Book Review: Miracles From Heaven: A little Girl, Her Journey To Heaven, And Her Amazing Story Of Healing by Christy Beam

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it's roots by the stream. It does not fear when the heat comes; it's leaves are always green. Jeremiah 17:8 

This book is a faith builder!! Five Stars!

In a remarkable true story of faith and blessings, a mother tells of her sickly young daughter, how she survived a dangerous accident, her visit to Heaven and the inexplicable disappearance of the symptoms of her chronic disease.

Annabel Beam spent most of her childhood in and out of hospitals with a rare and incurable digestive disorder that prevented her from ever living a normal, healthy life. One sunny day when she was able to go outside and play with her sisters, she fell three stories headfirst inside an old, hollowed-out tree, a fall that may well have caused death or paralysis. Implausibly, she survived without a scratch. While unconscious inside the tree, with rescue workers struggling to get to her, she visited heaven. After being released from the hospital, she defied science and was inexplicably cured of her chronic ailment.

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN will change how we look at the world around us and reinforce our belief in God and the afterlife.

My Personal Review

Annabel Beam

Miracles From Heaven by Christy Beam is a captivating story of faith, family, and the tangible glory of God revealed through a miraculous and touching story of hope and healing.

Miracles From Heaven by Christy Beam is one of those books that you don't want to put down until the last page has been consumed! The author, Christy Beam, manages to smoothly volley back and forth between the action of the day and events from their past, as she chronicles the detailed struggles of their life with their sweet daughter who was suffering the effects from a dreadfully painful and dangerous intestinal disorder. Christy skillfully pens a fascinating journal of their family's life prior to a horrific accident that ultimately ends in the healing of their daughter. As I read this, I couldn't stop inserting myself into the picture, thus producing intense feelings of compassion toward this sweet family and a deep level of introspection with regard to their experiences. 

Christy Beam 

Miracles From Heaven will challenge the reader to think beyond what is tangible. It will force you to look at the facts of their story and decide for yourself how to interpret them. Whether you are skeptical about heaven and an afterlife or not, you will find yourself mesmerized by the interactions and authenticity of this family. Every father and mother should read this book for the mere positive parental interactions alone! What a gracious and loving home!

And then of course, there is the accident itself, as the drama unfolds and Beam skillfully describes the event with enough detail that the reader actually feels like they are right there. My heartbeat picked up and I could feel my palms getting sweaty. How will they get this sweet little girl out of the tree? Will she truly be okay? What injuries will she have incurred? Although we know the outcome from the start, the events leading up to the accident and the interactions between the sisters, parents, extended family, health care workers, and rescuers are what push this book over the top and into the "excellent" range!! 

This is such a great book filled with inspiration, faith, commitment, sacrifice and love. Not only did I enjoy it, but I can't think of anyone, young or old who would not be changed after reading it! 

God Won't Let You Down

Psalm 119:31(MSG)
I grasp and cling to whatever You tell me; God, don't let me down!
I've been reading some of the miracles that Jesus displayed during His short walk here on earth.  They are very interesting to me.  Specifically the one where He is seen walking on water past His very own disciple's boat and yet they don't recognize him. (Mark 6:45-53)
They were told by the Lord to get in the boat and go to Bethsaida.  They obeyed, but as they were crossing the lake, they experienced great winds which made them unable to make progress.  They kept trying late into the night, making very little progress.

 Blue Herring walking across the water.

Jesus watches them struggle from the land.  Finally, He begins walking on the water as though He plans on passing them and arriving at Bethsaida, but as they see Him, they all freak out!  The Bible says the disciples think He is a ghost and they are all terrified.  I guess at that point, the Lord sees their reaction and quickly calls out to them.  Once He calls out to them, they comprehend who it is that is walking across the water.  When He jumps in the boat...the wind stops and the water calms down.

Here's the goofiest part of the whole thing.  The disciples are dismayed by The Lord's ability to quiet the wind!!  How can this be?!  They had just witnessed the feeding of the 5,000 people with bread and a fish, and yet they were surprised.  Why?  The Word of God tells me that it was because their hearts remained hard.

I read this passage in The Voice.  The commentary following this portion of scripture goes hand in hand with today's verse.  When we "cling to whatever God tells us" (listening and recognizing His voice), we will then develop a faith in Him that will allow His activity in our lives to be unleashed and a deep trust to be developed.  Faith first....and then miracles!  It is not miracles first and then faith.

