Book Reviews of The Purpose-Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?

The author uses obscure translations and paraphrases in order to make the Bible fit his points. He also uses partial verses in order to proof text, even if the actual verse has nothing to do with the point he was trying to make. I was VERY disappointed to realize this after all of the hype about this book in the evangelical world. I guess I'll stick to just reading my Bible!

Must accept Christianity in order to get anything from this book. May help a lot of people, but not me.

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. This book will help you understand why you are alive and God's amazing plan for you. Knowing God's purpose for creating you will reduce stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most important, prepare you for eternity.

This book is very inspiring and makes you think. I loved the way the chapters were small and you were instructed not to read ahead so you could dwell on what you had just read. I recommend this book to anyone having a difficult time in there life spiritually and emotionally! -stolen from a amazon review

A 40-day spiritual journey where you'll discover the answer to the question, "What am I here for?".

If you only read one book on what life is about, make it this one!! This book is life changing

Wonderful book!!!! Nothing more to say!!! Great to read!!

Make sure you're not missing the point of your life-read this book! The purpose-driven life will guide you to greatness-through living the Graet Commandment and the Great Commission.

Excellent book when studied with another person or group.

A must read!

Wonderful, inspirational book that a busy person can read one chapter a day or a week.

Excellent read. Our whole church did the Bible study.

Forty daily readings on your purpose for being alive.

This book is to help you determine the purpose that
God created you for. It is divided into 40 daily readings.
I think you will enjoy it.

Life-changing. Helps answer the question, "What on Earth am I here for ?"

Warren's famous 40 day devotional that applies the 5- Scripture based purposes from his Purpose Driven Church to the individual believer.

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: WEhat 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.

#1 Bestseller...everyone should read it

wonderful....

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!
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 important, prepare you for eternity.

This book will not answer why we are here. It takes verses out of context and twists them to say what they do not say and so it is just convoluted fiction. The author tried but failed to prove his points from the Bible. If you want to know why we are here you need to read The Forgotten Gospel, www.forgottengospel.com. It shows that we are created to help people, do good to others, and in so doing we show God's love to them. This is part of the Gospel but has been pushed aside because people are lazy and do not want to use their time and money to help others, especially in greedy America.

I gave it a half star because I did not know how to give it nothing. My review is meaningless, but Mr. Warren will have to stand before God one day and explain how he encouraged others to follow their own way and try and adapt there ways/culture into Christianity. All he showed in this book is how to take our culture and make one feel good about not following God's ways. However, I would recommend anyone that has to read this book (as I did for school and is the only reason I am listing it [others may need to as well] do so while examining it against God's Word.

This book is good for someone who needs to change their life, but if you're a Christian it's probably nothing you haven't heard before.

If you're not a Christian, I don't think it's for you.

This is a book you turn to time and time again for inspiration. I'd never get rid of my copy. Highly recommended.

A very spirtual book about finding out why you were put here on earth and what you can do to live a happy life.

Worth reading...and reading again.

I honestly loved this book! It was so informative and very upfront. I was very surprised by some of the things in it but overall, I learned a lot. It was "self-help" but it also strengthened my journey with God. It will make you look at your life with a microscope and help to define yourself. I didn't realize just how lost and absent from my life that I was until I got about halfway through this book. It was a great read and I have read it 3 times and it seems to get better each time.

This book would be PERFECT for the pre-graduate. I read it my Junior year and it honestly helped me decide what I want out of life and what I want to be in this life. It would make a great gift for a high school graduate, college student, or anyone that just doesn't know if they quite have "it" together.

I started this book, but there was something about it that didn't sit well with me, so I never finished it.

ISBN 0310205719 - I'll read almost any book, and really have an interest in anything related to any religion. That said, I truly disliked this book. Still, I'm basing my review on the writing itself. The writing is average and has the tone of being directed at a not-too-intelligent child, which is perhaps fitting - obviously Warren believes that few, if any, people really understand the lessons of the bible.

Meant to be read over a 40 day period, allowing the reader to ponder the questions posed by the author, The Purpose Driven Life serves literally no purpose whatsoever to the non-Christian - there's little for you to learn here that isn't better learned from scholarly texts on Christianity and, really, if you believe in God but not in Jesus-the-son-of-God (even if you believe in Jesus as a prophet), this book comes nowhere near talking to you. For the average Christian, it might spark an interest in re-visiting those things you thought you already knew about being a good Christian. And for the devout Christian, you don't need to read this book.

I was somewhat happily surprised to discover the author's hand in my pocket only a few times, encouraging the reader to buy his journal and other items. Truthfully, I expect more money-mooching from any religion, especially one in which you are commanded to tithe (page 72), so it was a pleasant surprise.

Mostly, I was offended by Warren's apparent assumption that the reader really is a nitwit. One of many examples: on page 65, he rails on about the "misuse" of the word "worship" - he is incorrect and could have simplified things by pointing out that one use of the word is a verb and another is an adjective, but he preferred to come across as a chastising and belittling second grade teacher.

