A Glimpse of Heaven caught my eye when I was visiting Utah for the first time a few years ago. I bought it and started reading it during my trip back to Brazil and could never stop. Since then I have been reading it again and again and will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life, because I want to be always reminded of the profound truths that the author so amazingly talks about.

Her experiences helped me increase my understanding of many things, such as the love that Heavenly Father has for me and for all of His children, the importance of prayers, the patterns of personal revelation, my innate ability to gain knowledge, the role that I play in helping others and the purpose I am supposed to fulfill in this life.

This book inspired me to strive to be my best at the highest level here on Earth.

I am really thankful that JoAnna Oblander chose to write and share her personal experiences with us, even though it was very hard for her to do so. I wish everyone – EVERYONE – in the world could have access to this book in order to be blessed as well.

JoAnna,

I can’t thank you enough for writing this book, it has been an amazing blessing for me. My husband and I recently returned from China with our newly adopted 5 year old. I injured my shoulder packing her all over China and while in physical therapy, one of the therapists let me borrow her copy of your book and I ordered my own. Your inspiration to adopt really hits home for me as well as the struggles and challenges with adopting children. Thanks again for your insight you were truly inspired to help others!

“I want to thank you! I am one of the people you wrote this book for. I know that my Heavenly Father used you to reach me and answer my prayers. May God bless you always!”

Thank you for writing this book. It is a truly amazing and wonderful book. You have given me answers and reaffirmed things I already knew. Those things moved from my head straight to my heart as I read your beautiful book. God wanted you to write this book so I could read it and share it with the people I love. It gives me the courage to keep on keeping on. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are a truly amazing Daughter of God!

I just brought your book on Kindle. I enjoyed it very much! I underlined many paragraphs of profound ideas. Some reminded me of things I needed to work on and some confirmed my conclusions from my own experiences. I will be rereading this book and sharing it with others. Thank you for baring your soul and sharing these precious experiences with us.

“I was looking for something in my life. I didn’t know what is was but I felt that I would recognize it when I found it. I believed there had to be more knowledge, more I could know about my existence and purpose and how to be the real me I was designed to be. I was searching for answers and didn’t know where to find them. Within the first few pages of A Glimpse of Heaven, I knew that I had found what I had been seeking – this book is filled with answers and was exactly what I had been looking for!”

I recommend this book to everyone, young adults and older.

Several months ago I was contacted by one of my readers and asked if I’d be interested in reading and reviewing her mother’s new book. I have never been one to turn down a free book and so I happily said I’d read it.  A few days later I got the book “A Glimpse of Heaven: One Woman’s Life-Altering Visit with God” by JoAnna Oblander in the mail. I will admit that when I saw the title I was a bit skeptical.  Near-death experience books have always seemed a bit kooky to me, but I figured I’d give it a try. It arrived the day before we left on our family vacation to Oregon and so I stuck it in my purse intending to read it on the trip. My in-laws were kind enough to sit by and entertain my kiddos on the airplane and so I found myself with two hours of uninterrupted reading time, in which I –surprisingly–  devoured this book. About an hour into the trip Jon gave up trying to talk to me all together because I wasn’t listening to a thing he said. The book isn’t long, only 110 pages, but as I read JoAnna’s beautiful message I felt my heart changing.

JoAnna’s book starts off with her sharing a hard time in her life. Even though she was a happily married wife, the mother of six children, fulfilled as a woman, and active in the church she had been suffering from severe headaches and depression for so long, with no relief in sight, that she was planning on committing suicide. JoAnna writes:

” I didn’t make any requests for help that night. I was certain I was beyond help. I calmly explained to God that He knew and I knew that I had given my fight everything I had. I told God that I was done and that I had nothing more to give. I apologized for not being able to do better. I thanked Him for the good things He had blessed me with. Then, I told Him that I could not endure the pain any longer and that if He chose to send me to hell that would be okay– I knew with certainty that hell could not be worse than what I was currently suffering. I explained that I would be ending my life the following day and from there what happened to me would be in His hand. I then crawled back into bed and cried myself to sleep.” (pg.2)

 That night JoAnna recounts that she had a vision and felt her spirit actually leave her body. She was taken back to the pre-mortal world, the world we lived in before we were born, and saw the spirits who were being prepared to come to earth and what they were being taught. She saw Heavenly Father and had “the veil” removed from her eyes. She writes,

