Drawing upon his own experiences, author James Bryan Smith has written an insightful, realistic account of what Heaven just might be like. Smith is best known as the man who wrote Rich Mullins' biography, An Arrow Pointing to Heaven, but Room of Marvels has stretched him into the land of fiction, for the first time ever.

The small book tells the story of a man, very much like Smith himself, who has lost his mother, his daughter, and his best friend all in the space of a single year. The story details of the main character all come from real life -- Smith's own mother, daughter, and best friend (Mullins) really died in one year's time. Smith found himself questioning everything he'd ever believed, but eventually found his faith again, firmly rooted in the truth of eternity.

Smith takes these events from his own life and dramatizes them with a fictional account of a man who ventures to a monestary to "find himself" after suffering these losses, and falls into a deep sleep one night after finding no comfort in his surroundings. The dream he experiences is more real, more vivid than any other dream he's ever had.

In the dream, he travels to a cabin where he meets an old friend who died long ago. In the cabin he sees a picture of himself as a happy little boy -- a picture which was never taken. The picture, he is told, is a snapshot taken by God himself -- "one of his favorites." Tim (the main character) is then taken on a journey through this land, which resembles a beautiful mountainside, where he meets friends and loved ones who have all died. Only here, they are more alive than ever, in ways that Smith brings to life with vibrant accuracy.

All the while, every character reminds him that at the end of his journey awaits something called the "room of marvels," which is to become his eternal home. But before he can visit the room, he must let go of the pain and anger that currently clouds his life. It doesn't take him long to realize that he's somehow been granted a vision of Heaven -- a very realistic vision of what Heaven will be like.

What I like most about this novel is how Smith takes the idea of seeing Heaven with one's own two eyes, and goes further with it than most would ever dare, full of rich and surprising details. Of course, much of it is speculative, as it must be, but that's the beauty of fiction: you can get away with educated guesses without having to justify yourself. Surprises and heartwarming developments await, all of which are too good to spoil. But the wondrous detail with which he describes Heaven is greater and deeper than any I've ever read.

For example, one part of the book has Tim meeting up with "Wayne," his best friend, a musician who'd died suddenly in a car accident. Most readers will recognize this scenario as a depiction of Rich Mullins ("Wayne" was even the name that Mullins used among his close friends and family). In the book, Wayne is happy and carefree, spending much of his time composing new music and having it expressed to perfection, on the spot, with amazing sounds that pour forth from the land around him, on command. It's a clever way of saying that what you're passionate about on earth you'll still be able to do in Heaven -- only without all of the imperfections of humanity holding you back.

Room of Marvels is more than just a treatise on Heaven. It's a very realistic study of human grief, and a reminder of the importance of focusing on our eternal selves, and not these bodies of flesh that we get so distracted by. And I defy anyone not to be moved by the book's ending, which I won't spoil for you here. It's not hard to guess where the story is headed once you get into it, but it's still profoundly affecting when you get there.

Since my father died two years ago, I've found myself pondering the reality of Heaven quite often. What will it really be like? What will we look like? What will we spend our time doing? I've spent many an hour looking for Biblically-sound details about what to expect in Heaven, and have always come up disappointed. And then Room of Marvels arrived on my doorstep, and it was everything I'd been searching for.

Anyone who is curious about the reality of Heaven, and especially anyone who has suffered a painful loss and gone through all of the anger and grief associated with that -- you simply must read this book.

But that's exactly the problem, isn't it? While the book discusses the many topics, philosophies, cultures, and faiths that have been mixed into The Matrix films, the fundamental point that it makes is unmistakeable: postmodern individuals have turned away from the church and toward pop culture and entertainment to "free their minds" with quasi-"religious" experiences. The church is no longer seen as relevant to many young adults in this generation, so they look elsewhere for answers.

On these terms, it's no wonder that The Matrix and its two sequels have struck a chord. Sure, the kung-fu is fun, and the sci-fi story is eye-popping, but the power of the modern myth is at work in this story. I believe it's the same reason that The Lord of the Rings films have become so popular. They're spectacles, but there's much more than that at work here. Classical, heroic struggles that speak to the human soul about the need we all have to rise above, to overcome, to fulfil our full potential, to do what is right. As authors Seay and Garrett point out, we don't have nearly enough of these kinds of stories circulating in modern times that, if nothing else, get you talking about spiritual matters.

Seay and Garrett chop the book up into bite-sized chapters that tackle various aspects of the film. Each of the main characters gets explored in their own chapter, for example, as do many of the films' core ideas, such as waking up to a reality that's different than what you thought was real; relating the famous "jump program" scene to a believer's "leap of faith"; or an intriguing chapter which compares Neo's kung-fu fighting skills to Jesus as a man who took action when it was called for.

While the authors' examination of the films from multiple angles can at times feel like they're reaching too hard to create correlations with elements from various faiths, I often found myself marveling at just how thoroughly they had thought these films through. The authors make connections that go beyond the obvious, and show just how knowledgeable the filmmakers (Andy & Larry Wachowski) are. Even though their intention was never to make a film about Christian theology, Christianity was still obviously one of the faiths that they drew inspiration from -- there are undeniable parallels throughout The Matrix saga that parallel a messianic myth.

I will admit to being more fascinated by the writers' examination of the power of the myth in modern culture than I was at their ponderings on the filmmaker's "postmodern stew" of religious ideas. But regardless, at first I wondered why a book like this was even necessary. Now, I'm glad I took the time to read it, because The Gospel Reloaded is a truly fascinating study of both culture and faith.

The Gospel Reloaded is a remarkably thoughtful exploration of the themes of religion and philosophy present in The Matrix films. While there is nothing sacriligious in this quickly readable, 160-page book, those who don't believe in engaging our beliefs within the context of popular culture will find nothing of interest here.

But that's exactly the problem, isn't it? While the book discusses the many topics, philosophies, cultures, and faiths that have been mixed into The Matrix films, the fundamental point that it makes is unmistakeable: postmodern individuals have turned away from the church and toward pop culture and entertainment to "free their minds" with quasi-"religious" experiences. The church is no longer seen as relevant to many young adults in this generation, so they look elsewhere for answers.

On these terms, it's no wonder that The Matrix and its two sequels have struck a chord. Sure, the kung-fu is fun, and the sci-fi story is eye-popping, but the power of the modern myth is at work in this story. I believe it's the same reason that The Lord of the Rings films have become so popular. They're spectacles, but there's much more than that at work here. Classical, heroic struggles that speak to the human soul about the need we all have to rise above, to overcome, to fulfil our full potential, to do what is right. As authors Seay and Garrett point out, we don't have nearly enough of these kinds of stories circulating in modern times that, if nothing else, get you talking about spiritual matters.

I contacted Ted to talk about this trilogy, and how he goes about crafting the gripping page-turners that he writes so well. But I found out that he is a thoughtful man with a multitude of opinions and ideas on any topic you can imagine. I was delighted to learn that the ideas of art and faith that form the foundation of this website, were already very prevalent in his own worldview.