Helen missed a post, I tried to send it to her twice, both times the
delivery failed so I'm forwarding it here.
Helen, found it in my trash.
Text of forwarded message follows:
>Dear Helen,
>I was just in the middle of answering your question about what in
>the world the Purpose Driven Life is all about and Eudora crashed on
>me. GRIN! I have no clue what got sent out to the list, so I'm
>resending my reply. Sorry if this is redundant.
>
>Helen,
> IN a nut shell, Rick explains, mostly to the unsaved, that
> you were created by a loving God for a purpose. You were not an
> accident, but God the Father, took the time to design you for a
> specific place and time to fulfill a plan that he has equipped you
> to do. Think of it like a puzzle piece in a jigsaw puzzle. Rick
> does not use a jigsaw puzzle as an illustration, that's my own way
> of trying to explain it. He outlines five purposes for each believer.
> At the beginning of the book, he explains that God is the
> beginning of all things. Everything was created by Him and for
> Him. Your identity is found through believing in Jesus. He
> thought of you before you were born, and His purpose for you fits
> into His master plan. Rick goes to great lengths to explain that
> no one is an accident. I believe that he is hitting hard here
> against most of his readers formal education in which evolution is
> so prevalent. He explains that life, here on earth, is a test, an
> opportunity to gain character and become more like Christ. Life
> here is only temporary, however. Eternity is for real. He also
> explains the need for salvation. While the gift is free, it isn't automatic.
>
>
>The five maine purposes that Rick outlines are:
>1. You were planned for God's pleasure, (which is right out of the catechism)
> In this purpose, he talks about developing your
> relationship with Jesus Christ.
>2. You were formed for God's family
> Here he talks about baptism and the adoption into the
> family of believers.He talks about our horizontal relationship with
> God and then our vertical relationship with others, which is
> love and forgiveness.
> He also talks about the importance of being involved with a
> community of believers here on earth, and he means, involved, not
> just attending.
>3. You were created to become like Christ. He doesn't mean in
>deity, rather more along the lines of what God said in Leviticus
>when He said, "be holy, for I am holy." Here Rick talks
>about the importance of scripture in guiding and directing your life.
>4. You were, "SHAPED," for serving God. Here he uses the word
>"SHAPE," to get the reader to begin thinking about how they
>have been equipped by God for service. If I remember right:
> S: means Service to God,
> H: is heart's desire,
> A: is ability
> P: is personality &
> E: is experience
> I think I got that right.
>5. The last purpose is that you were made for a mission. He talks
>here about thinking beyond yourself to others in your community and
>
>The book takes 40 days to read, reading one chapter a day. Each
>chapter concludes with a point to ponder, scripture and a
>challenging question about how you, the reader, will apply what you
>have learned. around the world. He talks a lot about the great
>commission and reaching out beyond our comfort zone.
>
>Sorry, Helen if I gave too much detail. I find it interesting that
>such strong opinions have been formed by those who haven't even read
>the material. I don't mean you. Remember, the targeted audiance is
>mostly either non-Christians, or pew sitters. It's all basic stuff
>if you've been an active Christian for a long time. Personally, I
>didn't get much out of the book, but I saw some people who really
>have come alive in Christ because this book spoke their
>language. It's not for everyone, but I'm glad that it is there for
>those that it does speak too.
>In Christ's love, Kathy
>Kathy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.15.3/562 - Release Date:
>12/1/2006 1:12 PM
End of forwarded message text:
John
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Checked by AVG Free Edition.
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