Evotional.com - Mark Batterson

Had a thought during one of the sessions today.

There are three ways to translate the Bible. You can translate it with 1) your mind 2) your heart and 3) your life.

I think a lot of us settle for the mental translation. But the end result is information. And what happens is this: we learn more, do less, and think we're growing spiritually. But not if that's the only translation.

The second translation is emotional. And the emotional translation may seem more subjective than intellectual translation. But that is when our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God. It’s not just information. It’s transformation. For the record, I think one person with one deeply held conviction will make more of a difference than someone with a hundred good ideas.

Finally, there is the life translation. That is when we become a “living epistle.†That is when the noun turns into a verb. And that is how we change the world. At the end of the day, Jesus isn't going to say, "Well thought good and faithful servant." He's going to say, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Imagine a church filled with people who are translating the Bible with their lives!

Catalyst is an annual reminder of how far we've come as a church. I still remember going to our first Catalyst Conference and there we're only two of us on staff--myself and Joel Schmidgall. Over the years our team has grown. This year we brought 26 staff and proteges. Someday we'll have to charter a flight.

So grateful for our team! Such a great chemistry. I think how much you enjoy ministry is directly proportional to how much you like the people you're working with. I love ministry, in part, because I love our team.

Here's a shot from annual Thursday night dinner at PF Chang's.

I think this is my eighth catalyst conference. And I have to say that today was maybe the most powerful day of speakers I've ever heard. It ministered to my mind and my heart.

The last session of the day was Craig Groeschel. And his last point or last prayer was "ruin me." It comes down to this: our hearts need to break for the things that break the heart of God. And I felt ruined. In fact, we usually try to beat the traffic and be the first ones out. But our team couldn't leave. We found a conference room to talk and cry and pray.

As we sat in the balcony during that last session, I felt like the Holy Spirit took me back to my initial call in college. And He said in that spirit voice: what happened to the guy that used to pace the chapel balcony for hours seeking my heart? It messed me up. Broke me. Wrecked me.

I need to quit ministry and go back to calling.

May God ruin us!

My day started with my alarm going off at 5:18 AM. I always set it to an even time! Caught a 7 AM flight to Atlanta. For what it's worth, sat right in front of Dick Gephardt, former Majority leader and presidential candidate. Grabbed a bite at Chik-fil-A. Gotta eat at Chik-fil-A when you're in Atlanta!

Really enjoyed connecting with some pastor friends. Catalyst feels like a reunion. Fun to talk with people who have been influenced by In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day or Wild Goose Chase. And I loved doing the lab.

Had dinner at the Leaping Leprechaun with some of the speaking team. Waiting for the rest of our team to arrive. They fly in tonight. Gonna be fun to hang out for 48 hours!

Hop an early AM flight. Headed to the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. This is an annual pilgrimage for our entire staff. Honestly, it feels like a reunion. Love reconnecting with friends. And it's fun hanging out with our team.

I'm doing a lab today. Then I can kick back.

The second printing of Wild Goose Chase just came off the press. Just got 1863 pounds of books delivered to our office. If you'd like a bulk discount on a case of books (24 books) email resources@theaterchurch.com.

Gonna celebrate the second printing with a 50% discount. Want to get as many books into as many hands as possible.

Chase the Goose!

Sometimes my ineptitudes amaze me! I don't even know how to operate my office phone. So today I noticed a blinking light so I asked our Media Pastor, Dave Clark, for some tech support because I don't know how to get into my voice mail. Long story short, the message was from June 13. Nice! Thinking about putting a greeting on my voice mail: Leave a message and I'll try to get back to you within four months!

If you want to get a hold of me you probably don't want to call. Long live email.

Just wanted to let locals know that we've got the Robbie Seay Band in concert at Ebenezers Coffeehouse on Sunday, October 12 @ 6 PM. It'll be a great concert for a great cause.

Check it out.

