The Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life
By: Erwin McManus
Narrated By: Erwin McManus
Release Date: September 5, 2017
Publisher: WaterBrook / Random House Audio
Genre: Religion & Spirituality
ISBN: 978-1601429537
Running Time: 5 hours and 59 minutes
Source: Received From Publisher
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When you come to the end of your days, you will not measure your life based on success and failures. All of those will eventually blur together into a single memory called “life.” What will give you solace is a life with nothing left undone. One that’s been lived with relentless ambition, a heart on fire, and with no regrets. On the other hand, what will haunt you until your final breath is who you could have been but never became and what you could have done but never did.
The Last Arrow is your roadmap to a life that defies odds and alters destinies. Discover the attributes of those who break the gravitational pull of mediocrity as cultural pioneer and thought leader Erwin McManus examines the characteristics of individuals who risked everything for a life they could only imagine. Imagine living the life you were convinced was only a dream.
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If you need a good kick in the butt, some of the most absolutely phenomenal pieces of inspiration you’ll read not just this year but in life are in The Last Arrow. The Last Arrow will consume you with every line, keeping you reading until you get to the very last page, it’s just that good.
This book is about striking in life until you’ve used the last arrow. It’s about resolving to never settle. It’s about living a life of no excuses and not allowing untapped potential to stay dormant.
The Last Arrow is chockfull of encouragement and motivation as Erwin McManus talks about not being more afraid of failure that we never risk but instead riding the wave more than fearing the shark and giving this one life everything we have. He unpacks the mindset of how you can only know victory if you risk defeat and with God, you cannot be defeated. He talks about the great tragedy in underestimating how much God wants to do in us and through us and thinking that God gave up on us when really we gave up on Him.
He dissects the past, present, and future and how the future comes because of what we do. We make the decision to live in the past or move into God’s future and hearing him detail and explain this which such grace…I’m just so happy that all of this has been compacted into a book because I know this is a book I’ll go back to time and time again and I know I’m not the only one. People need to see and hear these words, especially from someone who genuinely cares about humanity, so if you think this book is something that you’d want to read or gift, do it.
Erwin shares many anecdotes and a few biblical stories, one of which is the story of Elijah. He details how Elijah understood what it meant to live a life that holds nothing back and leaves nothing undone. How, for Elijah there was never an option of turning back or staying behind. Erwin urges the importance to the reader of acting like your life depends on it, of not playing it safe, of getting down to that last arrow.
He stresses how God is for us and His plans are far greater than our own, far greater than what we can ever imagine. He goes on to talk about how God wonders why we choose to be unprepared for the opportunities He’s placed right in front of us. And so we must refuse to stay behind but instead choose to take a stand. And when you stand, truly ask yourself if you’re fighting the future or fighting for the future.
The book concludes with a bit of focus on the importance of finding your tribe and the power in walking together with like minded people, which is definitely something many people don’t think about enough so this serves as either a great reminder or stellar aha moment for the reader.
All in all, The Last Arrow is truly one of the most important and influential books that I will ever read. And I can say with full confidence that it doesn’t matter if you believe in God, a different god, or no God, this book is for everyone. This book is about taking risks, having faith and purpose and that’s a message for everyone. The Last Arrow is a thought provoking, powerful must read so get your copy today and get a copy for someone else, because everyone needs this.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and since I’ve listened to the Mosaic LA Podcast for so many years, the audiobook simply felt like an extended message, which was great. Loved the audiobook and definitely recommend for anyone considering going the audible route!
Favorite Lines
* If you want to life a simple life, that’s a beautiful thing. If you want to use it as an excuse to live beneath your God given capacity, that is negligence.
* The last arrow moves you past what God will do for you to what God will do through you.
* The stark reality is that all of us choose a burial plot long before we’re buried in the ground.
* What is the plot of ground that will define our story?
* You will either define yourself or be defined by others. You will either choose your life or live a life that was never meant to be yours.
* So often you blame God for the life you have but you do not know what life you want. Certainly, there is a dilemma here.
* You may have to settle in many areas of your life but never settle for less than what God created you to live.
The Last Arrow: Save Nothing for the Next Life by Erwin McManus is available now.