Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth

by Cameron Cole

Exploring the Life-Changing Impact of Heavenly Mindedness Though destined for eternal glory, many Christians languish in earthly mindedness. Failing to set their sights on things above, they lack strength in adversity, boldness in ministry, and vibrancy in their faith. Where can believers find hope for everyday life? In the already-and-not-yet reality of heaven. Following the unexpected loss of his firstborn child, pastor Cameron Cole’s daily focus shifted drastically heavenward. He discovered that an intentional eternal mindset can bring meaning and joy to every Christian’s life. In this heartfelt, theologically rich book, Cole draws from his personal story of grief, the apostle Paul’s letters, and the examples of believers throughout history to demonstrate how heavenly mindedness fosters contentment, hope in suffering, motivation for missions and evangelism, commitment to morality and ethics, and no fear in death.

Genres: Christian Living, Theology, Christian

200 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Cameron Cole (MA, Wake Forest University) serves as director of youth ministries at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, and is the chairman of Rooted, a ministry dedicated to fostering gospel-centered student ministry.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

When our son, Luke, died in 2022, many people spoke to me about how I now belonged to a club that no one ever wanted to be part of: parents who have buried their children. They were right. The metaphor they used was correct as well, for it is a “club” in the sense of a community of mourners whose wounds bind them together on a deep and visceral level. We understand each other. We know what no human being should know. There is a camaraderie of shared pain.

And shared hope. For the Christian parent, deep though our grief is, we do not grieve as the world does. We know where our children are: in the presence of Jesus in heaven. There they enjoy what we await. And while we await it, even in this life on earth, we begin to live heavenward lives.

That heavenward life is what Cameron Cole writes about in his new book, Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth (Crossway, 2024). He too knows the life-altering pain of losing a child, his three-year-old little boy, Cam. As a result, he also lives, works, suffers, and rejoices with a keener sense of the brevity of this life and, more importantly, how this present life is suffused with hope, confidence, and joy because of what we have in Christ.

Cameron offers the biblical, Christ-centered alternative to the popular YOLO (“You Only Live Once”) philosophy that has polluted the mindset of people in various forms through the centuries. In the heavenward perspective, every aspect of his life is altered because we understand what we already have in Jesus and what we will yet experience in Jesus. Life in this world is not about the accumulation of riches, the enjoyment of illicit pleasures, eating and drinking and being merry for the few short years we will be in existence.

Rather, this life is our chance to live heavenly lives on earth—live in union now with Christ, led by the Spirit, full of hope because we know that death has been defeated in the resurrection of Christ. Everything in this shadowy world is suddenly illumined. We see better what matters. A heavenly light reveals how easily we idolize what we should trivialize and trivialize what we should treasure. A life lived heavenward puts things back into their proper perspective. A hierarchy of importance is implemented as we begin to give ourselves, first and foremost, to things that matter to us because they matter to God.

So much of what Cameron writes rings true to me. Not only because he and I are both students and teachers of Scriptures, but because we have walked the same path of grief. I found myself nodding over and over as I turned the pages of the book, saying “Yes” and “Me too” and “Oh, you are so right.” He has tapped into profound truths which are learned both from Scripture and from suffering. And these truths, he communicates clearly, beautifully, and in a writing style that rings with joy.

Read the book, whoever you are. This is not just for parents who have lost children. It is for all of us who wish to learn how eternity can change our lives on earth.

[Cole Shiflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

So grateful for Cameron Cole and his pastoral care in my life during great suffering! This was a wonderful little book on heaven that makes your heart leap for joy! Excited to teach on heaven this summer with some of the elders in our men’s breakfast!

[Brenda Shirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subtitle : How eternity can change your life on Earth, rings true here. I'm grateful that I came across this book. Reading this alongside Randy Alcorn's Heaven, has opened my eyes and heart to the beauty of Heaven and the fact that it is a place worth looking forward to. As I engage with my longing for Heaven and its wonder, this heavenward perspective shapes the way I view and do life.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so helpful to me in my study of Heaven. Truly, if you have a right view of Heaven, it should permeate every part of your life. Cole’s experience of losing a young son and the way that he is still processing it in light of Heaven was so meaningful.

[Alyssa Borwick]

“So it is with the judgement seat of Christ. There in the ultimate trajectory of our lives resides a man sitting on a throne before whom we will stand. However, this man is not aloof, angry, or displeased. No, on the judgment seat resides the Lamb of God, who took away each of our individual sins.

