Same Kind of Different as Me

Surprise! I actually have taken breaks from the miscellaneous projects this summer to do one of my favorite things, read!

Once summer started I felt that I needed to get started "resting" right away so I read Heaven is for Real first. I heard it was a great book and a friend of mine gave it to me as a gift to celebrate the end of the school year.

The little boy in this book, Colton Burpo actually spent time in Heaven and comes back to talk about it. Colton's dad tells the story of how Colton was dealing with a stomach ache that was misdiagnosed as the flu. After Colton spent many days in pain they finally ended up in the hospital and found out his appendix had ruptured and had been poisoning his body for several days. Colton was rushed into an emergency surgery while his parents are crying out to God to save their three year old son. Colton did survive and a few months later he begins revealing (in normal conversation and to his parents surprise) parts about his trip to Heaven and the time he spent with Christ. This revelation in their home continues for years and both his mom and dad realize he could not have known some of the things he is telling them if he had not been to heaven and back. It is an incredible journey of faith for this family and it makes your heart excited for heaven.

I would recommend this book to anyone! I read it in only a few hours so it isn't a book you have to commit a lot of time to but it is well worth the time you do commit.

My mother in law loaned me my next summer read. She had just finished it and told me that she thought I would enjoy it too. She was right, because here I am a few days after I started the book, completely finished.

This book is called Same Kind of Different as Me. It is the story of a two men, Ron and Denver, and the unlikely friendship that formed between them that completely transformed their lives. As you read the two men share personal experiences from their perspective as they narrate every other chapter. You learn that Denver is a poor black man that escapes his life of slavery (sharecropping) only to find a life of homelessness in Dallas. His experiences with rich white people are not good and make him leery (and somewhat bitter) when he meets Ron. Ron is an upscale art dealer accustomed to the very best. Ron feels superior to Denver and he feels he has something to share with those that are less fortunate than him. Thanks to Ron's wife's persistence and genuine love for others they have an opportunity to find friendship. The book continues by explaining how Ron and Denver overcome hate and prejudice and allow God to work in their lives in a very special way. There friendship is not the "catch and release" kind of friendship. It quickly becomes the forever kind.

I don't want to write too much because I could easily share all my favorite parts and give away a lot of the story. Just know, it will make you cry and it will make you laugh. It is a great summer read and helped me understand just how similar we all really are; even if you are a modern day slave or an art dealer and meet in the most unlikely of circumstances.