Man on the Run: Helping Hyper-Hobbied Men Recognize the Best Things in Life

Both an outdoorsman and writer as well as pastor of the Heartland Evangelical Free Church in Nebraska, Pipher notes, “As a pastor, I spend several hours a week counseling pursuit-driven, ambitious men” in need of strategies to form healthy relationships. Reflecting on a period when he had 34 hobbies, Pipher observes that while many “hyper-hobbied” men are motivated by a desire for adventure, a need for challenge, and an inability to suffer a dull moment, a surfeit of activity leads these men to neglect those who are close to them. He examines issues and ideas he’s learned from personal experiences and those of his family, friends, and others. Pipher’s optimistic, up-tempo essays encompass a wide range of subjects: ambition, community, competition, depression, fatherhood, friendship, loneliness, loyalty, marriage, shame, and strength of character. His flair for motivational writing peaks in the final chapter when he outlines how active, hard-charging men are driven by dream images of the future they desire. “Dreaming is easy,” Pipher writes. “The challenge is choosing the best dreams.” Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Books and Such Literary Agency. (Mar.)