#42 - Wide Awake by Erwin McManus
Read because: I randomly came across it when looking for a new audio book at the library.
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 7 out of 10
Synopsis: The alarm sounds. Your feet hit the floor and carry you into another day. But what does that day hold for you? Will you be punching your card at work, catching up on TV at home, and crashing into bed before you rinse and repeat the next day? Or will you dare to dig deep and discover the incredible potential lying dormant within us all? In Wide Awake, renowned speaker and church visionary Erwin Raphael McManus challenges us to put an end to all the sleepwalking and settling, for each of us was created by God for a reason. He has called you to live as Jesus did-a heroic life, void of monotony, teeming with danger, adventure, and the unknown. Living wide awake is about realizing that the world desperately needs you to live up to your potential.
My Review: A few book reviews ago, I told you all to be prepared because I was on a social justice streak. Here's another one! Each of these books on social justice has something that sets it apart -- it looks at either reasons for or ways we can practice social justice. What stood out for me in McManus's book was the idea of creativity and tenacity. I love the idea that God creates us with this vast well of creativity, bu sadly, we usually forget that it's there. But we can use that resource to figure out ways to successfully practice social justice. And if we, with God's help, have the strength and the drive and the will to DO something, we're more likely to be able to do something if we go about it with a creative mind, working our way around roadblocks and through difficulties without letting them overwhelm us. A bit of the book felt like old hat to me, but then again, I'm reading about this stuff constantly. I think it's a great starter book for anyone who is interested in having a life that's bigger than just getting up in the morning, going to work, and going to bed. (Finished 6/20/09)
Note: don't get it on audio book. I found myself wanting to highlight the air as the words just hung there. I ended up getting the paper version so I could go through and make notes.