When we are in doubt about who Jesus is we will continually live in a state of duplicity in our daily walk.  In this scenario Jesus directly told them to get in the boat and travel to Bethsaida.  They ran into some rough water.  They weren't making any progress, but didn't they trust the Lord enough to know that the God of heaven had sent them and that He surely would get them there?

Ugh...I can so relate to these guys.  How many times am I totally sure that the Lord has set me in the water on a direct course and the minute the wind whips up and I appear to be making little progress, I question the assignment!?  Good grief!  Has this ever happened to you?  The following scripture is my remedy for this thought process.

Romans 10:17(ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Lord,
Thank You for Your Word that reveals to me that I am not always going to understand the reason for the wind.  Thank You for showing me that even in the times of my life when I am struggling to make progress on the assignment You have given me, You are watching me and You will never let me down! 
In Christ name,
Amen

Stick To The List

Psalm 119:18(MSG)
Open my eyes so that I can see what You show me of your miracle-wonders. 

My daughter training the stray cat she found.

Open my eyes!!  That is a little humorous to me right now.  Let me explain.  I started the day off right on track for my New Year's resolution list.  Up and at 'em early. 

Bible reading and prayer~check.
Quick run on the treadmill~check.
Shower~check.
Coffee~check.
Paper~check.
Finish helping my son pack for his return to school~check.
Slam my foot into the large (unmoving) stool~check.....no wait a minute...that wasn't on my list!!

Yes, I rammed my entire foot right into the stool that props our feet up every night.  My eyes  really were open, but my depth perception was extremely off apparently.  Dropping to the floor in agonizing pain, I knew it was a pretty good hit.  I didn't want to look at the damage.  I heard a strange popping sound as the toe made contact with the wood.  Oh dear. 

Well, suffice it to say, that my toe is facing a direction that it doesn't normally face.  I find myself sitting with my foot  propped up and ice strapped to my foot.  Sure enough, it is broken and displaced, so off I will crutch to the foot doctor (hopefully tomorrow), for him to decide if a pin is necessary to pull the bone back in place.  Heavy sigh. 

This toe incident was NOT on the list of things to accomplish in the New Year.  As I try to interject a little humor into this unplanned event, I want to give some important advice for your New Year.  Ready??  Here it comes!  Stick to the list!!  Do not waiver from it. 

However, on a more serious note, as the verse says tonight, if our eyes are open, God will show us His beauty and an abundance of His wonder working grace!  I can't wait to watch what tremendously glorious things He will do this year!!

Lord,
Thank you for revealing Your awesome power to us.  Please sharpen our awareness of Your Spirit in our surroundings every day.
Amen

The Miracle Working God

Psalm 136:4(MSG)
Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.

Miracle....an event or action that apparently contradicts known scientific laws. (Webster's Dictionary)  I don't have to look any farther than across the room at my two children to be reminded of a "miracle-working" God!  Of course, all children are miraculous when you really stop to think about it, but since "scientifically" we were diagnosed as an infertile couple it seems to highlight the fact that God CAN do miracles in our life.  In fact....this is one of the ways He shows us His love!  I would never have chosen to walk through the struggles and pain that we went through at that time, but I am convinced that it was most certainly God's plan for our family, and I have grown closer to Him through it all.

So, in honor of children everywhere and the "children at heart", I am posting a most delicious and completely good for you popsicle recipe from Kristen Feola's book The Ultimate Daniel Fast.
Enjoy...it's a great way to beat the heat!

Strawberry-Banana Popsicle
4 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons Date Honey
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 frozen banana, peeled and sliced

Place in blender and process until smooth.
Place in popsicle mods and freeze until hard.

Miracles In The Storm

Psalm 139:4(NIV)
Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, oh Lord.

Words are coming out of a small town not too far from here about a tornado that has touched down and caused massive damage with loss of life.  Devastating news.  It's hard to imagine what grief is being lived out right now, even as I type these words. 
But God knows....God sees....God is on the throne.....and He is not shaken.  He remains our answer in all things.

I look to Him tonight and lift up those who have been impacted by these storms.  Praying for safety to those that are still needing to be rescued and healing to those that have been injured.   I'm asking for comfort for families who have lost loved ones.  Praying for good news of miraculous wonders in the midst of the storm.

Psalm 77:14 (NIV)
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.