“… with the veil removed from my mind, I realized that the veil that is placed over our memories of our premortal lives is more like a wall of armoured steel… As I looked at Him, I was amazed at how familiar I was with His face… only a powerful block could keep me from remembering this Being whom I knew so well, loved so much, and had been so devoted to.” (Pg, 5, 6)

As her visions continue JoAnna talks about how she was able to see herself and her husband and how they sat down with Heavenly Father and, even though it overwhelmed them, accepted the mission He had for them on earth– with all its challenges. Most importantly though she got a glimpse of who she really was. She writes,

“Once the blocks were removed from my memory,  I was a completely different person. Gone were my insecurities and doubts. (Gone was my depression). Eternal truth and God’s love dominated that realm. As a result, my confidence was supreme. I struggle to find the words that can even being to describe what it felt like to be me in that sphere of existence. My entire being was infused with love and  gratitude and devotion to God… Being allowed to know my strengths and my abilities again was the most wonderful reunion I have ever experienced, and the reunion was with the real me.” (pg. 5)

Her vision continued on and she had some other really beautiful experiences, but I will make you read the book to get those!  When she woke up from her vision her depression was not gone but she had the strength to keep going. Eventually JoAnna shares how she was able to find the cause of her headaches and find adequate treatment for her depression.

In addition to the vision of the pre-mortal world, JoAnna also shares some of the powerful spiritual experiences she has had throughout her life including a vision of her children before they were born and several incredible revelations about a little boy that the Lord told her she needed to find and adopt. Her story is absolutely incredible and is such a testament to the power of prayer and personal revelation.

As I read about her experiences I felt the spirit so strongly. I’ve had a few experiences in my life where I have got the faintest glimpse of who I was– who I am– and what I am capable of. Those experiences have changed everything and I yearn for more. Reading about JoAnna’s vision was like drinking a cold glass of water, filling my body and spirit with nourishment and joy. When, at the end of the plane ride, I stuck the book back in my purse I felt a new determination to improve my prayers, follow the guidance I get from the spirit, and to love people more freely. I looked around the plane and felt so much love for everyone– I am pretty sure I had an idiotic smile on my face– but JoAnna’s book had reminded me just how much God loves all of us, no matter what our flaws.

As I was reading the book there were a few questions that I really wanted to ask JoAnna, so I emailed her them and she was kind enough to answer them. Here are my questions and her responses:

Heather:  I was very moved by your account of the vision you and your husband had of your unborn children early in your marriage. In it, you said you saw four spirits and so you knew that when your fourth was born that she was going to be your last baby. I have always wondered if the Lord has an “assigned” number of children that He will send to us if we are willing to accept them and so I am wondering if after the fourth you felt prompted to take measures to prevent more children from coming or if you didn’t take any measures to prevent. Did the Lord just not send you any more children? 

JoAnna: When my last was born (girl) we did not do anything to prevent another baby – another one just didn’t come (which did not surprise me at all – given that due to female issues I should not have been able to have any children).  I still consider each of my first four children a miracle in their own right even though the guy upstairs is clearly in charge when it comes to the size of my family!

JoAnna: I don’t know that I really learned to be an “incredible prayer” until certain situations called for it. My youngest of the first four was approximately seven years old when I was told to find Andrew (her adopted son). The shooting at Margaret Leary and my search for Andrew really taught me a lot about prayer. As you might have guessed – prayer is all-important to me now. It was important when I was a young mom too but I understand its power now in a way that I didn’t when my children were young. Andrew is now 17 and Dina 22 and my oldest daughter (child) Melissa is 33 so I am definitely not a young mother any longer! 

I would have to say that prayer is a very personal thing. I often use my car as I commute with the radio off. Finding quiet time with my thoughts – like washing dishes is important because listening for answers to prayers is so important. Although I know that it is a struggle with little ones – meditation time and diligent study of the scriptures, the Ensign and other church publications have been really important for me. Just always remember that Heavenly Father is completely aware of you and knows the struggles you have with little ones. I ask a lot of Heavenly Father now – in ways that are different than how I used to ask. I really try to allow the spirit to guide my prayers so that I am asking for the very things that Heavenly Father knows I need and that I am asking for the very things He wants to give me. It is a learned process but I can tell you that after a time, practice with allowing the spirit to guide your prayers can be powerful and educational at the same time.

