Mark Batterson

Whisper. Just hearing the word makes you feel that hushed tone wash over you. You don't just whisper to anyone. Whispering requires leaning in and softly use your breath to compose words. It's intimate. It's personal. It's relationship at a deeper level.

In Whisper, Mark Batterson show you how to lean in and hear the voice of God by learning seven of God's love languages.

When I first picked up this book I assumed the focus would be prayer and meditation but it is so much more than that. Mr. show more Batterson has a way of intertwining historic people and events with God's Word to drive his points home and leave you sitting there, book open on your lap, soaking in what you just read. Whisper is about love and listening for God's still, small voice amiss a crazy, loud life.

I was careful to check all of the Biblical references that were mentioned throughout the book and this sent me on a deeper study than just reading the book cover to cover, which I really enjoyed. The Bible has again became alive to me! Many of the points that the author pointed out I have heard before but, because of their relevance, they will always bear repeating. After reading Whisper, I felt empowered and am prayerfully going back through the book to delve even deeper into this study of hearing God's voice, getting more into God's Word, and finding my "whispering spot."

Mr. Batterson has a writing style that I have always enjoyed and I love how personable his books are. He is not afraid to give you a glimpse into his life and struggles and the historical stories are always fascinating. You always finish his books feeling closer to the Lord as well as remembering quirky stories that you would most likely have never known otherwise.

The hardest chapter for me to read was the very last chapter which talked about pain being the seventh love language. Though hard to read I get it at the same time. There is a purpose beyond our pain, you just need to have faith and "listen to what God is saying during these tough times." You'll come out on the other side stronger than you ever were before.

I enjoyed this book immensely and if you are a fan of Mark Batterson's work I'm sure you will too. It was thought-provoking, deep, powerful, and wonderful! show less

Summary: Discusses seven virtues that distinguishes men from boys, and how Christian fathers can help sons navigate the passage from youth to manhood.

“He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.” –Malachi 4:6

Mark Batterson believes we are facing a crisis of manhood in our culture. We neither know how to “play the man” nor how to “make the man” and these show more two phrases become kind of a mantra for Batterson’s vision of recovering a truly Christian manhood, and particularly, the crucial work of helping boys make the passage to manhood. Citing the verse above, Batterson lays the major responsibility for this latter task not on teachers, or youth workers, or pastors, but on fathers. But in order to “make the man,” one must “play the man.”

Batterson draws this phrase from the words Polycarp heard facing martyrdom in the Colosseum: “Be strong, Polycarp. Play the man.” Batterson believes one “plays the man” when one embraces and lives out seven virtues:

Tough Love: a love willing to go to the cross for one they love, to forgive the offender, and to weep when faced with brokenness.

Childlike Wonder: the sense of adventure and child-like curiosity typified by Teddy Roosevelt who read voraciously and explored just as voraciously, and whose wonder translates into humble worship.

Will Power: the ability to defer gratification, to say “no” to desire to say “yes” to a life of integrity.

Raw Passion: “An insatiable energy that motivates you to live each day like it’s the first day and last day of your life.” He believes this comes as one defeats the three-headed dragon of doubt, apathy, and lust.

True Grit: Commending the example of the one-armed explorer of the American West, John Wesley Powell, he talks about the physical and mental toughness that is characterized as resilience.

Clear Vision: Real men live out of a vision of a life well-lived, shaped by the mission of Jesus and they give themselves to instilling that vision in their families.

Moral Courage: He argues that Jesus didn’t die to keep us safe but to make us dangerous, which begins by choosing to wash feet and taking responsibility to serve rather than washing our hands of responsibility.

Batterson takes a chapter to explore each of these virtues, illustrating them from historical figures. One of the things I appreciated was that he incorporates honesty about where we fall short into discussions of each of these virtues, as well as illustrations from his own life. He also stresses that while he is speaking to men, by no means does he limit these virtues to men. I appreciated the fact that he seeks to encourage his daughter as well as his two sons in developing these qualities and a physical, mental and spiritual fiber, that included preparing to do the Alcatraz swim with his daughter.

