63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
Don't want the journey to end!
Wow. I am almost at the end of the 40 day "journey" that this book takes you on, and it has changed my life. For the better. It's so damn practical!!! And readable, and just... AMAZING!!! Explains suffering, feeling that God is distant, how to deal with temptation and loneliness, talks about loving other people, etc etc. As the author says over and over again, THIS...
26 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
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...
Wow. I am almost at the end of the 40 day "journey" that this book takes you on, and it has changed my life. For the better. It's so damn practical!!! And readable, and just... AMAZING!!! Explains suffering, feeling that God is distant, how to deal with temptation and loneliness, talks about loving other people, etc etc. As the author says over and over again, THIS IS NOT A SELF-HELP BOOK! It is about living selflessly, because you are so sure of God's love for you... oh you'll just have to read it. But I swear that after one of the books chapters, about temptation, I went and told my best friend a lot of stuff that has been bugging me and that I've kept secret for a VERY long time... and I AM SO GLAD. It was just the most liberating thing! Thank you, Rick Warren, and thank you God, for making me unburden my heavy heart! (Is "unburden" a word?)
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This is an absolute must-read for everyone. The forty chapters are meant to be read in a life-changing forty days; but I would advise taking it slowly - a chapter a week - and really thinking about what God is saying to you through the book. Be warned this is pretty challenging stuff: very honest and frank and straight to the point with no hanging around. Warren's writing style is captivating and each and every line is full of meaning and provokes thought. He writes very honestly and openly and is not frightened to get right to the heart of every issue. This book is a real life-changer and God has clearly blessed Rick Warren with tremendous faith, tremendous insight and tremendous ability to write such a book. But remember, if your looking for a challenging and life-changing read, nothing does it better than The Bible...
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29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
Helpful and inspiring, 11 Sep 2005
By A Customer
I really enjoyed reading The Purpose Driven Life. I read it over a 40 day period as the book suggested. I have been a Christian for more than 25 years and I found that the book phrased things in such a way that it helped clarify things for me. It is inspiring and I would recommend it. Occasionally I did find some of the Bible translations a bit lacking in substance but I can see why Rick has chosen to use them and overall I believe that most of them are a good choice.
I highly recommend this book.
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When I was reading this book I recommended it to several of my friends in church only to discover they had already read it. Apparently it is one of those widely known, respected and loved books and I never even knew about it! It is an excellent book. Inspirational, wise and helpful to let you know why you are valuable to God and what you can do with the gifts you have. It makes me want to live every day to the full and for God.
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This is a book for anyone who wants to make sense of their life. Yes Rick Warren is the Pastor of a large Christian church, but even if you don't profess faith this book will make a huge difference to your life. A challenge to swim in the other direction, against the current, and hey what of most of us got to lose? Most of us have tried what the world claims will makes us happy and still feel that there's something missing. He speaks with startling clarity and brings profound insight into the issues each of us face and helps the reader to understand their purpose for living, using non religious language. I challenge you to read this book and not be changed. If you thought the church was for wimps then you haven't read this book!
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often people look at the bible and find it confusing, they don't let themselves see what is written behind the words. 'the purpose driven life' is a book to help guide you in the right direction, to understand and appriecate the bible, and most importantly, God. My church has been following this book, and it has encouraged me to come to God, for a long i suffered with depression and often asked, what's the point in all this? i tried to kill myself believing there was NO POINT ... and then i started going to church while they were following this book. through the book i found God and found the meaning of life. you can take my words as just words, you can believe me and rush to buy it or you can buy this book to try and prove me and others wrong ... but you will see for yourself, it helps guide people to God and the bible. speaks along with the bible to give you your purpose.
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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!
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The Purpose Driven Life takes us on a 40 day spiritual journey -- a basic exploration of God's purpose for our lives. Each day offers a lesson loaded with scripture and wrapped up with a brief summary point, a verse to remember and a question to consider. Great premise, but before picking up this book, ask yourself one question -- what am I looking for?
If you consider C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers to be a "light read", this book was not written for you. The Purpose Driven Life was written for the rest of us who are looking to glean Biblical wisdom and apply it to our lives for God's glory, without spending hours dissecting it. The author hasn't served up pablum here, but he has cut the meat into bite size chunks. Are you looking for a simple presentation or an intellectual challenge?
The author has used fifteen different biblical translations to "help you see God's truth in new, fresh ways." This will be refreshing to some, and a source of major frustration to others. Are you looking for eclectic, contemporary translations or do you value uniformity?
The Purpose Driven Life is a hamburger with all the toppings. Some will like it just the way it is, some will choose to pick off the toppings they don't like and eat what's left, and others will snub the burger because it isn't a steak.
(...)
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Excellent and practical book - uses the principle of 40 days to renew your life. A useful tool to aid your personal life changing work from fasting to changing career.
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