Blog Tour & Giveaway!

I'm participating in a Blog Book Tour this week. And there's a giveaway!


Wild Goose Chase
by
Mark Batterson

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Most of us have no idea where we’re going most of the time. Perfect.

“Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure.” --from the introduction

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Batterson is the lead pastor of Washington, DC’s National Community Church, widely recognized as one of America’s most innovative churches. NCC meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the city, as well as in a church-owned coffee house near Union Station. More than seventy percent of NCC’ers are single twentysomethings who live or work on Capitol Hill. Mark is the author of the best-selling In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and a widely read blogger (www.markbatterson.com). He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife, Lora, and their three children.

MY COMMENTS:
This is a good book. But one of the things I have learned as I've gained a few years and (hopefully!) some wisdom is that I can read a book and both agree and disagree with an author. And that's okay. While I certainly am not the final authority on theological matters, it dawned on me one day that no one else on earth is either!

When I first began reading this book a few weeks ago, I was not impressed. I am all for pursuing God. And I absolutely agree with the idea taken from the Celtic Christians that "the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed."

But I disagreed with his assertion that you are not pursuing God if your life is not full of adventure. He says, "Take the Holy Spirit out of the equation of my life, and it would spell b-o-r-i-n-g." (If you were at the Beth Moore conference this past weekend, that sentence should resonate with you and make you smile!) And when he uses the example of the rich young ruler who asked Jesus "what do I still lack?", he says, "I'll tell you exactly what he was lacking: spiritual adventure." (I won't get on my soapbox about that one!)

While we do need to be willing to step out of our comfort zones, the motivation needs to be following Christ, not seeking adventure. There are plenty of Christians who are living mundane, ordinary lives, being faithful to God and serving Him where He has called them....in a repetitive thankless occupation, caring for a disabled child or an aged parent, ministering to the downtrodden of society, bedridden and spending their days praying for others....quietly doing His will. You do not have to have ADHD to be Godly!

Having said that, I'm glad I kept reading because this book had some excellent, challenging, and convicting chapters. One part that hit me squarely between the eyes was this:

Christianity was always intended to be a verb. And, more specifically, an action verb. The title of the book of Acts says it all, doesn't it? It's not the book of Ideas or Theories or Words. It's the book of Acts. If the twenty-first-century church said less and did more, maybe we would have the same kind of impact the first-century church did.

Some of us live as if we expect to hear God say, "Well thought, good and faithful servant!" or "Well said, good and faithful servant!" God isn't going to say either of those things. There is only one commendation. . ."Well done, good and faithful servant!" -- from Chapter 2

And as someone who likes to make a plan and accomplish what I set out to do, I needed to read these words:

. . . I've come to realize that getting where God wants me to go isn't nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process. And God seems to be far less concerned with where I'm going than with who I'm becoming.

I think some of us want to know the will of God more than we want to know God. And it short-circuits spiritual growth. You can't do the will of God if you don't have the heart of God. And that is where shipwrecks and snakebites come into play. They don't just get us where God wants us to go; they help us become who He wants us to be. -- from Chapter 6

There's plenty in this book that I need to ponder and heed. I encourage you to read it for yourself, and I'd love to know your thoughts as well!

The publisher has provided a copy for me to give away to one of you! Please leave a comment on this post by this Thursday, 8/28/08, at 6:00 PM CDT to be eligible to win. Continental US residents only.

Happy Reading!