Free Book Opportunity!

I am a really big fan of Mark’s book “In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day” and daily enjoy reading the thoughts he posts on his blog, so I jumped at the opportunity to review his new book here. Also, I received an extra copy that I can give away for free. More details after my review.

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.

The premise for the book is that Christianity was always meant to be an adventure as we are led by the Holy Spirit. Every day is to hold the opportunity for the unexpected. Yet, often we try to tame the Holy Spirit. We seek to have Him approve our safe choices instead of allowing Him to lead us into the unknown. No wonder that many Christians are bored with their faith. I like the way Mark puts it. We are basically trying so hard to live safe lives that it makes our guardian angels yawn.

The remedy for this incorrect way of living life? Identifying the cages that we allow ourselves to be imprisoned in and stepping out of them. These six cages are the cage of responsibility, the cage of routine, the cage of assumptions, the cage of guilt, the cage of failure, and the cage of fear. Mark tackles each one by diving into the lives of some well known individuals from the Bible.

I thought the book was an incredible read. The highest praise that I can give it is that it challenged me. Challenged me to examine if I’m playing it safe, or chasing the Holy Spirit. Challenged me to step out into the adventure. Challenged me to change.

It is a book that I’m planning on slowing down and prayerfully rereading. I really encourage everyone to pick up a copy and read it.

If you want, you can visit the website for the book to read a sample chapter or learn more about Mark. While you’re there you can download “10 Steps to Setting Life Goals” which is not only a good read but something to pray about. The site is www.chasethegoose.com.

If you go to the above website there’s a link to order the book. However, I usually use www.amazon.com for buying books and it’s available there starting August 19th.

As I said in the opening, I have a free copy of the book to give away. Here’s how it works. Post a comment to this blog entry. On Monday August 18th, I will randomly select one of the commenters to receive the book. If you are reading this post in Facebook, make sure to go to www.focusedjourney.com and post your comment there.