My Time with Mark Batterson

On Thursday afternoon, I had a chance to spend 90 minutes with Mark Batterson, best-selling author of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Wild Goose Chase, & Primal. We talked alot about what it means to feel called to write. Mark is one of the only other people I've ever known who has said that, "He feels as called to write as he does to pastor." That's the same thing I've felt in my heart for years.

Mark has been a long distance mentor for me for the last few years, and it was great to spend some up close time with him.

Top Take Aways from our Time:

• Mark is refreshingly down to earth. Talk about a guy with no pretense. Mark made it easy to just jump into a life-changing conversation for me about what it means to be an author.


• Mark has a childlike excitement about him that is contagious & infectious. You get the feeling that "Wherever Mark is, he's definitely all there!" And I love that about him. He never once looked over his shoulder or made me feel like he had something better to do. He was totally into what we were talking about and I could feel that!


• Mark didn't hesitate to believe the best in me & leverage himself for my benefit. It's not everyday that you find someone who understands the calling to write. Most people just roll their eyes and give you a blank stare when you tell them that. But Mark got it on a level that very few other people I've talked to can.


• Mark is passionate about making God's Word relevant to a new generation. I definitely walked about with a true sense that Mark Batterson is serious about being a cultural translator for the next generation.

Thursday's meeting with Mark Batterson will definitely go down as a life-changing day in terms of my calling to write. Thanks Mark for being a friend, mentor & example for me to follow.

Matt Keller

www.UptheMiddle.com