Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids

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.

Pastor Warren’s adult book The Purpose Driven Life (2002) has been translated into 50 languages. Thisvolume, aimed at young people, uses a day-by-day devotional format to engage readers in thinking aboutGod, prayer, and the Bible. The book is divided into six “purposes”: The Reason for Everything; Faith andFriendship with God; Your Part in God’s Family; Becoming like Christ; Serving God, Serving Others;You Were Made for a Mission. Within each section, Warren focuses on a biblical passage from the Oldand New Testaments and offers both a kid-friendly discussion and a brief prayer that encapsulates themessage. Most of the discussions make the passages relevant to young people, though some feel forced, aswhen analysis of a passage in Genesis in which Sarai’s name is changed to Sarah attests she was originallyknown only as Abraham’s wife, and then suggests readers ask their parents how they were named orcontemplate God’s name for them. Still, kids will make their own connections, and the decorative formatmakes the book quite manageable for young readers.--- Ilene Cooper