In a Pit with a Lion

How to Survive and Thrive when Opportunity Roars

I just finished reading this book by Mark Batterson. I’d read a lot of positive things about the book before reading it, and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact I bought this book for many of the people on my Christmas list as I was convinced it was such a great book.

So what is the story about? Refer to the Bible passage below.

1 Chron 11:22-25

There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 7½ feet tall and whose spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the three mightiest warriors. He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Benaiah was a man who wasn’t afraid to take risks. The book examines how we can apply this thinking to our everyday lives. Mark mentions in the book that at the end of our lives, it isn’t going to be the things we did that cause the most regret – it will be those things we didn’t do – we’ll wonder what could have been.

My friend Terry emailed me last Thursday while sitting in class – Mark Batterson was speaking in his class – also he was planning to eat dinner with Mark that evening (I was super jealous!). :) We gave Terry and Christina the book for Christmas, and then last Tuesday, Tobin had mentioned the book to Terry, suggesting that we use it for POC’s (Illuminate’s small groups). So then Terry showed up to his class and Mark was there. lol Anways, Mark posted something on his website that I’m going to repost here (it was so good). It also really sums up what the book says…

The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

Batterson, M. (2007, Feb 7). Lion Chaser’s Manifesto. Retrieved Monday, February 12, 2007, from: http://www.evotional.com/

I think that the Lion Chaser’s Manifesto is great. Stop trying to play it safe, and live life to the fullest. How do you live life to the fullest? Live it for the Lord, and don’t be afraid to do His will.

So I highly recommend this book to anyone. I think that in September a small group resource will be released for this book – so keep your eye out for that if you’re interested (read Mark’s site at evotional.com).

Want to buy the book now? Head over to Amazon or CBD (slightly cheaper).

Hope your Valentine’s day went well. Have a great weekend!