Have you ever read a book that radically changed the way you looked at things? In casual conversations the last week or so, I’ve asked that question. Several people replied with “The Bible” – almost as though that’s the answer that thought I expected. (To be clear –the Bible has had a tremendous impact on me…but that’s a story for another time.) But, beyond the Bible – are there others? People mentioned business books (”Who Moved my Cheese?” and “How to Win Friends and Influence People”), books on deep subjects (“Zen’s Art of War”) and books on wars (“Schindler’s List” and “Red Badge of Courage”.)
A while back, a friend of mine (thanks, Brent!) loaned me a copy of “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. Wow – what an incredible book! The story is based on an obscure passage from the Bible (2 Samuel 23:20-21) :
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
Can you picture that scene? Think “Indiana Jones” with Harrison Ford (in his early days) playing Benaiah – felt hat, whip and all. Harrison Ford races to the edge of the pit, screeching to a halt, looking over the edge, and then – with little hesitation – leaping over the edge of the pit and facing the lion head on. Later in the movie, he would come face to face with this towering Egyptian, holding a 7 foot spear in his hand. Benaiah’s friends would be with him. Fifteen to twenty Egyptians were sitting around at a table, and the biggest one would stand up to a smaller Benaiah… He’d call him out. Dare him to challenge him. And Harrison Ford would literally snatch the spear away, kick his butt, and dare someone else to say something about it!
Benaiah went to on to great things, in large part because he took risks. He pursued dreams. He chased lions.
It’s an awesome book. A must read. And now, Mark Batterson is coming out with a new book. Stay tuned – I’ll tell you all about it.
A while back, a friend of mine (thanks, Brent!) loaned me a copy of “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” by Mark Batterson. Wow – what an incredible book! The story is based on an obscure passage from the Bible (2 Samuel 23:20-21) :And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
Can you picture that scene? Think “Indiana Jones” with Harrison Ford (in his early days) playing Benaiah – felt hat, whip and all. Harrison Ford races to the edge of the pit, screeching to a halt, looking over the edge, and then – with little hesitation – leaping over the edge of the pit and facing the lion head on. Later in the movie, he would come face to face with this towering Egyptian, holding a 7 foot spear in his hand. Benaiah’s friends would be with him. Fifteen to twenty Egyptians were sitting around at a table, and the biggest one would stand up to a smaller Benaiah… He’d call him out. Dare him to challenge him. And Harrison Ford would literally snatch the spear away, kick his butt, and dare someone else to say something about it!
Benaiah went to on to great things, in large part because he took risks. He pursued dreams. He chased lions.
It’s an awesome book. A must read. And now, Mark Batterson is coming out with a new book. Stay tuned – I’ll tell you all about it.
hey hope you are doing well. I have this book but I havent finished it. Ive heard it is awesome. cant wait to hear about his next book
ReplyDelete