BESTSELLING
AUTHOR FRANK VIOLA RELEASES
GOD’S FAVORITE PLACE
ON EARTH
Narrative in Viola’s New
Book Releasing May 2013 From David C Cook Is Author’s Life’s Work
More Than 45 Well-Known
Authors So Far Recommend God’s Favorite Place on Earth
Bestselling author Frank Viola has released God’s Favorite Place on
Earth. This is
a masterfully crafted and wholly unique biblical narrative written to help Christians face the
struggles of every generation, namely: doubt, discouragement, fear, division, rejection,
consumerism and complacency. It does so by bringing a rarely taught story in
the Gospels to life. Viola has written the book as a hybrid between
devotional prose, historical fiction and biblical scholarship.
“God’s Favorite Place on Earth is my shortest, most creative and most easy-to-read volume to date,”
says Viola. “I believe the ideas in this book are my life’s work. The message changed my
life and I believe it will change yours also.
“This
book is different than anything
I’ve ever written,” adds Viola. “It’s a
hybrid of fiction and non-fiction. The
premise of the book is simple and 100% Biblical: when Jesus was on the earth,
He was rejected everywhere He went – from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to Jerusalem.
The only exception was the little village of Bethany.”
Viola
presents this beautifully crafted narrative from the viewpoint of Lazarus,
telling the incomparable story of Jesus’ interactions with him, Martha and Mary
in Bethany. God’s Favorite Place on Earth blends drama, devotion, theology, biblical narrative
and first-century history. Within each narrative, the common struggles that we
Christians face are addressed and answered.
After
receiving early review copies of the book, more than 40 authors and influencers
are already recommending the book, describing how the book impacted them
personally, including: John Ortberg, Mary DeMuth, Mark Batterson, Jack Hayford,
Jon Acuff, Greg Boyd, Tricia Goyer, Leonard Sweet, Pete Wilson, David Fitch,
Anne Marie Miller, Phil Cooke, Craig Keener, Joel B. Green, Ron Edmondson,
Jenni Catron, Derwin Gray, Sarah Bessey, Adrian Warnock, Todd Hunter, Andrew
Farley, Eric Wilson, Jeff Goins, Steve McVey, Nicole Cottrell, Pete Briscoe,
Joy Bennett, David Ruis, Geoff Surratt, Brant Hansen, Bruxy Cavey, Steve Sjorgen,
Sean Gladding and more. Here are just a few of their endorsements:
“In Frank Viola’s hands,
the story of Lazarus—like Lazarus himself—once again comes to life. In a
world where hope is battered and life can so easily beat down the human spirit,
we are reminded once more of the possibility of becoming a host of Life.”
John Ortberg,
pastor and author of Who Is This Man?
“God’s Favorite Place
on Earth realigned my heart toward Jesus and His mysterious, confounding,
surprising, beautiful ways. It’s not often I learn something new when reading a
book, but Frank Viola’s sharp storytelling and insightful interpretation made
me hunger for more of the real Jesus.”
Mary DeMuth, author of Everything: What You Give
Mary DeMuth, author of Everything: What You Give
“God’s Favorite Place on Earth
is the kind of book I’ve discovered I need to periodically find and read. Frank
Viola’s pen and voice are consistently both penetrating and trustworthy. Beyond
his invitingly beautiful writing skill—which makes reading a joy and a
sight-seeing tour that brings God’s Word into 3-D when he relates narrative
passages, I’m grateful for the depth of his themes.”
Pastor Jack Hayford, Chancellor of The
King’s University, Los Angeles
“This is a masterfully
engaging book that distills the vision of the Christian life into one focused
quest: To be God’s favorite place on earth today. I recommend this little
volume to all Christians and Christian leaders.”
Mark Batterson, New York Times bestselling author of The Circle
Maker
“Combining masterful
storytelling, historical knowledge, biblical insight and practical wisdom,
Frank artfully uses the Gospels’ depiction of Lazarus and the small town of
Bethany to lay out a beautiful and compelling vision of a God who longs to make
every human heart and every church ‘His favorite place.’ This is a beautifully
written, timely, prophetic work all would benefit from reading!”
Greg Boyd, pastor and author of Benefit
of the Doubt
Read more endorsements, a Book Sampler, and see the
gripping video trailer for the book at GodsFavoritePlace.com
FRANK
VIOLA has helped thousands of people around the world to deepen their
relationship with Jesus Christ and enter into a more vibrant and authentic
experience of church. He has written many books on these themes, including From Eternity to Here, Revise Us Again,
Reimagining Church, Finding Organic Church, Jesus: A Theography and Jesus Manifesto. Viola has also written articles for or has been
interviewed by TIME, Christianity Today, Charisma, LIFE
Today, CBN, Relevant, The Christian Post, Outreach
Magazine and many others, while his own blog, FrankViola.org, is rated as one of the top 10 most popular
religious blogs today. More information on Viola can be found at frankviola.org
and www.davidccook.com.
About
David C
Cook:
David
C Cook is a leading nonprofit resource provider serving the global Church with
life-transforming, Christ-centered materials. Headquartered in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, with offices in Illinois, Canada and the United Kingdom,
David C Cook’s resources are published in over 150 languages and distributed in
more than 160 countries. Originally founded in 1875 as a curriculum publisher,
today David C Cook publishes numerous bestselling fiction and non-fiction books
from a variety of award-winning authors. It is also a leading provider of
worship music through its Integrity Music label, which produces
over one-third of the top 100 praise and worship songs sung around the
world. Additional information can be found at www.davidccook.com.
# # #
* ATTN MEDIA: Review
and giveaway copies of God’s Favorite Place on
Earth from Frank Viola are available upon request.
High-resolution cover artwork and other press materials are available now
at: https://www.box.com/s/73ktykr1hlzcgkdfclff.
For additional information,
contact:
Lisa
Beech
David
C Cook
719-536-0100
X 3022; lisa.beech@davidccook.com
|
Rick
Hoganson
Hoganson
Media Relations
615-459-9870,
hoganson@comcast.net
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