Discover Life's Everyday Miracles with Pastor Mark Batterson's Newest Book
- Maina Mwaura CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Published Nov 11, 2024
Mark Batterson is a man who seems to understand what miracles are about. Batterson is the pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC, which is nestled around the nation's powerful beltway. Batterson and his wife founded the church with just a few people in a rented movie theater. The church now boasts over 5,000 weekly attendees in a part of the country that many see as post-Christian; however, for Mark, it has been the miracles of God that have made the church not only flourish but maintain a diverse membership roster of politicians from both sides of the isles. In Battersons new book A Million Little Miracles, he lays out the groundwork for discovering miracles in our everyday life.
Crosswalk Headlines: Where were you when God called you to write the book?
Mark Batterson: July 2, 2016, was a moment in my life that I won't forget; after 40 years with severe asthma, God healed my lungs. I have not touched an inhaler from that day to this day. I believe in miracles, which are anomalies and epiphanies and exceptions to the rule where heaven invades earth. But then, let me flip that script; it dawned on me that every single breath you take is nothing short of miraculous. I mean, every breath, there's evidence all around us. This book is really about the cues and the clues. If we lose touch with nature, we lose touch with the God of nature. I make no apologies, but I know that there are miracles all around us. This isn't a cut-and-paste book; there are 688 endnotes that speak for themselves; this is a very well-researched book.
CWH: How many books have you written so far?
MB: This is book twenty-five, so you get better at writing over time.
CWH: Where did the passion come from when writing the book?
MB: It was a book that I wanted everything to be documented and footnoted. I wanted to dot every I and cross every T, and I'm drawing from astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and neuroanatomy because I believe all truth is God's truth. Every "ology" is a branch of theology. In Romans 1:20, God has revealed his divine nature through what he has made.
CWH: What do you say to people who say they have never seen a miracle?
MB: I know people who say they've never experienced a miracle. With all due respect, you have never not; in fact, you are one.
CWH: You mention, in the book, that miracles seem to come after setbacks. What do you mean by that?
MB: Life is a rollercoaster with high highs and low lows; here's the funny thing: everyone wants a miracle. No one wants to be in a situation that necessitates one, but you can't have one without the other.
CWH: How has the church responded to the message of the book?
MB: I teased it, but then what we do is, when a book comes out, Laura and I gift a copy to everybody in our spiritual family, and then we're up and running. So, the official series will be when the book is released.
CWH: You say that everyone needs a miracle. Can you please explain?
MB: I think everybody sooner or later finds themselves in a place where they need a miracle and a doctor; praise God for doctors. I'm grateful for modern medicine; I wouldn't be here without it. There are also moments when you need divine intervention, divine healing, or a miracle. I want to approach those things as both. I think it was Einstein who said that science without religion is lame.
CWH: What's it like doing ministry in Washington, DC?
MB: You know, for such a time as this, such a place as this, we're in a tough cultural moment, but don't lose Faith, don't lose heart, and don't lose hope. I'm praying that God raises up Nehemiah's and Esther's and Deborah's and Daniels's, but administrations come and go. At National Community Church, we're playing the long game, the Kingdom of God. There is a hill higher than Capitol Hill called Calvary.
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/markbatterson