This summer I spoke at Northwaychurch.tv for my friend, Buddy Cremeans. Love hanging out with Buddy! He's one of the good guys. And by the way, he is now a triathlete! When I was there in August I told him about my triathlon and the next thing I know I get a call from him a week ago and he's running a triathlon. That's some microwave training!

Anywho. I did a little interview. And he humbled me on the basketball court. This week in my message I talked about a reverse dunk I did in college. But in the spirit of "keepin' it real," my first shot in HORSE was a good old-fashioned air ball.

Watch the air ball.

Kicked off The Elephant in the Church series this weekend.

I love the challenge of taking on tough topics or controversial issues. Too many churches are answering questions no one is asking. We dance around the real issues. But when we have the courage to talk about tough topics I think we experience a healthy tension as a church. I also think it's as good opportunity to remind people that I'm not omniscient. In fact, I told our congregation upfront: don't take my word for it. Go back to the original source. The Bible is the ultimate authority.

Some of the issues we'll explore in this series are things that God-fearing, Bible-believing, Christ-following people have disagreed about for two thousand years. And because of that, we often steer clear of them. And I'm certainly not advocating that we major in minors. But I think it's disingenuous when we ignore them. We've got to think about them and talk about them. And that is what this series is about. It gives us permission to talk about tough topics. And we may agree to disagree. But we'll be better off having had the tough conversation.

So this weekend I talked about spiritual gifts and I Corinthians 12-14. If you want to check out the message, you can sign-up for a free subscription. All of my messages are turned into transcripts and sent out via email.

I bumped into one of our volunteers at 7:15 AM on Sunday morning and I was filled with such a profound appreciation for the people who make NCC happen week in and week out. They are the heart and soul of NCC. It takes a boatload of volunteers to make church happen in four locations. And I know it would be much more relaxing sleeping in on Sunday. So grateful for the people who are pouring their time and energy into NCC.

By the way, I don't love the word "volunteer". Any churches call their "volunteers" something else? It just doesn't seem to capture the heart or skill or passion of the people who serve.

Wanted to put a theater church conference on the radar. It's being put on by Cinemedia and it's coming to DC, October 22-23. I'm speaking on day two. Would love to connect with some other theater churches!

Here's one of my favorite phrases in Scripture. I Samuel 14:6 says, "Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf." I love that modus operandi. But I honestly think many if not most Christians take the opposite approach. Perhaps the Lord WON'T act in our behalf. We let fear dictate our decisions. We have a better-safe-than-sorry mentality. We live as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.

Maybe it's time for a paradigm shift.When did we start believing that God wants to take us to safe places to do easy things? Here's a thought: the will of God is not an insurance plan. It's a daring plan.

I think we've made a false assumption that the will of God gets easier as we grow spiritually. Some dimensions do get easier with the consistent practice of spiritual disciplines. But I also think God will give us more difficult, dangerous, and daring things to do!

I love this phrase. It's so hopeful. It's so optimistic. And it's the key to living with holy anticipation. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. May God give us the spirit of Jonathan!

We showed a teaser this weekend for our upcoming series: The Elephant in the Church. Check out it out. The series plays off the old aphorism: the elephant in the room. Talking about obvious truths that everybody ignores.

Off to the Multi-Site Exposed Conference put on by Leadership Network. We are tag-teaming with Seacoast and Healing Place. Look forward to hanging out with Greg Surratt and Dino Rizzo. Two of the good guys!

I've got to admit that I've thoroughly enjoyed not traveling five weeks in a row. Despite the fact that I've done quite a bit of traveling the past year, I consider myself a homebody. But I'm entering a stretch where I'm on the road the next five weeks. Praying for a little extra grace and a little extra strength.

Wanted to share a couple free downloads available at www.chasethegoose.com. You can download a sample chapter from Wild Goose Chase or 10 Steps to Setting Life Goals.

