Joanna Weaver’s book Lazarus Awakening is her third book focusing on the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. In this book Weaver sets out to teach God’s truth from the story of Lazarus. She takes simple statements such as “Lord, the one you love is sick” and “take away the stone” to present eternal truths. She has many insightful observations.
The book jacket announces that a 10-week companion Bible study is included in the book. The Bible study, which was the first thing I looked at was a disappointment. In the book it is called a study guide and is full what I call “milkshake” questions such as, What do you think? How does that make you feel? Not much of a study of the Word of God.
This book did not live up to my expectations. The book part of the book was full of “fillers” – lengthy quotes from numerous authors, 21 boxes of enrichment information (some of which took up 2 pages), 10 pages of the verses of the Lazarus story that is also reprinted in one of the appendixes.
The information taught didn’t seem to follow an order. Often a chapter would begin not with the story of Lazarus but another story about Jesus, which isn’t bad thing, but this reader had a difficult time keeping up with the flow of Weaver’s thoughts.
Weaver made some good points, but they were disconnected. Instead of focusing her book on Lazarus, she should have written a different book and developed her meaningful insights in a more organized manner.
I would not recommend this book.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.
Thanks for the warning. It doesn't sound like a book I would enjoy.
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