Mark Batterson has done it again. This time he has written a refreshingly authentic picture of what a Christian life could and should look like. Soul Print: Discovering Your Divine Destiny is a book about serving God in a vibrant and real way by being the person God intended you to be. I found his challenge to the superficiality of our day especially appealing. As usual for a Mark Batterson book there are lots of good quotes. Here are a few of my favorites:
“All of us start out a one-of-a-kind originals, but too many of us end up as carbon copies of someone else” (p. 13).
“Every past experience is preparation for some future opportunity. God doesn’t just redeem our souls. He also redeems our experiences” (p. 22).
“Most of us wait to do something wrong until no one is watching, and we wait to do something right until someone is watching” (p. 72).
Quoting a popular saying…”If you is who you ain’t, then you ain’t who you is” (p. 102).
“Sinful self-deception may be the only unlimited capacity we possess. So I’m no longer surprised by sin. What does surprise me is the person with the rare courage to confess” (p. 121).
Batterson’s basis for the book is the story of David. Good teacher that he is, he gives the reader a bird’s eye view of David. Then he points to lessons and probes the biblical text to make his point that David serves as the model of one who found his “soul pattern” and lived by it. Batterson masterfully weaves principles from the biblical text with events in the life of David. He lays precept upon precept, skillfully and thoughtfully making his case for the “soul print” principle.
The book is not perfect. Like most preachers (myself included), Batterson has the tendency to overuse favorite sayings such as ”Fulfill your destiny”. He also used more of the story of David as allegorical that I was comfortable with. One instance is when he writes about David dancing and stripping his robes. (2 Samuel 6:20-22) Batterson makes the comment that we must symbolically strip our robes in order to unleash who we really are. While I believe that this to be true, it is doubtful that it was the original intent of the text.
These few weaknesses do not outweigh the incredible impact this book has had on me It is both a quick-read and a must-read. Put in on your A list.
I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I wrote a long detailed review and my computer ate it. So….I’m now going to give you the short version. If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn is one book every student of the Bible should have in their library. It is a comprehensive examination of the problem of evil. The subtitle of the book “Faith in the midst of suffering and evil” gives away the authors main insight: No one is immune to suffering and evil but faith in the goodness of God enables believers to endure and survive whatever comes their way. This is not a book to read after a tragedy it is the book to read now to prepare you Biblically for life in the real world. I give it priority status on my bookshelf. I continue to be impressed by the author’s skillful Biblical exegesis, attention to detail, unflinching examination of hard questions, and the way he incorporates personal and anecdotal stories which keeps this deep book very interesting. Highly recommended.
The Shadowlander 