Someone Please Awaken Me

Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God by Joanna Weaver

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I was so looking forward to reading this book. I think the message, "Finding Your Place in the Heart of God" is an important one and one that I certainly need to read more on, but it isn't what I got from reading it. Not long after I began, I was bored to tears and totally confused.

The book and its stories were choppy and metaphors seemed forced. There was no flow and after having read it, I honestly cannot even tell you what the book was about. Weaver used so many personal viewpoints throughout the book that I just became annoyed. "Maybe they thought..." "Perhaps she said..." "He could have done..." "She possibly was feeling..."

I became somewhat disturbed and literally groaned out loud when I read her description of how fortunate she was that her son didn't play mental games with her like greeting her with a cold shoulder when she goes away (as "most kids" do). She writes, "Instead of sulking, he's the first one to meet me at the door" and "He doesn't wait until I reach out to him. He leaps towards me." That was a slap in the face to any mother who wasn't greeted by her child at some point. I'm quite sure she isn't the perfect mother that all her stories in the book make it seem.

Lastly, Weaver depicted the betrayal of Judas as Judas "hoping to force the Son of God to do his bidding and declare Himself king." Say what? All four Gospels describe Judas betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

At this point, I truly had to force myself to continue reading. After all, I did receive this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers in exchange for my review. I feel bad about not liking the book and posting an unpleasant review so I will add some positive notes about this book:

1. I did like the "Dethroning Lies" piece that discusses employing four principles to assist the Holy Spirit in ridding you of harmful and untrue strongholds. Those principles are asking God to Reveal the stronghold, Repenting to Him for seeking comfort in them, Renouncing the hold they have on you, and Replacing these beliefs with Scriptures.

2. I liked the sections "Disciplining Your Mind" and Appendix D "Who I Am in Christ" in which she affirms cognitive psychology with Scriptures, helping us to understand that we are accepted, secure, significant, and loved by Jesus.

I have never read any of Weaver's books before this and can assume from this that she isn't my cup of tea. However, if you enjoyed her first two books, I'm sure you would enjoy this one, as well, as it is the last of the trilogy.


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Tags: Christian Non-fiction