NEWS: Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World Surpasses One Million Copies Sold

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The perennially favorite women’s book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver (WaterBrook Press), has sold more than one million copies and has been honored with the ECPA Platinum Award.  Originally released in 2000, Weaver’s CBA and Publishers Weekly best-seller on the sisters of Bethany, Mary and Martha, has become a cherished resource for women’s Bible study groups.

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World immediately struck a chord with women who felt the conflict between wanting to sit at the feet of Jesus and the demands of a busy world—just like Martha and Mary thousands of years ago. Weaver’s book is an invitation for women who feel they aren’t godly enough, loving enough or doing enough.

“It all began with the desire to write biblical fiction. I’ve always been fascinated by the story Mary and Martha in Luke 10, but as I looked at the rest of the story found in John 11 and 12, I realized that there was much more than just a novel in these two sisters from Bethany,” said Weaver.

“After a year of insomnia and living in a wind tunnel of words, I remember praying two things as I wrote Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World…1) ‘Oh Lord, let it make sense!’ and   2) ‘Somehow use it for Your glory.’ It’s pretty amazing how God takes what we put in His hands and uses it in ways we could have never imagined,” Weaver added.

“Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World was one of those books that just resonated with women,” says Stephen W. Cobb, president and publisher of WaterBrook Multnomah.  “We knew from the start that we had something special with this title and with Joanna. We’re proud to see it reach such a significant milestone and that the book is as meaningful to women today as when it came out 14 years ago.”

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World became the first in Weaver’s Bethany trilogy. She went on to write the additional best-sellers Having a Mary Spirit (WaterBrook Press, 2006) and Lazarus Awakening (WaterBrook Press, 2011). In 2013, the series was repackaged with new covers and WaterBrook released an all new 10-week DVD and companion study guide of Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  The timeless resource is also available in a gift edition. The new DVD curriculum and study guide for Having a Mary Spirit released in October 2014 and the video series and study guide for Lazarus Awakening will be available in June 2015.