I had to put it down. I had to stop. I had to find the answers to questions that were deeply piercing my heart and mind.
This is what the book Wild Goose Chase has done to me.
The book’s title is an allusion to the pursuit of the Holy Spirit. To the Celtic Christians, the Holy Spirit is An Geadh-Glas… the Wild Goose. Is it a fruitless pursuit, like looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? No. Is it attainable? It is. And this book is an invitation to this pursuit, which also goes by the name “adventure”.
Wild Goose Chase is the second book written by Mark Batterson, the lead pastor of the National Community Church in Washington, DC. It challenges its readers to go on the chase for the Holy Spirit and see His-Story happen through the lives of six Bible characters who broke out from six of cages and went on to pursue their great adventures for and with God.
• The cage of responsibility
• The cage of routine
• The cage of assumptions
• The cage of guilt
• The cage of failure
• The cage of fear
Batterson ascribed definitions and adjectives to God which, at first, may seem sacrilegious. But, as he points out, this is only because we have confined our ideas of God within a very limited box. He definitely made use of phrases and ideas that have been heard before from other authors and books. But his gift lies in the way he is able to present these from a different and fresh perspective, skillfully conveying them for the clearer understanding of his readers.
I especially enjoyed the author’s play of words. And I love the quotes. From the title of the book to the last chapter, the reader’s mind is stimulated to process words that are the opposites and antitheses of each other and yet, upon closer examination, yield enlightening new insights to their disparate meanings. Here are a few examples:
“To speed up: you must slow down.”
“Responsibly irresponsible.” Or “Irresponsibly responsible.”
“Predictably unpredictable.”
Here are a few of my favorite lines:
“If you are going to chase the Wild Goose, play offense with your life!”
“Vision is the cure for sin.”
“The size of our dreams is a measure of our spiritual maturity. “
“The healthiest and holiest people are the people who laugh the most!”
I had the same thoughts about his first book (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day), that is, the words are simple enough to comprehend yet they form concepts and insights that make us intensely reflect. And act.
This is definitely an action book.
It makes one want to go on a missions trip, to seek a change of scenery, to read the Bible more intensely, and more. For us who grew up in church and who may have lost our awe of God or forgotten to see the stories in the Bible as real, the book is a wake up from stupor. It prods one to see these biblical characters’ tales not just as bland, familiar stories from an old book but as vibrant and passionate lives, which triumphed over the limitations of their world because they chose to follow the Voice of God.
It is a book that shepherds us towards a journey - from looking within ourselves to finding an adventurous life in God. With each word, with each turning of the page, I had to stop, reflect, and look at my life. It kept pushing me a little farther each time. I couldn’t help but to talk to God, and ask Him to change what is in me until I reached that point where I had to decide if I wanted to join the chase.
Wild Goose Chase provides its readers with steps on how to break through each cage. The questions at the end of every chapter are, in fact, a summary of its content. I found that, through this format, the ideas became more deeply entrenched in my mind.
Lest we misguidedly become so passionate about having adventures for adventure’s sake, Batterson cautions the readers to remember that anything and everything is about God. It is all about what Jesus has done, not about what we can do for Him.
This book is not to be read in one sitting. At least I couldn’t. Going through it, I had to face each cage and decide to get out before I could go on to the next one. As Batterson wrote, “Pacing is the key.” So I took my time. And I did finish.
This book is anything but boring. The stories made me smile, tear up, laugh. I felt pensive, fearful for a while, dreamy, thoughtful, courageous. I found myself becoming talkative with God, more prayerful and increasingly determined. As a result, I have bought in to Mark Batterson and his vivid invitation to chase the Wild Goose.
Do you want to be challenged? Do you want to be able to make a choice? Read this book. And keep your Bible close.
I pray that you, too, will choose to chase the Wild Goose!
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