The Eric Metaxas Show - Mark Batterson

Episode Date: March 17, 2021

Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., champions the idea of "winning the day," highlighting interesting chapters like "Eat the Frog" from his new book.

Hey there, folks. I'm recording this in Dallas. You know why that is? Why? You want to guess? Because I'm in Dallas. Yes, I'm in Dallas. Do I look pasty? That's just because I haven't done my push-ups yet. But let me just say this, Albin. As far as I know, we're talking to Mark Batterson in a few minutes. Is that still on schedule? Is he still going to be able to do this? He's a big deal. He did the Sunker. He did all these huge books. And somehow, he still finds the time to come on this program. to promote his next book. I don't know how it's possible. I think his next book is called Win the lottery or something like. No, it's win the day. Sorry.

It's win the day. Yeah. No, he's, listen, he's a lot of fun to talk to. So I can joke around because he really is a joy to talk to,

not like our other guests. Man, that's a lot of, there are a lot of work, aren't they? Yeah. Like my twin brother, he, this guy is like, listen,

folks, I'm sitting here, this is hard for me because I'm, I'm looking into the screen and I'm seeing double. Whoa. what's going on? I see Albin and then I see another Albin and yet it is not you Albin but it is your twin

brother. You were once a single egg which divided and the DNA is precisely the same and yet you're slightly different. Can you explain this genetically? Yeah, yeah we were a single egg and now we're two chickens so you can you explain it. But you do you know this? Listen, you're twins so I figure you must know about this, Tony, help me out here, because Albin and I are always talking, I never get to talk to you. What is it like being in the shadow of a giant like Albin Sada? Has it crushed your spirit over the years? Well, I have withered a bit as a blossoming flower. It's sad. He doesn't mean to overshadow you, but he can't help it. He's just such a giant personality that he would crush anybody who would, who would dare to try to get some sunlight. He just absolutely can't

help it. Well, when we were growing up, we actually were entertainers. My twin brother did magic and I did ventriloquism. And then we your twin brother, isn't he sitting right there next to you and he has a name? You see what he did to you Tony? He just acted like you had died or something. Yeah. Yeah. Well, he's still doing ventriloquism. That's the thing. He thinks of his dummy. Ain't happening. Not this time, buddy. Uh-uh. No. Do you guys go out together? these days. Like, where are you now? Because you're obviously, I don't know where you are. I'm in Dallas. Where are you guys? We're in actually Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the famous Wright

Brother takeoff and landing spot, basically. They're letting us fly the plane this afternoon because they think we're so special. Take off and landing spot. Couldn't you have just said the first flight, because we assume that if they're flying, that there's a moment of take off and landing? Well, the first people here, it wasn't the Wright brothers, but they took off and they never. came back. So that's like, oh, yeah, they're on the moon right now. All right, man, this is just electrifying radio. Ladies and gentlemen, let me say this. I'm sorry. It'll never happen again. No, but Alvin, seriously, there's a car downstairs waiting for me. I know. We've got a few things to talk about. And then I got a blast out of here because I'm doing Daystar TV and with Marcus and Johnny

Joni Lamb. And I'm here in Dallas because I was preached on Sunday at Pastor Jeffress's church. And I gave the story of my coming to faith, which I obviously wrote about in my book, Fish Out of Water. But I'm doing a number of other things here. And then I'm going to go to El Paso, where I'm speaking today. So I'm going to fly to El Paso, and then I'm going to speak. You fly there first, then you speak. That's just a rule that I have when I'm on the road. By the way, my twin brother and I both read Fish Out of Water. My twin brother wrote a review of it in Washington Times.

When you say my twin brother, are you talking about the guy sitting next to you who looks just like you, to whom you're being rude by referring to him in the third person? Right. Well, he's right here. We both thought it was very, very funny in the same spot here. He. That's the third person, Albin. you could say Tony is right here.

That would humanize him a little bit. Okay. And that would be different for my twin brother to humanize. I just can't believe, you know, but Tony, the way he just wants to crush your spirit, it's just too obvious. It's obviously. subconsciously, he doesn't want you to exist. He just wants to push you out. Albin, have you always been this hostile to Tony?

