AUTHOR: Rick Warren
PUBLISHER: Zondervan
PUBLICATION DATE: December 31, 2013 (first published 2002)
FORMAT: Paperback
LENGTH: 361 pages
GENRE: Nonfiction, Religion
ISBN: 9780310337508
This book has transformed millions of lives. Are you ready for a change?
Since its release, The Purpose Driven Life has been translated into eighty-five different languages and has become the “Bestselling non-fiction hardback book in history” according to Publisher’s Weekly, all because of the Christ-centered approach the book takes to answering life’s most fundamental question: What on earth am I here for?
This new softcover edition is reimagined for a new generation, with four new features including:
- Video introductions by Rick Warren to chapters 1-42
- An audio lesson at the end of each chapter, with more than thirty additional hours of teaching by Rick Warren
- Two new bonus chapters on the most common barriers to living a purpose-driven life
- Access to an online community where you can discuss your journey to purpose, get feedback, and receive support
- On your journey you’ll find the answers to three of life’s most important questions: The Question of Existence: Why am I alive?, The Question of Significance: Does my life matter?, The Question of Purpose: What on earth am I here for?
Living out the purpose you were created for moves you beyond mere survival and success to a life of significance—the life you were meant to live.
This book is life-changing, and it really resonated with me.
According to the author, our #1 purpose in life is to love God and with that comes a public declaration of our commitment through baptism and worship. Our second purpose is to love others, including fellowship with others and the importance of meeting regularly in small groups with other believers. Our third purpose is discipleship, becoming like Christ, and our fourth purpose is serving God. The final purpose in life is sharing the Good News with others (our testimony on the impact that God has made in our life).
This book is a great motivator in examining your life to see where you can do better or be better, or where the next steps are. I loved the section on the fourth purpose, which is about serving. As I was reading that, the person that came to my mind is my mom! She is the epitome of a perfect servant. She embodies everything that servant should be: making herself available to serve, paying attention to others' needs, making the best of what they have (not making excuses or procrastinating, or waiting for better circumstances, like saying "I will do xxxx one of these days" or "When the time is right" or "when I'm not so busy"), do every task with equal dedication (even the menial ones), are faithful to their ministry (keeping promises, finishing their tasks, completing their commitments, being trustworthy and dependable, not quitting when discouraged), and maintaining a low profile (not promoting or calling attention to themselves, being humble). I've always loved my mom's big heart, how she would do anything for anyone, and I've always tried to be like that.
I used this book as my night-time devotional. There are 40 chapters, and you read one each day. This updated edition of the book contains supplementary materials for each lesson, which you access by scanning the QR code with your phone. First, you watch a short two-minute video introduction to the chapter, then you read the chapter, and then you can listen to a full-length sermon that further illustrates the chapter’s highlights and includes an outline of the sermon’s notes that you can email to yourself. You don’t have to listen to the sermons to understand the main points of each chapter, but I found them very helpful.
Memorable quote:
"God teaches us to love unconditionally by putting us around unlovely people."
Rick Warren is a new-to-me author, and I really loved this book! I’ve put his fundamental principles to use in my own life, and I have joined my church’s Life Group and Serving Team. Had I not read this book, I would have done that anyways but I feel that I was led to read this book at a time when I was thinking about doing those things. This book just really cemented my decision to do so!
MY RATING:
#65 for my 2016 You Read How Many Books? Challenge
#65 for my 2016 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
#22 for my New Author Challenge 2016
#22 for my 2016 New To You Reading Challenge
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