Now, acclaimed biographer George Mair provides a rare, personal look at the private man behind the powerful teachings. This inspiring biography reveals what prompted Warren to start preaching, the motivation behind The Purpose-Driven Life, and how he overcame serious obstacles to achieve success in every aspect of his life-from his work, to his marriage, to his visionary mission. For the first time, A Life with Purpose tells the story of the unassuming man who has dedicated himself to changing the world, one soul at a time.

"'It's not about you.' That is the now-famous depersonalization that opens Rick Warren's self-help guide The Purpose-Driven Life. Unfortunately, they are apparently words that his biographer took to heart, because despite its promising subtitle, this portrait tells readers almost nothing about the man behind the bestseller. Mair spends most of the book superficially exploring the phenomenon of megachurches and introducing some of Warren's role models for ministry. What information he does give us about Warren's life is sparse and blandly hagiographic: the son of energetic, saintly California church planters, Warren appears to have realized his pastoral calling early on. Because he's depicted as both pious and entrepreneurial from childhood, readers don't get to see him grow or evolve as a leader. Moreover, the book says almost nothing about his family life — for example, Mair tells us that when Saddleback Church was founded, the Warrens had an infant daughter, but she's never named or even mentioned again — nor is the fact that the Warrens went on to have two more children. If these perfectly basic elements to include in a life story are missing, it goes without saying that Mair also reveals no conflict, no difficult struggles and no rough edges to Warren's personality that could make him a real person instead of the smiling, guitar-playing, Hawaiian shirt — wearing cardboard cutout depicted here." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Mair shares the inspiring story of today's most influential and mysterious pastor, Rev. Rick Warren, author of the phenomenal "New York Times" bestseller, "The Purpose-Driven( Life." Fans learn how Warren overcame serious obstacles to achieve success in every aspect of his life--from his work to his marriage to his visionary mission.

George Mair is the author of numerous books, including nine celebrity biographies. His book House Broken: How I Remodeled My Home for Just Under Three Times the Original Bid was recently named "Book of the Week" by People magazine. The recipient of thirty-two writing awards, including the prestigious Columbia University Silver Scroll for Best Radio Writing in America, Mair has also served as a CBS broadcaster, a Los Angeles Times syndicated columnist, and a radio talk-show host.