Be honest, because nobody's listening. Be honest? I can't be honest. I can't humanize my twin brother. On behalf of the rest of humanity, beyond Albans, so to speak, I just want to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Because to see you being treated this way, it's just terrible. Okay, folks, enough sarcasm.

We got to talk about one important thing, two important things, actually, before we go to Mark Batterson, two important things. Number one, the Easter crosses. If you want to do something insanely smart this Easter, you got to do something. to do it like today. You go to Easter crosses. I can't think of the website. If you look it up, it's Eastercross.is.mister. Easter crosses.org. This is a genius idea. This is my friend Bruce, who I had dinner with last night here in Dallas. It's an idea he came up with, I don't know, 20 years ago. And you just put this white cross on your lawn. And, you know, it's about three feet, two feet high and you just leave it there from Palm Sunday until Easter and then on

Easter morning you flip it around and it says he is risen go to Easter crosses.org. This is a genius idea. Somebody should do this by a hundred of them and give it out at church or so. It's just a genius idea. Sorry, Eric, it's Eastercrosses.com. It's that simple. It's Eastercrosses.com. Oh, that's right. Eastercrosses.com because you get to pay. But they're very cheap. So seriously, the Eastercrosses.com. I just feel there are very few things that you hear about and you just say, that's just brilliant. It's just a brilliant idea.

Bruce Fogarty is brilliant. I mean, I've never met anybody with a mind that just he generates ideas at a staggering pace. And I have to say that this is one of the greatest ever. It's Eastercrosses.com. He's not an advertiser on this show. We're not, you know, making money to talk about this. I just think this is a spectacular idea.

he's a friend. And when he told me about this, I thought, how come no one else has thought of this? It's just, I don't know. I just think everybody in America needs to know about it, Eastercroft.com. And, yeah. And another good thing, and you've got to get those crosses right now, of course, because Easter week is coming up. And also, you've got to donate that food for the poor. That's a great Easter thing to do. Are there people who still haven't done that? I can't believe it. Okay, folks, you've got to go to Metaxistalk.com, click on the banner. You have to do this. It's just a legal issue. You just need to go there and take it. care of it. Metaxistalkisot.com. This is a great organization. We work with food for the poor because

we know that we can trust them. We know that what they do with every penny, every dollar is amazing. You know, you can give a lot of money to a lot of organizations and they're not really as lean and mean. Food for the poor has been doing this for a long time. They figured out how to do it. They figured out. They get a lot of food donated to feed these kids. But then, you know, they need money in order to transport the food, just the basics. And so for $37, they can feed six kids, I'm sorry, they can feed a kid for six months for $37. So obviously $11, $37, $37, we'll feed three kids for six months. It's just an extraordinary thing. $300 is eight kids for six months. It's just a amazing. You're able to really affect lives. And I want to say that the need in Honduras right now

is great. It's just they've been devastated, a tropical storm followed by a hurricane, and they've already got tremendous poverty there. So this is what we do. Those of us who've been blessed, we who have never seen a day of hunger by the grace of God out of our blessing, we can share something with these folks, food for the poor. You can find them at our website, Metaxus, talk.com. Anybody who gives anything, folks, let me get your kids together. Everybody put in a part of their allowance. And for every donation, we put, we'll put your name in a hat and we have five grand prize winners that we're going to draw out of the hat and we're going to send books and, you know, sign books and hats and T-shirts and, you know, everything we can fit into the box.

So you can call 844-863 Hope, 844-863 Hope. 844-863 hope. 844-8-6-3 hope. It's an important cause. They're desperate. They need our help. 8-44-863 hope. And we'll be back with my friend Pastor Mark Batterson.