Wrapped up the Wild Goose Chase series today. I got pretty fired up. Translation? Long message! Really felt the message today. Talked about the cage of fear and one of my favorites phrases in Scripture: "Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf." (I Sam 14:6)

Love that modus operandi. I think a lot of Christians take the opposite approach: Perhaps the Lord WON'T act on our behalf. And that fear or lack of faith keeps us from the Wild Goose Chase. We let fear dictate our decisions instead of faith.

It's an intangible, but it feels like we've got a ton of momentum right now. Tough series to end, but I'm excited about The Elephant in the Church. We'll kick if off next weekend.

We celebrated Parker's birthday yesterday with a little surprise. It was one year ago that we signed a discipleship covenant. So I wanted to celebrate some of the things he has achieved with more than a party. I feel like this birthday is a rite of passage.

We've had our bumps and bruises over the past year. And I'm so far from a perfect dad. I honestly feel frustrated with myself many if not most days. But I'm bound and determined not to let our culture raise my kids. I've said it a thousand times, but the greatest challenge and deepest desire of my heart is to disciple my kids.

So I took Parker kayaking around Roosevelt Island. And I set it up so that his three uncles that live here in the area would be there waiting for him. The island is a significant place for us. We hike there often. Parker caught his first lizard there. And it's a little wilderness in the middle of the city.

His uncles each gave Parker a sealed letter and a symbolic gift and spent some time talking about one of our four values. For what it's worth, I also wrote him a letter that amounts to a Father's Blessing. He also got a letter from his Grandpa Batterson. And we transcribed the prayer of dedication that his Grandpa Schmidgall prayed for him as a baby.

After each of the uncles spent a few minutes with him, I met him at the middle of the island at the Roosevelt monument. And the staging could not have been any better. On one side is a monument to youth with some amazing Roosevelt quotes. And on the other side is a monument to manhood. And Parker is literally in between those stages. He's still a boy. But he's becoming a man.

I'm praying that these letters and this place become one of his sacred altars--a place to go back to in the years to come when he needs to pray or think or reflect.

A milestone day. An Ebenezer moment.

Hiterto the Lord has helped me!

Just found out Wild Goose Chase is going to a second printing. That'll make your day! Of course, it spent all of one week on one bestseller list (Washington Post). And that'll keep you humble!

Awfully encouraged by the early emails and letters. We prayed that God would get the book into the right hands at the right time. So I feel like every book printed is a prayer waiting to be answered.

I recently told my kids that if they simply learn to genuinely say please and thank you it'll get them further ahead in life than just about anything else. Then I read an interesting article in Fast Company that touched on the thank-you scarcity in our culture. We don't say "thank you" as often as we ought to.

In her book, The How of Happiness, Sonja Lyubomirsky explores a dozen scientifically proven strategies to make you happier. The first? Expressing gratitude. I try to start my day with my gratitude journal. Honestly, it determines what kind of day I'm going to have regardless of what happens that day, good or bad.

Say thank you to someone for something everyday and you'll be much happier. And start by thanking God for His mercies that are new every morning!

If you are doing a small group, book club or sermon series on In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day or Wild Goose Chase, we can hook you up with a bulk discount on books.

Email resources@theaterchurch.com.

We also have some free resources @ www.chasethegoose.com and www.chasethelion.com.

Just thought I'd share a few thoughts from this weekend's message on the cage of failure. We're now sending out an email version of my weekend messages. If you want a free subscription you can sign-up here.

In 1809, he was born into poverty—a one-room log cabin 16 x 18 feet. In 1816, his family was evicted from their home and he had to work to support them. In 1818, his mother died. In 1831, he failed in business. In 1832, he ran for the state legislature and lost. In 1832, he also lost his job & wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in. In 1833, he borrowed money to start a business and was bankrupt by the end of the year. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off the debt. In 1835, he was engaged to be married but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken. In 1836, he had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months. In 1843, he ran for congress and lost. In 1849, he sought the job of land officer in his home state and was rejected. In 1854. he ran for the Senate and lost. In 1856, he sought the vice-presidential nomination at his party’s national convention and got less than 100 votes. In 1858, he ran for the U.S. Senate again and lost again. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States of America.

