An incredible book that is tapping into the deeper parts of men all across America. Recently (February 2002) I attended the Wild At Heart's national conference [cf. my blog entry], which was mostly an re-enactment of the book's content, with actual movie excerpts and the author's retelling of the stories and poignant soul questions that a person must ask himself. Those questions answered within the context of being made in the image of God, living in the reality of the world framed by the Creator, does invigorate and give a man resolve and strength to accomplish whatever is on his heart.

Waking the Dead: The Glory of a Heart Fully Alive (chapter 1 free)
~ newest by John Eldridge

Wild At Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
by John Eldridge

Other books by Eldridge:
Wild at Heart Field Manual: A Personal Guide to Discover the Secret of Your Masculine Soul
The Journey of Desire: Searching for the Life We Only Dreamed of
Dare To Desire An Invitation To Fulfill Your Deepest Dreams
The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer To The Heart Of God by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge
Sacred Romance Workbook and Journal: Your Personal Guide for Drawing Closer to the Heart of God

I thought the live presentation gave it a broader (more helpful) perspective on what masculinity looks likes; the book can come across as too much type-A alpha male, the aggressive go-getter kind, which doesn't fit for many men. Some men have passions in other areas than conquering the great wild west or the great outdoors. Some may be wild at writing, wild at music, even wild at relationships.

While the message is universal, that there's something that God etches upon the soul of a man, which are his deepest desires, and that as we get in touch with that, and take courage in God to do those things, the stories presented are (almost?) all white Caucasian / Anglo cultures. If indeed this is the universal truth that all man have on their heart, surely stories from other cultures would also clearly resonate and could have been presented. (But, then again, what does a bold, heart-connected Asian masculinity look like?) Plus, if this is a universal truth, let's not call it a "secret". Have you noticed that passionate people are often not Christians, and non-Christians seem to flaunt their freedom to do whatever they want to do? Yet, the real freedom and the good news of the Gospel, is indeed that Christ has come to set us free and to give us life to the full. Much of Christianity/ Christendom has done a great disservice; it's good that here's a book righting the wrongs.

And what about women? He alludes to the women's heart is also etched with desires, but they are different. At the conference, they pointed to a new resource of a Ransomed Femininity CD set, audio recordings of a women's conference with similar messages; and a new book titled "The Allure of Hope: God's Pursuit of a Woman's Heart" by Jan Meyers.

The tragedy of live is what dies inside a man while he lives. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. ~ C. S. Lewis

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on nme, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners. ~ Isaiah 61:1

The place where God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet. ~ Frederick Buechner

Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~ Gil Bailie

Freedom is useless if we don't exercise it as characters making choices... We are free to change the stories by which we live. Because we are genuine characters, and not mere puppets, we can choose our defining stories. We are co-authors as well as characters. Few things are as encouraging as the realization that things can be different and that we have a role in making them so. ~ Daniel Taylor