There resides the good shepherd, who has walked beside us, gently tending to our lives with every step. There resides the Son of Man with all of his radiant and glorious beauty. And as you have this vision of that man on the judgment seat, know that when he sees you, he calls you by name and he smiles. With a vision such as this—a true and biblical vision—how can we do anything with our lives but offer them to him in love?” (pg 156)

[Luke Seibert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I deeply appreciate Cole’s heart behind this book. The coming age of the Messiah’s reign is already and not yet, and we need to live with both realities in mind. It gives comfort in sorrow, joy in grief, and direction for our pursuit of holiness.
However, Cole seems to take this reality of heaven and force it on to all of Scripture. Certainly, the truths he presents are found in the Bible. However, I believe he’s misinterpreted some passages in order to make them support his point. Whether this is true of Cole or not, this reality of the already/not yet tension of heaven/the age to come feels like the primary lens by which he’s reading the New Testament. Several other key images and truths of the Bible are missed in the process. That’s my biggest overarching disappointment with the book.
I have never lost a close family member, so I can’t fully resonate with Cole’s pain. I recognize he wrote this book out of the comfort the Lord gave through the tragic loss of his son. I don’t want to discount that. At the same time, the expectation of seeing his son and enjoying heaven together plays a pretty heavy role in the book. I wished he would have put more of the focus on Christ. Yes, we will rejoice with our past loved ones one day. But when the Bible talks about heaven and the age to come, those reunions aren’t the focus; being with Christ and enjoying fellowship with the Triune God gets center stage. Cole does bring this out, and one chapter in particular does a beautiful job of that. I just wish that was more of a focus.
So, I was glad I read this book. Cole brought out some good reminders and caused me to think about how our view of heaven/the age to come shapes how we live now. At the same time, the way passages are handled and the overemphasis with his son hold me back from recommending this book. Cole’s other work, “Therefore I Have Hope,” is exceptional and one I tell others about with no hesitation.

[Matthew Bruemmer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavenward is mainly the author's attempt at providing a look at how his life has shifted heavenward after the sudden and tragic loss of his son. While I did enjoy the parts of this book that offered a unique view of the theology the author presented as how Paul's life matched a heavenward outlook, a lot detracted from my enjoyment of the book and what I got out of it. This is a talented author and he does a great job at explaining complex concepts and making them understandable. He also is vulnerable and authentic when it comes to sharing his story. I found that some verses he used to make his points were rather casually applied. I couldn't quite make the same connection as him when referencing what he was referencing in the Bible, which is difficult for a book of this nature that relies on that. Often times I felt like he used very similar language and concepts quite regularly and it got a little too repetitive. A more focused approach on this concept of Paul and how this author's personal journey reflected that would have been better for me personally. I found it distracting to try to fit very shallow and quick looks at a lot of problems with our culture, church, faith, sin struggles, etc. Certain event comparisons like the use of how slaves looked heavenward, albeit well sourced from authors who had more direct knowledge of events, felt misplaced from this author and not effective in the messaging. Overall, I would recommend for someone looking for a very basic summary of how Paul's ministry looks towards heaven, especially in his letters to churches, but not much beyond that.

[Richard Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Likely best book I've ever read on heaven. The book separates itself from other books on heaven in a number of ways. Too often people treat consideration of heaven as if it is trivia. They want to know the details of what heaven will be like but do so as if it's an abstraction. This book points out that Paul's theology of heaven is almost entirely focused on its impact on the present life. This book is not reading just to get information on heaven; it connects the dots on how heaven comforts, satisfies, motivates, and convicts us hear and now. The book also gives great detail on the present reality of heaven on earth (Kingdom of God, new creation) through the coming of Christ. This aspect of the book was truly unique and gave me a greater appreciation for the heavenly nature of my present life as a believer. The book threads the needle of being pastoral for those suffering, personal in bringing in author's story of his son's death and presence in glory, and richly theological -- very strong teaching while stilly being accessible. I recommend it to anyone; it's uplifting, transformative, and stimulating.

[Julie-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Is it an easy read? No. It definitely is a book that requires your full attention, but, from start to finish, it’s very engaging.
Cameron provides a different spin on things that you may have heard many times, and yet, it’s also explained in such a way that makes you feel like you’re hearing things for the first time.
Several years ago, while completing a vocational internship with Joni Eareckson Tada, I heard her say, “Jesus often wills what he despises, to accomplish what He loves.” Cameron’s experience of losing a child, has afforded him an opportunity and perspective that has been shared in this book, as well as his other book, “Therefore, I Have Hope,” that otherwise might not have been possible. I really did enjoy this book, and would recommend it to anyone who may have unanswered questions about Heaven.

[Mike McGarry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heavenward nourished my soul this week. What a good and important reminder about the Christian's current identity "in glory" as we await breathing that glorious air in the presence of Jesus. Cole addresses doctrinal issues that are frequently overlooked, explains them well, and applies them with pastoral wisdom. I'm so thankful for this book and have already recommended it to a few people in church.

[Courtney Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does exactly what it says - it gives us a better framework for an eternal mindset, which changes the way we view our current circumstances. I know I need that, and I would imagine every Christian would benefit from reading it.

[William B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Already but not yet

Cole presents a reality to all that believe in Jesus Christ. The ability to sample heaven while on earth and diminish the demarcation of death for the complete heavenly experience. God bless

[Sarah Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, hut quite geavycreading atctimes.

[Tanusha Attanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really encouraged by this book and felt like it helped give me a better framework for heaven while reinforcing some practices and mindsets to have now to live more “heavenward”.

[Taylor Barkley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read by an author who has suffered well. He handles the subject in a very accessible, uplifting way.