(Disclosure: I received a free early review copy from the publisher as part of their launch team).
The Way of the Warrior: an Ancient Path to Inner Peace by Erwin McManus, available February 26, 2019
4.5/5.0 Definitely worth a buy, read, and spot on your shelf
Okay, I fully admit: I am over the trend of "maximum masculinity" Christianity. You know, the type of Christianity that tries too hard to appeal to American males. I am also over the trend of looking to pseudo-spiritual places for inspiration about our faith. So, even though I like McManus and his writing, I was a tad bit skeptical about this book when it arrived in my mailbox.
I need not be. McManus writes a focused, fantastic book giving life-guiding principles. It is not focused on men (although certainly the appeal to men is obvious). It takes some inspiration from samurai and other places, but it is thoroughly seeped in scripture and faith.
McManus outlines the path to peace. We are a people of war. We often erupt into violence. The way of peace is not to avoid war. But to realize that the real battle is within one's self. This is the crux of McManus' thesis--to be people of peace, we need to fight the war within.
McManus lays out eight principles that follow from there. The way of the warrior is not to avoid battles, but to choose the battles that are worth fighting (notice I said "fighting," not "winning"). The way of the warrior is to stand in our fears, face our pain, take ownership for our lives. The way of the warrior is to realize we cannot control the world, but we can control ourselves.
McManus calls readers not to a life of ease, but to a life worth living. The life that God truly calls us to.
I could break down more of McManus' way of the warrior, but instead, I want to offer a personal anecdote. My daughter is terrified of learning to swim. Her first swim lesson was yesterday. As we were waiting for her brother's swim lesson to end, she was visibly nervous, shaking, and doing anything she could think to try to find a way out of her lesson. She saw I had this book (I had maybe ten pages or so left to finish). She asked about it, and I told her about the way of the warrior. The way of the warrior is not to avoid fear, but to stand and face our fears. We talked about the way of the warrior, and even read a little from the relevant chapter. We worked on our "warrior face" that we will use when we face our fears (McManus does not explore warrior faces. Maybe for the sequel?). When it was her turn, she turned to me, and said, "I am a warrior!" And she slowly took her first steps into the pool.
This book is worth a buy, and worth a spot on your crowded shelf. As for my family, we are together learning the way of the warrior, to find inner peace, and discover a life worth living.
The Way of the Warrior: an Ancient Path to Inner Peace by Erwin McManus, available February 26, 2019
4.5/5.0 Definitely worth a buy, read, and spot on your shelf
Okay, I fully admit: I am over the trend of "maximum masculinity" Christianity. You know, the type of Christianity that tries too hard to appeal to American males. I am also over the trend of looking to pseudo-spiritual places for inspiration about our faith. So, even though I like McManus and his writing, I was a tad bit skeptical about this book when it arrived in my mailbox.
I need not be. McManus writes a focused, fantastic book giving life-guiding principles. It is not focused on men (although certainly the appeal to men is obvious). It takes some inspiration from samurai and other places, but it is thoroughly seeped in scripture and faith.
McManus outlines the path to peace. We are a people of war. We often erupt into violence. The way of peace is not to avoid war. But to realize that the real battle is within one's self. This is the crux of McManus' thesis--to be people of peace, we need to fight the war within.
McManus lays out eight principles that follow from there. The way of the warrior is not to avoid battles, but to choose the battles that are worth fighting (notice I said "fighting," not "winning"). The way of the warrior is to stand in our fears, face our pain, take ownership for our lives. The way of the warrior is to realize we cannot control the world, but we can control ourselves.
McManus calls readers not to a life of ease, but to a life worth living. The life that God truly calls us to.
I could break down more of McManus' way of the warrior, but instead, I want to offer a personal anecdote. My daughter is terrified of learning to swim. Her first swim lesson was yesterday. As we were waiting for her brother's swim lesson to end, she was visibly nervous, shaking, and doing anything she could think to try to find a way out of her lesson. She saw I had this book (I had maybe ten pages or so left to finish). She asked about it, and I told her about the way of the warrior. The way of the warrior is not to avoid fear, but to stand and face our fears. We talked about the way of the warrior, and even read a little from the relevant chapter. We worked on our "warrior face" that we will use when we face our fears (McManus does not explore warrior faces. Maybe for the sequel?). When it was her turn, she turned to me, and said, "I am a warrior!" And she slowly took her first steps into the pool.
This book is worth a buy, and worth a spot on your crowded shelf. As for my family, we are together learning the way of the warrior, to find inner peace, and discover a life worth living.
