What on Earth Am I Here For? Purpose Driven Life

By Rick Warren

An evangelistic booklet based on the first three chapters of The Purpose Driven® Life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Jun 21, 2011
• ISBN: 9780310794776

Rick Warren

A Time magazine cover article named Rick Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Tens of millions of copies of Pastor Rick’s books have been published in 200 languages. His best-known books, The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, were named three times in national surveys of pastors (by Gallup, Barna, and Lifeway) as the two most helpful books in print. Rick and his wife, Kay, founded Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He is the cofounder of Celebrate Recovery with John Baker. Pastor Rick has spoken in 165 nations. He has spoken at the United Nations, US Congress, numerous parliaments, the World Economic Forum, TED, Aspen Institute, and lectured at Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, and other universities. Rick is executive director of Finishing the Task, a global movement of denominations, organizations, churches, and individuals working together on the Great Commission goals of ensuring that everyone everywhere has access to a Bible, a believer, and a local body of Christ.

Reviews for What on Earth Am I Here For? Purpose Driven Life

[scrh-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A popular work. Millions sold. The book is much like a long sermon. But will it have a lasting impact? Warren packages some truths that are worth pondering.

[hopefully86 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an interactive book...if you read it as intended. The lessons are devotionals and applications all in one.

1 You were planned for God's pleasure
2 You were formed for God's family
3 You were created to become like Christ
4 You were shaped for serving God
5 You were made for a mission

This is not a difficult book. You don't have to have knowledge of the Bible or religion. This is for anyone seeking more purpose in life...even if you don't believe in God he believes in you.

[theodore.gebretsadik · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book was OK, it does not deserve the hype that slot of Christians give it, it's pretty repetitive and kind of boring, does not proclaim the Gospel directly and clearly nor is it clear for what audience it was written for

[darleen04 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Can't wait to write my mission statement. This book made me think in a whole different direction about the lord and what MY purpose is. Why I am here on Earth.

[jimocracy · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Anyone who claims not only to know a god exist but also to know what they think, want, and say, is a lying manipulator. Rick Warren is an arrogant fool. Of course what's more foolish is a feeble true-believer who sucks up crap like this book and line Rick Warren's pockets.

[sueincyprus · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The author does make some good points about living for God's purposes. But it's rather hyped, and his confusing use of dozens of different Bible versions leads to some verses being taken right out of context. I don't like his self-promotion (we keep being encouraged to read more of his books) or the mega-church image that his church ('Saddleback' in the USA) promotes.

But still, there's some good stuff here and there, in amongst the hype and confusion. A few thought-provoking chapters and some excellent points about worship being all we do for God, not just a few songs on a Sunday morning. Could be useful for someone who's been going to church for years but has little idea why, or even for someone wanting to know more about what Christianity means.

[teeney-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely loved this book. I've tried to read it many times and I am thankful I finally finished it.

[bookwormconfidential · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What I really like about the writing in this book is that it is clear-cut.

The author provides much advice and insight into what we can do with scriptures and what we are learning. This helped me a lot to understand what was being said and in trying to apply what I read to my own live.

I think it is best to be writing down notes while reading the book in order to go back and reflect on what was being thought and experienced while reading the book.

Also, there are so many things that we forget that we should be doing (ex. having good fellowship), and this book helps to remind us of how exactly we should be living our lives. And everyone can benefit from reading this book, not just young individuals, because we can all still learn something new that will help us to keep working on becoming better disciples of God.

[sparkleandchico · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Simply put....there is no worldly method to achieving a closer walk with God. It will take time reading God's Word and Praying. There is no short cut. The Purpose Driven Life and other series attempt to provide a short-cut and may encourage new believer's to think that once they have achieved the 12 steps they have arrived and can cease their striving after God. I gave up on this book half way through and threw it away as I felt as if it was a deception. I have since read many concerning thing sbout the author and his links with ecumenism and new-age....I'm not surprised this book was and is a best seller as it provides an easy Christianity and "broad is the road that leads to destruction."

I am concerned that some churches were abandoning Bibles for their studies and studying this book instead. Any book that causes people to take their eyes off God and onto a man made method is a concern for me.

I don't recommend this book.

[longhorndaniel · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you don't know who you are then this is the book for you; if you want more answers about God this is the book for you; if you want to care about others then this book is for you; this book is for you.............

[acovarrubias-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

About 9 years ago my sister in law gave me her copy of 'The Purpose Driven Life' by Rick Warren. I have to admit that I read the first few chapters (days) and then it sat on my bookshelf and it is still there today. So when I was given the chance to receive a copy and to give an honest review I was very interested. I was interested for two reasons. One was because I wanted to see what all the hype was about and two was because my sister in law really wanted me to read this book. So that is how I came to post this review of The Purpose Driven Life.

