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The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? [LARGE PRINT] (Paperback)
by Rick Warren
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Spirituality, Religion, Enlightenment |
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| MSL Pointer Review:
"The meaning of life through God." (NYT) This is a book of hope and challenge that you will read and re-read, and it will be a classic treasured by generations to come! |
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Author: Rick Warren
Publisher: Zondervan
Pub. in: July, 2003
ISBN: 0310255252
Pages: 432
Measurements: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00546
Other information: Largeprint edition
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- Awards & Credential -
The bestseling non-fiction hardback book in history with 25 million copies sold worldwide |
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- MSL Picks -
Rick Warren's A Purpose-Driven Life will certainly make you ponder and reflect on the life you're leading. From the very beginning of the book, I found myself drawn into his beliefs. People often question, "What in the world are we on this Earth for?" or "What is our purpose?" "Does life make sense?" Of course, no one alive knows the true answer. It is in our own belief system. Some criticize his views. However, he has a right to his own belief system. I found myself connecting with him from page one. Having gone through medical adversities in life within my family, I understand what he is trying to convey to the reader. When bad things happen to people they ask the question, "WHY ME, WHY NOW? However, WHY NOT ME? My belief system is that God does have a master plan that we will never understand. Many people do believe that we are here for a purpose and everything happens for a reason.
I've had that experience many times in my life. The right person will enter my life to help me or a family member through a difficult adversity. Or a book will show up on the store bookshelf that will suggest the perfect solution to my problem. I believe that certain things (good and bad) happen for a reason. Otherwise, this unpredictable world wouldn't make sense. Since I have experienced adversity (as we all have), and have found some joy out of the difficult situations in life, I agree with Rick Warren about God's plan for us.
It gives me solace and peace knowing that God does have a plan for our lives. People think they can escape adversity. But no where in the Bible does it say that life will be all sunshine. There will surely be rainy days. It reinforced my own belief system and I highly recommend this book just to wake people up to let them know that life has meaning. We are here for a purpose. Let us not forget what our purpose is in this life.If we all acted with more compassion and acceptance, our world would be a much better place to live in.
(From quoting Nancy Draper, USA)
Target readers:
Christian believers and non-believers alike.
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Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader." He founded Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, which is now one of the largest and best-known churches in the world. He also founded the Purpose Driven Movement, a network of tens of thousands of churches from all denominations in 160 countries. He has trained over 350,000 pastors worldwide. Calling him a "spiritual entrepreneur," Forbes magazine said, "If Warren's ministry was a business it would be compared with Dell, Google, or Starbucks in impact." Rick and Kay Warren give away 90 percent of the profits from their books to charitable causes, including their global P.E.A.C.E. plan and Acts of Mercy, which services those infected with and affected by AIDS.
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From the Publisher:
Another Landmark Book by Rick Warren. You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he planned you for his purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the few years you will spend on earth. You were made to last forever! Self-help books often suggest that you try to discover the meaning and purpose of your life by looking within yourself, but Rick Warren says that is the wrong place to start. You must begin with God, your Creator, and his reasons for creating you. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. This book will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you-both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life's most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God's purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. The Purpose-DrivenT Life is a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century-a lifestyle based on God's eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about. This is a book of hope and challenge that you will read and re-read, and it will be a classic treasured by generations to come.
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Unless you assume a God, the question of life's purpose is meaningless.
- Bertrand Russell, atheist
It's not about you.
The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That's because we typically begin at the wrong starting point - ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose. The Bible says, "It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone's life is in his power."
Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won't discover your life's meaning by looking within yourself. You've probably tried that already. You didn't create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for! If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn't know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn't be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner's manual could reveal its purpose.
I once got lost in the mountains. When I stopped to ask for directions to the campsite, I was told, "You can't get there from here. You must start from the other side of the mountain!" In the same way, you cannot arrive at your life's purpose by starting with a focus on yourself. You must begin with God, your Creator. You exist only because God wills that you exist. You were made by God and for God - and until you understand that, life will never make sense. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.
Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose. The Bible says, "Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life."
I have read many books that suggest ways to discover the purpose of my life. All of them could be classified as "self-help" books because they approach the subject from a self-centered viewpoint. Self-help books, even Christian ones, usually offer the same predictable steps to finding your life's purpose: Consider your dreams. Clarify your values. Set some goals. Figure out what you are good at. Aim high. Go for it! Be disciplined. Believe you can achieve your goals. Involve others. Never give up.
Of course, these recommendations often lead to great success. You can usually succeed in reaching a goal if you put your mind to it. But being successful and fulfilling your life's purpose are not at all the same issue! You could reach all your personal goals, becoming a raving success by the world's standard, and still miss the purposes for which God created you. You need more than self-help advice. The Bible says, "Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self."
This is not a self-help book. It is not about finding the right career, achieving your dreams, or planning your life. It is not about how to cram more activities into an overloaded schedule. Actually, it will teach you how to do less in life - by focusing on what matters most. It is about becoming what God created you to be.
How, then, do you discover the purpose you were created for? You have only two options. Your first option is speculation. This is what most people choose. They conjecture, they guess, they theorize. When people say, "I've always thought life is . . . ," they mean, "This is the best guess I can come up with."
For thousands of years, brilliant philosophers have discussed and speculated about the meaning of life. Philosophy is an important subject and has its uses, but when it comes to determining the purpose of life, even the wisest philosophers are just guessing.
Dr. Hugh Moorhead, a philosophy professor at Northeastern Illinois University, once wrote to 250 of the best-known philosophers, scientists, writers, and intellectuals in the world, asking them, "What is the meaning of life?" He then published their responses in a book. Some offered their best guesses, some admitted that they just made up a purpose for life, and others were honest enough to say they were clueless. In fact, a number of famous intellectuals asked Professor Moorhead to write back and tell them if he discovered the purpose of life!
