I just finished the book Wild Goose Chase (www.chasethegoose.com). This book was written by Mark Batterson who pastors National Community Church in Washington D.C. I first heard of Pastor Batterson through the blog world and then this past Spring read his first book called “In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day”. I enjoyed his first book so much that I really didn’t know what I would think of his second book. Goose Chase didn’t disappoint and definitely didn’t suffer from a sophomore slump.
The premise of the book stems from a name that the Celtic Christians had for the Holy Spirit. They called him An Geadh-Glas or the Wild Goose. “And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to pursue the Spirit’s leading through life than Wild Goose chase”, says Batterson. Batterson’s writing style and imagery definitely fit my reading style. It wouldn’t be difficult to sit down in a day and read the entire book.
Batterson tells a story of going to the Galapagos islands and seeing amazing animals in their natural habitat. Animals who were being what they were created to be. Wild, untamed, adventurous, etc. He then shares of getting back home to D.C. and going to the zoo with his family. He says “I’m ruined for zoos. It’s not the same seeing a caged animal. It’s too safe. It’s too tame. It’s too predictable.” He shares about a thought he had while at the zoo which catapults you into the meat of the book: “I wonder if churches do to people what zoos to do animals?…Jesus didn’t die on the cross to keep us safe. Jesus died to make us dangerous.”
There are six cages Batterson lists that keep us from chasing The Goose. (Remember the Wild Goose is the Holy Spirit. Not being sacrilegious but quoting the Celtic Christians term for Him.) For each cage Batterson shared an analogous story from a Biblical character who busted out of their cage to chase the Goose.
Cage #1: The cage of responsibility — “God ordained passions tend to get buried beneath day to day responsibilities”
Cage #2: The cage of routine — “At some point in our spiritual journey, most of us trade adventure for routine.”
Cage #3: The cage of assumptions — “”I’m too old. I’m too young. I’m underqualified. It’s too late.”
Cage #4: The cage of guilt — “As long as you are focused on what you’ve done wrong in the past, you won’t have energy left to dream Kingdom dreams.”
Cage #5: The cage of failure — “…sometimes our plans have to fail in order for God’s plans to succeed.”
Cage #6: The cage of fear — “We need to quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.”
It would have been simpler for me to underline the lines that didn’t impact me cause I felt like I wanted to underline everything. I love books that can offer great lines, statements and stories that stick in your head and speak to your heart. I thought of specific people who are living out what Batterson was talking about, and I was challenged to personally live out the Wild Goose chase. There is a ton of specifics I could write about the book but just don’t have blog time to do so.
If you pick up Wild Goose Chase I think you’ll be challenged to get out of the cages you’re in and recklessly pursue the Holy Spirit. I know it was a challenge to me and found myself seeing cages in my own life that I need to break out of. If you enjoy being challenged in your faith, you’ll love Wild Goose Chase.
Chasing,
Jeff
