Stories & Reflection
READ: Review, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 by Marti
Categories: Christian living / Read
Pastor Mark Batterson has a genius for making the obscure prominent. His In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day highlights the biblical story of Benaniah (Bena-who?) and makes a pertinent application to those who face challenging circumstances. And his Wild Goose Chase pulled its title from an ancient Celtic name for the Holy Spirit.
In The Circle Maker: Praying Circles AroundYour Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears (Zondervan, 2011), Batterson again draws from obscurity via a legend that pre-dates the Old Testament. Here, he uses the story of Honi the Circle Maker, a prophet who dared to believe a miracle and watched as it happened to the glory of God.
This book has sources other than legend, however. Batterson shares both from Scripture and his own experience as pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. His basic premise: when you believe a prayer is in the will of God and will bring Him glory, you should circle it in prayer the way the Israelites circled the wall of Jericho. Pray hard, pray long, and watch for God to work.
Batterson does a great job of sharing both story and principle in an inspiring, entertaining way. At times, I felt his catchy sound bite-type wording seemed forced. At other times, I marveled at his agility in turning a phrase. At times, I wondered if he was veering into name-it, claim-it philosophy. At other times, I wondered why my faith is so small.
And that’s the real strength of this book. Although “circling,” as I see it, is only a paradigm for effective, fervent prayer, this new way of thinking has already enhanced my prayer life. I realized I was often praying what I expected God to do anyway. It was time—past time—to trust God for the miracles I know He can do. It was time I asked Him for the impossible, the work only He can perform.
Read this book with a critical eye. Go back to the Word and check its points. But I believe you’ll end up, like Batterson, circling your family, your friends, and various situations in your life with the kind of powerful prayers God uses every day.
And that obscure Circle Maker? He’ll be smiling.
What book about prayer has had a dramatic impact on you? I have a growing collection and would love to know your favorites.
Find a local Christian bookstore
Find this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or at Christian Book Distributors
Share This Blog:
Previous Posts
Review: Keeping Christmas by Dan Walsh
Marti
11/18/2015
Words with Friends: Cynthia Ruchti
Marti
10/23/2015
Review: An Endless Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti
Marti
10/22/2015
Review: The Caregiver's Notebook by Jolene Philo
Marti
3/17/2015
Pray: Top Ten Signs You've Just Returned from a Short-Term Mission Trip
Marti
7/29/2014
READ: Just 18 Summers by Rene Gutteridge and Michelle Cox
Marti
5/6/2014
READ: 12 Pearls of Christmas, Day 4: The Nativity by Lynn Austin
Marti
12/17/2013
WRITE: Words with Friends: Becky Harling
Marti
12/12/2013
READ: Review, The 30-Day Praise Challenge by Becky Harling
Marti
12/10/2013
READ: Review, Engaging Today's Prodigal by Carol Barnier
Marti
12/3/2013
READ: Review, Breaking Invisible Chains by Susan Titus Osborn, Jeenie Gordon, and Karen Kosman
Marti
11/5/2013
READ: Review, Experiencing God's Presence by Linda Evans Shepherd
Marti
10/22/2013
READ: Review, I'm Too Young to Be This Old by Poppy Smith
Marti
10/15/2013
READ: Why I'd Like to Review the Sword Study (But Can't)
Marti
9/27/2013
READ: Review, Harriet Beamer Strikes Gold by Joyce Magnin
Marti
9/25/2013
READ: Review, CAKE by Joyce Magnin
Marti
1/12/2013
