” . . . complications are evidence of God’s blessing. And if it’s from God, then it’s a holy complication.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 10 of The Circle Maker, he writes that one reason people get frustrated spiritually is they feel doing the will of God should get easier. However, Pastor Batterson […]
“When God gives a vision, He makes provision.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson begins Chapter 10 (“The Cattle on a Thousand Hills”) of The Circle Maker by acknowledging that the time lapse between our prayer requests and God’s answers often is longer than we would like. Mark believes God must love the game of Chicken because […]
“The greatest moments in life are the moments when God intervenes on our behalf and blesses us way beyond what we expect or deserve.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 9 of The Circle Maker, he reminds us there is nothing God loves more than keeping His promises. Praying hard is standing on God’s […]
Mark Batterson begins Chapter 9 (“The Favor of Him Who Dwells in the Burning Bush”) of The Circle Maker with a discussion of the by-products of answered prayer. Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse, a community outreach ministry of National Community Church, is the result of eight years of praying hard and circling. God miraculously made it possible for […]
“Reading is the way you get through the Bible; prayer is the way you get the Bible through you.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson completes Chapter 8 of The Circle Maker by referencing an old preacher’s sermon titled God’s Grammar: “Never put a comma where God puts a period, and never put a period where God […]
“If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If he had a wallet, your photo would be in it. . . . Whenever you want to talk, he’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, and he chose your heart.”- Max Lucado “For you are my rock and my fortress; and for […]
“You can give up or hang on. You can let go or pray through. You can get frustrated with God or choose to live unoffended.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 8 (“Persistence Quotient”) of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson note various studies show that persistence quotient is strongly correlated with success. There is no substitute for […]
“Praying hard is praying through. And if you pray through, God will come through. But it will be God’s will, God’s way.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson moves on by introducing “The Second Circle- Pray Hard.” This second circle covers Chapters 8-11 of The Circle Maker. Pastor Batterson cites the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18: […]
“But God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called.”- Mark Batterson As Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 7 of The Circle Maker, he defines a big dream as something beyond your human ability to accomplish. This means it is perfectly natural that there will be moments when you doubt yourself, as Mark describes: “If you’ve […]
“The size of prayers depends on the size of our God.”- Mark Batterson In Chapter 7 (“The Solution to Ten Thousand Problems”) of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson states the answer to the question will determine the size of your prayer circles: “Is the Lord’s arm too short (Numbers 11:23)?” Or, as the Good News […]
“I have come to expect the unexpected because God is predictably unpredictable.”- Mark Batterson Mark Batterson concludes Chapter 6 of The Circle Maker by reflecting on a favorite saying of his grandmother: You can’t never always sometimes tell. Translation: “Anything could happen.” The same is true when you circle a promise in prayer. Prayer adds […]
In Chapter 6 (“You Can’t Never Always Sometimes Tell”) of The Circle Maker, Mark Batterson discusses valuable lessons about unanswered prayers that he has learned. The learning began when Pastor Batterson almost said no to a miracle. A married couple, new members of National Community Church, wanted to talk to Mark about church government. Pastor […]