[.ca] The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? ... (ISBN 076241684X)

A Book with a Purpose:
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.

Depressing:
I made the mistake reading this book right after I read Wayne Dyer's "The Power Of Intention", which is one of the most uplifting books I've ever read. I recommend this book to everyone. I should do a review for THAT book! Anyhow, I feel "The Purpose Driven Life" is one of the most negative books I've ever read. I got as far as the 19th Chapter and took it back to the library. I'd rather read something that makes me look forward to praising God rather than being beat over the head with someone elses views of what a Christian should be. The line that got to me was "Life is supposed to be hard". No Rick. "Life is what you make it." If I went around thinking all the time that Life is supposed to be hard, I'd hang myself.

A Question Of Free Will:
"The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren is a guide to one's spiritual journey. The book is setup as a series of 40 lessons, one to be followed each day, and the idea is for the reader to discover God's purpose for his/her life. For me, this was a difficult book to rate, and I will explain how I arrived at the dreaded one-star rating which I have given it in more detail. It is important to look at this book from a few different perspectives for a perspective reader to understand if this is a good book for them. The first perspective is that of a non-Christian, and for these people this book has almost nothing to offer. The book is written for Christians, and in order to find good ideas for someone who isn't a Christian, you will really have to work at stripping away a lot of the material. This book offers no introduction to Christianity, nor is any effort made to make the material accessible to non-Christians. The second perspective is that of Christians who are well versed in the Bible and read it often. In discussing this book with people who fall into this category, they felt that it really didn't offer anything new. The vast majority of the quotes are taken from the Bible, and there is really very little else that this book offers. The last perspective is that of Christians who do not spend much time reading the Bible. These people may get some use out of this book. It organizes the lessons in a nice format, and it is certainly a quicker read than the Bible. This book might well energize people in this group to study and learn about their faith. In looking at the problems with this book, I will go from least important to most important. The first issue turned out to be really no issue at all, but I mention it in so that others who read the book will not worry. In his introduction section, Rick Warren promotes a couple of his products which are associated with the book. When I read this section I was worried that he would spend a large amount of the book shilling for himself, but that turned out to not be the case. Other than a mention of a previous book he wrote, he never mentions any other products. The next issue is much more significant. It involves the subject of free will. In his 2nd lesson, he quotes the Bible: "You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your Book". He returns to this subject in the 30th lesson where he says that God "planned every day of your life to support his shaping process." He then quotes the Bible again "Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. He even implies in his dedication that God decided that the reader would read this book. Of course, such detailed scheduling of one's life means that we have no free will, and thus are not able to apply any of these lessons unless God has scripted it in his book. While the previous issue caused me to choose the one-star rating as opposed to the two-star rating, the final issue is the reason why I could not go above two-stars for this book. It is simply too impersonal; the author relates Biblical story after Biblical story, and almost never gives any examples to help the reader connect with his lessons. As I mentioned before, almost every quote and story come directly from the Bible, and there is very little offered outside of that. The one big exception is when he relates the story of his father on his death bed. It is a very moving story and it really helps the reader to connect with what he is writing as well as gives the reader a feeling for the strength of his faith. Unfortunately he waits until the 36th lesson before he gives us something beyond what we could have learned from the Bible. Had he done this in every lesson, he would have had something to offer all the Christian readers, and even something for the non-Christian ones.

This book should be in everyone's home:
I purchased this book after our family suffered the most immense tragedy that could ever happen to a family, a fatal car accident that took the life of my dear granddaughter who was only 10 years old, along with her Aunt and her two cousins. This book during our darkest hours helped me and other family members to find the meaning of our lives, gave me the hope and faith to carry on, gave me the focus as to what our purpose is in this life. Rick Warren's book gave me courage to carry on and helped me to understand that life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment, always to be of service to everyone around us, to be God's servant and messenger wherever possible, by helping others wherever possible, and to work at doing all good things with eternity as our primary focus. Every positive act that we do for others and in serving, communicating, and worshipping God, strikes a positive chord in eternity. I wish there wasn't so many negative people out there criticizing this book! You should be ashamed of yourselves with all your critical reviews! Rick Warren is a kind, good hearted christian disciple of God, who wrote a powerful book to help mankind find their purpose! I am a Catholic, and there is nothing in this book that harms anyone in any way, and people should find all the positive good in it that I have found. This book helped me survive such intense mourning, and it remains at my bedside always! My daughter called me telling me that "it does not matter where you turn to in this book, every page has purpose, knowledge and comfort for me and I always feel much better about everything after reading it". I have been purchasing this book for my friends and for those who have recently lost loved ones. If you can't say anything good about this book, do not say anything at all to criticize it. All those moments you are criticizing this book, what positive chord are you contributing to eternity? have you sacrificed some time in assisting someone in need? have you set aside time for worshipping God and sacrificing time for your church?

A Template to Check Your Christian Activities Against:
In the process of praying, reading the Bible, attending services, witnessing, and following the commands of the Bible, it's easy to forget to check overall on how you are doing in pursuing activities that are good for Christians. I was given this book by my son as a Christmas present and began reading it immediately. I didn't follow the format as I was instructed, but read ahead and then reread sections later. I gained two benefits from the book that I didn't expect: 1. I became aware that I wasn't doing any small group Bible study and that such study and fellowship would be good for me. 2. I realized I hadn't tried any new ways to serve God in almost a year and a half. It's time for me to try some new things while continuing to do what I have been doing. Like all books about Christian living, you'll get out of it what your heart is open to receiving. Those who like to tie back everything they read to the source will find this book a little frustrating because you have to turn to the back to see the source of the Bible quotes. Those who like short lists telling them exactly what to do will also be a little frustrated because the advice mainly consists of subject areas (pleasure for God, being part of God's family, becoming more like Jesus, serving God, and pursuing a mission) to think about and pray over. Listen to the small, still voice of the Holy Spirit as you read this book. May you be blessed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!