Abraham Lincoln’s life was filled with incredible suffering and setbacks, but that is what enabled him to endure the most difficult Presidency in history as America was divided by a Civil War. Failure prepared him for success.

So what kept Lincoln going? How did he endure the setbacks? He never lost his sense of destiny. And I think it's captured in his own words. Before leaving friends and family for his first term as President, Lincoln said: "I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail."

Another whirlwind weekend. Really enjoyed our men's retreat. So cool to make some connections. Fun to toss the corn hole and play a little b-ball. I spoke in one of the morning sessions then made the trip back to DC to speak at our Saturday night service. Made for a long day!

I stayed at Union Station this weekend. Met lots of visitors including a Congressman. That's one of the reasons I love doing church in DC. Never know who's going to show up! But every person who walks through our doors has a divine appointment with God.

Gonna chill out and watch some serious football. Go Vikings, Redskins, Packers, and Jets. Gotta love having four teams! Someone's bound to win! Yes, I'm still upset at the Packer's management. But I've got cheese in my veins. And I'm more of a Favre fan than a Jets fan. But since I don't have an AFC team, why not.

Just went to post something on twitter and realized I had just hit 1000 posts. Time flies when you're having fun. I know twitter gets mixed reviews, but I love it. Gives me a little glimpse into the lives of the people I follow. I know some of the things seems insignificant, but I feel a little more connected when I know what show someone is watching or what they're doing or the simple fact that their baby had a rough night.

Long live Twitter!

Last year we did a series titled The Elephant in the Church. I think it was our hardest hitting and most popular series last year. We play off the old adage: the elephant in the room. It refers to "an obvious truth that everyone ignores."

I hate to say it, but the church is full of elephants. We're answering questions no one is asking. We're dancing around the real issues. Long story short, the Elephant strikes back! We're going to take off the gloves and go at it again. Not 100% sure what elephants we'll talk about this year, but we're open to suggestions!

What are the elephants in the church?

My brother-in-law, Matt Lahr, sent me a cool link where you can find old archives of your website. Before we were theaterchurch.com it was nccdc.org. Makes me doubly grateful for our digital pastor, David Russell.

Check out our old website.

We've started sending transcript versions of my weekend messages via email again. We call them evotionals. If you'd like a free subscription, here's a link.

Every Tuesday we begin our week with a staff meeting that revolves around sharing wins. Lots of wins this week. Thought I'd share one that was really cool.

I bumped into a guy at one of our services that I knew looked familiar, but I couldn't place the face. So I said hi and he told me he was part of the security detail for a cabinet member that attended NCC several years ago. He used to come because he had to come. He was "on duty." But I guess he's recently started attending NCC. So cool. And I felt so much safer knowing he was there!

A good reminder that God is in the divine appointment business!

I'm doing a video shoot with bluefishTV today. Doing four small group sessions on the life of Abraham. It's part of a biographical series they've been shooting with a variety of communicators. Check it out.

We're actually shooting it in our coffeehouse which is kind of cool. Gives it a nice vibe. And here's the clincher. I'm using a teleprompter. That's a first for me. Don't know how I'll go back to good old-fashioned memory.

I love teleprompters!

Another wild and wacky weekend. Ran the sprint triathlon out at Dewey Beach. Then Lora took off for a little girl getaway so I did some Daddy Daycare. My kids will have a renewed appreciation for mom when she gets back!

Loving the Wild Goose Chase series. Talked about the cage of guilt this weekend and we celebrated communion. I was supposed to preach live at Georgetown today, but it took thirty minutes to get there. I think there was some race going on because Constitution and Independence were closed. And Key Bridge was a nightmare! So frustrated sitting in traffic, but grateful for a backup video.

Chilled out this afternoon and watched some football. Enjoyed Catacombs tonight. Did a little laundry and gotta make lunches for the kiddos.