23 Minutes in Hell

I went to Walmart today and happened to walk by the book 23 Minutes in Hell. I had heard about this book but questioned the authenticity of it and never thought twice about buying it. Today I decided to throw it in my cart with the intentions of Scott reading it on our flight back to Texas and having him tell me if it seemed hokey. Friday nights at the Chandler house are always our "Late Night" because Scott doesn't have to work out in the morning so Scott usually plays Xbox while I dink around on the computer. I decided to pick up the book and an hour and a half later finished it. It was the first time I had ever read a book from cover to cover. I can't say that this book transformed my life like others have said after reading it. This is because I became a Christian a few years back and have no fear of death or the afterlife. I know that I am going to live eternally in Heaven with Jesus. While the authors account of hell was terrifying, it made me re-evaluate how I am using my faith to help other non believers. I think religion has always been a taboo topic amongst people. People would rather talk about movies, books, gossip, and I myself am very guilty of this. This book was one of the first books that I have ever read that explains how non believers can be assured that once they die, they will go to heaven. Most people think "I am a good person, I lead a good life, I will go to heaven." This isn't what the Bible says. We have to pray to God and acknowledge that we we were born sinners and that we sin everyday. We must also acknowledge that the only way we can get to heaven is by telling the Lord that we know that he died on the cross for our sins so that we could have eternal life. Once we ask for forgiveness and acknowledge his gift to us we have become "saved." A change must take place however once you become a Christian. We need to read our Bible, go to church, pray, and try and be more like Jesus each and every day. Who knows if this man really did spend 23 minutes in hell. He seems to think so, and if this book can help transform even one sinner, than I have no place to judge the validity of his story. If anything after reading this book I realized that I need to share the gospel any chance I can get. The Lord put us on earth to share his word and to use us as tools in his plan for salvation. I feel so blessed that the Lord saved me and I in turn hope that he uses me to help save others.