The Purpose Driven Life, What On Earth Am I Here For, New Expanded Edition by Rick Warren is celebrating its 10th year anniversary. In this anniversary edition there are 2 new chapters, The Envy Trap & The People Pleaser Trap, online video teaching by Rick Warren as well as an online community to discuss the book with.

In the back of the book there is an Appendix of Discussion Questions and Resources, notes with the book and verse of the bible that they were taken from. This anniversary edition represents a new approach for a new generation incorporating a new understanding of barriers that keep people from finding their purpose.

I am sure that if you read The Purpose Driven Life years ago that you already know what the book is about. The book is broke up into 42 days of lessons and at the end of each day there is points and verses to ponder. You can study the book alone or as a group. Mr Warren offers a packet that includes DVD's, the book, training materials and online resources. This book is supposed to help people that are Christians become better christian and ones striving to find there purpose in life.

The book is set up to answer the questions:

1. Why am I alive?

2. Does my life matter?

3. What on earth am I here for?

In this book there are 5 concepts to help you discover your purpose and live far beyond just surviving day to day life.

1. It will explain the meaning of your life.

2. It will simplify your life.

3. It will focus your life.

4. It will increase your motivation.

5. It will prepare you for eternity.

My Thoughts

The Pros

I have only been reading this book for about 2 weeks now, so these are my opinions and views of the book so far. Right off the bat you notice that each day is easy to read and Mr Warren uses simple language that anyone can understand. The book is arranged by 42 days and the teaching for each day is short and gives you many verses from the bible that match the topic being discussed.

I liked the fact that each day has an online video chapter summery for that day, and if you have any questions or just want to talk about the book you can go to the online community. There is a message to be heard video by Rick Warren that is a little over 40 minutes long, but to me in has really nothing to do with the day you are on.

I like the fact that one of the themes throughout the book is that we were made 'for Gods pleasure'. That God made us for a reason and not to just exist and to survive day to day life. If you are at all like me, there are days that I feel like I may know what my purpose is and days that I have no clue.

Many feel that the bible is a mystery, but I don't think so. Even though I have days that I question everything in my life, I know that we were created by God and for a purpose. When I was younger I would say, "I wish God would just come down here and tell me what to do"! One day it hit me, He did give me that answers on how to live and answer many of my questions, in the Bible.

There are some points in the book so far that have got me to thinking, like What is the driving force in your life? He also brought up a good point, some of us want more material things to make us happy, more important and more secure. In truth the happiness that we feel in material things only last a short while and fade and then we need more to give us that happy feeling again. In truth acquiring more possessions and power can cause us unnecessary stress, to feel unfulfilled, empty and exhausted and therefore we do not live up to our full potential. I have been guilty of this, just as I am sure many of us are.

The Cons

There are a few issues I had with this book such as the bible versus quoted in it are paraphrases, and in my opinion this can be dangerous. If you read only a portion of the verse you may not get the whole meaning. In other words the paraphrase may not be the meaning of the scripture at all. You have to read the whole scripture to get the meaning and to understand fully what is being said.

I also did not care for the many translations of the bible that were used. There are 14 bible translations that were used to quote scripture from. I prefer the King James Bible and the New International Version. These 2 bibles basically say the same thing and the main difference is that the NIV Bible does not contain words such as thee, thou, etc. There is no drastic changes in the verses as other bibles have. There is one translation used, The Message, that I found I had reread the verse paraphrase and it did not even say the same thing as the Kind James Version.

Another thing I did not care for was that in some parts of the book Mr Warren states some things as fact, when in truth they are his own thoughts.

All that being said, I believe that The Purpose Driven Life, Expanded Edition as a whole is a good book to help guide you in the direction of serving God and finding purpose in your life. It is a good tool to help guide you, but is in no way a substitute for your bible. When a verse is referred to in the book, please find it in your bible and read it. I am not saying that Mr Warren says to replace your bible with his book. I am just saying to go to your bible for confirmation of the verses.

I will be finishing the book because I am curious to see what else it says.

*This book was given to me to review by Book Sneeze on behalf of the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and thoughts are my own and I was not further compensated in any way, besides the book.

[chriskrycho · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It's not the heresy people make it out to be. It's also not particularly inspired, life-changing, or gospel-focused.

[imperfectcj · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

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.

