Mark Batterson's Blog, page 14

Stirred: Stirred, Not Shaken

The Doubters Club: The Uncertainty Principle

Easter, The Doubters Club: Run to the Tomb

Six Stone Jars

In 1934 Ole Kirk Christiansen was a Danish carpenter turned toy maker. The company he created was called LEGO, a word coined from two Danish words meaning “play well.” Their motto? Only the best is the best. That’s not a bad encapsulation of the miracle at Cana. The master of ceremonies put it this way…

Good Eye

During my senior year of high school, my basketball coach noticed I was squinting at the free throw line, so he suggested I get my vision checked out. I honestly thought my vision was normal, but the ophthalmologist informed me that I had 20/40 vision. I was seeing at twenty feet what people with normal…

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…