A Must Read!!!

Cron, Ian Morgan. Chasing Francis. Colorado Springs: Navpress, 2006.

Chase Falson is the stereotypical, middle-aged pastor or the stereotypical, evangelical megachurch. His road to this point has been up and down, but mostly up. He was raised in an Episcopal home, but they weren't Christian. His father was a lousy drunk and Chase had no interest in religion or faith. Not until he met a girl at college. This girl arranged for him to meet up with the campus director of InnerVarsity and Chase gave his heart to the Lord. After college, he planted a church. It grew and it grew. Chase was the darling. He planted, he watered, and now 3,000 members later everything seemed to be clicking.

But then Maggie came along. Maggie was an addict and an ex-con. She had a record, alot of baggage, and a daughter named Iris. But everything was on the up and up for Maggie and Iris too. Thanks to the work of Putnam Hill Church, all was looking bright. Then one day the unthinkable happened. It all unraveled as tragedy struck and Iris was killed. Maggie was shaken. But even more so, Chase Falson was shaken. He was shaken so badly that he denounced his faith from the pulpit and was given a leave of absence.

Chasing Francis is the tale of Pastor Falson's journey to visit Uncle Kenny, a Fransican brother who helps Chase reclaim and redefine his faith as he gets to know St. Francis of Assisi. What Chase is not ready for what he finds: the eerie similarities between the medeivil of the 13th century and the modern church of the 2oth century; the difficult questions being asked of religion in both worlds, and the surprising relevance of a Franciscan response to both.

Things like beauty, transcendence, compassion, generosity, peacemaking, community and others are a stark contrast to the megachurch pragmatics that characature the church of today. Interestingly these same things that Francis used to reform the miedeval church through an authentic embodiment of the kingdom of God seem just the remedy for the reformation needed in the modern church.

Chase was surprised daily by his adventure. Chase was constantly amazed by the reality of God he experienced in his journey. You will be too as you join him in Chasing Francis.