Category: Reading

The Circle Maker

In The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson takes an in-depth look into prayer. He emphasizes the importance and power of prayer. More than that, he describes in detail how to pray, and why that is important. At the beginning of the story, Mark Batterson retells the story of the original Circle Maker.

Ask and Pray

The Circle Maker is an inspiring book. It is a wake-up call for those who pray. In the book, Mark Batterson gives a very powerful look into how to pray. He explains how, “bold prayers honor God, and God honors bold prayers. If your prayers aren’t impossible to you, they are insulting to God.” It is important to ask God, to pray and not to hold back on the magnitude of prayer. “God won’t do it unless you pray for it. We have not because we ask not…we have not because we circle not. The greatest tragedy in life is the prayers that go unanswered because they go unasked,” Batterson writes.  

Personally, this book has changed the way I pray and given me a fresh perspective. “Imagination is the road less taken, but it is the pathway of prayer. Prayer and imagination are directly proportional: the more you pray the bigger your imagination becomes because the Holy Spirit supersizes it with God-sized dreams,” Batterson explains, “God does not answer vague prayers.” I highlighted, starred or underlined Mark Batterson’s words on over 50 pages of this book. As a believer in the power of prayer to God, the author’s experiences, thoughts and ideas encouraged a new way to pray. Specific prayers, in which what we pray for is larger than what we are able to do, are what God wants from us.

“The size of our prayers depends on the size of our God,” Mark Batterson explains, “Prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do. And when God does immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, we’ve got to be careful to give Him all the glory! We must also recognize that what God does for us isn’t just for us. There is a ripple effect to the third and fourth generations! Just as the blessings, breakthroughs, and miracles in your life are an answer to someone else’s prayer, your prayers will impact nations and generations.” That puts a whole lot of weight on what and how we speak to God.

40 Day Prayer Challenge

After reading, “The Circle Maker,” I read and used the accompanying journal, also by the same author. The title is “Draw the Circle Prayer Journal – The 40 Day Prayer Challenge.” This challenged me to pray very specific prayers. Not only to pray them, but to intensely lift up my heart’s desires to God. In my prayer journal I call them my ‘circle prayers.’ Also, I say that I ‘circle pray’ for [the specific request]. Mark Batterson writes, “Each prayer is like a seed that gets planted in the ground. It disappears for a season, but it eventually bears fruit that blesses future generations. In fact, our prayers bear fruit forever.”

My own “The Circle Maker” Prayer

An example of one of my ‘circle prayers’ was when we were looking for a new home. At the time we were outgrowing our current home. I did not pray that we find a bigger house. Nor did I pray for the schools that my children would one day go to. Instead, I prayed specifically for all of it. I asked God for a home that was a good size for our family to live in. Also, I prayed for my kids’ schools- that they would be the best match for our family. Additionally, I prayed for our future neighbors. I did not ask God for good neighbors. I asked for neighbors that would be a blessing to our family and our family would be a blessing to them. This was my ‘circle prayer’ for months.

We put our ‘then house’ on the market in October. With several offers to choose from, we were excited to put our house under contract. The buyer agreed to wait until the end of the year to officially purchase the home. In doing that, we were able to continue looking for another house. By Christmas we had not found another house, despite putting offers on 7 houses. We gave the highest offer for all but 1 of the houses. However, many other people waived inspections. We were not comfortable in doing that.

The day after Christmas we moved into a 2-bedroom apartment. We were grateful for the people that came to help us move right after Christmas day. The apartment was tight with two adults, two kids, a baby and a large dog. However, we managed and enjoyed the walking trails, dog parks, playgrounds, neighbors, pond and more.

I continued to ‘circle pray’ for our home, neighbors, school and neighborhood. Meanwhile, we still went to see some houses. Eventually, in February, we went to a house and felt right at home. I prayed for the neighborhood, neighbors, the house itself to be the best for us and more. We got a phone call from our realtor not long after that. The sellers wanted to know if we would consider waiving inspections.

Even though we were excited about this house, we were not going to waive inspections. Much of the house had recently been updated, so we did not think there was an issue. After that phone call we honestly thought we had lost the house. However, a couple of days later we received another phone call from our realtor. She was calling to tell us that we got the house. It has been everything I had prayed for and more.

In her book, “My Natural History,” Liz Primeau describes her gardening journey through her life. As she went through life, growing and maturing, her garden changed, too. She learned more about herself as she gained knowledge about her favorite past time.

Beginning of Gardening Interests

The author begins the book by describing how she gained an interest in gardening. Liz Primeau, as an adolescent, lived with her mom, dad and sister in Manitoba, Canada. Her dad’s Victory Garden sparked an interest in her.  She and her mom would sneak green onions from her dad’s vegetable garden. Then they would enjoy the onions in sandwiches with mayonnaise. The primary purpose of his garden was to make (grow) food for their family to eat. In addition to that, this vegetable garden also encouraged a young Liz Primeau to gain an interest in plants.