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Batterson. Ringing any bells? Me neither. Mark, who are you? Mark Patterson, actually, I know who he is. I'm going to read it from the flap copy so I don't get it wrong. He's the lead pastor of National Community Church, NCC, in Washington, D.C. It's one church in seven locations. That's like the Trinity, only more complicated and mysterious. Mark Batterson, welcome to the program. Thanks, Eric. Great to be with you. One church in three in seven locations. That's like one God in three persons, except more complicated. I could almost imagine the Trinity, but a church in seven locations. Why are you in seven locations? I mean, you can't find a big enough building? What's the issue, Mark? Well, I mean, these days, Eric, we're, I mean, let's be honest, we're all over the world because we're online. So the truth is here in D.C., we aren't. gathering quite yet because of a few regulations. So we, we are online. I noticed he didn't say, I notice he didn't say fascist regulations. Thank you. Thank you for helping the fascist monsters

by letting them get away with it. Okay, so Mark, you're the author of a new book called Win the Day, Seven Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less and Accomplish More. Mark Batterson, I'm trying to remember, Have we ever met in person? Because there's so many times there are people that I've met this way. And then I can't remember if we've ever had a hug. I don't think so. We are virtual friends. Isn't that crazy?

We have the same agent, Esther Fedorkovich. How do we say her name? Yeah, I think that's close enough. You know, agents, they don't do anything anyway. So I don't mind mentioning Esther. But seriously, that's how originally you and I connected. You've written so many books. What's the big one, the circle maker?

It is, yeah, circle maker and chase the line, a few others. Yeah. Well, I always want to get people's story before we jump into the book, Win the Day, Seven Daily Habits to help you stress less and accomplish more. Mark Batterson, where did you grow up? I was born in Minneapolis, grew up in the Chicago area, so I'm a Midwestern person by history. but we've lived on Capitol Hill now for 25 years.

Whoa. And what brought you to that neck of the woods? Well, ironically, Eric, we attempted to start a church in Chicago. It failed. And because of that, we made a move to D.C. to kind of start over again. And so National Community Church really is our second chance, if you will. Wow. Now, I noticed that in the jacket photo of your...

your book, When the Day, Seven Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less and Accomplish More. You look much more tan. Has COVID been hard on your ability to get out into the sun? Yeah, we all have a little different tan line with the mask, don't we? Isn't it terrible? Yeah, I have been, I need some more vitamin D, Eric. Yeah, well, who doesn't? Don't we all?

Let me, but let me ask you, so have you really been in D.C. 25 years? That's amazing. It is, and we've, I mean, we've seen a lot of administrations come and go, and we've seen a lot of things happen, you know. And so we're in it for the long haul. I believe you play the long game. You plant gardens, you build houses, Jeremiah 29. And you see what can happen over, say, 40 or 50 years. Wow.

Well, see, that's where you and I differ. That's where we differ. I throw a bomb and then I move on to the next town. So here's the issue, Mark. You've written a book called Win the Day, Seven Daily Habits to help you stress less and accomplish more. So why seven daily habits? I mean, is that just because six sounded awkward or eight sounded odd? You want to go to 10 and the publisher said, hey, you really, Multnomah leaned on you.

They said, it needs to be seven. Can you make it seven? And you said, I'll include flossing, but that's as far. as my conscience will let me go. I love it. Eric, I had a word count. You know what that's all about. I had a word count and six habits didn't quite get us there. Eight was a little bit too much. And let's be honest, seven is the perfect number. If it's seven habits, a highly effective people, why not seven habits distress less than accomplished more? Well, I've written a few books with seven in the title. I wrote seven men. I wrote seven women. I wrote seven more men. And I get it. There's something nice about

the number. Well, people are dying to know. Give us some of these habits. I mean, can you list them quickly and then we'll go one by one and talk about them so people don't have to buy the book? Yeah, I sure can. You have to flip the script, kiss the wave, eat the frog, fly the kite, cut the rope, wind the clock, and seed the clouds. And bottom line, yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery. We've got to focus on winning the day. You do that enough days in a row and some pretty amazing things can happen. Wow. I have no idea what you just said. Am I alone? Do you know what you just said? Flip the script, kiss the wave, eat the frog, fly the kite, cut the rope, wind the clock, seed the clouds. Wow. You got it. These are very provocative and interesting. It makes me,

but it is kind of funny. It's like I want to know, what does he mean by that? Flip the script. So these are daily habits, Mark. These are daily habits, Mark. These are daily. habits. Let's start. Flip the script. What do you mean? Flip the script. What does that mean? Yeah. If you want to change your life, you have to change your story. In cybernetics, two kinds of change. First order change is behavioral. It's doing something more or less, which if you're going to die it, that helps. But conceptual change, second order change. It's telling ourselves a different story. And so it's getting the head space and the heart space right. And so tend to think of habits as these external things that increase productivity or efficiency.

