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A creative and compelling examination of the impact--800 years ago and today--of St. Francis of Assisi.
Description:
Chase Falson has lost his faith so he crosses the Atlantic to visit his uncle, a Franciscan priest, where he encounters the teachings of Francis of Assisi and rediscovers his ancient faith. Follow Chase's spiritual journey in the footsteps of Francis, and then begin one of your own through the pilgrim's guide included in this book.
Chasing Francis
ISBN-13:
9781576838129
Trim Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4
Cover: Paperback
256
Pages
$14.99
Percentage Discounts for Bulk Purchases of Single Items
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Downloadable
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Part of a Series
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Available in Spanish
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View all reviewsCustomer Reviews
A Pilgrimage for Chase...and for the Reader.
I finished this book last month. I have been unable to write about it yet because it had a profound impact on me and I am just not sure how to convey that. I found myself fascinated by the life of St. Francis of Assisi and I found parts of my own heart mirrored in Chase’s journey. The book is well written in a unique way. It is a fictional account with non-fictional elements. The story is simple yet deeply moving. Chase takes a pilgrimage and finds himself on a unique journey following in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi. As Chase’s pilgrimage progresses we get to the heart of any Christian’s journey. Faith. In the end I found myself having realized how much I had learned from Chase and St Francis….and me. If you cannot take time for a pilgrimage all one has to do is take the time to read Chasing Francis.
Posted by
Christy
on
6/27/2010 5:47:16 AM
Book Review
I decided to read Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron because:
the premise seemed interesting. A pastor loses his faith in front of his congregation.
it was an opportunity to learn about Francis of Assisi
This book was not an easy read. It didn't seem like the author knew if he was writing fiction, a biography of Francis, or a travel guide to Italy. I have a personal policy to finish every book I start but this one made this a difficult promise to keep.
As I read the story of Pastor Chase Falson, I'd start to get immersed in his story and find myself pulled wildly out of his journey and plopped into a history lesson and out of nowhere I feel like I'm reading a travel guide.
All of these sections are well written, interesting and informative but this book can't make up it's mind on what it is. I haven't written a overtly negative review before and unfortunately, this one is. To the best of my knowledge, this is Cron's first published work. I hope to read more of his work, he is good; but I hope his subsequent efforts don't suffer from an identity crisis.
Posted by
Vikki
on
5/20/2010 7:52:35 PM
Slow start, but worth the read
I finally finished Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron. It took me a LONG time to get into it, but somewhere around the 1/3 of the way point, well, I could barely put it down. Basic plot is: Evangelical church planting minister has a major crisis of faith. Calls on his uncle, who happens to be a Franciscan monk over in Italy, and is invited to come on a pilgrimage. Learns lots about St. Francis, but even more about himself. Comes back to his church a different man, and deals with the repercussions of that.
The story is semi-biography (of St. Francis of Assisi), but also something of a tour of modern Catholicism, at least as carried out by the Franciscans, through the eyes of an evangelical pastor in need of some major healing and a fresh perspective. It is somewhat of a commentary on the church of today. Somewhat of a recipe for what might be needed for the church to stay relevant in post-modern culture. And at points, it is laugh out loud funny. His description of the Italian nuns boarding a bus... very funny.
I'm finding the book to be fascinating. I only knew a little bit about St. Francis before reading this book. And it is a little weird for me to be looking at Catholicism (past and present) through the eyes of an evangelical, since I'm not in either camp myself. I can't identify with all of where Chase is coming from, nor can I identify with the friars. But the story gave me so much to think about. I highly recommend this to, well, pretty much anybody.
I found the parallels drawn between our time and the time of Francis to be really interesting. Francis lived at a time when the world was turning upside down, and the Western Church was trying to define itself in this new age. One point being made in the book is that we live in a similar time of change, and the church(es) today is trying to define itself in this new age.
I didn't even see the study guide in the back of the book until I was about halfway through. So I will have to come back to the book (after a friend reads it!) and work through the study guide on my second journey through.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Posted by
Debra
on
5/16/2010 7:39:01 AM
A great book!
