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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day - Mark Batterson





In a pit with a lion on a snowy day is a book based on II Samuel 23:20-21 in which Benaiah bcomes a hero by chasing and killing a lion in not the best of circumstances, among other acts:In a pit with a lion on a snowy day is a book based on II Samuel 23:20-21 in which Benaiah becomes a hero by chasing and killing a lion in not the best of circumstances, among other acts: 2 Samuel 23:20-21 (New International Version) Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits. He struck down two of Moab's best men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.The passage is one that many are not familiar with, I had passed by it without really thinking why it was there. Why would God include this story in the Bible?
Mark Batterson has some good reasons why.

The author is the lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He uses a lot of personal experiences in his "lion chasing." His book is one of encouraging taking risks, unlearning, reframing, and dealing with uncertainty. A lot of his point can be summed up in this from his book:

"What we'll regret most at the end of our lives are the lions we didn't chase."

On starting a Christian coffeehouse (another big risk) he states:

"I've seen lots of Christian coffeehouses that don't do justice to Christianity OR coffee!"

(I can vouch for that one by personal experience.)
He states how many heros in the Bible seemed to look foolish to the world by taking big risks including Moses, Sarah, the Isrealities, David, and Peter.
All of them were blessed by God for their faith.
Lion chasers are always looking for God ordained opportunities, and to be good stewards of time.
Mark asks a great question near the end of his book-
What lion is God calling you to chase today?

 

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