The second part of the book focuses on “making the man”–how fathers may help their sons make this passage to virtuous manhood. Mostly, what he does is share what he did with his two sons in developing a discipleship covenant that included physical, mental, and spiritual challenges and that culminates in a rite of passage which included both an ordeal (a rafting trip down the Colorado River with one son, and a rim to rim hike of the Grand Canyon with the other) and a ceremony marking the passage with a blessing.

I suspect some women reading this may be uneasy about a book like this. Is this yet another assertion of male power over women? I don’t see evidence of this. I would like to have seen him add a virtue of respectful partnership with women to make this more explicit. What I see him addressing is the phenomenon of boys running around in men’s bodies, either passive or playing macho games of sexual conquest. His book is a call to character, and to the critical role fathers, or significant male mentors, can play in helping boys become men of character, of virtue.

I do hear overtones of John Eldridge and the “wild at heart” phenomenon. The question I would press with Batterson is whether this is simply a male need, or rather that all of us, both men and women are meant to live “dangerously” in Christ. I’ve had the privilege to work alongside women who are strong leaders equally ready to take God-sized risks. I actually think one of the most exhilarating experiences a leader can have is to work within teams with strong leaders of both genders who see leadership as not about power but partnership in serving the people of God in pursuit of the kingdom of God. Equally, I’m convinced that the best marriages are marked by two mature people mutually serving each other and pursuing God’s call together. While I would have liked Batterson to make that more explicit as something critical to the discipleship of our sons, his call to men to “play the man” and to fathers to “make the man” is one that I think is desperately needed in our day.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. show less

Bear in mind that the basic premise of this book is a supposed historical event (you can never argue with experiences). Problematically, history can never tell you what ought to be; history can only tell you what happened. Yet, author Mark Batterson bases his entire argument on what happened (experience) a generation before Jesus came, not what the Bible says ought to be (principle). Unfortunately, there is no Scripture Index--which is always telling in a book that is purportedly show more "Christian"--and I could find no reference to Matthew 6, which is a primary text of Jesus' teaching on prayer.

"The earth has circled the sun more than two thousand times since the day Honi drew his circle in the sand, but God is still looking for circle makers" (page 13). How he knows this is God's current activity Batterson does not say.

The author asserts that the failure to pray dream fulfilling and miraculous prayers is due to our not coming to terms with the truth that God is for us. However, the Apostle Paul assets (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), that the conviction that God is for us is grounded in the atoning work of Christ, and he makes no mention of prayer in the context. Therefore, Batterson is, at best, guilty of synthetically interpreting (eisegesis - get a dictionary) Scripture.
Because God tells us to "redeem the time", I cannot suggest you read this book.
However, if you want to read a book that makes unfounded assertions, misrepresents God and and his Word, and lacks cogent argumentation, I highly recommend you read this volume. Otherwise, use it, page by page, for starting fires on cold winter mornings.

If you want to read a good book on prayer, find one that starts out citing Scripture and does so the entire way. show less

Author Mark Batterson is one of the most enthusiastic writers I have come across. It seems like he is just bursting to tell you all the scientific information he has researched about our bodies, the world, outer space, nature, all the millions of miracles created by God.

Batterson shares his research and the convincing evidence of God’s presence with humor, excitement, and passion. He quotes Einstein, John Muir, Charles Darwin, the Bible, C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr. and just about show more everyone who has anything amazing to say about God.

The book contains examples from Batterson’s life as well as many others who have rediscovered the mysteries that God provides in our everyday lives. He encourages readers to “quit taking things for granted and start taking them for gratitude.” I think the main point of his book is about being thankfully aware of all the good things in life.

To be honest, I would have preferred the book to be more organized. His enthusiasm often overwhelmed me – I felt bombarded by all those scientific facts and even though they were amazing, it was too much all at once, before he made his points in each chapter. And sometimes by the time he made that point, my mind was numb. Another true confession, after reading half of the book, I began to skim chunks, hoping to get to the “good part,” the part that would be an aha moment. If I was a science nerd, I probably would have liked this book more than I did.

I agree that everything in the world reflects the glory of God, but this book reminded me of an untrained, boisterous golden retriever puppy. Calm down! show less