I thought this was a delightful read! It's funny how God sends you books at just the right time spiritually when you need to be uplifted and encouraged! This book was a bit of grace for me.
The book is a fictional story centering upon an evangelical pastor named Chase Falson who kind of melts down in front of his church one Sunday morning. He realizes all the vagaries of his faith are built on a North American-Consumerist-Churchianity, which has left him hollow and asking, "Is this all there is?" Sent away on a leave of absence by the elders of the church after the breakdown so he can recuperate (while they deliberate on whether he can return as the pastor), Falson visits an uncle and Franciscan priest in Italy who quickly sets him on a path to spiritual recovery via pilgrimage. His pilgrimage centers upon the 13th-century Franciscan founder, St. Francis of Assisi. Chase's spiritual journey in Italy winds its way through the various geographical places that were important in the course of St. Francis' life. Along the way he discovers what true community can look like, the importance and practice of peace, what simple living through the embrace of poverty can do for the soul, and what it might take to reinvent himself in the faith. At first reluctant, Chase eventually embraces the wonder of pilgrimage with full gusto.
The book moves quickly - I read it in one sitting. The characters are formed well, and there are parts of the narrative that are very moving and emotional. There is a generous bibliography at the end of the book if one's curiosity is piqued and wants to learn more about Francis. An appendix contains a study guide with questions for every chapter, in case you would like to use the book for a book club or small group study.
Cron's underlying thesis in the book is that the Church is in a time of great change and foment as it grapples with the cusp of history between Modernism and Postmodernity. Those churches that are least rooted in the Christian Tradition are least prepared for the change. As Falson finds, St. Francis serves as a perfect foil for the modern church dealing with postmodernity because he lived in a great time of change himself - and rocked the Christian world in a way that it needed badly.
I won't divulge the ending, but it does end well. I wondered how Cron would end the narrative because it seemed like Falson would be content to enter this Roman Catholic Church with his uncle. The ending is realistic, and encouraging, for all those asking Falson's question, "Is this all there is?" I happily recommend this book for all those seekers out there.
Posted by
Matt Dowling
on
3/18/2010 2:07:03 PM
A Journey For Everyone
I have just finished reading Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron, and my jaw dropped with how much this book spoke to me. The story is simple, Chase has lost his faith and now he is on a pilgrim journey, following the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi. When he asks his uncle what he should bring on his getaway, he is asked to bring an open heart, an open mind and a journal.
Reading this, I decided to bring an open heart, an open mind and a journal through my voyage of this book. I took the time to journal after each chapter to keep track of my own pilgrim adventure of thoughts concerning religion, theology and faith.
I’m not including all of my entries because some of them got deep and personal but here are some highlights of what I got from the book.
…I have just finished reading chapter three. The first statement that really caught my eye was from page 51. “Looking up from my journal, I stared out at a group of old men feeding pigeons and thought about the condition of God’s house in the twenty-first century. As far as I could tell, it was the only think in the universe duct tape couldn’t fix.”
Naturally, this made me chuckle because my bible is currently being held together by duct tape. I have used duct tape for many things and really do have strong faith in the strength and endurance of duct tape. But it can’t hold me together, just like it can’t hold God’s house together. Which makes me rethink my own faith, and I can’t help but wonder if I am depending on duct tape instead of belief, trust and faith.
…Saint Francis said “Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” Christianity is about our daily lives, our daily walks and how we treat others. People have been preaching this concept for ages yet humanity desires Christianity to be done on a time shift. We are the gospel. Our lives are the gospel. It is our best way to show Christ by allowing Christ to be in us at all times. So why is it so much easier said than done?
That is just a few of my personal thoughts that I encountered while reading this book. In the end, Chase life doesn’t turn out how he imagined and he is still happy. He has faith and is acting on it, without fear of burn out because his passion is awake and alive. Pilgrimages are worth taking, and he’s not afraid to stay on the long journey because in the end, he knows it’ll be worth it.
“People are meaning-seekers.” You know you want to….start Chasing Francis.
* Disclaimer * These opinions are my own and this book has a place on my book shelf for reading the book and writing a review. No other compensation was received.
Posted by
Jennee Thompson
on
3/18/2010 11:54:04 AM
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