Burpo鱿鱼视频app story has been turned into Heaven is for Real, a film based on his best-selling book (co-authored with Lynn Vincent) of the same name that focuses on his son鱿鱼视频app supernatural experiences.
The film keys on the pastor and his son Colton, a boy back from the edge of death who unkowingly challenges the religious beliefs of his family and small town when he starts revealing an account of heaven.
鈥淕od crushed my pride, (and) opened my heart to love,鈥� says actor Greg Kinnear, playing Burpo in the film.
Burpo agrees. He told The Catholic Register how his son鱿鱼视频app illness brought him to more than his knees.
鈥淔or some of us, it is a lot easier to give than to receive, and for me it sure was,鈥� said Burpo.
He didn鈥檛 mind serving or helping others, but had a hard time accepting the same kind of treatment in return, until he had little choice.
鈥淚 was at a point where I was so desperate, so tired, so spent when we got through that hospital, that when people offered me help, I had to really humble myself and say thank you. And today, I can do that. But back then I couldn鈥檛, and it鱿鱼视频app nothing more than spiritual pride. And even as pastor, that鱿鱼视频app what I was living with and God had to break that in me and He did through this process,鈥� he said.
This process started when Colton recovered from life-saving surgery and shared stories of having visited heaven. He doesn鈥檛 blurt them out right away, but reveals them throughout his daily life. The film challenges viewers 鈥� and the small-town pastor 鈥� with the question, 鈥淚s heaven a hope or as real as the earth and sky?鈥�
Colton is transformed. In the film, this is clear when he is no longer afraid of spiders. But in the book his transformation is made more apparent. Burpo says Colton was no longer afraid of death.
鈥淲hen he looks at death now, he knows where he鱿鱼视频app going. And I think as people of faith, we need to make this decision for ourselves,鈥� said Burpo. 鈥淲hen we die with Christ, are we leaving home or are we going home? Colton knows he鱿鱼视频app going home.鈥�
Colton begins to speak of angels, Jesus and visions of deceased relatives he had never known and events he shouldn鈥檛 have seen with an unwavering sense of faith that only a child seems truly capable of.
When trying to understand Colton and his visions, parishioners and the townspeople begin to place thought and emotion at odds with one another.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e going through tough times and experiences, I think sometimes we forget that faith鈥� is a combination of thoughts, feelings, soul, emotion. You can鈥檛 just make a decision of faith based on just intellect alone. It鱿鱼视频app a decision of the heart and vice versa. And people seem to go one of two directions when they鈥檙e at a crisis moment. And as a pastor, I鈥檝e seen that many times,鈥� Burpo said.
He couldn鈥檛 dismiss his son鱿鱼视频app visions when Colton described to him a scene in the hospital chapel where Burpo yelled at God in frustration, a moment he was too ashamed to tell anyone about. When he was in the chapel, Colton was on the operating table.
鈥淚 was yelling at God. I didn鈥檛 tell anybody about that. I never told my wife about that. You don鈥檛 really brag about anything like that to anybody. You keep it to yourself. He said he saw me and could tell me where I was, and then also describe where his mother was at the same time,鈥� said Burpo. 鈥淗e wouldn鈥檛 have known that unless he had seen it, so that was one of the things I couldn鈥檛 dismiss with any earthy explanation. The only explanation that could matter or even come close was his.鈥�
Burpo stayed silent when Colton spoke to him about heaven.
鈥淚 had to be careful that the information that was coming from him wasn鈥檛 being tainted by me,鈥� Burpo said.
He was also careful when picking the right filmmakers for Colton鱿鱼视频app story. At first, he said, he didn鈥檛 want anything to do with Hollywood and turned down many movie offers.
鈥淯ntil God kind of said this is my decision,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut in prayer, I had to find people... that would really make a commitment to tell this story Colton鱿鱼视频app way and not violate my relationship with my son. And that was the very heart of our whole negotiation.鈥�
When his two sons and daughter saw the movie for the first time, they all supported it, he said.
鈥淭hat was the discussion that was so important to me. The movie had to be right because I鈥檓 a dad. I want my kids to respect me.鈥�
He adds that Hollywood is finally realizing the potential of making faith-based films.
鈥淗ollywood is discovering if we tell stories about faith, and we don鈥檛 water them down and we tell them accurately, they see the box office numbers,鈥� said Burpo, but 鈥淚 think both you and I know God鱿鱼视频app behind that.鈥�
Heaven is for Real was filmed in Winnipeg and is currently playing in theatres.