In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars

I thought this book would be a quick read. However, each chapter is so packed with revelation and wisdom it takes time, well spent, to take it all in. There are a few themes that have really stayed with me as I have read this book: God will turn my bad break into a big break! Do the best with what you have where you are! When it comes to God, there are no degrees of difficulty! If we learn from our mistakes, there is no failure (my favorite)! Faith is embracing the uncertainties of life! No problem = no miracle!! The more challenges we face, the more God can use us! CHASE THE LION!!!!!

Chase the lion! That is the recurring theme that stalks and roars at readers as they consume the meat of Mark Batteron's new book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day." Alright, enough with the lion jokes. Based on an obscure passage in the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel (23:29,30) Mark Batterson challenges his readers to face the lions in their lives head on with courage and faith. He centers his book on the story of an Israelite warrior who encounters a lion in a pit on a snowy day. The twist is that rather than running away from the lion as most people would be prone to do, this courageous solider jumps into the pit and kills it. It is a bold move, a fearless and counter-intuitive act. And it is an act that perfectly illustrates the kind of life Batterson believes should be the norm for people who follow Jesus Christ. People whom Mark labels: lion chasers. The majority of the book is built on the seven skills that Batterson believes will help people "climb out of the slipperiest pits and chase the biggest lions." These skills are: overcoming adversity, unlearning fears, embracing uncertainty, calculating risks, seizing opportunities, defying odds, and looking foolish. Each of the chapters in the book highlights one of the seven skills and describes how it applies to a life of lion chasing. The chapters are easy to read and the main points in each one are clear and well illustrated. Using an effective blend of intellect, humor, candor and Scripture he artfully makes his case for the necessity and development of each skill. Coupled with a writing style that is both easily understandable and doable, Batterson provides his readers with needed insights on how to develop the 7 habits of highly effective lion chasing. Throughout the book Batterson skillfully blends a mixture of scientific discovery, psychological research, Biblical narrative, and personal experience into a coherent whole. He has also been blessed with the wonderful ability to creativity make the Biblical text come alive. More than once he imaginatively describes the life experiences of Benaiah the lion killer, as well as many other Biblical stories, in such a way that it almost makes the reader feel as though he/she were near the snowy pit when Benaiah jumped in. And in the end, you walk away looking to pick a fight with some invisible feline king of the jungle. Batterson is right when he points out that we will all face lions in our lives at one time or another. These lions might come in pits on snowy days, but rather, they could be disguised as possible career changes, risky decisions that must be made, difficult conversations that need to be had, big crazy God-sized dreams we'd like to pursue, or longstanding habits that have to be broken. Whatever lions are in your life, Mark Batterson's book will help you develop the skills you need to jump into the snowy pit and face them head on. This is a very readable book for people everywhere who are looking

Just finished reading this book. Amazing. I am blown away at the thoughts that this book has brought into my mind and heart. Mark Batterson is so on with this writing and the way he leads you to examine your own life. Your own lions. Your own call from God. This book is a most have for every church leader, church planter, missionary, christian, everyone that wants to get off their butts and do something for God in their life. I'm planning on making my whole staff read this book. New note on my door and on my voicemail "Off to run in the snow after a lion..."

Warning. This book will challenge you! (It definitely pushed me!) Some books start strong and lose steam. This book starts strong and gets better with each turn of the page. I read it in two sittings and hated when it ended. Mark's writing is fun and engaging. His content is rich. His illustrations are unforgettable. His application of Scripture is life changing. I felt like a wise mentor was encouraging me to see more than I've seen, do more than I'm doing, and believe God for more than I could imagine. As a pastor, I'm ordering a bunch of boxes of this book to get into the hands of the members of my church and staff. This is a must-read.

What do you do when opportunity roars? According to Mark Batterson, we must rediscover our chasing gene, lock eyes with our lion, and sprint directly towards it. In the first chapter of In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day, Batterson weaves a thrilling tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat and the adrenaline pumping. Then, you discover it's actually a re-telling of a Biblical story. It's the story of Benaiah and his rise from lion chaser to David's chief military advisor. It's a story we may have read a hundred times before and breezed over without fully experiencing its drama and passion. (We do that with a lot of the Biblical texts, don't we? When did we make the Bible boring?) But in the opening pages of this entertaining and at times unsettling book, Batterson breathes new life into this ancient tale in a creative, thought-provoking, and challenging way. We've all seen lion tamers. But lion chasers? That's just plain crazy. And yet that is what God is calling us to be. People who realize that Jesus did not die on the cross just to ensure that we could live safe lives. In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day dares us to go back to Biblical faith, which is risky, uncertain, and dangerous. But it always leads to God. Batterson uses Benaiah's encounter with the lion as a backdrop to explore seven lion chasing skills: * Overcoming adversity * Unlearning fears * Embracing uncertainty * Calculating risks * Seizing opportunities * Defying odds * Looking foolish This book challenged the way I think about faith, and I hope it will find expression in the way I live out my faith. As Yoda challenged Luke Skywalker, I must unlearn what I have learned. I need to realize that my action regrets will pale in comparison to my inaction regrets. Sprinkled with references to pop culture and ancient culture, In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day digs out Biblical principles and helps us understand their relevance in our everyday-walking-around lives in the 21st century. But ultimately it's not Mark Batterson's story. And it's not even Benaiah's story. It is God's story and it is one that he wants to write in and through each of our lives. This book made me want to jump out of my chair and start running after God with more intensity and focus than ever before. It's a fast and funny read, and it will leave you with lots of good stuff to chew on. Get it and begin your lion chasing training today.