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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
Synopsis from B&N: A #1 New York Times bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life will help you understand why you are alive and reveal God's amazing plan for you---both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal forty-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 important, prepare you for eternity.
My church has been going through this book via Sunday morning services and weekly small group meetings. I read it before, when it first came out.
In the 40 chapters (designed to be read one a day for forty days), Pastor Warren covers the five purposes of our lives:
• To worship
• To be in a church community
• To become more like Christ
• To serve God through serving other believers
• To share God’s love and salvation plan with the world
Having been raised in church and having a relationship with Jesus for all of my adult life, a lot of what he says is basic and practical. However, I know that I always appreciate the reminder. Especially as I have a tendency to focus on one purpose (serving) that comes naturally and ignoring others (evangelism) that take more effort on my part.
It was a tune-up that was much needed.
My church has been going through this book via Sunday morning services and weekly small group meetings. I read it before, when it first came out.
In the 40 chapters (designed to be read one a day for forty days), Pastor Warren covers the five purposes of our lives:
• To worship
• To be in a church community
• To become more like Christ
• To serve God through serving other believers
• To share God’s love and salvation plan with the world
Having been raised in church and having a relationship with Jesus for all of my adult life, a lot of what he says is basic and practical. However, I know that I always appreciate the reminder. Especially as I have a tendency to focus on one purpose (serving) that comes naturally and ignoring others (evangelism) that take more effort on my part.
It was a tune-up that was much needed.
One of the best-selling books of all time, The Purpose-Driven Life helps people of all ages and backgrounds determine their purpose but is especially well-suited for those of you who observe the Christian faith. Author Rick Warren takes you on a journey both inward and outward, and you'll probably come away after reading it feeling inspired and focused.
Whether you read a book like one of these or use another tool to help you find (or refine) your purpose, it's clear to me that at end of the day knowing your purpose will help you get further.
Whether you read a book like one of these or use another tool to help you find (or refine) your purpose, it's clear to me that at end of the day knowing your purpose will help you get further.
inspiring
Very simple to read with helpful tips. It explains the basic Christian meaning for life and certainly gives a purpose.
http://purplemoonmyst.blogspot.com/2010/08/purpose-driven-life.html
Was a good book despite the religiosity of it turning me off at times.
I know there are many people impressed by Rick Warren and this book. But I'm not one of them. This book wasn't what I expected, which was: how do we know what is God's will for our lives? I found the book actually annoying at times because of the way he markets his other books and products as well as his use of alliteration to push important points.
I was sitting in my mother-in-law's basement last week and I saw The Purpose Driven Life on her bookshelf. I'd heard of it, but didn't really know much about it, so I picked it up and leafed through. Upon casual perusal, some of the ideas seemed almost in line with buddhist teachings ("it's not about me," the idea of stripping away non-essential elements and material desires in order to reveal purpose and meaning, and the focus on service as a way of deriving meaning from life). I enjoy finding common ground between different religious traditions, so when we got back to New England, I checked the book out from the library.
Initially, I'd fully intended to go day by day as the book suggests, reading and reflecting on one chapter a day for 40 days. When I talked with my husband about the first chapters, he dismissed the book out of hand saying that, having been raised in a rigid-thinking evangelical Christian tradition, he'd had enough of that kind of God talk. I, having not been raised in that tradition, had no such negative associations and felt sure that I could read the book substituting my more amorphous idea of "God" each time I encountered the word.
But.
As I read more, it occurred to me that this mental translation was a lot of work and rarely resulted in insights that made any sense in the context of the book. I skipped on ahead to get a sense for what I was in for and whether it would be worth my time to continue. It appears that this book is written for an already "born again" audience. Warren's anthropomorphic, micromanaging God persists throughout, as does the idea that every detail of our lives has been predetermined since before we were conceived. The "purpose" seems to be to serve God and to build a strong church community, which is all fine but which doesn't provide much in the way of concrete guidance or even spiritual insight.
I'm sure this book is helpful to many people, but it's just not my thing.
Initially, I'd fully intended to go day by day as the book suggests, reading and reflecting on one chapter a day for 40 days. When I talked with my husband about the first chapters, he dismissed the book out of hand saying that, having been raised in a rigid-thinking evangelical Christian tradition, he'd had enough of that kind of God talk. I, having not been raised in that tradition, had no such negative associations and felt sure that I could read the book substituting my more amorphous idea of "God" each time I encountered the word.
But.
As I read more, it occurred to me that this mental translation was a lot of work and rarely resulted in insights that made any sense in the context of the book. I skipped on ahead to get a sense for what I was in for and whether it would be worth my time to continue. It appears that this book is written for an already "born again" audience. Warren's anthropomorphic, micromanaging God persists throughout, as does the idea that every detail of our lives has been predetermined since before we were conceived. The "purpose" seems to be to serve God and to build a strong church community, which is all fine but which doesn't provide much in the way of concrete guidance or even spiritual insight.
I'm sure this book is helpful to many people, but it's just not my thing.
Good reminders and focus. Its worthy of a re-read and study.