Product Description

Waking the Dead leads readers to understand how to live from the heart, care for their hearts like the treasures of the kingdom, and give from fullness instead of emptiness. This message also shows how living from the heart can energize people to love God and others in a way they've never experienced, revealing to them life's purpose: fighting for the hearts of others.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13115 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Eldredge, who helped to redefine the Christian men's movement with Wild at Heart, broadens his scope to offer this more general spirituality title on being "fully alive." Such a state of total animation is achieved only when Christians can integrate all four "streams" of their lives: discipleship, counseling, healing and warfare. (This last part may surprise some readers, but Eldredge insists that awareness of spiritual warfare actually "may be the most critical" aspect of being fully alive.) Throughout, he argues that there is glory hidden in each Christian's heart, an echo of how Christ has "ransomed and restored" every person. The goal, then, is to capture and maintain a sense of liberation from that restoration. Eldredge fans will find that he has not departed much from the formula that made Wild at Heart so successful; he culls examples from popular culture (The Perfect Storm, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz) and tells vivid stories from his own experience. Despite the careful formula, the book rarely feels formulaic; it has an unguarded heart and an opinionated lucidity that may surprise readers. Eldredge is honest about the fact that life can be arduous, confusing and filled with despair, but he also affirms a deep Christian hope. Established Eldredge fans will be pleased with this new offering, and it will gather some new readers, especially women.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
A Christian teacher with the Focus on the Family Institute and the author of WILD AT HEART, Eldredge uses his broad knowledge of the Bible, mythology, and modern Christian writing to make his point: Conflicts and challenges in this world will put us to sleep if we don't pay close attention to them. Engaging with the world releases the vitality and energy of the heart that is our birthright. This is a long stream-of-consciousness presentation, breathy and full of the author's intensity. In this audio offering, his ideas will either start a revolution--with "all the power of a new Reformation"--or be an object lesson on how to turn a decent lesson into a polarizing expression of professional hubris. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Download Description
"There is a glory to life that most people-including believers-never see. In this insightful new book, John Eldredge presents the heart as central to life. Not only is the heart essential; the heart God has ransomed is also good. Building on these foundational truths, Eldredge shows readers why real Christianity is a process of restoration, where the broken parts of our hearts are mended and the captive parts are set free. Waking the Dead leads listeners to understand how to live from the heart, care for their heart like the treasures of the kingdom, and give from fullness instead of emptiness. This message also shows how living from the heart can energize people to love God and others in a way they've never experienced, revealing to them life's purpose: fighting for the hearts of others."

Customer Reviews

Waking the Dead--lifechanging
Here is my "book report" on Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge, a book which has played a pivital role in transforming my personal walk with God. He begins by making the point that we do not see our own situation clearly. There are two vital truths that we must wake up to. One is that God's intentions toward us are truly good. Because we were designed to give Him glory, God's happiness and our happiness are linked together.


The second truth is that we were born into a world at war. The new life God intends for us is being brutally opposed by the forces of darkness. Spiritual warfare does not consist merely of the occasional power encounter, and it isn't relegated to the mission field. It is the true nature of the reality in which we live. Recognizing this could naturally make us want to shrink back in fear. We don't want to become casualties of war, but we fail to realize a vital truth about who we really are and the role God designed us to play in this battle.

Eldredge makes a compelling argument that the heart of a believer is good. God has taken away our hearts of stone and given us new hearts of flesh. Our true nature has been transformed and redeemed. Though we still battle temptation, it does not originate from within our true identity as new creatures in Christ Jesus. When we are assaulted by the desire to sin, we need to tell ourselves, "This isn't coming from my heart because what my heart truly wants is to obey God." The fears that too often threaten to immobilize us come, not from our own hearts, but from the enemy who doesn't want us to realize our true potential as weapons in the hands of our God.



Eldredge goes on to discuss the means by which our hearts can be set free and we can reclaim the unique glory which God intended to reflect from the heart of each one of us. We must learn to trust our God enough to be weapons He can wield for His own glory. We must recognize that we were made for this purpose and to fulfill it is our hearts' deepest desire.

review
came damaged but amazon made it very easy to return and they sent out a new one quite promptly. it is a good read.

Good Book for Challenging Men to Wake Up
"Waking the Dead" by John Aldredge centers around letting God awaken our heart and letting Him set us free to be the men He wants us to be. While the book still uses a bit of contemporary movies (The Matrix, for example), there seems to be less of that than in an earlier book by Aldredge - "Wild at Heart". Also, the author seems to refer the Bible more than he did in "Wild at Heart".

Particularly interesting to me were the chapters entitled:

1. Walking With God.
2. Receiving God's Intimate Counsel.
3. Deep Restoration.
4. Spiritual Warfare - Fighting for Your Heart.

While the other chapters were okay, I personally liked the four listed above better.

Still, a good book for challenging and encouraging men to let God wake them up and be the men God wants us to be.

Recommended.