My Review of "Lazarus Awakening"

Joanna Weaver's Lazarus Awakening Finding Your Place in the Heart of God continues the deep biblical study that began in her Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God. This time, she turns her attention to the relationship between Jesus and Lazarus and examines all the ways in which our lives are stifled -- even dead -- in large and small ways. As she peels apart the layers of the story of the friendship of Jesus and Lazarus, she reveals the biblical message at the heart of that friendship: "Only Christ can perform the spiritual CPR we so desperately need". Jesus calls us out of the deaths of our lives -- just as he called Lazarus.

The book -- and the accompanying study guide and DVD -- defines what that friendship between Jesus and his disciples, like Lazarus, looks like. Weaver constantly asks of us, "What kind of friend am I?" and offers tools for evaluating the nature of our friendship with Jesus. And those various tools provide the greatest appeal for Lazarus Awakening. The book makes a great devotional study for every Christian, but also provides lots of resources for small groups and church school classes. That makes the entire curriculum -- book, study guide, and accompanying DVD -- a must have for church libraries and pastor's libraries.

The list of Devotionals and "Resources for Resurrected Living" at the end of the book are worth the purchase alone.

I enjoyed Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World. But Lazarus Awakening is my favorite of Weaver's books. Together, along with her third book in the series, Having a Mary Spirit: Allowing God to Change Us from the Inside, the entire series is a deep exploration of John 11 and offers lots of wisdom for preachers and church leaders.

Lazarus Awakening is a must have!

I received a free copy of this book from WaterBrook Press in exchange for my honest review here.

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