Book Review- Everybody Wants to go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die by David Crowder and Mike Hogan

Yes, this is the 7th book I’ve read since we’ve been here. It’s amazing what happens when you don’t have a TV. I hope I can keep this up at home a bit. I’ve started another book and my goal is to finish it be the time we get off the plane. It’s a bit longer!
Now on to the book. If you’ve never seen David Crowder live or heard him talk much then you would be a bit confused by this book, because he’s seriously random. The book is much the same, so I knew what to expect. You have to get by that part and embrace it to enjoy this book. The book is a reflection on a period of the authors’ lives where they came face to face with death many times over a short period of time (including the Pastor that they helped start a church with in Waco was electrocuted and killed while preparing to baptize somebody in front of the congregation). They were really wrestling with many questions so they wrote a book that explored the “history of the soul” and the “history of bluegrass”. In between they add some other items that keep the book interesting.
I thought the book got better the further into I got. For somebody like me that has also come face to face with death more than I care to it was an interesting reflection (as I write this, it’s May 3rd, the 11th anniversary of my Mom’s death. On this day 11 years ago I was preparing for the State Cup Soccer Tournament in Winston-Salem, excited about my Senior Prom that night, and knowing that my Mom would die any day.) It was also an interesting process to read about many of my fears and anxiety. I’ve been in counseling for about a year over this exact issue. I want to go to Heaven, but I definitely don’t want to die. I’m so scared of the unknown of it. We really don’t know ANYTHING about it, and that sort of freaks me out. So, as the authors start exploring what they feel about it and how they have coped with each impending death I could really relate. Their thoughts, concerns, and questions were like many of mine. So even if I can’t write great worship songs like Crowder or grow a goatee that long, at least I know we are wrestling with some of the same issues.
All in all, it’s a creative piece of work and an interesting topic. One that we all thing about and will all deal with one day (we all will die, by the way) even if we don’t admit it.
Overall Grade: B

Besides this being the anniversary of my Mom’s death it’s also the Birthdays of Chris Sasser (38) and Chris Latta (49). Happy Birthday Old Dudes!