"What do you think heaven will be like?" and see what kind of responses you get.
"Light."
"Holy"
"Peaceful"
All attributes of heaven, but, even combined, all falling short of the true picture of heaven.
Dare to inquire further and ask what human beings will be like there and the answers become even more vague.
Enter Anthony DeStefano, a Catholic lay person, CEO of Priests for Life and author of "A Travel Guide to Heaven," his first book.
In the style of travel books to any destination, DeStefano details what people will see, places of great interest to visit, the culture of heaven, indeed, all of the scents, sounds and sights of the future destination of ticket holders to life after death.
DeStefano puts the image of cloud-sitting harp-strumming ethereal beings to rest. The heaven he describes is a physical reality with physical sensations.
According to DeStefano, the best, most accurate descriptions of heaven today are found in the children's religious section of the local bookstore. "Flip through any children's book about heaven and you'll see vibrantly colorful pages filled with rainbows, exotic animals, golden cities, and people playing and laughing.
"While these books may not explain the sublime and profound mystery of heaven, they are undoubtedly the truest books, because only they convey the unmitigated fun of the place," he writes.
DeStefano not only covers the basics of what heaven will be like, of who and what will be in heaven -- including the inevitable face-to-face encounter with the one who created both heaven and earth -- he also acts as a travel agent and shares how to get a ticket to the most sublime paradise ever imagined.
Adroitly avoiding the minefields of doctrine and denomination, DeStefano nevertheless backs up his conclusions with concise Scriptural citations.
DeStefano shows himself to be a wordsmith of the first caliber, in each chapter bringing to life an afterlife that magnifies all that is good and right and beautiful about this life.
This inspiring piece of work brings a strong message of hope to anyone who has ever stood over an open grave and wondered, "Is that all there is?"
Truly, DeStefano has revealed the larger promise found in Jeremiah 29:13 "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.'"
The book can be ordered through New Life Christian Books and Gifts; The Book End or online at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com