Growing with Purpose by Jon Walker

One of the biggest jerks I ever knew was a twenty-three year old college graduate whose anger and arrogance spilled into many of his relationships. His hypocrisy was astounding as he claimed to be a Christian one moment and then acted like a son of hell the next. If it had been my choice, I would have avoided him all together, but that jerk was me.

– Growing with Purpose, p. 220

Jon Walker worked with Rick Warren as an editor and writer for many years. The idea behind this book is to help Purpose Driven Life readers move deeper into God’s plan for their lives.

The book features 366 short and easily digestible devotionals¹, which begin with a scripture and typically involve exposition of that scripture with a story or prayer. A mishmash of topics are covered and the book is broken up by page number rather than date. The author is open and humble about past struggles and sufferings, though his personal stories (such as the one quoted above) are scattered and we never get a full picture as to where he is coming from and what he has been through. The writing didn’t blow me away, but was very sincere.

Overall, I don’t have any strong reactions to this book. If anything, I found it too simple for my taste. I have the feeling that newer Christians or folks closer in age to the author (40’s – 60’s) would get more out of this.

Rating: 4/5 (Good for the right audience.)

“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert.” – Jeremiah 2:2

This book was provided for review by Zondervan. To learn more about, or purchase this book on Amazon, click here.

Category: Reviews