I had read a favorable review of Going Deep with Gordon MacDonald.

Picking up the book I read, “There are plenty of good people, well-meaning people, sincere people — but not enough deep people.”

Intrigued I stepped in.

I had not read a Gordon MacDonald book in more than twenty years.  With that in mind, I initially felt a full step out of the loop. MacDonald had introduced his readers to a fictional church and and a fictional town in a previous book entitled Who Stole My Church?

Going Deep has been a subject presented by many.  The classic “In His Steps” — a best-selling book written by Charles Monroe Sheldon — introduced us to a fictional minister in a fictional congregation in which he challenged his congregants ask each day “What would Jesus do?”

While the subject has been traveled before, MacDonald does present a clever way to draw in his audience.

Those who prefer authors with a brief narrative and a strong outline might be frustrated, impatient and even bored.

Those readers who listen patiently and can learn vicariously may truly enjoy the dialogue and expanded narrative that MacDonald provides.

While a bit too simplistic and devoid of much of the pain and panic of many people I know I think readers will be able to extract meaningful nuggets of truth and apply them into their own context.

While the book is worth reading, I found that at 363 pages, less narrative and more brevity would have kept me turning rather than flipping pages.