Heather: How or when did you feel prompted to write this book. Was it your idea or someone else’s? I would love to hear more about how this book came to be. 

JoAnna: I was commanded by Heavenly Father to write my book..and that heavenly command was a real test for me as I really did not want to write this book as I knew that it would require that I reveal a lot of personal things. I also thought that there was a real chance that scorners would step forward with less than kind words but so far, that has not been my experience. I have been blessed thus far in that the spirit has communicated to members and non-members alike the truth of those things that I share in my book. It has actually been a sweet experience (not what I anticipated at all) in that many have come forward and let me know of how my book has been able to help them and increase their understanding.

JoAnna’s book is a real treasure and I promise that reading it will help you get a glimpse of your divine nature and remind you about who you really are. Her testimony and example are so powerful. This book is one that I will read again (which is why I am glad I have my very own copy) and share with others. If you want a nice– easy– fill- your- soul- summer read this is the perfect book.

Those who know me well enough know my favorite books to read are biographies. I enjoy reading about other people’s lives, how they are effected by the choices they make and the circumstances they find themselves in, how they react to situations, and how they make it through. There is so much we can learn from others and apply to our own lives.

A Glimpse of Heaven is JoAnna Oblander’s story.

The book begins with one of the hardest times in JoAnna’s life, the night she decides her life isn’t worth living anymore. Even though she is happily married with six children the severe depression she is battling is winning. She prays that night explaining to God that she just can’t do it anymore and that she would be ending her life the next day. You’ll have to read the book to find out the miraculous event that occurred to stop her from carrying through with her plans. Joanna explains, “Although my depression remained as severe as it was before my experience, my dedication to succeeding in the ordeal that I called my life was backed by a much more powerful resolve.”

The rest of the book follows Joanna’s personal journey, sharing her triumphs and failures. She tells of the deeply spiritual confirmations and guidance she received in knowing how many biological children she and her husband, Greg, would have and yet more spiritual insights that would lead them to find their adoptive son and daughter. Joanna details her crusade to find healing for the various sicknesses that ailed her body and mind. Woven throughout is the ongoing quest we all traverse to find and receive heavenly help for our individual lives. We can see how following those promptings have helped JoAnna in her life. It causes us to examine the Lord’s hand in our own lives too.

This is another inspiring biography to add to my collection! You can purchase A Glimpse of Heaven here.

This book touched my heart in many ways and not just because I’m a member of the same church as the author. Being an introvert myself, I know how hard it can be to share experiences and feelings with the world. It leaves one vulnerable. I admire the author for being so open when it was so hard for her to do so, something she admits in the book itself. I think the parts I related to the most were her internal struggles. Maintaining one’s self-worth in the face of a world that is so very focused on criticism and controversy is an ongoing battle for many. While the methods that JoAnna uses to overcome depression will not work for everyone, they provide a feeling of hope, hope that such challenges can be overcome. Still, the parts of the book that impacted me the most were the insights the author shares about God, Our Heavenly Father, and how much He loves every one of us. I appreciated that she shared her journey of discovery and pointed out the things that allowed her to gain these insights. The things she shares agree with so much of what I myself have come to know about our Heavenly Father and why he allows us to experience so many heart-wrenching things. For those who are struggling and need a lift, need help in finding their way, this book provides hope that there is always one door that can be opened by us, between God and ourselves.

Within the pages of A Glimpse of Heaven, JoAnna Oblander shares true-life experiences that dramatically demonstrate God’s perfect love for each of his children, his unending desire to be a daily part of our lives, and his plan for us. Be reminded of the purpose of life and the fact that each of us, as God’s children, has been sent to earth to accomplish a mission uniquely our own. As you read this book, you’ll understand God in ways never before comprehended—your significant worth to your Creator and his significant worth to you. Appreciate your loved ones and your Heavenly Father like never before in this comforting and inspiring experience.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for JoAnna Oblander to write this book. In it, she bears her soul as she shares her faults and some spiritual experiences that many would pass off as her being a delusional woman. She does so as a testimony to her faith. Some people are going to believe. Some people are going to acknowledge similar experiences in their own lives. Some are going to blow it off. It is the nature of this kind of story. JoAnna shares many spiritual visions that she had over the years, that helped to shape her life. She opens with a series in which she was taken for an out-of-body experience, visiting classrooms of sorts, to teach her about her pre-mortal life. The majority of the book focuses on a vision that she and her husband shared of their future children. Some of them came naturally, while the others were adopted after several years of searching and difficult trials to overcome. The focus on her children was what kept her going through some of life’s most difficult times. Those experiences also helped to shape her faith in a more productive manner. She could have been preachy and told her readers that they needed to experience their faith in the same manner that she does. Instead, she shares the lessons that she learned and leaves it open for the reader to draw their own conclusions as to how to apply those lessons to his or her own life.

