I had the privilege of reading an advance copy of Mark Batterson's newest book, "Wild Goose Chase" which will be available on Amazon this week. From time to time, authors allow a few bloggers to have a sneak peak of their books in return for writing a review so they can get the word out.
When I do reviews like this, I'm always afraid I'm going to end up like the Old Testament prophet who receives gifts to prophesy a certain way, but always gave bad news instead.
Fortunately, this isn't that time.
Wild Goose Chase is a spiritually encouraging book about following the Holy Spirit's guidance in your life. The title refers to a Celtic term for the Holy Spirit that is translated "The Wild Goose."
The book is not a theologically intense book, which is one of its strengths and weaknesses. It's a very easy read, and gives practical advice for engaging the adventure of a life that pursues the Holy Spirit's leading. Mark Batterson is an anecdote machine, which makes his main points extremely easy to remember and apply. The Wild Goose Chase is worth picking up if you're looking for a good, encouraging challenge to leave your life of comfort in search of adventure.
Batterson begins by helping the reader understand that the way of the Wild Goose should be pursued by prayer, Bible study, and then by following the desires of our hearts. One helpful reminder is that we shouldn't primarily seek signs to discern God's will, that signs almost always follow faith.
The rest of the Wild Goose Chase examines six cages in which believers often lock themselves; cages which prevent the Christian from chasing the adventure of a life pursuing God. Those cages are: responsibility (allowing our human responsibilities to eclipse our divine calling), routine (exchanging a dynamic relationship with God for routine), assumptions (creating God in the image of humanity), guilt (being held captive to our past mistakes), failure (giving up on dreams because of a setback), and fear (allowing worries to dictate our decisions).
If you're looking for a theological book on following God's will, you're going to be disappointed. The Wild Goose Chase has a tendency to use Scripture tangentially rather than primarily - meaning you get the picture sometimes that Batterson went to the Bible looking for an illustration of his already formed point rather than the other way around. He doesn't misuse Scripture, and isn't unbiblical, but sometimes the illustrations feel like a teeny bit of a stretch.
The only other weakness I came away with in the book is in Batterson's sense of adventure. Although I wholeheartedly agree that a life that chases the prompting of the Holy Spirit will always be an adventure, I'm not sure God has called everyone to relieve starvation in Africa, educate children in the inner city, or make movies with redemptive messages. Paul chased the Wild Goose and it led him through an amazing adventure. But the potter who stayed behind in Ephesus and quietly changed the world was on an adventure too - even though it might not have looked like an adventure to those around him. The point is: when you're keeping in step with the Spirit, serving the God of the Universe, life is an adventure because you're running towards eternity.
If you're looking for a book that will encourage you to break out of "safe," check out this book as soon as it is released.
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