Pathway to Purpose for Women

by Katie Brazelton, Director of Women's Bible Studies, Saddleback Church

• ISBN13: 9780310256496
• ISBN10: 0310256496
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-04-01
• Publisher: Harpercollins Christian Pub

Summary

What is the connection between today's to-do list and God's ultimate mission? This how-to guide, filled with true personal stories, provides stepping stones through the challenges of not only discovering one's universal purposes but also discerning one's unique purposes in this life.

Table of Contents

How to Use the Pathway to Purpose™ Series	9	(4)
Series Foreword by Kay Warren	13	(4)
Part One STEP TOWARD THE PATHWAY
CHAPTER 1 Is Your Life Out of Sync?	17	(12)
CHAPTER 2 Leave Your Past Behi nd	29	(16)
Part Two NEVER WALK ALONE
God's Fellowship Purpose for You: To Connect with Others
CHAPTER 3 Do What Matters Today	45	(18)
CHAPTER 4 Love Others as Jesus Loves You	63	(16)
Part Three FOLLOW IN JESUS' FOOTSTEPS
God's Discipleship Purpose for You: To Know Christ and Become Like Him
CHAPTER 5 Pursue Peace	79	(18)
CHAPTER 6 Repent of All Your Offenses	97	(20)
Part Four Go THE EXTRA MILE
God's Ministry Purpose for You: To Serve Others
CHAPTER 7 Wash One Another's Feet	117	(14)
CHAPTER 8 Walk with Integrity	131	(18)
Part Five RUN TO JESUS
God's Worship Purpose for You: To Magnify Him with Your Life
CHAPTER 9 Expect the Desires of Your Heart	149	(16)
CHAPTER 10 Surrender Your Daily Life to God	165	(18)
Part Six POINT OTHERS TOWARD THE PATHWAY
God's Evangelism Purpose for You: To Complete His Mission for Your Life
CHAPTER 11 Anticipate God's Vision	183	(20)
CHAPTER 12 Take Courage	203	(16)
CHAPTER 13 Bring Glory to God	219	(14)
APPENDIXES
Group Discussion Guide	233	(16)
Fresh Start with Jesus	249	(2)
Acknowledgments	251	(2)
How to Contact the Author	253

Excerpts

Pathway to Purpose™ for Women
Copyright © 2005 by Katherine F. Brazelton
This title is also available as a Zondervan audio product. Visit www.zondervan.com/audiopages for
more information.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brazelton, Katie, 1950–
Pathway to purpose for women : connecting your to-do list, your passions, and God’s
purposes for your life / Katie Brazelton ; foreword by Kay Warren.—1st ed.
p. cm. — (Pathway to purpose series)
Includes bibliographical references.
Summary: “This book uses true personal stories to provide stepping stones for discovering
purpose in life. With discussion guide”—Provided by the publisher.
ISBN-10: 0-310-25649-6 (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25649-6
1. Christian women—Religious life. 2. Vocation—Christianity. I. Title. II. Series.
BV4527.B683 2005
248.8'43—dc22
2004028853
This edition printed on acid-free paper.
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International
Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV in this publication are from The New King James Bible Version.
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation, copyright
© 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. Copyright © 1971 by Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament. Copyright ©
1965, 1987, by the Zondervan Publishing House. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Part One
Step
toward the
Pathway
Chapter 1
IS YOUR LIFE OUT OF SYNC?
My life flies by—day after hopeless day.
(JOB 7:6, TLB)
Do you remember George Bailey, the main character in the classic movie,
It’s a Wonderful Life? He sinks into a serious depression and even considers
ending his life because of his unrealized dreams and feelings of
uselessness. With the help of Clarence, an angel, George is shown the
impact of the specific relational assignments in which he has been critically
needed over the years. He comes to realize that there has been a
clear purpose in his life all along. He discovers that his life has mattered
and still matters a great deal.
Like George, we each have purposes to fulfill, many of which are
linked to our relationships, passions, talents, experiences, dreams, hopes,
and longings. Living a larger, more fulfilling and dynamic life than you
may currently be living is possible when you catch God’s vision for your
life. It is a transformational experience. I’m no angel, but I experienced
a remarkable transformation as I journeyed on the pathway to purpose.
And, I am eager to share lessons I have learned along the way.
At age thirty-five, I unexpectedly found myself divorced. Gary and I
had started dating during college. We got married, built a life together,
had children. Then, in the flash of a conversation that lasted only a few
minutes, it was over. All of a sudden I had no husband to tend to, my
two children were often visiting their dad, and many of the family responsibilities
that for years had defined my life were nearly nonexistent.
I was far more fortunate than many divorced women with young
children. I was not financially abandoned and forced into survival mode.
Quite the opposite. My ex-husband adored our children. He couldn’t
get enough of them or do enough to make our lives easier. So when
the kids came home to me, they were fed, often newly clothed, and
happily exhausted. I had less laundry, cooking, shopping, and homework
assistance to worry about than when we were together as a family.
I lived like a divorced princess.
But deep inside, I was not well. The ease of my life did nothing to
lessen the immeasurable sadness of the divorce. My heart was broken
and I was lonely. Fewer neighborhood kids visited our new, tiny house,
and no couples invited me to join their outings. After a few bad experiences,
I chose not to date. So I lived a quiet and simple life shared
with several faithful friends, my Bible, and my new best companion, TV
Guide.
With no pressing roles to fulfill, I felt enormously dispirited and useless.
Everything I had crowded into my life to bring it some semblance
of meaning had been yanked away or grown stagnant. My casual friends
noticed that I seemed lost, but those who knew me best realized that I
was crashing into hopelessness.
The pain of that transition and my lack of purpose was made worse
by the fact that for five years I had begged God to give me a Joan of
Arc–type cause or a unique purpose to champion, but he had not seen
fit to do so. I felt confused. At times I wondered if the only logical life
purpose I had left was shopping for new clothes because my weight spiraled
downward as my depression deepened.
A LONGING FOR PURPOSE
It has been more than a decade and a half since those difficult days,
and God has given me more meaning in life than I ever could have
imagined. In the midst of that purposeless desert, I began an intense
spiritual journey through which God slowly revealed to me his multifaceted
reasons for my existence. Today, my service as a licensed minister
at Saddleback Church and as a Certified Christian LifePlan
Facilitator1 allow me the privilege of walking alongside other women
who are crying out for purpose in their lives.
I will share a bit more of my journey on the pathway to purpose
shortly, but now, let me ask about you. How are you doing in the area
of personal validity and life significance? Are
you crying out to the Lord for clarity regarding
his purposes for your life?
Through my own faltering steps and my
interaction with thousands of other women, I
have come to realize that countless good,
Christian women barely function because they
feel alone,

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Excerpted from Pathway to Purpose for Women by Kate Brazelton
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.