(Sorry for no Karen's Korner yesterday; spent an extended time away last weekend. A 'Korner' will be coming on Saturday to make the 'set of five' for the week!)

Three generations of the Weld family (granddaughter Molly, daughter Jamie, and I) 'DID' Imperial, Nebraska for more than 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday. Imperial is a small town (2,200) in southwest Nebraska and the home of the Burpo family of "Heave is for Real" fame.

In our more than 45 years of marriage, Jim, a newspaper and magazine reader, probably didn't read more than a dozen or two books. "Heaven is for Real' was one of them. Less than a year ago, he decided he wanted to go to Imperial to 'meet and talk' with the Burpos, and attend one of their worship services. It didn't happen.

So the three of us took 'a victory lap'! In the next couple of "korners', I will share a couple of the 'sights and sounds of our 'four day, three night' trip.

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One of the interesting things which Pastor Todd Burpo (dad) shared with the three of us, was the casting of Colton, as a four-year-old in the "Heaven is for Real" movie. "Colton" was a five-year-old - Connor, from Ohio. It was a "God Thing" how the little boy was chosen.

"Connor and his grandmother were on a shopping venture near their home," said Todd, "when a stranger came up to them and said, 'God has told me to tell you that your young man will be cast in a movie in the near future which will be seen by people from around the world."

The stunned grandmother had the project of going home to tell Connor's mom and dad what the person had told her in the mall. Connor hadn't done any acting; no recorded commercials.

Not long after, and knowing what the stranger had shared, the family read of 'casting calls' for 'Colton' in the upcoming movie 'Heaven is for Real'. Why not send in the required information? Which they did, but heard nothing back.

The part of Colton was still being filled, but had been narrowed down to two six-year-old boys. Connor was five. Production people strongly lean to six-year-olds as regulations allow them to work six hours per day; five-year-olds only three.

The casting director was 'digging through' an office of a co-worker and happened to spot Connor's information, called the Ohio family. "The guy told the family to come out to California to meet with directors," said Todd, "telling them that it would be an experience for the whole family. But that he was pretty sure they would not be using their young man."

Todd said the six-year-olds bombed; Connor nailed it, 'being himself'.

"When we met Connor, both Sonja and I looked at each other and said, 'That's Colton!'" said Todd. "And when Colton met him for the first time, he said, 'Hey, that's me when I was a little kid!'"

It's a God-thing!