Mark Batterson's Blog, page 14

Seed the Clouds

November 13, 1946, a plane took off from the Schenectady County Airport with a rather unique payload—six pounds of dry ice. Its mission? To seed the clouds with solidified carbon dioxide, in hopes of creating enough condensation to cause precipitation. Upon takeoff, Schaefer flew his single-propeller plane into a cumulus cloud and dumped the dry…

Wind the Clock

Caleb was forty years old when he was chosen as one of twelve spies to do reconnaissance in the Promised Land. It was Caleb who cast vision to the nation: “Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it.” If I had to guess Caleb’s StrengthsFinder profile, it…

Cut the Rope

In 1853, America hosted its first world’s fair in New York City. The organizers built a beautiful exhibition hall called the Crystal Palace. This is where the latest and greatest inventions were showcased. This is also where a man named Elisha Otis pulled off one of the most remark­able stunts in the history of the…

Fly the Kite

In the mid-eighteenth century, the only way to cross the Niagara Gorge was by boat. On November 9, 1847, a civil engineer named Charles Ellet Jr. was commissioned to build a suspension bridge across the chasm. Ellet naturally chose the narrowest neck, but it still pre­sented an impossible challenge. How do you stretch the first…

Eat the Frog

If you ever have to eat a live frog, it’s best done first thing in the morn­ing. Mark Twain is purported to have given this advice. If you have to eat two frogs, he reportedly recommended eating the bigger one first. I know this scenario is awfully unlikely, but it’s good advice nonetheless. Why eat…

Kiss the Wave

I have a friend who has had a migraine for five years. Moments of relief are few and far between. The pain became so debilitating that he eventually had to resign from the church he was pastoring. He’s been to countless specialists. He’s tried a wide variety of treatment plans. Nothing seems to help much…

Flip the Script

Win the Day – Flip the Script January 3, 2021 On April 20, 1913, Sir William Osler delivered a speech at Yale University, it was a simple message. I’ll give you the cliff notes, “live in day-tight compartments”. Now, that is easier said than done but if you can pull it off, if you can…

Flip the Script

I was not voted Most Likely to Succeed in junior high or high school. I was voted Best Dressed, which is unbelievable when I look back at my yearbook! I consider myself below average at most things. Like William Osler, I profess intellectual averageness. I have, however, learned how to leverage my weaknesses. If success…

Day-Tight Compartments

While teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Tony Campolo once turned an ordinary lecture into an unforgettable lesson. He asked an unsuspecting student sitting in the front row, “Young man, how long have you lived?” The student answered his age. Tony responded, “No, no, no. That’s how long your heart has been pumping blood.…

The Invisible Gorilla

Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons conducted an experiment at Harvard University more than a decade ago that became infamous in psychology circles. Their book The Invisible Gorilla popularized it. And you may be one of the millions of viewers who made their Selective Attention Test one of YouTubes most-watched videos. The two researchers filmed students passing basketballs while