Read a couple of challenging books this week. One of them I won't share over this blog, but if you want to know what it is, then e-mail me. It's worth it, I assure you.
The second was a book called "23 Minutes in Hell."
I know I'd seen this book before, and passed it off as another "Hell-obsessed" book that doesn't emphasize Christ too much.. The wannabe Don Miller in me tends to shy away from fire and brimstone as a tactic to scare people into faith. I think, with the course of this book, the Lord helped me realize that "fire and brimstone" isn't just a tactic to scare people into faith, but if done well, it's preaching the truth.
Fact is, the book is written as an actual experience the author claims he had in hell. Of course, the conservative in me always questions this type of thing--like prophetic dreams we sometimes hear of, and over the years I've come to see this thing 2 ways: If the gospel and only the gospel is emphasized through this occurance, then it could be true. (Hear the skepticism even in that statement?) If it happens and some other agenda is preached outside of the gospel alone, then it is Satan.
I usually weigh supernatural occurances like these by that guideline, and I'd have to say that after reading this book, I do believe that the author really had a twenty-three minute experience in hell. I don't know how, and I doubt I ever will.
With all that said, I highly recommend it, if nothing but an intriguing story. It has a very heavy emphasis on the gospel, and backs everything up with Scripture. It is for believers and nonbelievers alike. You can run a search for the mp3 and find a million sources, so just Google it.