So you're saying I don't need to exercise more. I just need to think about exercising more. You know what I would say, Eric, don't just go running. You're a runner. Call yourself a runner. You're a runner. You've got to assume the identity. You mean just like a runner when I'm not running?

Is that what you're saying? Well, change your suit. Wear a singlet when I come to the studio. What are you saying? I want practicality. want cliches. What do you mean? You're a runner. Come on, I'm going to put you on the spot. What in the world do you're talking about? Okay. A couple of years ago, I run the Chicago marathon. 782 training runs 475 miles. I am not, Eric, I am not a runner. I had asthma for 40

years. But I set a goal. I reverse engineered it, turned it into some daily habits, some small wins. And I don't know. I think. that makes me a runner. And so what I'm getting at is the script, the story that we're telling ourselves is so critical. I'm still not getting it. Albin, you catching any of this here? Okay, so you tell yourself you're a runner. I mean, fill that in, Mark. So what you're saying is talk about it, think of yourself as a runner. Now, this is for people who actually run. But what is the difference between running and thinking yourself as a run. Like I still want to drill down to see exactly what I'm missing.

It's a subtle nuance, but I think it's the idea of you've got to continue to assume an idea. Here's a helpful way of thinking about it, method acting. It's infamous in Hollywood. Like if you're going to prepare for a role, you assume the role by, well, for example, Leonardo DiCaprio. evidently takes a nap in a carcass. Is this going too far, Eric? That is assuming the character that he was trying to play. So what I'm trying to get at is it's telling yourself the story. Most people think you're talking metaphorically. What you're saying, I feel like I need to translate you. You're one of these pastors that you do stuff and you've got staff that just makes it happen. And so I'm here to

make this happen. Explain what you just said. What you're saying, is that Leonardo DiCaprio, he had a role where he was, I don't remember, what was it called? The, man, I can't remember, but it was, he was. Revenant. Revenant, right. And so in the film, he has to sleep inside a carcass to stay warm at night to survive. And you're telling me to prepare for that role, he actually slept in a carcass. Yeah.

Okay. Now, let me just say parenthetically, that's stupid, but go ahead. Yeah. So Christian Bail loses six. pounds to play a role in a film. Dustin Hoffman goes without sleep several days. Part of what I'm getting at is I think a lot of us, we set these goals, but we don't see it as who we are. So flipping the script is this idea of you got to live it. You got to work the plan until you really believe that you are who you're saying what you're trying to say, I think, is in order for me to play the role of

Lake Lamata, I need to actually put on 80 pounds. Is that what you're telling me? I need to go through Italy with Martin Scorsese. Marty and I are going to go. We're going to eat all the pasta we want. I'm going to put on 80 pounds. And I will be the raging bull. Is that what you're telling me?

I love it. Eric, I can't wait to see you at the end of these seven habits. I believe it? I was going to say, I'm not going to be a runner. I'm going to be an eater. It's like even when I'm not eating, I'm thinking about food. We're going to be right back. I'm here to translate Mark Batterson.

The book is Win the Day, folks. We'll be right back. Oh, hello. I didn't see you walk in. I'm terribly sorry. My name is Eric Mataxis. I'm doing a show. It's called the Eric Mataxis show.

Typically, I have on, I like to call them guests. They're really friends and we have a conversation. But for the purposes of show business, we call them guests. Today, my guest is Mark Batterson. You may know him. as my guest from a few moments ago. Mark, welcome back. Hey, thank you. Eric, it's great to be a guest. It is, it's fun to talk to you. And that could be bad for my audience because I just can't

stop joking or interrupting. And I know that it's annoying because I have a family that's paid to tell me that. And I pay them. Think about that. So Mark, your book is called When the Day, Seven Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less and Accomplish More. The first one, I was really trying to get through it. You say flip the script. And you're saying that it has to do with becoming, say it again and use a different version. So because this, to me, it's the first one and it sounds to me like the key to the rest somehow. Yeah. Well, if you don't like your life, is it possible that you're telling yourself the wrong story? Our explanations are more important in our experiences.

