Wild Goose Chase

Through the years I have had the pleasure of getting to know some of the top pastors in the country.  One of them is just down the road from us in DC and not only does he pastor one of the most influential churches in the nation, but God has given him the gift of writing.

Mark Batterson is the real deal.  Not only has he been gracious to me with his time, but his first book, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day helped inspire me to chase after even bigger dreams for United than I had first even imagined.

Now his second book, Wild Goose Chase is getting ready to hit the bookstores tomorrow.  Mark and his publisher were kind enough to send me an advanced copy and I spent this weekend reading it.  Wow…Mark was worried that maybe his “sophomore album/season/book” wouldn’t be able to live up to the hype that the first book created.  Thankfully he was wrong!  Wild Goose Chase will help anyone become all that God has designed them to be.

The premise behind the book is that the ancient Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit- An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.  Mark encourages us to see, rightfully so, our lives as Christians as a grand adventure…a following after the Holy Sprit…a Wild Goose Chase.

The problem though is we many times “cage” the goose.  As Christians we often want to play it safe, not take risks, remove all traces of danger.  But as Mark says, “Jesus didn’t die on the cross to keep us safe.  Jesus died to make us dangerous.

Over 174 pages Mark explains the 6 cages we most often find ourselves in.  To follow is each of those cages and my favorite quote from each chapter.  It was hard to narrow it down to just one because the book is that good, so you’ll have to pick-up your own copy to get the rest.

The Cage of Responsibility- “I would rather fail at something I love, than succeed at something I don’t enjoy.” The Cage of Routine- “One of the greatest dangers we face spiritually is learning how and forgetting why.”

The Cage of Assumption- “When I pray, the best I can do is no longer the best I can do.  Now the best I can do is the best that God can do.”

The Cage of Guilt- “Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it.”

The Cage of Failure- “Getting where God wants me to go is not nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process.”

The Cage of Fear- “Faithfulness is not holding the fort.  Faithfulness is storming the gates of hell.”

So there you go…a taste of the Wild Goose.  I highly recommend this book.  If you buy it via Mark’s site www.chasethegoose.com you’ll also be able to get a free copy of his 10 Steps to Setting Life Goals which by itself is worthy of the money you’ll be spending for the book.