Created To Dream By Rick Warren (Book Review)

About the Author

Rick Warren is an American Christian pastor and author. Best selling author of; The purpose of a driven life, and the former pastor of Saddleback mega church in Lake Forest California-(retiring from the church in 2022).
He provides a wealth of resources and study guides for this book at his website https://pastorrick.com/series/created-to-dream/

What’s it about?

Over seven chapters Rick writes about how God uses seven specific phases to fulfill the dream you have for your life.

The 7 key chapters (and phases) are;

● Faith & Dreaming -and how they connect
● Discovering your dream
● Taking Action
● Delays to your dream
● Challenges and difficulties
● Dead Ends
● Being delivered

Throughout the book, Rick uses examples of specific people in the bible such as Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. He also sprinkles in relevant bible verses for each chapter.

The Pro’s

● His openness when talking about his own dream and the journey he went on. He talks about his challenges and how he went through and dealt with each of the phases.

● The book is full of down to earth wisdom and practical advice as applied through the seven phases. Advice that you can apply to your own situation straight away. It’s relatable and written in a conversational style.

● This is a small book- perfect to take with you on the move. It really is dimensionally small, which surprised me. However I think there is a reason for this. See below;

● Shareable- On the inside cover Rick encourages you to read it and then share it with a friend. It’s definitely a shareable size.
I did just this. I have a friend who was considering a big career change and job move but was doubting herself and what God wanted for her. Having just finished the book, I bought it as a gift for her- she loved it.

● It’s a great gift to encourage anyone who needs help and encouragement on their dream journey.

● Good reflection questions-At the end of the book Rick provides a separate section which allows you to reflect on a number of questions to help you.
These questions are divided up into sections for each chapter.

● A quick read- As it’s a small book of only 127 pages you can read it quickly and start applying what you’ve learnt straight away.

● Extra resources available- There are lots of free resources available for this book at Rick’s website www.pastorickwarren.com This includes;

● Free Printable guide, audio and video teachings on the ‘Created to dream’ series.

● Separate journal available to accompany the book (not free).

The Reading Room Con’s

● Rick very much focuses on specific bible characters and his own journey, he doesn’t talk about any other other people’s experiences for extra depth.

The Reading Room Overall score
4⁄5- A great quick read, easily applied to your life, perfect to give as a gift, to encourage a friend or to share.

Why buy it?
Learn about the seven phases (as defined by Rick Warren) that God uses in order to bring about a dream in your life.