You know, Dr. Martin Seligman would call it an explanatory style. Eric, you and I both know people who have walked through the same circumstances, and they become two different people. Some people become better. Some people become bitter. Well, the difference is the story that they're telling themselves. You're absolutely right. There's no question about it.

Now, look, you're a pastor. You believe in the bodily resurrection. you believe in all that crazy stuff that we both happen to know is true. That's why we believe it. But I think a lot of people, when they see a book like this, they would say it seems like a self-help book. But you and I know in some ways it is, but it actually has God behind it. When you have God behind it, when you say, I'm going to flip the script and I'm going to go with God's script, that has power. That's not my force of will.

because some people don't have a tremendous force of will. But if somebody says, no, no, it's not your force of will. You're flipping the script to what God says is true about you. I mean, am I putting words in your mouth or not? No, that's so good. And, you know, it's a play on words, but scripture is our script cure. It's, I think over time, your favorite scripture actually becomes the script of your life. And so that's a key piece of this puzzle.

And I appreciate you bringing that piece into the middle. So if your favorite scripture is and Judas went out and hanged himself, you should get a different scripture. You really should. Even though that is inspired, it's maybe not God's will for you to walk around with that. Okay, so let's move on. What is the next daily habit? I love these. Yeah, kiss the wave.

And it's a play on Charles Spurgeon. He said, I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the rock of ages. Oh, that is so beautiful. Right. Drop the mic. mic dropper for the Prince of Preachers, and he's out. Most people don't know. Tell people who is Charles Spurgeon in case they didn't go to Bible school. Yeah, pastor of the largest church in the world at the time, Metropolitan Tabernacle, in London. And as you said, Prince of Preachers. You might want to give the era,

Mark, because people are going to think that there's revival happening in London. This was about 140 years ago. Yep, he was a contemporary of Abraham Lincoln. I think his pastor, it started right around 1853, give or take. And he was like a kid when he started, wasn't he? I think he was 19 years old when he became the pastor of the church. So he's not really contemporary of Lincoln's because Lincoln was born in 1809. But who's counting? He was the Victorian era's, I was going to say, Billy Graham.

But he was really, that's not really true. but he was a preacher. They called him the Prince of Preachers, and he had a 10,000 member church in the middle of London. If you want to talk about how the world has changed, I mean, we're not here to talk about Spurgeon, but he's somebody that everybody should know about. But you're telling me that you get your second daily habit from him.

Say it again. What does he say, kiss the wave? Say it again? Yeah, I have learned to kiss the wave. that throws me against the Rock of Ages. Seriously, that guy should be a preacher, right? Yeah, sometimes you can't say it any better. So kiss the wave for people who are listening unfamiliar with who the Rock of Ages is, that would be Jesus of Nazareth.

So unpack that one for the group, if you would. Yeah, Eric, and this is on a little bit more serious note. 2017, my wife is diagnosed with breast cancer, stage one. We're doing great. We're on the other side of it, but you know, you come up against cancer and you're playing for keeps. And so my wife comes across this piece of poetry that poses a question, what have you come to teach me? And it's the question that she asked and that we answered over the next couple of years as we fought that battle against cancer. And so I think the idea is this Marcus Aurelius, the obstacle is not the enemy.

