Chasing Daylight

It’s high time to re-read my favorite book Chasing Daylight, by Erwin McManus

Here’s a little blurb from the first podcast of the sermon series on the book. I’m looking forward to listening to these again as well.

“We all have choices.

We can either live the life we’ve always wanted. The one we’ve dreamt about since we were children. Or we can slowly settle for the life that’s somehow overtaken us.

So many people think that we’re just trapped by fate.

They think each moment is a random act of chance. But that’s not true. Each moment is a result of someones decision. We decide to move forward, because if we don’t then we’ll wake up with regrets. Every choice we make has a million consequences on the other side. And we can only hope that we make the right one.”

**UPDATE**
Sermon Series available below. Listen here, or click on the title to download.

01 Choose to Live

02 Initiative – Just Do Something

03 Uncertanty – Know You Don’t Know

04 Influence – Breath In, Breath Out

05 Risk – Live Before You Die or Vice-Versea

06 Advance – Go Unless You Get a No

07 Impact – Leave a Mark

08 Movement – Ignite a Reaction

09 Awakening – Wake the Dead

Filed under: Books, Erwin McManus, Quotes

Change

Life is not a color-within-the-lines project:
life is a work of art.
You have to keep mixing colors,
creating new blends,
and seeing things in fresh ways.
You must be willing
to get paint
all over you.
Life is about growth.
Growth demands change.
Change requires humility.
Sometimes you need to bring change;
Sometimes you need to be changed.

Erwin McManus, Wide Awake (p61-62)

Filed under: Change, Erwin McManus, Quotes

Chasing Daylight

“More often than not the signs pointing us to advance will be ominous. They will cause us to assess who we are and who we believe God to be. They will make clear our priorities. Are we in it for what we can get or for what we can give? The signs will expose our hearts, reveal our fears, and unleash our faith. There is a word for the mind-set of those who seize divine moments—advance. The night may be coming, but they are chasing daylight. They not only refuse to run from the challenge, they run with force toward it.”
—Erwin McManus, Chasing Daylight (175)

Filed under: Erwin McManus, Quotes

Awaken Thoughts

Erwin McManus on Leadership @ Awaken 2008 Day Two.

There are a lot of great churches out there that are reaching people like Mary and Martha and Peter in the Scriptures, but there aren’t enough which reach out to Dionysius and Damaris (Acts 17). It’s better to be alienated by the Christian world if that is what it takes to reach the alienated.

Filed under: Awaken, Creativity, Erwin McManus, Innovation, Mosaic

Peppermint-Filled Piñatas

There’s nothing more exciting than receiving a book in the mail that you’ve been wanting to read for a few months now. Oh wait, there is. It’s freaking awesome when that book was sent to you by the author himself, with a personalized message on the inside flap. Yeah, that pretty much rocks!

And to top it all off, it’s a book by Eric Bryant, who serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles, alongside my man Erwin McManus.

The book is called Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love, and needless to say, you’re going to be hearing a lot about this book in the coming weeks. I’ve decided to forgo the typical full review after reading the book, and instead review each chapter as I go. Hopefully that will generate a little more discussion along the way.

Here are the chapters we have to look forward to:

Introduction: The Art of Woo
Overcoming the Christian Stereotype

1. Curry Favor
Winning People and Influencing Friends

2. Bounce Houses in the Neighborhood
Getting off the Couch to Make Friends

3. Peppermint-Filled Piñatas
Partying to Expand Our Influence

4. A Fellowship of Freaks
Finding a Common Cause to Create Community

5. Uncivil War
Proving That God Is Real

6. White Men Can Jump (Just Not as High)
Seeing Past Stereotypes

7. The Untouchables
Learning to See Those We Overlook

8. Compassionate Conservatives and Loving Liberals
Reaching across the Ideological Aisle

9. Lots of Sex in the City
Engaging Others in a Post-Sexual Revolution World

10. The Mosque Next Door
Building Relationships with the Religious

Conclusion: Apathetics Anonymous
Activating Personal Change

You ready to join me?

