I have never been to Saddleback Church and I have never even been to the USA. I have never heard Rick Warren preach live, however I have seen live broadcasts on the Internet as he preach. I have read his books Purpose driven life and Purpose driver church. And that’s it, almost.
Yesterday morning I woke up and checked my Twitter account. I noticed that Rick Warren (@RickWarren) tweeted about speaking at Oprah Winfrey’s Lifeclass and I thought I’d take a look what it was all about. As I watched I decided to finally write my article named: Why I admire Rick Warren – 5 reasons.
1) He brings Jesus to the world
The Business and Faith blog is about equipping people for business, leadership and blogging. It is so important to bring Jesus with us wherever we go so that he can see shine through us as we do the jobs we are doing. Rick Warren is a brilliant example of that. He is one of the most famous pastors on earth, and not ashamed to stand up for what he believes in. That is why he speaks very clearly about Gods word and Jesus, not only in church, but whenever he has the chance. That was also very easy to understand as I watched the recordings from Oprah Winfrey’s Lifeclass.
2) Bigger vision for his money than himself
Rick Warren has sold more than 30 million books. Instead of building an enormous bank account he has turned himself into a reversed tither. This means that he keeps 10% of his income and gives away the rest (90%). We need to get a much bigger vision for our money than ourselves!
3) Rick doesn’t always say what people want to hear
We all want to be loved by everyone and that is why it is so tempting to always say what people want to hear. True love speaks out truth, even when it hurts, and so also with Rick Warren. I have seen as he speaks live on CNN about very hard topics (such as same-sex arraignment), and he dares to stand up for what he believes in, even when the world wants him to say something else.
4) He helps people find their purpose
Rick Warren’s number one best seller is the book The Purpose Driven Life
5) He is planted in a local church
Of course Rick Warren is planted in a local church, he is a pastor! But for many Christians around the world it isn’t that obvious that they are to be a part of a local church. They withdraw from the community and live solo Christian lives. God hasn’t called us to do so, and that is why we need role models such as Rick Warren who recognize the importance of the local church and has made it his passion to equip his own and other churches. We all have gifts and talents from God which we are to use in our businesses and daily life, but the same gifts are also to enrich our local churches and as we enrich our local church we also enrich the global church!
Other things I like about Rick Warren
As I mentioned in the start I have never really seen him in person, but whenever I see him online he keeps smiling. It is always positive when someone have a smile on their face, and Rick Warren has it all the time! It also strikes me how important the work among the poor is for Rick Warren and for Saddleback Church. That is why they have a project going named the P E A C E Plan. The slogan for the P E A C E plan is: “Ordinary people empowered by God making a difference together wherever they are.” He inspires us all to make a difference in the world, and the only way of doing so is together with others!
There are probably hundred other things I do admire about Rick Warren, and if I ever see him and meet him in person I will get to know more of those, but if you have read this article you have at least read 5 reasons as to why I admire Rick Warren and the work he does. And the conclusion is:
We need more leaders like Rick Warren out there!
The reverse tithe is pretty impressive for sure. I wonder if he will continue to do so after the sales of his books cool off.