Soulprint by Mark Batterson
"I try to share my weaknesses and failures because I think it amplifies the goodness and greatness of God." -- Mark Batterson (from Soulprint)
Admittedly, I had never actually read one of Mark Batterson's books before Soulprint, despite the fact that I have three of his works on my bookshelf (including this one, that was provided to me by Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers as a complimentary review copy). Hearing him speak a few times and liking what he had to say had prompted me to purchase his other books, but when it came down to making a decision to read them, they ended up left on the shelf in favor of a different title. But I think my hesitancy to read them was more about Batterson and his publisher not disclosing more of the details of his books on their covers (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) than it was about the books not having subject matter I would enjoy. The same was true when I first picked up Soulprint ("What is this about?"). But it was partly that bit of mystery (and discovery) that made Batterson's latest work a quick, enjoyable read. And it's the author's conversational, confessional style that will soon lead me to brush the dust off his other books on my shelf.
Without disclosing too much, Soulprint is about our divine destiny. To disclose just a tiny bit more, it's also about King David, though less about David as king (which is part of his destiny) as it is about his journey to become a man after God's own heart, and how instances within David's journey can parallel our own journeys to expose our divine destinies.
And that's really all there is to it, so the the description on the cover really says it all (much of the beauty of the book lies in its simplicity). But that's not to say the book is one-dimensional -- Batterson adds so much more to what seems like a simple concept of outlining the link between David's discovery of his destiny and our own. It's much more than a Bible study on the book of Samuel with application for today's Christians. And it's more than a motivational or self-help book (a distinction Batterson himself makes immediately) -- it's a biblical call to action he likens to "an archaeological dig into our pasts to find clues to our futures."
So once I figured out what Soulprint was (and wasn't), I was ready to go along for the ride. But what I wasn't ready for was how the author would lay himself out there all throughout the book, exposing embarrassing and awkward moments from his past, mistakes he has made in his life, and disappointments that have turned out to be "divine appointments" in his journey. Where I expected preachiness, I often found humility. When Batterson said "pride is simply the failure to praise," I looked for places to call him on it, but couldn't find them. And the credibility he earned with me as a reader made his seemingly simple message all that more affecting. I suppose that aiding the book's impact was my current life situation -- having read it in the days surrounding the birth of my second child -- but I think that regardless of where you are in life, there is a lot to which we can relate, since (as Batterson explains) our destiny involves past, present and future...and it can be found in the life places we may have never expected.
Stories of David's life are among the very first Bible stories we ever hear, and I've heard many of them so many times that it's rare that an application breathes new life into them. But I've never tried applying them to my own life. And not just my present life, but my past and future as well. And in doing that, the stories become fresh. Because they become about me. Batterson says that our sense of destiny is a God-given birthright, and having the sense to find it and develop a vision to get there is what Soulprint is about. And though the book didn't tell me exactly what my destiny is (nor did I expect it to), it did tell me where I can find clues as to what it is. And acquiring the knowledge to recognize those clues was well worth reading past the outside cover.
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