Erwin McManus talks about his diagnosis of cancer, facing fear and how to deal with criticism.
In this wide-ranging and fascinating conversation, he also talks about being branded a heretic, creating a church where atheists get baptized and people from widely divergent views and walks of life find a home.
Welcome to Episode 163 of the podcast.
Guest Links
Erwin on Instagram
Erwin on Twitter
Links Mentioned
Breaking 200 Without Breaking You
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3 Insights from This Episode
1. You won’t be afraid to die if you haven’t been afraid to live
Erwin McManus responded to his cancer diagnosis with gratitude for a life well lived and courage to face the challenges ahead of him. He wasn’t fearful of dying. The news was devastating, but served as a personal reassurance that he had been living his life the way he wanted to – with no regrets and no need to change his course.
People who aren’t afraid to die don’t feel like they’ve missed out on a life better than the one they already have. Living a full life in Christ frees you from the dominating power of fear.
2. You have to care more about your why than you do the response of critics
Erwin’s time in ministry hasn’t been free from criticism, but he’s remained faithful to the why of his mission. Here’s some great advice he offers to those holding back their message because they’re hesitant of how others may react:
1. Realize that life can’t be about you. It’s about what God wants to do through you.
2. Don’t believe people who disagree with you are evil. Show love and respect towards those with views different from your own.
3. Resilience can only be learned on the other side of failure. It’s okay to make a mistake as long as you learn from the experience.
3. Creating a Space for people not like you
Congregations tend to be made up of people with similar backgrounds rather than diverse groups. But only doing life with people who are like you could create an environment that revolves around only one thing – You and people like you.
The church must learn how to become a welcome mat for all people in Jesus’ name and be a place that shows love and respect to everyone.
Quotes from This Episode
CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To Tweet CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To Tweet CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To Tweet CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To Tweet CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To Tweet CNLP 163: Erwin McManus on Living Fully Alive, Tackling Your Fears, Dealing with Critics and Creating Space For People Not Like You Click To TweetThe podcast releases every Tuesday morning.
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Next Episode: Allyson Evans
Allyson Evans came in from the marketing world to join the staff at Life.Church 16 years ago just as Life Church was opening its second location. She talks about working with Craig Groeschel, what’s working for them in reaching families, tough decisions as they’ve grown and on a radical staffing decision that leveled the playing field between kids ministry staff and student ministry staff.
Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 164.