READ: Review, The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
Marti
4/4/2012
READ: Review, Because You Care by Cecil Murphey and Twila Belk
Marti
3/16/2012
YA Friday: READ--Vote for SUSIE Magazine
Marti
3/9/2012
READ: Review, Smitten by Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck, Diann Hunt, and Denise Hunter
Marti
2/14/2012
READ: Review, Always the Wedding Planner, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker (Emma Rae Creation Se
Marti
2/7/2012
READ: Review, Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Marti
2/1/2012
READ: Review, Cooking the Books by Bonnie S. Calhoun
Marti
1/10/2012
READ: Review, The Husband Project by Kathi Lipp
Marti
1/5/2012
READ: Review, There You'll Find Me by Jenny B. Jones (YA Friday)
Marti
12/30/2011
READ: Review, When Someone You Love No Longer Remembers by Cecil Murphey
Marti
12/20/2011
YA Friday: READ Review, Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis with Beth Clark
Marti
12/16/2011
READ: Review, Blame it on the Mistletoe by Joyce Magnin
Marti
12/14/2011
READ: Review, Called to Serve by Lt. Col. Tony Monetti & Penny Monetti
Marti
9/2/2011
READ: Review, Simply Salsa by Janet Perez Eckles
Marti
8/9/2011
READ: Attitude-inize by Jan Coates
Marti
6/9/2011
READ: When You Can't Find God by Linda Evans Shepherd
Marti
6/3/2011
READ: One Year Alone with God by Ava Pennington
Marti
5/31/2011
READ: Review, Knowing God, Knowing Myself by Cecil Murphey
Marti
3/23/2011
READ: Review, Following God One Yes at a Time
Marti
3/15/2011
READ: Review, Griselda Takes Flight by Joyce Magnin
Marti
3/1/2011
READ: Review, The Me Project by Kathi Lipp
Marti
2/23/2011
READ: Review, 31 Days to a Younger You by Arlene Pellicane
Marti
2/15/2011
READ: Review, Broken Heart on Hold by Linda W. Rooks
Marti
1/25/2011
READ: Review, Unless It Moves the Human Heart by Roger Rosenblatt
Marti
1/18/2011
READ: Review, Bound by Guilt by C.J. Darlington
Marti
1/11/2011
READ: Review, If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn
Marti
1/5/2011
READ: Review, The Charlatan's Boy by Jonathan Rogers
Marti
12/21/2010
READ: Review, Flourish by Catherine Hart Weber, Ph.D.
Marti
12/14/2010
READ: Review, Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes
Marti
11/19/2010
READ: Review, The Smart Stepmom by Ron L. Deal and Laura Petherbridge
Marti
10/20/2010
READ: Review, Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd
Marti
10/8/2010
READ: SUSIE Magazine
Marti
9/22/2010
READ: Review, FINDING HOPE FOR YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH BREAST CANCER by Yvonne Ortega
Marti
9/8/2010
READ: Review, D.I.V.A.S. OF THE DIVINE by Donna McCrary and Sherri Holbert
Marti
8/10/2010
READ: Review, GOD ALONE IS ENOUGH by Claudia Mair Burney
Marti
6/18/2010
READ: Review, THEY ALMOST ALWAYS COME HOME by Cynthia Ruchti
Marti
6/8/2010
READ: Review, LIFE WITH LORD BYRON by Peggy Nelson
Marti
5/26/2010
READ: Review, Life's Too Short to Miss the Big Picture: Making the Most of What's Important by Steve
Marti
5/15/2010
READ: Review, The Plan a Woman in a Plan B World by Debbie Taylor Williams
Marti
4/20/2010
READ: Words of Comfort for Times of Loss by Cecil Murphey and Liz Allison (Blog Tour--and Two Opport
Marti
3/30/2010
READ: Review, White Picket Fences by Susan Meissner (Waterbrook, 2009)
Marti
3/23/2010
READ: Firm Foundations, Fulfilled Dreams: An Interview with Author C.J. Darlington (Part III)
Marti
3/15/2010
READ: Firm Foundations, Fulfilled Dreams: An Interview with Author C.J. Darlington (Part I)
Marti
3/8/2010
READ: Introducing Sexy Christians and the Sexy Christians Workbook
Marti
3/1/2010
READ: The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin (Abingdon Press, 2009)
Marti
2/22/2010
READ: "My name is Marti, and I am a bibliophile."
Marti
2/17/2010
