From 10/16/06
Influence:
So I had no idea the extent to which the purpose driven pastor has impacted culture. According to him, The Purpose Driven Life was the bestselling book for 3 years running. Dang! Of course this accordingly resulted in 10's of millions in revenue. What did he do with this? Several things. First, he not only stopped taking a salary, but paid back the church for every penny it had paid him since its founding. Second, he started to reverse tithe, giving 90% while living on 10%. Third, he did not drastically increase his standard of living, remaining the house he's been in for a decade while continuing to drive his old Ford. Finally, he started projects - for one, Saddleback now hosts the largest AIDS conference in Evangelicalism. This is huge - Warren pointed out that in the same way we look at the age of slavery when church goers and Bible readers kept their Black brothers and sisters in bondage and think, "come one! how in the world could you allow that to happen," we will likewise look back at our era with regard to AIDS should we not act now.
And these decisions have led to a Kingdom focused and counter-cultural influence. For example, soon after deciding to give back his salary, the big networks came around for interviews. Their first question? "How much do you make?" We're under the microscope, like it or not. What an example of wielding influence well. I love this quote of his:
The purpose of influence is to be a voice for those who have none.
Other cool things from Warren...
He's all about multiplying, really living out 2 Tim 2:2. He has a heart for training leaders and takes young leaders with him wherever he goes.
He's all about healthy marriages. "The purpose of marriage is to make you holy, not happy." Cool huh?
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