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Erwin McManus, Faith, Hope, Love, Mosaic, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas

Eric Bryant

Eric Bryant serves as an elder, speaker, and navigator overseeing the leadership team at Mosaic in Los Angeles. A sought-after speaker, Eric is one of the co-authors of The Uprising Experience, a workbook developed for Promise Keepers based on Erwin McManus’ book Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul, and has written several articles for Group and Relevant Leader magazines. His book, Peppermint-Filled Piñatas: Breaking Through Tolerance and Embracing Love, was published with Zondervan in June 2007.

Do the Mud Puppy a favor and head over to his website or his blog and sign up for his newsletter. At the appropriate prompt tell them that I referred you and maybe I can win a little prize!

You’ll be hearing a lot more about Eric on this blog in the coming days. I’ve joined a team to help him spread the word about Peppermint-Filled Piñatas. I can’t wait!

Filed under: Books, Eric Bryant, Erwin McManus, Mosaic, Newsletters

One Book Meme

I got tagged by Jake (Blah Blah).

01. One book that changed your life
The Barbarian Way – Erwin McManus
I saw him give this lesson on DVD first, then I bought the book and read it over a weekend. It felt like it gave me a new lease on life. Very short and powerful.

02. One book that you’ve read more than once
Wild at Heart – John Eldredge
I went through this twice with men’s groups recently, and I’m going to have to read it again soon. It’s just packed with great stuff.

03. One book you’d want on a desert island
Man’s Search For Meaning – Victor Frankl
This book is amazing. And if you’re on a desert island, you’re sure going to want the information contained within. I’ll be reviewing this book very soon.

04. One book that made you laugh
To Own A Dragon – Donald Miller
All of the Don Miller books made me laugh, but this one happened to be the most recent.

05. One book that made you cry
Christmas Jars – Jason Wright
Luckily it was late, and everyone was sleeping. Stupid book had my face all messed up.

06. One book that you wish had been written
From The Mire: The Tom Hawkins Story – Tom Hawkins
This is a #1 best seller if it ever does get written. Maybe the leadership at NewSong will wise up, give him a raise and a 6-month sabbatical to write it.

07. One book that you wish had never been written
If I Did It – OJ Simpson
What a moron.

08. One book you’re currently reading
Just finished Man’s Search For Meaning last night, and looking for another at the moment. The Flames of Rome was supposed to be the next book, but the copy I was going to read is missing. So maybe if I can find one, that will be the book.

09. One book you’ve been meaning to read
A Generous Orthodoxy – Brian McLaren
This book really intrigues me, but I’m trying to steer clear from theology books for awhile. I’m suffering from a bit of fatigue.

10. Now tag five people: Tom Hawkins, Shane Bertou, CEC Worship, Ragamuffin Soul, Mandy Thompson

Filed under: Books, Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, Erwin McManus, Life, Meme, O.J. Simpson, Theology, Victor Frankl

Home

“Home is ultimately not about a place to live but about people with whom you are most fully alive. Home is about love, relationship, community, and belonging, and we are all searching for home.” —Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings

To love is to be vulnerable. But it is so worth it.

Filed under: Erwin McManus, Love, Quotes, Soul Cravings

Serve to Heal

I was listening to a Mosaic podcast the other day and heard the following quote that gave me a good reminder. How many times do we feel sorry for ourselves? How many times do we feel so much better after doing something for someone else? It’s amazing the amount of times I’ve gone into a situation looking to serve someone else, only to find myself served through the process.

You don’t begin to serve after you’re healed. You begin to be healed after you begin to serve. The healing actually comes through serviing. —Erwin McManus

I’d like to take this time to remind everybody how much more beneficial it is to buy for, or serve, somebody else this Christmas. Instead of wasting spending your money on your significant other, bless somebody that needs a good blessing. And if you don’t know of anyone, drop me a line, I know a bunch!

Filed under: Erwin McManus, Healing, Quotes, Serving

Soul Cravings

Is it a coincidence that, the day after my proclamation that I’m going to dive back into reading books on a regular basis, I get a request to add my favorite author Erwin McManus‘ newest book, Soul Cravings, on MySpace?

“This thing that haunts you, that never seems satisfied, the cravings in your soul that you are unable to satiate through all the success that the world can bring—this is your soul screaming for God.” –Erwin McManus

Needless to say, this will be the first book on the docket come January. Check out the links below for more information.

MySpace.com/soulcravings »
Order Book »

Filed under: Books, Erwin McManus, Soul Cravings