A Glimpse of Heaven opens with the author, in the depths of despair, praying her last prayer after planning to commit suicide the next day. That night, as she slept, an angel came to her. She followed the angel and the experience that followed affected her greatly. She still struggled, felt pain, and suffered from depression, however her perspective of the purpose of her life was forever changed.

As I read A Glimpse of Heaven, several of my own experiences were confirmed to me. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe in personal revelation. JoAnna shares her experiences with personal revelation in regard to her children, her husband’s career, and her physical and mental health.

More than anything else, the author’s message in A Glimpse of Heaven is of Heavenly Father’s unconditional love and support of each one of His children. Below are some quotes from the book that I really liked:

“Eternal truth is just that — eternal. It never goes away, and it never changes.”

“God is unwavering in His sameness ad His adherence to eternal truth. Put simply, this means that God’s laws will never change. It also means that He will always continue to know us, love us, and succor us — and He will always do it perfectly.”

“We were of infinite value and were loved unconditionally there, and we are of infinite value and are loved unconditionally here. In my Supreme Father’s eyes, my value does not hinge on my pocketbook or possessions. I am loved without reservation regardless of my choices, failures, or successes. (Note that we are loved unconditionally; we are not blessed unconditionally.)” (pages 100, 101)

I like that last line. Too often I think we attach love to perceived blessings, and if things don’t go our way or we don’t get the blessings we think we deserve that Heavenly Father must not love us.

In the last week or so, the necessity of FAITH has been made apparent to me in several ways. A Glimpse of Heaven carries a clear message of the importance of FAITH in Heavenly Father’s plan and love for us. I was brought to tears more than once, especially near the end of the book.

This book is not about whether or not you believe the author experienced what she shares with readers, it’s about believing in our divinity, our purpose here on earth, and immeasurable worth to our Father in Heaven. At just over 100 pages long, A Glimpse of Heaven is a fast read and one you will want to reach for whenever you are struggling and need a reminder that you are a valuable and irreplaceable child of God.

I will admit that I planned on giving this a rating of a 3 and then a 4. But the author won me over, and I can whole-heartedly give this book a rating of a five with only a few objections. I will mention those later. This is a fantastic true story from the author’s own life that will inspire you.

I did not care for the first couple of chapters. Why? Well, the author is a Mormon, and I have some very different views on heaven and angels and the afterlife. I was concerned that this was going to be the whole thrust of the book.

I am so glad I did not give up during those first couple of chapters. As I continued to read, the author’s faith absolutely humbled me. There is no way to explain the events of her life except for the work of God. The way she clung to her faith when everything was against her inspired me. I actually wondered if I would ever be able to demonstrate such faith as her.

As I continued to read, I found the author saying things that really spoke to me. I don’t want to take away from anything she said, but it was good to hear someone say that we must not neglect taking care of ourselves, and we must rely solely on God to accomplish our purpose in this life.

I want to thank the author for writing such a heartfelt book. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It honestly makes no difference if you do not agree with the author’s faith–I believe everyone can glean something from this lady’s writing.

A Glimpse of Heaven is perhaps the most appropriately named book I have read in a long time. It contains a visit with someone who is often spoken of, yet someone who remains a mystery to so many: God himself. JoAnna’s visit with God didn’t come easily. Rather, it came about as a result of her deep depression and abandonment of all hope. Indeed, her trip back in time to her pre-earth experiences with her Father in Heaven came mere hours before she planned to take her own life.