[eclecticdodo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A 40 day devotional guide to getting your life on track for God through 5 key purposes. The content is good and biblically sound, but there's a temptation to think that if you follow these steps your life will be sorted. God doesn't promise Christians an easy life, and often we need to face hardships to fulfil those purposes. I thought a little more emphasis on the hard times would be helpful. That said, it's still a great book, filled with quotes from scripture.This is definitely a book for Christians, If you're not a Christian, or not sure, why not start with his booklet "What on earth am I here for?".

[marcel1972_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this a fantastic book. It is well worth anyone undertaking to read and reflect upon and is very good for group study and discussion. For those open to it, it leads to life changes.

[jacqui6wharton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I would suggest that if you are serious about finding your true purpose, that you commit to the forty days to work through this book. its not one to simply read and is more like a journey.about half way i was quite exhausted with it, but i persevered and somehow arrived at a very clear mission and purpose by the end, together with my "voice" and task for the year. it quite amazed me.

[joymakepeace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a brilliant book. The thing that stood out for me was in the opening paragraph ~ "it's not all about me". This is a life changing book that answers so many questions about life and what on earth am I here for.

[larrysouders · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a life changing book.

[catebookworm22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Truly inspirational...It can make you change your views in life in a positive way. A must read book.

[glenline · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good read. Inspiring in places.

[onewithgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A look through the different facets of our Christian life. A practical answer to 'What on earth am I here for?'

[t_renee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book helped me to understand my relationship with God; all that He wants for me & who I am. It requires quite a bit of reflection and is tremendously helpful in moving you to another dimension in God.

[nycbookgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a wonderful devotion that my sister and I did together. I definitely recommend this devotion and only read one chapter a day. Also, do the devotion with someone because it's great to bounce thoughts off one another. It really makes you sit and re-evaluate your life, your commitments, and your priorities. But no, it won't tell you what career path to choose.

[tloeffler_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A great example of how words in the Bible can be interpreted to mean whatever you want them to mean. I agree that life needs to be lived with a purpose, but none of his stuff seemed to follow anything logically.

[musicworks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolute must for every serious Christian seeking to find the fullest potential in life, walking with God.

[nesum_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

You know, I've heard from people I trust that Rick Warren's sermons are very good and doctrinally sound. I will assume they are right. If so, I don't know where this book came from.Most of the points in this book are sound, but a good chunk of it is so incredibly off that they really made me quite angry. Some of the points were small and minor, such as the statement that there is no such thing as Christian music (chapter 8), only Christian lyrics, which is directly opposed to Scripture (Psalm 150, for example -- how else can we "praise with a trumpet"). Then there are huge points, like where we suggests that we can force Jesus to come back earlier by our own actions (chapter 36).He uses a very wide variety of Bible versions, supposedly because he wants to "compare translations." But he leans most heavily on paraphrases, especially The Messages, which is notorious for being just a terrible version of the Bible, filled with inaccuracies and Eugene Peterson's own theology. Obviously, Warren here is just trying to pick and choose which version of a verse agrees with himself. And then he hides the verse citations in the end notes where it is very difficult to find them so you can check his quotation.But there are two major problems here. The first is that this is a very man-centered vision of Christianity that hardly seems to seek God at all. It is all about making God make your life wonderful. And that's wrong. Our faith is God-centered, because only He is worthy of it.The second major problem is that this book is directed to people who don't know any better. Normally, I will give a book a few stars for being "mostly right" or "partially right," but this book is being marketed directly to people who do not know much about Christianity. It is being marketed to small groups that do not read the Bible. Therefore these people do not know better. They cannot test what is said in this book.If a mature Christian picks up this book, he will recognize the mistakes but learn nothing new. Therefore the book is worthless to him. If a new Christian picks it up, he will learn something new, but not recognize the major mistakes. Therefore it will be harmful to him. Either way, the book should be avoided. Therefore, I must give it my lowest rating and urge everyone to study the Bible (a real translation, not what Eugene Peterson wishes the Bible said); challenge every word you read from any of these books. Look up every reference Warren makes, because half the time, he is either misquoting with a bad version of the Bible or taking the verse completely out of context.Do this with every book you read, but, most importantly, read the Bible!

[shortybond · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book DID change my life!! Wonderful. Absolutely amazing!

[djaquay_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting, but IMO very overrated. About 1/4 reads like a promotion for his church (or at least how he runs his church). The rest has tidbits here and there, but nothing that I found earthshattering, and I think my wife stopped reading 3/4 of the way through.

[pkb_5 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Starts out pretty good....but then gets a little "too worldly" in ideas/thoughts. Not sure it's so Biblically based! (sounds like it is tho...)

[n_yay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I learned a lot. Make sure you take it one day at a time. It's not about the content, it's about the reflection.