I'm about halfway through Mark Batterson's Wild Goose Chase and I'm really enjoying it. I've been a fan of Mark's teaching and leadership since I attended the first conference NCC put on a couple of years ago. His previous book, In a Pit with Lion on a Snowy Day, was used in a lot of ways around Schweitzer. I imagine that the same will be true of Wild Goose Chase. Along with the book Mark has written a 10 steps to help with setting goals available at www.chasethegoose.com.
I think it's pretty rare for a book to both convict me and have it be something I really want to read. I sat down last week at Asbury during a few breaks from class and managed to get halfway through the book before I decided I had to stop carrying it with me – I was reading it instead of doing work required for my course. I wish I'd have taken it on the weekend fishing trip to Cumberland because I'd have both finished it and had something to read.
I haven't had a lot of time to process my thoughts about the book yet, but here is my initial take on it. I really do agree with Mark that oftentimes our lives are boring because we play it safe. The book is built around six cages that we tend to put ourselves into rather than living freely in God's spirit. I think my life most often reflects ordinariness. It's pretty hard for me to break out of the day-to-day, week-to-week routine.
I can't wait to get the chance to finish the book. I can already tell that some of the ideas are shaping my thoughts. It's probably one of the few books I'll read, put on the shelf, and then read again in a few months.