This
book isn't at all what I thought it was going to be. In reading the
promotion pieces, I know that Batterson and his mentor, Foth, want
readers to rise to the challenge of adventure living. Our lives will
be richer and our souls fuller, they write. I thought we were being
called to adventure for Jesus, so to speak. Perhaps mission trips or
inner city work. But that was not the emphasis of the book at all.
Foth
and Batterson share their own adventures and draw spiritual lessons
from them. The adventures didn't have much to do with Jesus.
Batterson, for example, tells of flying cross country with his son a
few years ago to do the Sharkfest Swim (1.5 miles from Alcatraz to a
San Francisco beach). Another was taking his son to Super Bowl XLV.
Then there was kissing his wife at the top of the Eiffel Tower and
visiting the Galapagos Islands with his son. Foth shares adventures
like visiting the Normandy coast, lunching in the United State Senate
dining room and being on an aircraft carrier.
The
authors want us to grab life and squeeze every ounce of adventure out
of it. It seems that going to a Super Bowl game or lunching in the
Senate dining room are the kinds of adventures the authors want to
see Christians rise to experience. That was confusing because the
authors also say that the kinds of adventures Jesus calls us to is
rubbing elbows with the lost, being in the middle of the marketplace.
Elsewhere they say the adventures are going places with Jesus and
friends. I finished the book being unsure of the kind of adventures
the authors want us to have. I was glad to see that they do tell a
few stories of other people whose adventures were truly sacrificial,
showing love to others.
All
of that being said, there were some aspects of the book I
appreciated. Batterson writes, “Most people are bored with their
faith because they are selfish.” (120) That suggests unselfish
adventures would be the answer. The authors encourage us to be life
long learners, reading many books. They suggest we live each day in
light of eternity and that we provide experiences for our children
for their emotional and spiritual growth. And I loved this from
Batterson, “I want to go after dreams that are destined to fail
without divine intervention.” (72)
Batterson
says near the end of the book, “My primary goal in writing this
book was to capture Dick's stories for posterity...” (201) That
helped me understand that the purpose of the book was not what I had
thought it was, to encourage readers to adventure for Jesus.
Batterson has succeeded well in his primary goal.
I
have mixed feelings about the book. If you like to read adventure
stories, you may like the book. If you are looking for an intense
encouragement to get out of your comfort zone and adventure for
Jesus, you may need to look elsewhere.
Food
for thought: “Another day, another adventure.” (197)
Complete
the statement: “This trip around the sun I will choose adventure
by...”
Mark
Batterson is a New York Times bestselling author and lead pastor
of National Community Church in Washington DC. He has a doctor of
ministry degree from Regent University and lives on Capitol Hill with
his wife and their three children.
Richard
Foth is the father of four and grandfather of eleven. He has been
a college president and conference speaker. He is best known as a
story teller who believes that God's story and our stories touch the
world. He has a doctor of ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary. He and his wife live in Colorado.
Susanna
Foth Aughtmon is a pastor's wife and mother of three with two
previously published books. She assists her husband in various
ministries at the church they planted in California.
Baker
Books, 208 pages.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
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