Jun 21, 2022
In this episode, our guest is Zack Windahl. He has helped thousands of people understand the Bible better and grow closer to God. He runs the brand Sunday and is the author of several books, including the Bible Study, the Bible Study: Youth Edition, and the Sunday Journal. He has gone through a cold journey being a man of faith. He is someone who has been able to use his confidence and also help others in their journey.
[1:50] Why should I listen to you?
I think I have a unique perspective about life-based on how I was raised, what happened to my family, the kind of process I went through, questioning many things, questioning my faith, and figuring out what I wanted to do with my life.
[2:20] How were you raised?
My mom is a 4-time cancer survivor. When I was four years old, she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and had only a 5% chance of living. When I was 15 years, she had breast cancer. Literally, from 4 to 15 years, I saw my mum on a deathbed, which is years of transformation. She would always look at me and say: "Zack, it could be so worse, and I may not be here today, so you need to appreciate every single day for what it is and always look at how God is moving in your life because that is going to get through anything that comes your way." I had a vast, aww shift moment. God performed miracles after miracles, but I still questioned my faith and tried to figure out what this was about and what I wanted to call myself.
[4:00] Was faith always part of the family? If there was, why did you begin to ask questions about it?
Yes, my parents were believers earlier, and when my mum had cancer, they dedicated their lives to God. I experienced God moving in many ways for most of my life, but I still fell out of my faith. Even though I saw God moving in incredible ways, I also cared more about what was happening in the world and what people go through. I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.
[5:00]What called you into curiosity?
When I graduated from college, I got involved in many entrepreneurial things. I allowed other people to impact my relationship with him, which I think many people do right now, and that is why people are deconstructing their faith because they allow other people into it. Everything fell apart, and I was at a crossroads in figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. I was a Christian who knew nothing about the Bible, and I went to Australia to study the Bible in-depth as much as possible. I learned until I knew I'd gotten hold of something I could help others with.
[11:09] What was the process of saying that I get this note and I'm going to package them up for people?
I think I knew I was going to do some sort of entrepreneurial things. I was leading a small group at a time. I was learning and getting my content set, and I felt like I was supposed to help people because so many people read the Bible but don't understand it. I prayed about it, spent nine months adding to my notes, taking down a lot of opinions, asking questions, helping someone read through the entire Bible, and also figured out what the book means to themselves, and so I had this product, but I don't know what to do with it. I didn't know how to make a book, but people started to give me money I wasn't expecting. I reached out to Christian leaders about my idea but was told not to do it. I made up my mind to do it, and I started. I printed the first thousand copies, but it didn't do well after it came out. I kept pushing forward, ran ads, connected with the right people, started a team, and over the next few years, we grew the business. We've shipped over 300,000 packages and over a million books sold. We did everything independently until recently, when we reached out to distributors to shift to the next level.
[14:35] What were some of the things necessary for you and get your team and have a vision they could buy into?
Everything we created was to help people grow their relationship with God and understand their Bible better. When building out this team and getting people behind it, I kept a full-time job I was paying people before paying myself a dollar. Every dollar that I made was mainly for the business. I realized that I knew what was good and bad at some other things. I hire other people who are suitable where I'm evil and always focus on the level I want the business to attend.
[18:00] What do you do at the moment when you feel overwhelmed?
That is why it is essential to be surrounded by the right people. My wife is of great help and impact in my life, especially when I'm going through challenging moments.
[19:30] What are the other products in the brand?
We have a book called: "The best season planner," a 90-day planner. We also have another book called: "Launch with God." This book helps people to launch their businesses in partnership with God. I'm a massive advocate for mental, physical, and spiritual growth and growth in other areas. We have a new book coming out this year that talks about finding faith, gratitude, and being optimistic every day.
[20:50] Where did the book blossom from?
Like I said about my mom, she shifted my mindset about life. I posted on my Instagram story and asked if people believe that the world is getting better or worse. 84% of people think that the world is getting worse, and I find that fascinating. Then I asked myself, why the people believe the world is getting worse? Is it becoming harder or easier to become a Christian? What we should focus on is how God is moving instead of focusing on how bad things are.
[28:40] Has leaning on Bible Study helped strengthen your relationship with God by assisting others to maintain theirs?
One hundred percent because it gives me hope. It drives me to grow deeper and have better answers to things. The more I see people grow, the more I want to dive deeper. It's cool to see people excited about certain things I lost, and I know I have to come up with something extraordinary every morning.
[38:28] What promise did God make to the world when he created you?
He will help you see where I am moving in the world and be hopeful for the future.
Key Quotes
[23:20-23:25]If you start following people who share negative things, you will begin to feel negative.
[23:26-23:40] If you follow people that are uplifting and hopeful for the future and showing off the incredible things God is doing, you will respond to that and live that way for life.
How to connect with Zach Windahl
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachwindahl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZachWindahl/