Review of Choosing Heaven
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Choosing Heaven" by Diane Gerard.]
Choosing Heaven by Diane Gerard is what I would like to call an insightful exploration of faith, free will, and the spiritual battles that define our eternal destiny. It all began when Diane attended a crowded Eucharistic Adoration at St. James Church on the final night of a pilgrimage. She fell into a deep trance after her prayers, and suddenly she was speaking directly to a soul and begging that soul to choose Heaven. After her experience, Diane is now very much convinced that everything she had learned and believed in her life is true. There is Heaven, there is Hell, and there is a God who loves us.
I love how detailed the author was in this book. She did not just scratch the surface of her teachings but went in-depth and even backed it all with scriptural evidence. I am a born-and-raised Catholic Christian, so this book felt a little personal. I did not realize that some of the things I knew were just surface-level understandings until I read this book. I love the tone she used in her writing. Religion can be a sensitive topic for some, so I appreciate that Diane didn't try to impose her ideas on us. She would rather lead us to see reason. One example that comes to mind is how we pray the Rosary. Traditionally, there is one way to say the Rosary, but Diane taught us an alternative using the Fatima Prayer. Not to say that the traditional way is wrong, because the Rosary is arguably the most powerful prayer in the history of mankind and will continue to be so. However, she made us understand that Our Lady was giving us another weapon in our arsenal against evil.
There are many things that not just unbelievers but even believers can learn, and one I really enjoyed is the topic of free will. God has given free will to mankind, and we have this free will up until the moment of our death. The choices we make on Earth form our path, which can either lead toward the light of God or toward the darkness of the evil one. At the end of the day, our choice will be the ultimate battle for our soul because it will determine whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. I specifically love John 14:1-7, which explains to us that Jesus has given us the path to eternal life. If we follow His way, we will come to know the truth and will have life both here on Earth and in Heaven. I enjoyed going through the pictorial representation of the continuum from the light of Heaven to the darkness of Hell. For context, the continuum represents our choices at the moment of death. From my personal understanding, and according to the scriptural explanation, the continuum ranges from the resurrection of life down to an afterlife of condemnation. At our death, everyone will hear the voice of Jesus, and those who hear and respond to Him will live (John 5:19-30).
One may ask, “What about those who haven't heard about Jesus?” Diane, with scriptural backing, made us understand that Jesus has written the laws in our hearts and minds. It doesn't matter whether we have a formal teaching about God. We already carry a sense of right and wrong inside us. People know when something is wrong because our conscience will never lie to us, no matter how much we try to excuse a wrongdoing.
We were also shown similarities between the suffering of Jesus and the sufferings of today. Jesus knew what it was like to have others twist His words in order to encourage others to despise Him. Similarly, in today's digital world, words and images are taken out of context and used against another person in an instant. Another example is hypocrisy. The Jewish leaders twisted the law of Moses for their own purposes and then acted against their own preaching. This is not different from what politicians, celebrities, and other authorities in power do. What I have mentioned so far is only a few of the many lessons you stand to gain by reading this book.
There is one minor reservation I have. I did not like that the pronouns for Jesus weren't capitalized. This might not be an issue for some, but this has always been a personal standard. Regardless, I will still rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The wording used is simple language that can be understood by an average reader, and I found no grammatical errors in the book. This is rare, and I must commend the author because it allowed for a smooth reading experience.
I recommend this book to anyone currently seeking God in their lives and to those who have yet to seek Him. I have read a lot of Scripture-based books, but Diane's Choosing Heaven stands out to me because while teaching on the topic "Discerning the Word of God," she said we shouldn't accept everything we hear or read without thinking. We should rather test them and make sure they are from God. Diane admits that even she doesn't have authority on her own, and her words should also be tested against God's truth. Her humility and honesty make the message even more powerful.
******
Choosing Heaven
View: on Bookshelves |
Choosing Heaven by Diane Gerard is what I would like to call an insightful exploration of faith, free will, and the spiritual battles that define our eternal destiny. It all began when Diane attended a crowded Eucharistic Adoration at St. James Church on the final night of a pilgrimage. She fell into a deep trance after her prayers, and suddenly she was speaking directly to a soul and begging that soul to choose Heaven. After her experience, Diane is now very much convinced that everything she had learned and believed in her life is true. There is Heaven, there is Hell, and there is a God who loves us.
I love how detailed the author was in this book. She did not just scratch the surface of her teachings but went in-depth and even backed it all with scriptural evidence. I am a born-and-raised Catholic Christian, so this book felt a little personal. I did not realize that some of the things I knew were just surface-level understandings until I read this book. I love the tone she used in her writing. Religion can be a sensitive topic for some, so I appreciate that Diane didn't try to impose her ideas on us. She would rather lead us to see reason. One example that comes to mind is how we pray the Rosary. Traditionally, there is one way to say the Rosary, but Diane taught us an alternative using the Fatima Prayer. Not to say that the traditional way is wrong, because the Rosary is arguably the most powerful prayer in the history of mankind and will continue to be so. However, she made us understand that Our Lady was giving us another weapon in our arsenal against evil.
There are many things that not just unbelievers but even believers can learn, and one I really enjoyed is the topic of free will. God has given free will to mankind, and we have this free will up until the moment of our death. The choices we make on Earth form our path, which can either lead toward the light of God or toward the darkness of the evil one. At the end of the day, our choice will be the ultimate battle for our soul because it will determine whether we spend eternity in Heaven or Hell. I specifically love John 14:1-7, which explains to us that Jesus has given us the path to eternal life. If we follow His way, we will come to know the truth and will have life both here on Earth and in Heaven. I enjoyed going through the pictorial representation of the continuum from the light of Heaven to the darkness of Hell. For context, the continuum represents our choices at the moment of death. From my personal understanding, and according to the scriptural explanation, the continuum ranges from the resurrection of life down to an afterlife of condemnation. At our death, everyone will hear the voice of Jesus, and those who hear and respond to Him will live (John 5:19-30).
One may ask, “What about those who haven't heard about Jesus?” Diane, with scriptural backing, made us understand that Jesus has written the laws in our hearts and minds. It doesn't matter whether we have a formal teaching about God. We already carry a sense of right and wrong inside us. People know when something is wrong because our conscience will never lie to us, no matter how much we try to excuse a wrongdoing.
We were also shown similarities between the suffering of Jesus and the sufferings of today. Jesus knew what it was like to have others twist His words in order to encourage others to despise Him. Similarly, in today's digital world, words and images are taken out of context and used against another person in an instant. Another example is hypocrisy. The Jewish leaders twisted the law of Moses for their own purposes and then acted against their own preaching. This is not different from what politicians, celebrities, and other authorities in power do. What I have mentioned so far is only a few of the many lessons you stand to gain by reading this book.
There is one minor reservation I have. I did not like that the pronouns for Jesus weren't capitalized. This might not be an issue for some, but this has always been a personal standard. Regardless, I will still rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. The wording used is simple language that can be understood by an average reader, and I found no grammatical errors in the book. This is rare, and I must commend the author because it allowed for a smooth reading experience.
I recommend this book to anyone currently seeking God in their lives and to those who have yet to seek Him. I have read a lot of Scripture-based books, but Diane's Choosing Heaven stands out to me because while teaching on the topic "Discerning the Word of God," she said we shouldn't accept everything we hear or read without thinking. We should rather test them and make sure they are from God. Diane admits that even she doesn't have authority on her own, and her words should also be tested against God's truth. Her humility and honesty make the message even more powerful.
******
Choosing Heaven
View: on Bookshelves |
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