About Joanna:
Joanna Weaver was voted the Most Promising New Writer of 1997 at the Mount Herman Writer’s Conference. She has authored Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and written for publications such as Focus on the Family, Home Life, Aspire, and The Evangel. A pastor’s wife for more than eighteen years, she and her husband have counseled many couples, both those approaching their wedding and those struggling in marriage. The Weavers live in Montana and have taught young married classes and spoken on the topic of marriage throughout the northwestern United States.
About Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World:An invitation for every woman who’s ever felt she isn’t godly enough, isn’t loving enough, isn’t doing enough.
The life of a woman today isn’t really all that different from that of Mary and Martha in the
New Testament. Like Mary, you long to sit at the Lord’s feet…but the daily demands of a busy world just won’t leave you alone. Like Martha, you love Jesus and really want to serve him…yet you struggle with weariness, resentment, and feelings of inadequacy.
Then comes Jesus, into the midst of your busy life, to extend the same invitation he issued long ago to the two sisters from Bethany. Tenderly, he invites you to choose “the better part”–a joyful life of intimacy with him that flows naturally into loving service.
With her fresh approach to the familiar Bible story, Joanna Weaver shows how all of us–Marys and Marthas alike–can draw closer to our Lord: deepening our devotion, strengthening our service, and doing both with less stress and greater joy.
Joanna’s website: www.joannaweaverbooks.com (Coming Soon)
My thoughts: When I saw I had an opportunity to review this book I thought it was a God send. You see, I’m a Martha and have never understood the story about Mary and Martha. Mary was wrong she should have been helping Martha so they could both sit at Jesus’ feet.
I’ve heard sermons and sermons on these two women and have read about them and still haven’t agreed with what I’ve heard or read. Martha wasn’t doing anything wrong and it wasn’t wrong of her to ask Jesus to have Mary help her. There were things to be done and Mary wasn’t helping.
That was my view until I read this book. This was the first time it clicked for me. Martha didn’t have to be doing all that she was doing. Martha could have been sitting at Jesus’ feet also but chose to go over and beyond the call of duty.
Honestly, my favorite chapter is Chapter 1. That’s when I had my “A-ha!” moment. It started to make sense and the rest of the book escalated from that pivotal moment.
We are living in a Martha world and unless we develop a Mary heart we will become frustrated, stressed, and unable to properly function. We need to learn how to set things aside so that we can sit at the feet of Jesus and allow him to speak to our heart.
Thank you Joanna for allowing me to review your book and be part of your blog tour.
Blessings to you all and may you have the peace of Mary in this Martha driven world.
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Joni 06.21.08 at 3:18 pm
I LOVE this book. I read a couple years ago and really need to revisit it.