Proof of Angels

You may remember a recent story in the news of a car accident in Spanish Fork, California when a vehicle overturned trapping a young baby inside. The mother was killed instantly, but when the police officers arrived, they heard a woman's voice telling them to Hurry and help! Through a series of circumstances known as Godwinks, the young baby was saved and the story impacted the world, that angels were watching over the child and leading help to where the child was trapped.

As a believer in Christ, I know that angels exist because the Bible says they do and I believe I have had my own angel encounter even though I didn't see any. The Bible is clear on their purpose and we have to be careful to test all things because we never know if it comes from God or our enemy Satan, the god of this world. In the book, Proof of Angels by Ptolemy Tompkins and Tyler Beddoes, it highlights that there are circumstances happening around us that clearly indicate that we are not alone. That there is a spiritual world that operates within our own even though we do not see it. We have to be cautious however, that we do not fall into the tendency to worship angels because they are created by God and are sent by Him to serve in whatever He has called them to do. Whether to lead rescuers to help a trapped baby or to encourage others going through a difficult time.

This book defines some of those circumstances through true stories told by those who have experienced them from 9/11 to a school bombing to even random encounters where someone's health was on the line and through a series of random events, all of these people escaped certain tragedy and feel confident it was angels that saved them all. The book primarily highlights the Spanish Fork event and the circumstances that followed with the officers involved and the media frenzy. We know that there are times where angel occurrences seem prevalent as in the 90's where angels were the main event both in the media and in the bookstores.

I received Proof of Angels by Ptolemy Tompkins and Tyler Beddoes compliments of Howard Books, a division of Simon and Schuster for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest evaluation. The only thing that bothers me about the book is the limited references to what the Bible has to say on the subject between angels and demons or fallen angels. With that being said, it would be easy to see how people might be lead astray not in that angels don't exist but what their purpose is, who sends them and what their limits are. There are some biblical references but not enough to truly educate the reader in my mind that angels do exist because the Bible says they do. More references are given to outside authorities opinions on angels like Thomas Aquinas, Dante, Shakespeare, Saint Augustine and Saint Paul. There is quite a bit of reference of the Mormon beliefs and thus the reader should be cautioned to compare this to what the Bible says to be true. In my opinion, this one rates 3 out of 5 stars for me.

For more information about Proof of Angels, Ptolemy Tompkins, or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Proof of Angels by Ptolemy Tompkins

You can find Ptolemy Tompkins on Facebook's Proof of Angels page.

To see more reviews on Proof of Angels, please visit Howard Books' website. 

Proof of Angels

"Life is not just a bunch of disconnected events and people. It's not just a random stream of coincidences. There are reasons, and we may not know them or recognize them and we may not understand them, but we have to trust that there are reasons beyond us, because I've seen it work out enough. It doesn't mean we will all live forever. It doesn't mean bad things won't happen or we won't feel sad sometimes, but it does mean that we can't discount the miraculous in the mundane." (209).

Firefight Sean Magee never believed in angels before even as he watched his nephew Colm die after numerous attempts to try and save him from his heart defect. As Colm slowly passed from this world to the next, Sean knew that despite all the claims Colm had that heaven was real, he still doubted. He doubted until he saw what he believed was an angel at Colm's side that night. He wouldn't remember it was the very same until Sean found himself trapped in a burning building. Unable to locate his way out in the black smoke, Sean uttered a prayer to God that if he saved him, he would spend the rest of his life being a better man, and just like that the angel appeared to lead him to the third floor window. Sean's only issue was jump from this height or risk being burned further from the flames following him out.

So he jumped, not knowing if he would die in the process or be forever crippled and unable to walk. When he woke up, he was neither. Against all the odds, Sean lived even though it would take months of rehabilitation to restore his shattered legs and back and recover from the burns. Now as he spends time thinking about how he can make good on his promises, he can't help but wonder if angels are real or if he was just imagining that had happened. He would eventually discover that" the secret to happiness is not wanting. It's not getting what you've always hoped for or imagined. It's managing your expectations." (275). Perhaps, just perhaps, there are angels after all in the unlikeliest of places, just when we need them the most.

I received Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own unless otherwise notated. I loved this novel, especially after being familiar with Sean Magee where readers were introduced to him in Proof of Heaven. This is his story, "about finding second chances, about failure and forgiveness, about doubt and faith, and about all the angels who touch us along the way. The ones who might just bump into us long enough to nudge us on our way and the ones who stay in our lives forever and guide us indefatigably toward the light."(24). I give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and truly believe that there are angels around us, and some happen to be the people we need in our lives who are inspired and encouraged to help make us all better people. There is also Reading Group Discussion Questions at the conclusion of this novel.

For more information about Proof of Angels, Mary Curran Hackett, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Proof of Angels by Mary Curran Hackett

You can find Mary Curran Hackett on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

For more reviews on Proof of Angels, please visit William Morrow's website.