Fortunately, there is an alternative to speculation about the meaning and purpose of life. It's revelation. We can turn to what God has revealed about life in his Word. The easiest way to discover the purpose of an invention is to ask the creator of it. The same is true for discovering your life's purpose: Ask God.
God has not left us in the dark to wonder and guess. He has clearly revealed his five purposes for our lives through the Bible. It is our Owner's Manual, explaining why we are alive, how life works, what to avoid, and what to expect in the future. It explains what no self-help or philosophy book could know. The Bible says, "God's wisdom… goes deep into the interior of his purposes… It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest - what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us."
God is not just the starting point of your life; he is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God's Word, not the world's wisdom.
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| View all 13 comments |
An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
This book has reminded me about things that I have long ago forgotten. I now realize that while attending church, I wasn't participating much, being a passive observer rather then anything else. After reading this, I now look at church in a whole new way. This is a good an analysis of scripture and religion on a personal level. The book is extremely helpful to those who are experiencing difficulties in life or who are questioning if God even really cares about them. I do believe this is certainly an enlightening tool for many searching for a better relationship with God in all respects, daily interactions and spirituality. The Purpose-Driven Life will give anyone who reads this, a clear picture of why we're here on earth. |
Grace (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
Judging from the several criticizing reviews I've read on this page so far for this book, it seems that many people are eager to pounce on something of substance that is geared to help others grow in their development as people. Some things never change, I suppose.
This book is for the person who WANTS to better themselves - the person who SEES the room for improvement in their lives and is going to take the step THEMSELVES. That's what life is all about, and I believe that is the message Rick Warren is trying to get across here. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but the way I see it, if this guy can get just one person to be drawn into his book and recognize the personal need to help themselves make their lives better, then I say he's done his job, and he's done it well. And judging from the position this book has had on bestseller lists all over the country, I think I rest my case.
The world is in need of conversion, plain and simple. It's in dire, dire need. Books like this can't work the miracles single-handedly, but they can be a bit of a stepping stone - a push in the right direction. And sometimes, when we are at a loss for words, we need the wisdom and ability of others to help open those ideas up to us.
There's a way to get something worthwhile out of this book if you decide that's what you want. Read the ideas that have been expressed on the pages. Ponder what they might mean to you. We can't ask other people to do it for us, but we can benefit from their example. I support Warren 1000% and hope with all my heart that the public continues responding to this book he has crafted with a more than apparent faith in God. |
Trevor Raichura (MSL quote), Japan
<2007-01-11 00:00>
By now if you have not heard of this book, you likely have not been reading any Christian literature recently. Rick Warren has done a masterful job of writing a book that can be enjoyed by many Christians in different settings and at different stages of their lives. The book is divided into 40 bite-sized chapters, each of which makes a point about what we are doing here on earth, and how we can live meaningful, productive, edifying lives unto God.
Rick Warren has excellent organizational skills and it shows in his writing. His points are concise and orderly, and backed up well with Scripture. He also uses enough anecdotes and modern-day application to engage the reader to apply the teaching to his/her own individual situation. Our five major purposes, according to Warren, are: (1) We were created for God's pleasure; (2) We were formed for God's family; (3) We were created to become like Christ; (4) We were shaped for serving God; and (5) We were made for a mission. Each purpose takes us deeper into the heart of God, and prepares us for the challenge that lies ahead. Each chapter wonderfully blends into the next, and has a short re-cap at its end, making it easy to review what one has just read.
Those things having been said, I do have a few objections to the book. First, I was not fond of his use of different Bible translations when quoting scripture. I read his reason for doing it (it brings old verses back to our attention because they're phrased differently) but I still didn't like it. Second, he footnoted all the scriptural references, which means having to flip to the back of the book every time an interesting verse comes along (which is frequent). At first I thought this was to save space, but then I started to notice that almost every quotation begins with "The Bible says...." Couldn't that space have been used to include the reference right next to the verse? Third, his opening sentences are often trite, cute-sy sentences meant to make us feel good, and seldom reflecting the way things truly are. Fourth, I see this more as a book written for the average church-attender, who worships God on Sundays only. Since that (in my humble opinion) has not been the case with myself, his points didn't always hit home with me. If you are involved in ministry already, you might find this book to be a little on the "light" side.
Overall, though, this is a well-written, challenging book for most Christians. I recommend it be used in a small group situation, where you can share experiences and questions with one another. It allows for ample discussion! |
Moore (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-11 00:00>
In some point in time we all ask the age old question. What am I here for? Rick Warren helps us with that question by exposing God's blueprint for our life in this inspiring book. The Purpose-Driven Life.
None of us have ALL the questions and answers for God's purpose, but it all starts with GOD who has planned our missions and assignments. If we seek him first we will find our purpose. That is clear in Matthew 6:33
Many seek faults in a man's testimony and efforts, because they don't understand the original intent or the assignment for that man. Rick Warren's assignmemt was to expose his purpose/work using God's affirmative word and promises through the Bible.
Success will only follow us when we learn how to surrender, discern, worship and pray in the now where we are planned. If we never position ourselves for the blessings of God, they will never materialize.
Therefore I recommend The Purpose-driven Life to anyone who is struggling with purpose, position and doubt. I was once there in 1998 when I was incarcerated and broken like a wild donkey through God's correction. Along with the Bible and Rick's book and others, I was able to see clearly God's purpose for my life. But first I had to surrender, discern and forgive myself and others before manisfestation would ever take flight.
Thank GOD for men like Rick Warren. |
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