There is no doubt in my mind that we live in the “noisiest” time in the history of the world. The noise is astounding, both in the physical world of trucks, planes, and motorcycles, and also in the internal world of cell phones and the increasingly false voices on the internet.
How do we find peace, as men, pulled in so many directions at the same time? Matt, an experienced outdoorsman, makes a strong case that the natural world is one of the few places that men can find respite and healing from the craziness of this life. He writes in Chapter 12, “Our world is full of brokenness, noise, hurry, and stress. We hunger for inner peace. I encourage you not to remain in the chaos and noise but to step on a path towards peace, restoration, and wholeness.” He then stresses that the Wild Places are where we can seek and find this healing.
As an outdoorsman, Matt has found the peace and healing that he has needed on backpacking, fishing, and hunting trips. He describes how a man can take the lessons learned in the backcountry and bring them home to produce healing and wholeness in our everyday lives.
He mixes in many of his own backcountry stories and experiences with practical advice for survival in our lives, both at home and in the Wild Places. He covers numerous topics, such as listening, forgiveness, enjoyment of life, marriage, peace, and healing.
I found his writing to be powerful in the chapter on “The Father Wound”, where he discusses the trauma that many men carry due to a lack of strong fathering in their lives. He then follows this with a chapter on healthy examples of fathering gleaned from the Bible and from his own life.
I highly recommend this book for men of all ages, especially those with a love of the outdoors. There is sound wisdom here from a man who has lived an authentic and fruitful life!