Warren did show a sense of humor periodically, referring to Groucho Marx and "watching too much television". In the end, it's possible that he himself quoted the greatest reason to NOT read this book: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." Last I checked, Warren was a man and his "roadmap" is just another re-tooling of "rules" taught by the men who lead any form of Christianity. I say keep your money and, if you really think God needs it, give it to your church, not Rick Warren.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This book is in good condition, but has a small amount of writing and underlining in it.

Like New!

No slip cover

A must read!

EXCELLENT BOOK-MADE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST. THIS IS HARDBACK BOOK WITH DUST COVER.

I've heard it all before. God loves you, you are here to serve God; the only way to serve God and have an eternity in heaven is through Jesus Christ; the Bible (in it's many versions and translations)is the word of God....yada, yada, yada....All this as a prelude to spend an eternity with God. No thank you. I find the thought of living blissfully happy and praisng God for E T E R N I T Y eternally and blissfully boring. Don't forget that quite a few of those blissfully happy angels and Watchers rebelled against this eternal bliss and abandoned the blissfully happy "Eternity" ship.

This book will be helpful for those who "believe" and have "faith" in this Bible story and for those who are afraid of dealing with the wrath and smiting of this loving and forgiving God.

Great book, the only reason why I'm trading this one is because I have two copies!

A quick read, but thought provoking.

I didn't agree with him from the beginning, so I didn't finish it. It is very popular, so a lot of people must get something out of it that I didn't.

The author makes it clear that the book is intended to be a 40-day spiritual journey. In the front matter there is a covenant that the reader signs to apply him or herself to that 40-day journey. I hope everyone who reads the book will do just that. Especially, paying attention to Day (Chapter) 23: "How We Grow."

Day 23 is concentrated upon Jesus molding and guiding the work of the Holy Spirit upon the believer as one matures in Christian faith and practice. As Warren says, "God wants you to grow up." It is also one of my favorite themes. It cannot be said too often; for just when we feel we have "graduated" from a particular time of learning or "achieved" a goal, we fall into the sloppy thinking that we are "there"-that we have completed every bit of growth and understanding.

Not so. Warren says, "You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing." I firmly believe that anyone who takes Day 23 seriously, open to what God can do, will find their lives blessed beyond measure. Not to mention the lives of those around them.

So, do I recommend this book? Yes indeed. And if you read it when it was new in 2002 or `03 or `04, why not read it again, in 2005? It is like a spiritual retreat that you can take whether at home or away. A vacation better than the mountains or the seaside. If you will, read it. And may every day be a Day 23 for you.

Catch up with your soul in this book. The ultimate self-help book!

I found this book very easy to read and understand. It's a great book for those "looking for answers".

My entire read this book several years ago. It is a fascinating and easy to understand book, even for new Christians. One thing: Rick Warren does not do justice to the sacrament of baptism. He considers it merely symbolic of a believer's relationship to Christ rather than Christ saving us.

If you are wondering Why your here this book answers all those questions and helps you figure out where your going in life it really helps.

A roundbreaking manifesto on the meaning of life. If you only read one book on what life is all about---make if this one! This book is life-changing.

Excellent, superb, and wonderful!!!

self help

good spiritual guide

Excellent study!

great!!

Wonderful book! Helped my tremoudously!

Wonderful Book!

Very good book. Helpful and makes you really think.

This book has become wildly popular. It made me think.

"Timeless,profound,compelling and transforming, this book is a priceless gift for everyone who wants to know their purpose and fulfill their destiny."

Very good book.

In like new condition, I read the first few chapters. Dust jacket is intact, great condition. Crossings book club edition.

Thought provoking and inspirational guide. I took the course using the book (not this particular book, I want to keep my copy to re-read) and thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is an excellent book to read!!

I used this along with the purpose driven life.. I did not write in it so it is brand new...

I thought this book was wonderful. It really makes you think. Even though you can only read one chapter a day, the chapter sure gives you enough to make you think.

This book has writing in it from the previous owner.

Synopsis
This guide for living draws on the Christian tradition, and is written by the author of the bestselling THE PURPOSE-DRIVEN CHURCH. In 40 short pieces, intended to be read and studied in 40 days, Pastor Rick Warren quotes extensively from scripture, offering not a self-help guide but, rather, a guide that seeks help in God. Warren sets forth an approach to living based on understanding and fulfilling God's purpose for us. The basic principles of the Purpose-Driven Church are worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism.

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said?

Counsel on direction for your life

This is a great book for anyone who wants to understand their purpose in this life. You could read it in 40 days, and it's fairly easy to read and understand. However, the concepts are profound in their simplicity, so I lingered over each "day" for a week! A wonderful book that I'm happy to share!

Timeless, profound, compelling and transforming, this book is a priceless gift for everyone who wants to know their purpose and fulfill their destiny. It is life-changing and explains our real purpose on earth and states profound truths in simple ways. You'll never be the same after reading this!

Readings/reflections for 40 days - on the meaning of our lives. Thought-and spirit-provoking for Christian individuals, partners or groups.

This book has been on the bestseller lists for many months for good reason.

excellent book, christian based, wondering what your on earth for... this book is for you!

Our church did this study--life changing thoughts in this book

A good book to provoke some thought and answers to tough decisions. It also raises new questions and incite.

<< Back to Book Details of " The PurposeDriven Life What on Earth Am I Here For"