What has to count as one of the best recent examples of things coinciding has to be my wife handing me my copy of Wild Goose Chase at around 8pm last night. I had come home and had thought about the book, but had let the thought go.
I had promised myself that I would read the book when it came in, so when I was handed the package I knew that my current reading would stop and Wild Goose would begin. Little did I know that by 1:30am I would have devoured the book and had some major epiphanies of my own.
Now to the actual review:
I had previously held up In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day as one of my favorite books – especially books to give to people. In a Pit has been eclipsed by Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson’s second book. The greatest theme of the book is the paradox between a caged and wild animal. The caged animal is safe, fed, well taken care of; the wild animal is in danger, has to find food and is out in the elements. The question is – “Which one is really living?”
Then Mark states one simple wonder, “I wonder if churches do to people what zoos do to animals.” From then on we are catapulted into a no-holds-barred quest for the life that Christ has really offered us. His thoughts on the story of Peter’s denial and restoration in Chapter Five are worth the price of the book alone. His emphasis on playing offense instead of defense with your life has made my own mind reel and re-examine some of my routine “plays”.
The book as a whole wields a blow to the modern constructed “inverted christianity” we are familiar with and breaks through to a “responsible irresponsibility” that needs to define more people who present themselves as Christ followers. If a fraction of the people who read the book actually do what is presented, we will see a major shift in both the practice and possibility of the Church.
The book is out in stores on August 19th. Check out www.chasethegoose.com and get Mark’s 10 Steps to Setting Life Goals. You can purchase the book by going to www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.borders.com, and www.cbd.com. This is one book you’ll want to buy 2 copies.
SIDENOTE: A major theme in the book is having big, huge, audacious goals and changing the world. I have a copy of Wild Goose Chase to give away and would like you to tell me what your big, huge, audacious goals for changing the world are. We’ll have a drawing and send the book to the winner, but we’ll also come together and do some open source global aid work and make some of our goals a reality – how ’bout that!
christopherhildreth 