The Purpose Driven Life Hits Headlines, Impacting Parable Stores
San Luis Obispo, CA - The No. 1 international bestseller, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren is dominating headlines due to its pivotal role in hostage Ashley Smith's influence in the surrender of alleged quadruple murder suspect Brian Nichols.
Released in September of 2002, The Purpose Driven Life immediately achieved unprecedented impact worldwide, and continues to effect lives globally with increasing momentum. The Purpose Driven Life has been a consistent bestseller and has seen many lives changed as a result.
The shocking hostage ordeal of Ashley Smith epitomizes the amazing influence of Warren's book, and it is the hope of store owners across the nation that this incident will prompt many more people to read this life-changing book.
"It's so gratifying to offer a book that so closely parallels Parable's mission to 'resoundingly impact the world for Christ'," says Steve Potratz, president of The Parable Group. "We hope this very public example of its effectiveness will prompt even more people to read it and find immediate and eternal purpose for their lives."
Rick Warren's blockbuster continues to sell in record numbers around the world. Over 21 million copies have sold thus far.
Winner of the Gold Medallion Ministry Book of the Year, and selected as one of the 100 Christian Books That Changed the 20th Century, The Purpose Driven Life has been translated into Afrikaans, Chinese, Dutch, German, French, Japanese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish and more translations are on the way. More than 250,000 pastors and church leaders from over 125 countries have attended Purpose-Driven Church seminars in 18 languages.
Sometimes the book's effect is spectacular, but other times it quietly impacts people's lives. Tony Waters of Heaven's Attic, a Parable Christian Store in Rome, Georgia says, "One of our customers is a highly educated teacher, and very active in her church. I asked her how she liked the book and she hung her head. She told me she thought she would be able to retire soon and just coast into heaven, but after reading the book she realized she can't retire from ministering. God has more work for her to do!"
The Parable® family of companies includes: The Parable Group, providing catalogs and comprehensive marketing services to independent, locally-branded Parable Member Affiliates nationwide; Parable Franchise, offering a nationally-branded turnkey business plan for opening and operating new Christian retail stores; and Parable Interactive, serving as a ministry partner hosting hundreds of web sites. Parable, America's Leading Christian Retailers®, is based in San Luis Obispo, CA.