After her father died from the effects of a stroke, her mom moved their family. Their new residence was in southern Ontario, where her mom grew up. Now they were near her mom’s family for support. Though he could never replace her father, Liz Primeau’s Uncle Ren quickly became her garden mentor. While her father enjoyed vegetable gardening, her Uncle Ren had a fondness for annuals and perennials.

In “My Natural History,” the author goes into detail about specific plants. No matter what changes came throughout her life, gardening was her constant. Though her garden was different everywhere she moved to in Canada, gardening always had a part in her life. She wrote about her gardening experiences writing for a magazine. Then, she used her experiences when she was on a TV show. All of her gardening adventures were in Canada. Her work in the media took her all over the country.

A Bit of Biodiversity

Liz Primeau wrote about biodiversity in the garden and how it is beneficial. Also, how it can benefit nature as a whole. She also wrote about invasive and introduced animal species. For example, she wrote about the grey squirrels’ effects on England. Also, she wrote about the European startlings and Gypsy moths in North America and raccoons in Germany.

In Conclusion: My Natural History

“The garden is not the place for control freaks and perfectionists, and yet I know that in my callow youth I tried to make mine conform. I used to wish for the time when it would be finished, when it would reach the perfection I envisioned.” This was a thought she had near the end of the book. With that in mind, she included “The Six Stages of Gardening.” Of this, she said, “these stages echo the stages in our lives, from the desire for immediate gratification in our youth to the deeper and mellower pleasures of maturity.” In conclusion, Liz Primeau determined, “that life, as well as gardening, is indeed a journey with many worthwhile stops along the way, if you’d only you take your eyes off the road long enough to recognize them. And if you do, you’ll never have to ask if that’s all there is.”   

Overview of ‘Undaunted’

In the book, Undaunted, Christine Caine depicts how, when she put her whole trust in God, He is faithful to see the plan through. She was led to begin a program to help victims of human trafficking. Although they were told it would not succeed, she and her husband, Nick, followed God’s leading.

Daunted

When she was an adult, Christine Caine found out that she and her brother were adopted.  Because of that, at one point in her life, she was just a number.  When her biological mother gave her up, the author was not wanted and did not have a name.  She was just identified as a number.  She stated, “Even though I only just found out that I was adopted, God has always known, and he has always loved me.  And since that has never changed, therefore nothing has essentially changed.  I may not be who I thought I was, but I still am who he says I am. And I am more. I am loved. I am his.”

Don’t Put Limits on What God has Planned

Christine Caine said, “If we allow other people to tell us what we are and are not qualified to do, we will limit what God wants to do with us.” Sometimes when God calls people to do His will, those people feel inadequate. Other times they allow other people to influence the direction they go in.  In turn, that prohibits those that are called to a purpose from completing that purpose.  For instance, someone they were to help does not get that assistance needed.

“We should be sensitive to the possibility, if we lack those gifts (music, speaking, maintenance, etc..), that God may be leading us in a different direction. But once we find that direction, we must not allow ourselves to be deterred. What is impossible with people is possible with God.”  She gives examples of Moses, Gideon and Jeremiah. God says in Isaiah 55:8 & 9, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD, “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”(NLT)

Becoming Undaunted

In Undaunted, Christine Caine shares of how she felt unwanted.  She shares how she overcame her own abuse. Also, she talks about her suffering of losing a child. Her trials allow her to connect with others that are suffering or to empathize with others’ hardships. Christine Caine and a friend visited Auschwitz, the site of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II.  She saw evidence of torture and oppression and was moved emotionally. After her visit she felt God calling her to help the oppressed in the world around her.

Direction to Go

As a speaker, Christine Caine went to conferences.  She was on her way to Greece to speak at a Women’s Conference.  It so happened that, after the plane landed and the passengers got off the plane, there was a delay in getting their luggage.  During that delay she wandered around that part of the airport and saw posters of missing people.  She felt a strong attachment to helping the people oppressed, kidnapped, sold and abused. She realized that the horrific treatment of people at Auschwitz and throughout Nazi-controlled areas was not just of days past.  People-many of them young girls- are being oppressed, kidnapped, sold, abused, tortured and more right now due to human trafficking. 

She did not know where to begin. Eventually she realized that, “…when we give what we have, and don’t overthink it, God-the God of hope-delivers the rest.”  Her main point of the book is, “Don’t let Difficulty keep you from daring to go where God wants you to go.  God will make a way.” Don’t be daunted by the seemingly large task that God calls you to.  Be Undaunted. If He calls you, He will make a way.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free..” (Luke 4:18, NLT)