Rick Warren is often called "America's most influential spiritual leader." He founded Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, which is now one of the largest and best-known churches in the world. He also founded the Purpose Driven Movement, a network of tens of thousands of churches from all denominations in 160 countries. He has trained over 350,000 pastors worldwide. Calling him a "spiritual entrepreneur," Forbes magazine said, "If Warren's ministry was a business it would be compared with Dell, Google, or Starbucks in impact." Rick and Kay Warren give away 90 percent of the profits from their books to charitable causes, including their global P.E.A.C.E. plan and Acts of Mercy, which services those infected with and affected by AIDS.

Why I’m writing the Living With Purpose series.

When I wrote The Purpose-Driven™ Life, my goal was to illustrate how God had created you for a very specific role in his plan. Since every person’s role is unique, I couldn’t do much more than set you on your course to discovering the “five purposes,” equipping you with the assurance that they were there and that, with persistence and God’s guidance, you would find them.

But I’m a realist, and I live in the same world you do. It’s a life of constant challenge, nagging doubt, and questions that defy answering. Once you’ve found your unique purpose, your own special role in God’s plan, you still have to negotiate the same obstacle course everyone else does. Knowledge of purpose illuminates the path, but it does not make it straight and smooth.

In order to best live your purpose, you must find answers to life’s tough questions and put down the “baggage” that impedes you. And in that regard you are no different than Abraham, David, Paul, or even Jesus. That’s why I’m writing the Living With Purpose series, and why I can’t take much credit for the wisdom these books offer – it’s all found in Scripture. I’ve organized it and given it sharper focus, bringing it to bear on your questions, your challenges, your doubts. It’s everyday wisdom for everyday life – and I hope it helps you live your purpose.