I believe we all long, in the deepest places in our hearts, to know the truth about our existence on this earth. Who are we? Where did we come from? Is God real? What is God? Who is God? During her near-death experience, JoAnna Oblander was blessed to relive a personal meeting with God that occurred before her mortal birth. As she shares her near death experience, she helps us answer those questions for ourselves; and her story rings true in our hearts.

That is only the beginning though. How many people do you know who have actually seen all their children before they were even born? I know, me neither. Yet, that is what JoAnna and her husband experienced. Incredible, yet I completely believe that it really happened. But wait… there’s more!

What if you were minding your own business and you suddenly heard a voice that told you that you had son in Eastern Europe that you needed to find? And what if you were even given the name of that son?

Do things like this really happen? They do. They all happened to JoAnna Oblander, and luckily, she has shared all these experiences with us in A Glimpse of Heaven. JoAnna invites us into her life, and we find out something that she would never admit to, and that she is probably totally unaware of; that she is an extraordinary person!

I know JoAnna Oblander, and she could be the poster child for integrity and honesty. She is completely sincere about her experiences, and I for one, believe the entire story from beginning to end. Will you?

A Glimpse of Heaven touches people in many different ways. For some, it has educated them about God, their Heavenly Father, and has given them a whole new way of thinking about Him. It has helped hundreds of people to better recognize the true nature of life and its challenges. To others, A Glimpse of Heaven has expanded their view of their own potential. Still others have learned through JoAnna’s experiences how to better deal with their depression or that of a loved one. And for those who have adopted children, it has become a source of strength and comfort as they deal with children with Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).

I first heard of JoAnna in June of 2012 when she emailed me, letting me know that she had recently completed reading my book, The Emotion Code. She was seeking information on whether or not The Emotion Code might help those children suffering from Reactive Attachment Disorder or RAD.

In A Glimpse of Heaven, JoAnna shares the heartbreaking difficulties of RAD that many adopted children suffer from; particularly those who suffer severe neglect in their early, formative years. The lack of love and human contact that they often endure leaves them deeply scarred, and their behavior is often baffling and even terrifying to their parents and loved ones. Luckily, there is hope in The Emotion Code, even for such troubled little souls as these.

When I was fifteen years old, I had my own spiritual experience in which I learned for myself that we really do have a Father in Heaven. I know that He is real, and knowing that makes JoAnna’s experiences all the more plausible.

JoAnna once wrote to me that, “I was commanded by Heavenly Father to write my book so that others might come to know Him better, and to know and understand that each of us has come to earth with an important mission to accomplish.” I am so grateful that JoAnna is fulfilling this commandment by sharing her experiences with us all. They open a window for us into the beyond, and we find that it is a place of love, purpose and peace, no matter how crazy things may be here in this mortal world!

.

JoAnna Lynn Oblander shares with us a very personal journey. The journey is her life. She lives a life that is very religiously inspired and by living such a life is able to help give some ways that we can conquer the challenges that we have through our relationship with deity.

I was able to incorporate some of her experiences and see the similarities with my life. We have many of the same core values. She helped me to reflect on my life and ways that I can improve in different aspects.

I need to try her msg experience with headaches. My husband suffers from chronic 24/7 headaches just as she did. It is never if he is in pain, it’s always the degree of pain. We haven’t tried that one yet.

She writes her experiences in a non-judgemental way. She tells of her trials and successes. I liked that in the book. It is a recounting of her experiences.

Thanks, JoAnna for giving me something to think about.

“A Glimpse of Heaven offers a powerful case of how Spirituality can better our lives. Some people may have their diet and exercise in check – but unless you have a whole integrative approach to life with that crucial connection to Spirit, Source, God – or whom ever God is for you – life just doesn’t work.”

“This glimpse of the pre-existence is a helpful guide in maneuvering through life’s challenges. The instruction given in this book on how to recognize and follow the spirit is essential information for all. Truly a life-changing experience.”

“The message throughout A Glimpse of Heaven carries a believable tone plus honesty and heart-felt desire to follow the voice telling you to write this book. Your spiritual and physical journey involved much “connecting of dots” over a period of years; this caused me to reflect on some of my own journeys and how I often didn’t understand or appreciate the collection of events until later when I was able to recognize their importance. I feel your story will engage a reader of any religious background or even those who are agnostic or atheist, as the heart and mind of the individual respond to your journey.”