"Few authors challenge me in my faith like Frank Viola. This book and the stories it contains will force you to face the myth of religion and instead adopt a life of deeper dedication to God, to find your own Bethany. It sure did for me."
—Jeff Goins, author of Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into Your Comfortable Life
"God's Favorite Place on Earth invites you to discover in a fresh way God's desire to live in close relationship. Many struggle today from self-doubt and discouragement. They feel stress at home, school and work. This book invites you into the life and experience of Lazarus and his small village of Bethany. In an easy to read and creative way, Viola tells the story of Lazarus and why Jesus, as God with us, found Bethany as His favorite place on earth. This journey ends with a compelling vision for believers to become God's Bethany to their own communities. This book will inspire all who read it."
—Bruxy Cavey, teaching pastor at The Meeting House and author of The End of Religion
"Do you know what it feels like to be rejected? Do you long for the chance to start over in life? Do you yearn to find someone worthy of the love you have to give? Then take a walk with Frank Viola to the town of Bethany, to meet a family you'll feel right at home with. And to meet their friend Jesus for the first time all over again."
—Sean Gladding, author of The Story of God, the Story of Us
"As you read these pages I predict that you, like me, will receive a fresh vision to 'Follow hard after God' as David did. I also predict that you'll receive new prophetic vision as to what Jesus wants for us, His Church."
—Steve Sjogren, author, church planter, pastor
"God's Favorite Place on Earth illuminates the town of Bethany, welcoming us to visit and, in doing so, gain a powerful and irreplaceable picture of our Lord. Viola effortlessly weaves together a compelling narrative with practical wisdom, offering a fresh, imaginative, and exciting new vision of Jesus Christ, while also challenging our thinking to make room for this new revelation of an incredibly intimate and altogether real Christ."
—Nicole Cottrell, blogger at modernreject.com
"The insights of this book are profound for someone seeking a clear understanding of Jesus' character. More than that, it's a compelling display of Christ's human depth that is uncommon to traditional Christian literature."
—Dale Partridge, CEO at Sevenly.org
"In Frank's new book, God's Favorite Place on Earth, through the power of fictional story and eye-opening life applications, we see Bethany, the physical place where Jesus retreated while on earth. But Bethany is more than just a historical city. The parallels and message Viola reveals are powerful. I hope your heart is touched like mine was. May we all strive daily to be a Bethany."
—Melissa K. Norris, novelist, newspaper columnist, speaker, author of Pioneering Today: Faith and Home the Old Fashioned Way and blogger at melissaknorris.com
"I have often been haunted by Paul's reflections in 2 Corinthians 11 that we put up with 'another Jesus' way too easily as we slide away from the moorings of simple devotion in a cultural milieu that, as Frank says in his Introduction, causes us to battle 'doubt, discouragement, fear, guilt, division, rejection, and the struggle against consumerism and lukewarmness.' In our attempts to follow Jesus in such a hostile environment, we often lose sight of who He really is. Frank Viola does a marvelous job of getting our eyes back on Jesus and the gospel narrative through the eyes of one of His dearest friends, Lazarus, and the surprising beauty and safety of the place where He lived, Bethany. A truly unique vision of Jesus unfolds in this well written and beautifully-told story. I believe Frank's efforts here will go a long way in keeping us from embracing 'another Jesus,' 'another Spirit' and 'another gospel.'"
—David Ruis, pastor and musician, davidruis.com
"In the great age of new media entrepreneurs, Viola has established himself as simultaneously one of the most consistently creative Christian thinkers writing today, and one of the most deeply rooted in classical Christian tradition. It's the imaginative interweaving of old and new that has always made Viola interesting—and that trait, that special skill, is in full flower in this new work. Entering into the life and story of Jesus of Nazareth through the person of Lazarus, and through the divine 'home' of Bethany, is a true stroke of inspiration."
—Timothy Dalrymple, Ph.D., Director of Content at patheos.com, Managing Editor of the Patheos Evangelical Portal
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