Mark Batterson has a heart for God, a fact apparent to anyone willing to delve into his written work, whether his books or his blog. Wild Goose Chase is his second non-fiction title, which Batterson describes as a sequel to his first book, In the Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day. Not having read his first title, I can assure that Wild Goose Chase stands on it’s own – complete within itself.

Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit, the Gaelic phrase – “An Geadh-Glas” which translates into “The Wild Goose” in English. This clever synchronicity provides the premise for a book that revolves around the need to pursue the Holy Spirit. We are very familiar with the notion of a Wild Goose Chase in our culture, but unlike the chase we commonly associate these words with — a fruitless escapade that ultimately leads nowhere of importance — chasing the Holy Spirit is vital to the Christian life. When He is pursued much fruit will result and a sense of spiritual adventure will pervade each believer's life.

Batterson doesn’t dig into the foundations of knowing the Holy Spirit, or elaborate much on how to hear His voice. While he encourages prayer and contemplation of God’s word, the focus of Wild Goose Chase is in identifying common excuses that we use to avoid following the Spirit. Batterson identifies six ‘cages’ or areas of restraint in the lives of Christians, based mainly on his own experience as a pastor working with real people, rather than being strictly informed by scripture. To each cage — responsibility, routine, assumptions, guilt, failure and fear — Batterson devotes a chapter.

In these chapters each cage is identified and explored. A Bible hero who broke free from his own cage, or who was possibly never subject to that weakness is shared with us in each chapter. From these examples, along with those from Batterson’s life, and those of friends, a vision forms of the possibilities that abound for those able to break free of the restraints the Enemy has placed around them. Probing, personal questions are included at the end of each chapter, leading readers to the places in their lives that God may be calling them to change.