Emergent church pastor McManus (Soul Cravings
) encourages readers to “dream wide awake”—in other words, to live their dreams. From McManus's perspective, the salvation that Christianity offers is not only redemption from sin but also an invitation to a much bigger life. Each chapter focuses on a skill dreamers need, including focus, creativity, the urge to discover, a willingness to adapt and joy for life. He encourages readers to get out of jobs that simply pay the bills and do something meaningful—which may mean moving “to Tibet or maybe India or South America.” There's nothing new here, and McManus relies on clichés, though he writes simply and with energy. Christian readers attempting to figure out how to pursue their dreams would do better with Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life
. Some readers, though, may be more comfortable with McManus's pop psychology approach to the scriptures, where Daniel becomes the poster child for adaptability, Jesus represents a focused life and Isaiah's prophetic, “Arise, shine; for your light has come” becomes a call to “[live] up to your potential.” (July)
