Man on the Run, by Zeke Pipher

I had the privilege of serving on the Board of Director's for our denominations Midwest District during the time that Zeke Pipher was the chairman of that board. I remember at the time thinking that he was a very articulate and insightful young man, yes young, because frankly I was starting to feel old :)

This book reminds me of how much I believed Zeke understood God, understood men and understood how difficult it is to be a Pastor, Husband, Father, Friend and Confidant. Zeke is a passionate driven individual. He would be what I would call a "Man's" man. What do I mean by that. Well, he is a leader, he is loyal, he is caring, he is compassionate and he is the outdoorsman that every man would like to be. He has never met a hunting trip, fishing trip or outdoor adventure that couldn't be conquered. I mean, what do you think about a guy that gets excited about taking his boat out on the lake, getting the Carp to jump up in the air so that he can shoot at them with his bow and arrow? Wouldn't it just be enough to throw in a fishing line and catch them? No, it has to be extreme! Go Zeke Go! That is what his church parishioner's must chant every chance they get.

But is that what life is all about?

In this book Zeke will point out to men that it is OK to be passionate about something. It is OK to have a hobby. It is OK to enjoy the great out of doors. BUT, and this is a big BUT. You need to be careful that you don't go overboard.

Zeke's writing is from personal experience. I mean, who wouldn't call it passionate when you realize he is headed out the door for the fourth time in a week to go deer hunting?

But Zeke goes on to say that while this adventure side is ingrained in men it is also the side that can cause them to sin the most. It is the side that trips them up. It is the side that goes, "a bridge to far!" Zeke counsels with countless men whose lives are falling apart because their wives have left them or are on the verge of leaving them, and usually it is because the man is passionate. Yes women, these men are passionate. The problem is they are passionate about the wrong thing.

Early on in the book Zeke asks this question, "Hey guys, is it passion, obsession or addiction?" (my paraphrase). You see it can be good when it is passion that drives you to pursue something. But when your pursuit goes beyond passion and becomes obsession then you have stepped over the line. And if you don't catch it in time it goes beyond obsession to become addiction. Addiction is not just to drugs or alcohol or cigarettes. Yes, addiction can be to your job, your hobby, your fraternity of brothers, your favorite sports team, etc. When passion goes to obsession to addiction then the thing that looses out is relationships. And typically the relationships that loose out the quickest are Spouse and Children. Is it no wonder that divorce is so rampant in our society.

After developing his thesis in the first 70 or 80 pages of the book Zeke goes on to then start prying into our lives and how we live them. His goal though is to draw us back into a Biblical view of manhood and a Biblical view of Marriage / Family / Self-worth, etc. Well, I've kinda of gone on to long about my feelings regarding the book without saying much about the truth revealed within the book.

So let me summarize;

God created man in his image and it was good
God designed marriage so that a man and woman could cleave unto each other, and it is good
Sin enters the world and man starts to loose focus and identity and relationship . . . and it is bad

With sin comes loss of significance, with loss of significance comes shame and discontent, with shame and discontent comes passion after the next "thing" that enters your life.

Every activity has a "too far" boundary

When you go beyond that boundary you enter the world of
Passion turns into Obsession. . . Obsession turns into Addiction . . . Addiction leads to the death of relationships

Zeke will challenge you in this book, he will direct you back to your Lord and Savior, to the God who created you and he will help you find the Spiritual Compass that you need to correct the way you live your life and to help you save your marriage, your family, your relationships before sin gets them to far out of control.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK? Every man. Every woman. Every hunter, fisherman, hobbyist, workaholic, sportsaholic, etc. This book is a must read, it will change your life, I guarantee it :)