If you read this blog very often, you know that one of my favorite books I read last year was In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. Mark's follow-up to In a Pit is called Wild Goose Chase and it hits the stores on August 19. However, I was privileged to be selected to participate in the Wild Goose Chase Blog Tour so Multnomah Books sent me an advance copy to review.Before I get into the content of the book, let me say this: Mark Batterson may not be the greatest writer I've ever read, but he is hands down the most inspirational and motivational writer I have ever read!
Wild Goose Chase is very much in the same vein as In a Pit in that it's about learning to trust God, face your fears, and and follow Him with wreckless abandon. But as much as I enjoyed In a Pit, I believe I enjoyed Wild Goose Chase even more.
The premise behind the title is the fact that Celtic Christians had a peculiar name for the Holy Spirit - 'the Wild Goose'. So the book is really about chasing after the Spirit. For me the central theme, and one of the most thought-provoking quotes, of the book is when Batterson recalls a family trip to the zoo:
"At one point we were walking through the ape house, and I had this thought as I looked through the protective Plexiglas window at a four-hundred-pound caged gorilla: I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals."
Batterson then spends the rest of the book discussing six "cages" that we need to learn to break out of - the cages of responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure, and fear.
I don't know if I've ever encountered another person with a greater sense of spiritual adventure, or a greater optimism that is based on faith in who God is, than I've seen in Mark Batterson. Reading his books and listening to him speak makes me want to be a better man, a better pastor, and he makes me want to pursue God like Indiana Jones pursuing treasure!
Most of us have a natural tendency to regularly lose sight of who God is and what He can accomplish through us. Wild Goose Chase reminds us that "Faith is not logical. It's not illogical either. Faith is theological. It does not ignore reality; it just adds God to the equation." I can't recommend Wild Goose Chase highly enough. It's a shot of adrenaline in your heart.
Wild Goose Chase releases on August 19, but the publisher gave me a 2nd copy of the book to give away on my blog. So I'll mail a free copy to the first person (in the U.S.) who leaves a comment on this post!
www.chasethegoose.com
www.markbatterson.com
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4 comments:
dude...i loved in a pit. i thought it was a great book and have given it to some of the kids in the youth group. looking forward to getting wild goose chase. hope things are good in cali jeff. camp wasn't the same without you this year!!
andy
Congrats, Andy. Shoot me an email with your address.
I missed camp and our taco runs, too. Take care!
Jeff
I pre-ordered a case of these books last week. Mark's first book "In a Pit" was a huge hit with our men's bible study. After reading your post - I can't wait to get his new book into their hands! Thank you for making me feel better about my early purchase. When I finish my first book I want you to review it for me.
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