Stand Against the Wind: Fuel for the Revolution of Your Soul [Hardcover]

This is one of those little gift books that you observe a proliferation of in spring as people are preparing for graduation and other changes in life. It is truly meant as a gift, and as such it is a great little book. It is almost a work of art; most pages could be reprinted and framed as inspirational art. Most of the material appears to be new work, unlike most books of this type that are a rehash or synthesis of the author's thought or other books.

The way this book is set up you can read it from beginning to end the first time through, then go back to specific chapter's from time to time as a reminder, a challenge or an encouragement. The specific chapters deal with the topics as follows:

1. Freedom - Running Free
2. Truly Human - The Drowning Pool
3. Humility - Rising Out Of The Ashes
4. Grateful - Creating Out Of The Pieces
5. Perseverance - Coming Out Of Nowhere
6. Integrity - The Unifying Power Of Believing
7. We Need God - The Healing Power Of Belonging
8. Perseverance - The Sustaining Power Of Becoming
9. Courage - The Warrior's Heart
10. Generosity - The Generative Spirit
11. Fear God - The Divine Imagination
12. Servanthood - The Greatness of Servanthood

Even though this book comes in at under 120 pages it will help to call you to a deeper relationship with God and to a life lived for others. Some great quotes from the book are:

"Life is most enjoyed when we give ourselves away. Generous people give more than their things; they genuinely give themselves. In the most marvelous of ways, those who give most freely live most freely."
p.98

"When you fear God and nothing else, you discover the freedom to pursue great adventure."
p.105

"The scriptures remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Then what exactly does this mean? When we fear God, we fear nothing else. It is only in the fear of God that we find ourselves free from the fear of death, of failure, and all the other fears that bind us."
p.112

"We were created to be free. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you're also called to be free. Yet to experience this freedom, there must be an uprising - a revolution of the soul."
p.7

"An overwhelming number of us feel trapped in the lives we've created. The irony is that we are the cruel tyrants who hold ourselves captive, and the tragedy of our imprisonment reaches into the deepest caverns of our souls. Our passion to be free both ignites us and betrays us, and more often than not leads us to be consumed by an unforgiving fire.
The very fire that burns within us can destroy us."
p.13

"YOU CANNOT FOLLOW JESUS AND REMAIN THE SAME!"
p.26

"Talent without character is a dangerous thing. Talent fueled by character is a gift from God."
p.51

These are but a few samples of the great gems you will find within this book. Pick it up, you will not be the same.

Just in time for graduation season, J. Countryman is releasing STAND AGAINST THE WIND, a gift book from inspirational speaker and writer Erwin Raphael McManus. It is a combination of colorful images and photos along with portions from UPRISING: A Revolution of the Soul.

This 120-page gift book is littered with inspirational scriptures and thoughts. McManus is convinced that life is more than just the practice of living but rather an adventure and a journey filled with all kinds of excitement and risk. Everyone is created with a passion to live, and that's more than just fulfilling a list of religious rules. Rather, when we unleash our passion and desires, particularly those that were placed within us by God, then we can more fully live the ultimate life, the Christian life.

McManus writes: "When you make God your primary passion, He transforms all the passions of your heart. The result of this transformation is that it will be God's pleasure to fulfill those passions. When God is your desire, you can trust the passions of your heart. In this state you can most fully live a uniquely passionate life. It is not incidental that the death of Jesus is called The Passion."

In addition, he takes stabs at things that stand in the way of God, including selfish ambition and pride. He points out that people who have an attitude problem more often than not have an arrogance problem. This explains why two different people can have such varied responses to the same issue. The cure for such arrogance is honest humility --- the kind that requires repentance and controlled strength. He asks readers to replace the temptation of greed with the act of generosity. Such giving breeds forgiveness and, thus, healthy relationships with others.

He observes, "Gratitude and forgiveness are inseparable, as are ungratefulness and bitterness. When we are grateful, we see and experience life with a healthy optimism. When we lack gratitude, we move toward pessimism. An ungrateful heart always sees what's wrong with life. The longer we live without gratitude, the more embittered we become."

That's why gratitude naturally spurs optimism. As our hearts become more whole through Christ, they increase in their capacity to both give and receive love. But McManus doesn't stop with just these virtues. He presses on to raise issues of perseverance, courage and integrity. He argues that it's through our integrity that a context is formed for true courage. In other words, integrity comes with integration and becomes what we truly are, and it requires a bit of bravery not just to hide behind masks. In fact, integrity makes it possible for us to live in a heroic way with sincere love for others.

Overall, STAND AGAINST THE WIND is a well-written and well-designed gift book. The writing is truly inspiring, thought-provoking and challenging. And the colorful design adds rather than detracts from McManus's insights and wisdom. Recommend this book to friends who haven't discovered McManus as an author yet or pick up a few copies for the upcoming graduation season. You won't be disappointed.


--- Reviewed by Margaret Feinberg

Uprising on steroids... is what I've heard this book coined as. It's basically a re-package of Uprising, flashier and in smaller chunks. I can see why it's geared toward the 18-35 market.

I liked uprising more, but I passed it to a close friend who didn't like to read, and he thought it was phenomenal.

My favorite section was Running Free. I've always loved the message of freedom and running wild found in the Scriptures, but there's something also to be said about the trials and disciplines that lead to that life-transforming freedom that we sometimes neglect to mention. A couple quotes from the book:

The transformation of our character is more revolution than reformation. It is forged from battles fought far more than by beliefs held. It emerges out of crisis, not out of classroom.

Our capacity to run free is related to our commitment to stand firm. There is a discipline of the heart that marks the free spirit. All of us long to play the song in our souls, and more of us would do so if it didn't require endless hours of studying the notes.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 8 reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars