( 4 reviews )
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Posted: Sep 2 2008
This is an excellent book that is definitely worth reading. It is one to make you think.
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Posted: Feb 23 2007
Jack Cavanaugh has certainly earned the moniker of being one of the "great writers of our time". While Cavanaugh didn't exactly grab me with his prose in POSTMARKED HEAVEN, it is a most readable book and the concept of the book in and of itself is brilliant. Here, Cavanaugh witnesses for Christ in the form of letters from former earthly inhabitants. The letter writers, there are four of them, have composed forty-two letters, each a lesson to those of us still dwelling on sinful earth. Each author, two men and two women, are all from different eras, but their messages to us intertwine with one another and many of the letters could have been written by any one of them. While I found the messages to be of great value, I did find the writing itself to be less than I had expected from Cavanaugh. Nonetheless, if you are looking for both guidance in the Christian life, and inspiration, you will find it here. This is a quick and easy read and each letter stands alone as a three to five page chapter, making this a perfect read for traveling or for brief periods when you want a quick message to get you through your day.
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( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Oct 22 2002
...this would be a neat way to do it. If, when I died, I could be chosen, like the four who were chosen in this book, to write letters that people on Earth would read, I'd love to do it. Each letter, though fairly short (most of them were 5-10 pages, some shorter), expressed some pearls of wisdom in a personal way - most of the people who are writing these letters from heaven sacrifice, at least temporarily, the "no pain" blessing heaven offers, and remember their past struggles, pains, lessons learned, (and triumphs, too - it's not all pain and loss) and relay those life experiences within the letters with the goal of benefitting other people. The four people lived during different time eras and had different experiences, all of which I found very interesting - my heart thumped in my chest when Theodora was rescued from rape and certain death (condemned because she refused to deny her faith) by a fellow Christian, who planned to die in her place. I was fascinated also by Shankala's experiences - how she refused to give up her faith in Christ and would not obey rituals and then was cursed by a witch doctor. Dr. Everett Parker talks about a special nurse who administered to a wounded enemy soldier. The experiences are vivid and evoke emotion in the reader. The "lessons" that the reader learns based on the experiences of these four characters through the letters they write don't feel like "lessons." Because each letter is short and illustrates some different idea (though they are related to one another in their purpose to offer words of comfort, advice and hope, and often there are "categories" of ideas which the letters each speak to in their own unique way), it's easy to read this book any time - you can stop if you're called to do something else and not feel as if you've missed something or lost your place. Though there are heart-wrenching moments and tears in abundance in Postmarked Heaven, there is also joy and laughter within its pages, and your heart will feel revived, refreshed, and open once you've read this book.
