Gradually Then Suddenly: How to Dream Bigger, Decide Better, and Leave a Lasting Legacy

True success doesn't happen overnight. The New York Times bestselling author of Win the Day reveals a life-changing truth about achievement: God is building you up steadily so you're ready for overnight success.

"How did you go bankrupt?" asked a character in Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises. The reply? "Two ways . . . gradually then suddenly."

In this illuminating book, Mark Batterson reveals that every area of life--from personal growth to professional development to spiritual transformation--follows this same pattern. What we perceive as sudden success is the result of little decisions compounding over time.

Gradually Then Suddenly will help you
- cultivate cathedral thinking--adopt a long-term perspective that changes your daily decisions and life trajectory
- leverage the compound effect--discover how courageous decisions and consistent routines domino into life-changing results
- harness the power of persistence--commit yourself to the long game, and the impossible becomes possible
- curate core convictions--discover how to defy peer pressure, popular opinion, and political correctness by defining your deepest convictions

Drawing from compelling biblical examples, fascinating historical stories, and hard-won leadership insights, Batterson demonstrates that God uses long obedience in the same direction to prepare us for sudden moments of major progress.

For anyone feeling stuck in the "gradually" phase, this book is a beacon of hope. If you do the right things day in and day out, God is going to show up and show off His faithfulness--not just for you but for generations to come.

Author: Mark Batterson
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Published: 11/04/2025
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.40w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9798217152070


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 09/29/2025

About the Author
Mark Batterson is the lead visionary of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with a network of churches, National owns and operates Ebenezers Coffeehouse, the DC Dream Center, the Culturehouse, and the Capital Turnaround. Mark holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Regent University and is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-five books, including A Million Little Miracles, Win the Day, The Circle Maker, and Chase the Lion. He has also authored the children's books The Best Worst Day Ever and God Speaks in Whispers with his daughter, Summer Batterson Dailey. Mark and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.