obstacle is the way. And so in those tough circumstances, those difficult days, you've got to learn the lesson. You have to cultivate the character. You have to curate the change. Man, I mean, that is a fundamentally biblical principle that people like Marcus Aurelius and others can grab it because it's simply truth. But that idea, kiss the wave, to really understand that this is not just something we tell ourselves, but that God, says in his word all things work together for good for those that love me and are called in court of my purposes all things so the way that you think is there to crush you is there to drive you closer to jesus if you will let it if you will understand that we're going to be right back folks

i'm talking to mark batterson the book is win the day seven daily habits to help you stress less and accomplish more don't go away hey there folks it's eric mottaxis show i'm playing the role of host eric metaxus in the role of guest today my friend Mark Batterson, Mark, your new book is called Seven Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less and Accomplish More. And it's like typical preachers. They come up with this incredibly pithy something that it's going to help you to remember. So you've got first one, flip the script, second one, kiss the wave, third one, eat the frog. Excuse me? Can you tell us what you mean by Eat the Frog? That's not a, that's not a metaphor. You mean if I don't want to eat the frog, like a literal frog, I need to do

that thing. Is that what you mean? What do you mean? Well, Mark Twain is famous for saying, if you ever have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning, and then you'll know that the hardest thing is behind you, which is ridiculous, yet hilarious. And so it's this idea of harder is better. You know, Eric, you go to the gym and the only way you're going to get stronger is by adding resistance. But, but, of course, you're going to. Of course, we wish that was only true in the gym. Wow. Okay, so this is, but these are all basic life principles, right?

I mean, this is a basic thing. If there's food in front of me and there's something that I don't really like, I always eat it first because I don't want it to ruin my meal. I want to get it out of the way. And, you know, vegetables, I don't like vegetables as much. I will just eat that. It's like shoveling a driveway. I'm just going to boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

I'm done. Hot cocoa for me, right? So it's kind of a basic principle, but you're saying doing it first thing in the morning or the first thing you have to do in the day. I mean, give us like an example in your life. Is there a place in your life where you eat the frog, you know, early on? Yeah, you know, Eric, I wish I could say that for a pastor that reading the Bible, that kind of daily discipline came naturally. news flash it it doesn't and so I have it stack how do I do that well I come to my office right above our coffee house that's where I am right now and I get my latte with two shots because the

Bible reads better with caffeine and I sit down and I read my daily Bible reading plan with my cup of coffee and so it's one way that I eat the frog at the beginning of the day and it keeps me centered. It kind of sets the tone, sets the pace. It gets me on a certain wavelength for the rest of the day. Mark, I got to say, you're sucking me in with this stuff. You're good, man. You're good.

I want to move on. Fly the kite. Fly the kite. What do we mean by that? I love this. What does that mean? Fly the kite. Well, Eric, I think we're cut from a similar cloth and that we both love history.

And so 1847, Charles Ella, Jr., builds. this first railway suspension bridge across the Niagara Gorge. Well, how does it happen? Well, it starts as a kite flying contest, believe it or not. They had to figure out how to get that cable across an 825-foot gorge with 225-foot cliffs on either side. And so it was a 15-year-old boy, Holm in Walsh, who flew the kite. And then they attached a rope, and then they attached a cable.

and before you know it, you've got a bridge that can carry a 170-ton locomotive, but it started with the single kite string, and I might argue that it always does. So when it comes to habit formation, it's doing little things like they're big things, and in my experience, God then does some big things like their little things. You know, you should be a preacher. You're good, Mark. You're good.

I can see why your books are big sellers. No, because you really, I love this. I want to keep going here. Cut the rope. So number five is cut the rope. What do you mean by that? Well, maybe we leave that one a little bit to the imagination of viewers, but I'll give a hint. It has to do with the World's Fair, 1853, and a guy named Elisha Otis, who happened to invent the elevator break.

I bet people can fill in the blokes there. Otis Elevator Company. Yep. So there, well, you know, there comes a moment where you've got to take a risk. In fact, I might define faith this way. It's taking the first step before God reveals the second step. But we want God to reveal the second step often before we take that first step. And that's where God in Aramaic says, you got to do your part first.

Come on. I love it. Cut the rope. Okay, wind the clock. That's number six. What do you mean by wind the clock? The last two, I want to make sure we get to these. What's this one?

Yeah. Well, time is measured in minutes, but life has measured in moments. And so we've got to figure out how do we manage time, you know, in terms of clock and calendar? But then how do we manage those moments where we're really living life to the fullest? You know, I think your age is not how long you've lived. I guess is what I'm trying to say, Eric. And we've got to get a little bit better at both of those things. But I think one trick to life is learning to recognize those moments when, in a sense, time

stands stills. And then how do you experience that moment? Because those are the days when decades happen. I have no idea what you just said. I guess I'm going to have to read the bookmark. Don't I? I love it. So I'll keep trying to be.

