Book of the Year: Seated with Christ

“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

– from Ephesians 2

This summer, when we moved into our new home, I was outside making sense of the flowerbeds when I heard someone say, “Hello, Laura! Welcome to the neighborhood!” That’s when I met Heather Holleman, the author of the lovely, profound, impactful book, Seated with Christ.

Heather and I were friends from that very first moment. As we exchanged our first hellos, Heather said, “Don’t worry, I normally look way cuter than this.” I considered my weeding scrubs and said, “Oh, me, too!” Ours is a budding friendship, but it’s a delightful one that spans all topics from cuteness to Christlikeness.

Seated with Christ is hot off the press and beginning to make its way to people all over the world. I’m convinced that it will make a profound impact on the Church as women (and men) read it; our minds will be renewed and we’ll remember our great calling in Christ.

I highly (highly, highly) recommend this book to you. In case you don’t know Heather, I’ll fill you in: she is a “walking exclamation mark” and she is 100% genuine to her message. She is an inspiring example of a woman who actually lives seated with Christ. But, when you read Seated with Christ, you won’t be focused on Heather, you’ll be focused on Jesus Himself.

She writes, “When we see ourselves this way — as seated at the table and called to complete the tasks God assigns us — we stop working so hard for acceptance. We stop caring about prestige. We no longer need to make a name for ourselves, because we’re completely absorbed in Christ and the kingdom. In this setting, we cease measuring ourselves against any other person. Why would we? We have our own seat, our own calling, and our own tasks. Plus, we’re interdependent with one another, seated all together to make a holy dwelling place.” (p. 29)

You’ll love it…