Life After Heaven

As a spiritual person, one who is proud to be in the Christian faith, books about individuals' encounters in heaven are always interesting to me.  I guess for me, and maybe for many Christians, I have a bit of Jesus's disciple Thomas in me. Although I believe by faith in God's word, the bible, I also have the human curiosity to want to see with my own eyes, to know what heaven will be like when I get there.  For anyone not familiar with the Christian faith, Christians believe heaven is assured to those who are baptized in the water and the word of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who died and was resurrected to save the world from sin and the devil.  If one acknowledges Jesus as their Lord and Savior, the person is saved by His Grace and will then go to heaven upon death.
My curiosity about heaven lead me to choose Life After Heaven, by Steven R. Musick, as my most recent selection from the Blogging for Books website.
It was a comforting read. Like most heaven accounts, Musick reports that he traveled to heaven through a bright lighted "tunnel" and ended in miraculous and comforting area of peace and perfect beauty.  He meets with Jesus and learns about the parts of his life that have troubled him, he is given explanations for the events in his past and Musick is so comforted that he wants to stay forever in this perfect place.  Then Jesus sends him back to his earthly existence in a damaged body and acute sense of loss for the love and communion with Jesus he had experienced so briefly.  For Musick his time in heaven was brief, in reality he had been in a coma for five weeks.  Following his  return to life, he overcomes many obstacles and throughout his lifetime, he finds "bubbles" of heaven's existence all around him as he grows to a deeper faith and relationship with Jesus.
I enjoyed Musick's book, Life After Heaven.  I feel that anyone, at anytime, will find comfort and acceptance in his story and feel that Jesus is not only Lord and Savior but a friend that walks beside those who believe in Him. Heaven is waiting for those who believe. Read Musick's account and find joy in it!

FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

Vibrant India

The end of the academic year is quickly approaching, and little time outside of the school day is available for pursuing hobbies, but summer is coming....and with that arrives time to have some fun.  One of the first things I look forward to doing is spending more time in the kitchen, trying out new recipes and new cultural dishes.  I was so excited when my recent book, from Blogging for Books, arrived on my doorstep.  Vibrant India, written by Chitra Agrawal, is exactly as its title implies; a vibrant depiction of the stunning and savory dishes found in the Indian cuisine.

The vegetarian cuisine in Agrawal's book is paired with pages outlining South Indian food traditions, Indian cooking tips and techniques, items needed in a South Indian pantry and the various kitchen tools essential to Indian cooking. Each recipe is carefully explained so that even a cook unexperienced in  Indian cooking is able to attempt the dishes.  Agrawal offers both the traditional spices in her recipes as well as substitutes found more commonly in an American kitchen, so that her dishes are less intimidating to prepare.  There are a few items in her recipes that I have not been able to find locally (I live in a rural area of Kansas). However I believe I can locate them online or the next time I travel to a larger metro area.

Agrawal's book, Vibrant India, also includes elements of Indian culture, both in the written commentary that Agrawal has in her chapters, as well as the vivid artwork that showcases the color and heritage of India.

I am certainly enjoying Chitra Agrawal's book, Vibrant India, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in exploring the flavorful cooking of exotic India.


FTC disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.