God's Answers to Life's Difficult Questions (Living with Purpose)

Rick Warren has written another common sense book for all to benefit from. The questions at the end of each chapter challenge the reader to go one more step. We are using it in our Bible study. I have enjoyed the book very much.

I had recently gone through a small group Bible study based on this book. After the experience, I chose to buy the book for a more in depth study on my own. I am in the midst of a criminal trial and much family anguish in relation to a previously secret addiction.

The book affirmed many of the emotions that I have been feeling. It also gave me greater peace that God has a plan for me even in the midst of this trial. I thank God and Rick for this book. I still have bad days when I dwell on unknown answers but this book and its insights have helped me see my life going forward. I highly recommend this book.

WDS

I have really enjoyed reading and studying Rick Warren's book. He approaches what seems to be complicated spiritual and life situations, and gives practical answers and ways to approach life. He also addresses the spiritual principles with common sense and guidance. I have been a Christian for many years, but still found the book helpful and enjoyable to read.

Actually, I'm very skeptical of people who "talk" to God and then write a book so they can sell the rest of us "His" answers. I myself wrote a book about a man who also claimed to have direct conversations and get "answers" from God - and who is now serving a life sentence in Attica prison for murdering a great musician. But I got this book for my aging mom, and she seemed to find some good stuff in it, so it gets 3 stars from this faithful skeptic.

By relating a common problem to a biblical figure (Stress - Jesus, Resilience - Peter, Depression - Elijah, Mediocrity - Jabez, Peace of Mind - Moses, Discouragement - Nehemiah, Problem Solving - Jehoshaphat, Confidence in Crisis - Paul, Change - Jacob, Regret - Samson, Loneliness - Paul), the author had written a great book for Christians who need guidance on Earth. The beauty of it, on top of the superb advice one can find in an above average self help book, is that readers can easily refer themselves to the spiritual heroes of whom they are already familiar with. That helps both memory, application and faith. Afterall, "We cant live out the Christian life on our own, because we have a power shortage. We need the power that comes from God. pg112" No matter how brilliant a self help book can be, there's no better way to get advice and power from God. In short, highly recommended!

p.s. Below please find my favorite passages for your reference.

Preparation prevents pressure but procrastination produces it. Good organization and good preparation reduce stress because you know who you are, whom you're trying to please, and what you want to accomplish. Having clear goals greatly simplifies life. pg19
You can choose whether those things will make you a bitter person or a better person. It is your responsibility. No one can ruin your life except you! The devil cant, because he doesnt have enough power. God wont, because he loves you. Only you can ruin your own life. pg87
Money is to be used, not loved. pg89

I thought this book would ask questions about the big bang theory and conflicts between science and the Bible. It's not that at all, but it offers value in a different way. It takes a new message from the main characters of the Bible to show how we are to exhibit our characters, how we should respond to stress, and what types of goals we should make and perspectives we should have to live godly lives. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook I rented from my library & even started to listen to it a second time. It's almost like listening to a sermon series, but more like attending a motivational speaking seminar. The book doesn't answer all the questions, my main one being "how can we be like the woman who had enough faith to declare that God would convert her son on Friday--making a specific request & expecting him to follow through, when there are whole churches who apply faith in believing God will heal a member so that he doesn't need surgery--they use the same expectoral prayers and God doesn't come through?" I think it's still a nice basis for direction, but those questions will come up and you'll have to battle with them individually.

My bible study was really disappointed with this book. It is simplistic, repetitive and contradictory. One chapter will tell you to keep moving on and the next will tell you to stand still. We struggled with a theology that seemed to say that we can tell God what to do--and if we pray persistently enough, we get what we ask for. We questioned some of his choices for examples for the chapters. Using Jabez as an example of living above average is a stretch--he's reading a lot into a few verses. He translates "Israel" not as is commonly used "one who struggles with God". Instead he translates it as "prince of God".

Having said all this, it's written in a sermonic form--usually three or four steps of errors and three or four steps to be changed by God. In this way, it's easy to follow. There just isn't enough meat.

This is another one of Rick Warren's wonderful studies. He provides Biblical suggestions about dealing with life's difficult issues. We used this book in a small group study, along with it's companion dvd. My only suggestion would be that the dvd be expanded to all 12 issues instead of just the first 6.

If you are struggling with stress, failure, depression, an overwhelming crisis, this is a great book. The great thing about this book is that it gives real steps that you can do right now to help your situation and the way you think. It is written from a Christian perspective and offers Bible references and stories that offer hope and strength in difficult times. I loved the story of Elijah. I had read I Kings 19 before, but never thought about it the way he explains. It is short and to the point, not a lot of fluff, just sincere help when you need it most.

Rick Warren writes in a straight-forward manner, referring to scripture that applies to common problems many of us face in life. He uses everyday language to explain what the Bible says. He gives an uplifting approach to defeating depression, stress, discouragement, loneliness, and other types of life crises.

This book discusses each question with a story from Bible. The length and explanation of each chapter is simple and good enough for most readers. The most important is that the author can help you find the answer from Bible or the reason God allows those questions happen. Like "The Purpose Driven Life", he uses the same way to help reader to understand God's purpose. However, someone may find the discussion on each question not details enough. The author may write another edition with deeper discussion and his own experience on those questions.

The author of this book gives great facts from the Holy Bible on the lives of the people in the Bible. That we may learn from their mistkes and their successes and how to avoid needless trials, temptations, and error in our lives