You're going to be, I know. I try to do that in book interviews also because I say, I want at least somebody to buy the book. I don't want them to hear everything I have to say right now. I want to drag you over into the next segment because I do want to give time to each of these. But wind the clock, the way you just put that, and the last one is seed the clouds, which I want to get to in our final segment. But time is a major issue if you're a busy person. I think, earlier in life, I wasn't so busy, but it's become so, so precious. Is there anything, we've got 40 seconds here, that you can tell us practically that you do to help you with time management? Well, isn't it interesting that the longest of the Ten Commandments has to do with

the Sabbath. It's all about finding a rhythm where there is a day of rest to go along with that hard work. And, you know, it's no coincidence that God created day and night. And for what it's worth, in Genesis 1, the day doesn't start with morning. It starts the night before. And there are some implications to that, I think, when it comes to time management. So resting is important. And I just wish I don't have to sleep so many hours. But I think it was Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, you've got to learn to sleep faster. I don't know what that means. We're going to be right back. I'm talking to Mark Batterson. The book is, win the day. Seven Daily Habits to help you stress less and accomplish more.

Hey there, sports fans. This is the Eric Mataxis show. We're not going to be talking about sports today. We've only got a few minutes left. I'm talking to Mark Batterson. His new book is Win the Day. Seven daily habits to help you stress less and accomplish more. Okay, Mark, the final one is called Seed the Clouds.

Now, you've got to tell the audience what you mean by that, because most people aren't familiar with the concept of, you know, putting certain kinds of pellets into the clouds to get it to rain. Not everybody knows that. Or did you assume that everybody understood what it means to seed the clouds? It is a marvel of modern science. The GE Lab many decades ago figured out if you put some dry ice in clouds. can seed the clouds and actually produce rain. But Eric, I think spiritually speaking, there's another way of doing it.

And that other way of doing it, I think, is called prayer. I think it's the way that we write history before it happens. I think it's the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do. I think it's the difference between letting things happen and making things happen. So the book kind of ends on this note of how do we. imagine these unborn tomorrows because there are some things that we can do that set the table for what's next. Wow. What a cool idea that prayer seeds the clouds. Like you want it to rain? Well, you can get that process to happen by praying. That is important. And how do you pray?

I often think that everybody has different ways. I mean, do you do it in the morning like you were saying? You have your scripture and your caffeine. Do you pray during that time or do you do it at a later time or what? Yeah, only before meals. Only before meals. No, no, no, I'm kidding. By the way, you know, it's funny you should bring that up. I now have a spiritual discipline.

I fast between meals and it just works. I'm not even hungry. I think that's called intermittent fasting. You are writing the book, Eric. I, you know, with a little bit more seriousness, you know, I believe you don't just read the Bible, you pray the Bible. There's a way to kind of have a dialogue there. I keep a prayer journal. I have to be honest, I like to walk and pray because if I'm sitting still, my mind wanders.

And so the key, though, is figuring out when and where. That's how things become a daily habit. And so hopefully the book helps people kind of figure out how to put that practice and make it into a daily habit. I love it. Win the day, seven daily habits to help you stress less and accomplish more. Mark, is there a website where people can go to find you? Yeah, markbatterson.com. What's that simple, isn't it?

Markbatterson.com. And so you guys are not meeting in your church yet because you guys are in D.C. Are you behind the razor wire, by the way, in D.C.? We are one block from it, Eric. And so, you know, I looked out my office window at National Guard for a couple of weeks. Now, as the owner-operator of a coffee house, it sure helped business for a few weeks. And you really mean that. because the National Guard needs coffee, because God knows Biden's not giving it to them.

Hey, we're not political on this program, please. I love talking to you, Mark. That's my highest compliment. It's just fun to talk to you. It's a blessing to talk to you. Congratulations on a wonderful book. Win the Day by Mark Batterson. Mark, God bless you.

Hey, thanks so much, Eric. God bless.