Interview with Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life author)

[7thson]

In an interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond as follows - in a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity.

We were not made to last on earth forever, because eventually, God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body - but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend "forever" in eternity.

This is the warm-up act, the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems. Either you are in one now, you have just come out of one or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ-likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountain top, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is "my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people...You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad in life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of fame that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or fame for you to own an ego or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, fame and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me - Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.

Firstly, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Secondly, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Thirdly, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan - to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourthly, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, 'God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better' ... God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a "to-do" list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

[7thson]

I suppose we all have our beliefs and we even fit scripture to fit what we believe. I am going to take what you said and what I believe and discuss it with my priest, see what he says. He's a pretty smart guy and while I do not agree with everything he says, he makes me think and I see things in a different light than before.

Sort of like your post. I do not take that part of scripture to mean just a missionary journey. If so, than plenty of missionaries throughout history has not heeded this part correctly. I take it to mean - whomever you plant the seed with - you do not beat him over the head with it. Jesus is not saying that if the Word is given but not taken then, it is not up to us to constantly harp on the individual about it. Put this together with the Prodigal Son and the master who went out during different times of the day to hire workers. People come to the Word at different times in their lives and grow at different levels and paces.

I try not to preach to anyone. I do look for openings before bringing up Jesus and God to anyone. I am far from a perfect Christian but I thank Jesus and God everyday for giving me a new chance each day to start anew.

[Revelation 911]

I do look for openings before bringing up Jesus and God to anyone.

I think thats reasonable advice for anyone, remembering we are commanded to proclaim the Gospel.

I am far from a perfect Christian but I thank Jesus and God everyday for giving me a new chance each day to start anew.

pretty cool how He takes the "poor" and makes them "rich"

thanks for the ping

[PigRigger]

What liberals don't understand is that life is a series of adversities; character is defined by how one deals with them. In particular, one's confidence and determination are strengthen by first failing and then succeeding after trying again.

God is with us each step of the way. When we look to God for guidance our deliverance is assured:

"Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."

[Revelation 911]

Matthew, Mark,_____, John

I'm wondering if something hasn't been goobered up to stop me from typing it???

maybe it's the "Force", Luke ?

[PigRigger]

"I will be retiring in the next month or so (at 43) to dedicate my time fully towards ministry."

Good Luck and Godspeed....

[Revelation 911]

In particular, one's confidence and determination are strengthen by first failing

of our own works

and then succeeding after trying again.

....through the power of the Holy Spirit and the Grace of God

Is that what you meant ?

[Revelation 911]

Good Luck and Godspeed....

Thanks very much - Im coveting prayer as well, as it has been alluded I am prideful, hostile and full of hypocrisy

[PigRigger]

Not necessarily. I believe many times God intends for us to fail so we can learn from our mistakes. Sometime what we see as failure is really just God's way of moving us closer to success.

During these periods of adversity we may learn to be humble and less conceited, learn to support others, and come to understand what is important in our lives.

The wisdom of the Lord is far above human comprehension and understanding.

[PigRigger]

"I am prideful, hostile and full of hypocrisy..."

That is human condition; we all are guilty of this to some varying degree.

[Revelation 911]

God intends for us to fail so we can learn from our mistakes.

be careful - these are only failures in our perspective as "mistakes" I contrue to be something that didnt go along with our plan - It is quite possible it has gone along with Gods - and I'd go further to say He will not author evil or sin.

So to put a finer point on it - He may use instances, of what we percieve as mistakes in our judgment or unfortunate events to provide us a learning opportunity - It will however give the devil no foothold and certainly be used to ultimately glorify Himself

Job comes to mind

[PigRigger]

"So to put a finer point on it - He may use instances, of what we perceive as mistakes in our judgment or unfortunate events to provide us a learning opportunity...."

Agreed; appears to be a better way of putting it.

I for one will freely admit that I have had many "learning opportunities" to draw from. One in particular has impacted my personal and spiritual life greatly. Although it has left lingering emotional baggage which I find hard to forgive of myself for, I know that it was purposeful in nature. I believe without that experience, I would not be the man I am today.

Was it God's doing? No. Yet I feel that He in intended for me to follow the reckless course I was on so I would come closer to Him in the end.........

[Revelation 911]

Although it has left lingering emotional baggage which I find hard to forgive of myself for

for me - thats the emotionally hardest part of becoming a child of Christ - it's that initial self awarenesss of the damning sins of my own youth - I felt terrible for them, yet thankful I was forgiven of them

Was it God's doing? No. Yet I feel that He in intended for me to follow the reckless course I was on so I would come closer to Him in the end.........

I dont disagree and would add that He'll use what evil we have mired ourselves in, to the change of our hearts, and the confounding of the devil.

[Corin Stormhands]

maybe it's the "Force", Luke ?

Heh...guess who he wants to be for Halloween?

It was either some Adware or a security setting on the new firewall I installed because he had a higher level of security. It's fixed now.

But it was weird.

[wallcrawlr]

you should check out this thread if interested:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1428853/posts

[7thson]

Save it for later. Thanks, "Spidy."

[Terriergal]

I have not read this book yet but I plan to this summer.

He ain't no Lewis.

PDL if you read it from the perspective of already knowing the real Gospel, isn't so bad if you forget the part where he says 'it's not about you' and then proceeds to write an entire book fawning over you instead of God. It isn't anything to write home about either. I read it without predjudice a few years ago and thought "what's the big deal? Why do people like this book?"

I didn't figure it out until this last year when I read the Purpose Driven Church and figured out why some of the weird manipulative and controlling things were going on in our church.

The reason PDL is picking up such ratings is because it does not present the Gospel. It is written to believers and unbelievers alike and tells them a lot of nicey nice stuff without the hard truth: The problem of God's wrath.

PDChurch however is bad right from the start. Based on a faulty anthropology, it is self-contradictory throughout.

But of course, that is typical of the postmodern church.

if you want some good critiques check out:

http://www.erwm.com/Church%20Growth%20Movement.htm

that's a good site too with lots of links.

also http://www.seekersensitive.com/
http://www.heirsofgod.info/

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~rseaborn/bandwagon.html
http://www.abrahamic-faith.com/James/purpose%20driven%20church.html
http://www.gracebible.org/seekersensitive/seeker.htm
http://www.internetmonk.com/rick.html
http://christdot.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5508
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Psychology/cgrowth/mkt.htm
http://meansofgrace.0catch.com/truthscaffold.htm
http://www.exorthodoxforchrist.com/purpose_driven_issues2.htm
http://www.bibleguidance.co.za/Engarticles/RickWarren.htm
http://www.erwm.com/PDConfusion.htm

[TommyDale]

I am beyond the Rick Warren element...he is merely a tiny particle of the massive amount of apostasy in the church. These new-age hippies are leading millions of people down the wide, easy and wrong pathway. They will answer to God eventually, and be held ulimately responsible. Do any of you know how many thousands of people have been "purpose driven" from their own home churches simply because they refuse to swallow this nonsense? I would hope you study this movement before you jump in and accept it as the truth. It is far removed from the Truth.