Batterson hits a home run with "Soulprint"
My 13th book of 2011 was the 2nd one I’ve read from Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C., which was both good and bad. The good is that Batterson has a writing style that is very easy to read, and his message is full of inspiration and motivation. The bad is that portions of the content in Soulprint were very similar to his book, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. That’s to be expected to some degree, of course, since he wrote both books, but because I read them only a few weeks apart, it was very obvious to me. Still, this is a great read.
Batterson divides the book into 7 sections and draws parallels and insights from the life of David that can help each of us discover our “soulprint,” which the author defines as the God-given identity that makes each one of us different from every one else who has ever lived. Just as David had a destiny that only he could fulfill, so you and I do, too. Finding it is, as Batterson says, a matter of taking a personal journey through your life much like an archaeologist would take time poring over a dig site. It is a slow, sometimes painful, often rewarding experience, and the end result is living out our destiny with confidence.
One of the great takeaways from this book is that God is often working behind the scenes through the very circumstances that seem be delaying what we desire. In fact, Batterson does a great job of tracing the path of David from a skinny, short, forgotten shepherd to the most historic and anointed king in Israel’s history. Along the way, David learned to be true to who he was, to trust in God’s plan, and to be a man of integrity.
Perhaps the best chapter for me was Scene 3: The Crags of the Wild Goats, in which the author retells the story of David cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe when he could have – and his followers thought should have – killed the king and taken the throne. Batterson does a great job unpacking that one, somewhat odd, story in a way that makes the point of utmost relevance to the reader and leads to one of the better points of the book: an opportunity isn’t an opportunity if you have to compromise your integrity.
The rest of the book is full of other short, thought-provoking comments just like that one, and each one will make you want to read this book with a highlighter handy. Some of the gems include:
To become like Christ is to become unlike anyone else. (p. 13)
There comes a point in all of our lives where we need the courage to take off Saul’s armor. And it’s the rarest form of courage. It’s the courage to be yourself. (p. 15)
If you learn the lesson God is trying to teach you, no matter how things turn out, you haven’t failed. In fact, you cannot fail. (p. 22)
Part of discovering your soulprint is seeing the purposes of God in your past experiences. (p. 61)
Integrity won’t keep you from getting thrown into a fiery furnace, but it will keep you from smelling like smoke. (p. 83)
Religion is all about protocol. Following Jesus is all about desperation. (p. 108)
Our potential for sin is exceeded only by our potential for self-deception. (p. 121)
A short (only 154 pages), easy read, Soulprint needs to be one of the next books you pick up (in fact, you can read the first chapter for free right now). You won’t be sorry, and maybe, just like David so many years ago, you will discover the destiny God has for you and will serve His purpose in your generation.
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I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review as a part of their Blogging for Books program.
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