Erwin Raphael McManus - Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul

PRAISE FOR

UPRISING

A REVOLUTION OF THE SOUL

BY
ERWIN RAPHAEL MCMANUS

Uprising is a thoughtful and restless look at what the church needs to do and be if it is to touch the soul. I hope it produces restless and thoughtful readers.

JOHN ORTBERG | AUTHOR OF EVERYBODY'S NORMAL TILL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM

Erwin McManus is one of the most creative young leaders I know. Every time I have the opportunity to hear him speak or read his words, he brings fresh perspective on basic truths. Uprising will take you on the most important quest of your lifethe quest for character.

JOHN C. MAXWELL | FOUNDER, THE INJOY GROUP

If you feel as if you have been sleepwalking through life and you want to change, Uprising is for you. If you gave your life to Christ believing the journey would be the adventure of a lifetime but you have lost your compass, Uprising is for you. If you want to live life with passion, purpose, and no regrets, pick up this book and start reading today.

SHEILA WALSH | FEATURED SPEAKER AT WOMEN OF FAITH CONFERENCES

OTHER BOOKS BY
ERWIN RAPHAEL MCMANUS

The Barbarian Way
An Unstoppable Force
Chasing Daylight

2003 by Erwin Raphael McManus

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

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Published in association with Yates & Yates, www.yates2.com.

Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McManus, Erwin Raphael.

Uprising : a revolution of the soul / Erwin Raphael McManus.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-7852-6431-6 (HC)

ISBN 978-0-7852-8803-9 (TP)

1. Christian life. I. Title.

BV4501.3.M376 2003

248.4dc22

2003015490

Printed in the United States of America

09 10 11 12 13 QW 13 12 11 10 9

TO AARON

My son, my son.

From first breath you have been a marvel to me.

His image, your destiny.

His heart, your passion.

His mark, your legacy.

Your life inspires me to this great quest.

With strength of character you have

chosen this dangerous adventure.

His courage will not fail you.

My son,

My friend,

My fellow sojourner,

May we always be warrior poets!

YOUR WINGMAN

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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POINT OF ORIGIN

The roar was a combination of fury and hunger. Its sound rumbled through us like an ominous warning of the danger to come. In spite of all our efforts, our momentum kept us moving toward its mouth. Our struggle seemed futile as we found it impossible to reverse our course. This particular summer the American River was more unforgiving than usual. The heavy rains had turned the rapids into more than an adventurous joyride. Already the summer had been filled with reports of the tragic end for some of those who had braved its waters. Now it was our turn to either pass or fail the rivers test.

It seemed like such a good idea when we said yes. Though Kim and I had never been rafting, the team who spearheaded this annual adventure assured us it was nothing but great fun. Most of the forty or so who were with us were also novices, so there seemed to be no reason for concern. The water at the point of entry was so calm and peaceful that it didnt even bother me when our particular guide confessed this was his first solo run. Certainly for the first hour or so it seemed like this journey was anything but a challenge. In fact, beyond soothing, it was at times even a bit mundane. The lifejackets seemed about as important as wearing a seat belt when youre parked. Funny how a sleepy little river can lull you into virtual unconsciousness.

But the roar woke us all up. Its not that we were asleep, but we were not alert. The rumblings literally shook us. We looked ahead and saw a giant boulder protruding out of the rivers center. Coming out of a blind turn, there was enough distance for us to see two of the rafts in front of us crash head-on into the boulder, flipping them like toys and throwing our companions into the white water. We had enough time to adjust. I am certain that skilled navigators would have found a way around the crisis, but that would have been someone other than us. All I remember is Row!

Looking back, I realized we were all rowing, frantically, desperately, with all the strength we could muster. The left side was rowing; the right side was rowing. We were all neutralizing each others efforts. In the end, all we accomplished was to increase the velocity at which we hit the very boulder we were working so desperately to avoid. We flipped. Our raft was pointing straight up to the sky. I held on to the side handles, fighting to stay in. One of the men fell directly on top of me, using me to stay above the water and on the raft. I imagine in that moment he considered my head an answer to prayer for his foot. This was working out great for him. It was dramatically less advantageous for me. I knew he was not a strong swimmer, so I was apprehensive to let go and have us both go under. But when I was coming down to my last breath, I decided he could learn to swim if he really wanted to. And so I let go, and we both went plummeting into the river.

Once I fought my way to the top, I immediately began swimming upstream looking for my wife, Kim. Our raft had stabilized and two of our crew had somehow avoided falling out. Even while fighting the waters, I noticed that all the men fell out, but the two women somehow remained in the raft. Once I saw that Kim was fine, I stopped wasting my energy working against the currents and allowed myself to begin the trek down the rapids.

It was at this point that our prerafting instructions became far more critical. We were reminded to keep our lifejackets tight against our chests. It was so uncomfortable. The river seemed so peaceful. At the time I didnt see any reason to really pull it that tight. Only now, as my life vest kept working its way up to my chin, did I fully understand the importance of a snugly fitting lifejacket. But this wasnt the right time to punish myself for not paying attention to the instructions. So I moved on down the list of important things to remember. Our instructors voice was so clear in my head: If you fall into the rapids, keep your legs up. At the bottom of the river there are all kinds of rocks forming nooks and crannies. If you dont keep your legs up, they could get easily caught in between the rocks and snap against the weight of the river.