The Circle Maker

December 12, 2011
In his latest book, Washington, D.C., area pastor-author Batterson (In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day) says his method of talking to God “has the power to revolutionize the way you pray”—and he just might be right. Yet this method isn’t packaged with hipster edge or a 10-step strategy. Batterson uses timeless knowledge and tales that predate Jesus to urge the reader to simply drop to his knees. Beginning with the Jewish legend of Honi, who drew a circle around himself and prayed for rain, Batterson examines the answered prayers of several “circle makers.” The circle metaphor is applied loosely throughout the book (e.g., walking in prayer circles, praying in a group, praying repeatedly for a concern), making it accessible in multiple situations. At times Batterson’s excitement manifests as cutesy bumper sticker–like phrases, and he spends much of the book recounting his own church’s miraculous growth. But readers will fall for his intensity and encouragement to pray “tenaciously.” The unearthed technique will have readers drawing prayer circles around everything from buildings and news to their own hopes and dreams. Agent: Esther Fedorkevich.