Make a Break for It: Unleashing the Power of Personal and Spiritual Growth

by Bill Purvis

Bill Purvis had to be left for dead before he discovered that everything he was searching for could be found in Jesus Christ. As a teen, Purvis nearly died when stabbed three times by a pimp during an encounter with a prostitute. With his pericardium sac pierced, liver punctured and his jugular vein completely severed, he cried out to Jesus, who miraculously saved his life. In the more than thirty years since that day, he's built a large church and become a leader and mentor to many.

Make a Break for It is a transformational road map meant to guide you by helping you pinpoint where you need to start and then providing detailed step-by-step guidance on how to successfully and continuously cultivate the transformation God has in mind for you. Your life will truly be transformed as you discover the importance of alone time with God, the secret to keeping your own excuses from holding you back, the significant role mentors play in your success, how to handle betrayal, and how to cultivate traits like integrity and humility. You have all of the tools you need to break out of the mold and begin living the life God called you to!

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 22, 2016

Reviews

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It's okay to admit that you've taken a detour from your destiny. You can't turn around until you're first honest with yourself. From there, it's important to remember that God is more interested in getting you back on track than punishing you for your mistakes. Yes, getting back to God's plan may be difficult or embarrassing. You may feel like you're letting someone down. But the truth is that none of that matters much. Our task is to fulfill the purposes that God has in store for us. Anytime we're not moving in that direction, it's time for a course correction, no matter how old we are and no matter what the circumstances." - Bill Purvis

Great hook to start the book, with the author giving his personal testimony of how he came to faith in Christ. This story is full of testimonies of the many great things that God has done and can do. One of the questions early in the book really spoke to me: "If you could give the people you love a sense of purpose and a meaningful life, would you do it? What, if anything, keeps you from believing God desires to do the same for you?"

It is easy to see how God is at work in the lives of other people we know, but sometimes we are not able to see it in our own lives. This book helps believers to recognize and pursue growth in those areas while emphasizing the importance of consistent prayer and regular Bible study.

[Rebeka Goodale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Pastor Bill and have always enjoyed his services. Reading his full story and his thoughts around how to best fulfill God’s plan for you was exactly what I needed in this season of my life.

[Rob O'Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, one defines “direction” as “the path along which something moves, lies, or points” or “an order or instruction to be followed.” Both are fitting definitions when applied to the realm of spiritual development. On one hand, we, from the moment we are born to the moment we expire, are moving along a direction. We have a starting point (mine was in December 1978, in Huntington, West Virginia), and we have will have a stopping date (still working on that one). The time in between our starting point and our stopping point is the direction of our life, or “trajectory,” as one of my college Bible professors referred to. We begin, we move along for a while, then we end. Direction.

On the other hand, we, from the moment we are born to the moment we expire, are following directions. Some of those directions are instinctual (crying when we are spanked at birth), some of those directions are intentional (the directions that I give my students in order to complete a paper or project), and some of those directions are accidental (pointing blindly at a wrench when fixing an appliance and your son actually brings you the correct item). Regardless of the purpose of the direction, we will find ourselves following directions throughout the course of our direction of life. We begin, we move along for a while, then we end. Direction.

Yet, should life not be more than simply follow directions as we follow along a direction? This is the idea that is at the heart of Bill Purvis’ new book Make a Break for It. As he writes in the introduction, “Do you ever feel as if your whole life is stuck in a traffic jam, on idle as you wait. . .and wait. . .and then wait some more for a lane to open up so you can get on the fast track to where you want to be? Or maybe you feel more like you’re in a roundabout. You keep going around in circles, driving past one exit after another because you don’t have any idea where you’re supposed to go next” (p. 11). As Purvis argues throughout his book, life should be more than beginning, moving along for a while, and then ending.

Purvis’ story begins somewhat like you would imagine a published testimony to start—a young man trapped in a broken life fueled by vices. Yet Purvis’ story is not your usual testimony material. His testimony includes being stabbed in the heart by a pimp who tried to murder him and his friend. Just let that line sink in for a moment. Escaping that moment led Purvis to a true “come to Jesus moment”—a hospital bed confessional that leads to a young man committing his life to not only follow Christ but seek to lead others to Christ.

However, before you part company with Purvis 20 pages in because you—like me—have a boring testimony, I encourage you to stick with him. This is not Augusten Burroughs’ This Is How, a brash, abrasive therapy session where you almost feel guilty for not being more broken. [BTW, I like Burroughs’ book.] Nor does this delve into sappy sentimental religiosity. The chapters that follow Purvis’ testimony are carefully-crafted conversations about life, redemption and the self-sacrificial love of God. It is a book about living well, about moving past excuses and criticisms, about choosing mentors well, and about living the adventure of life.

This book is about direction—about beginning, about moving along for a while, and about ending. Yet, Purvis argues, all of this direction should be taken with purpose—purpose which is found in God because it is only God who can give us direction for our direction in life. So, in Purvis’ words, make a break for it—break away from your direction-less life and allow this redeemed journeyman guide you to a better direction for your life.

[Brad Lutz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and Honest! It's not often you find a pastor who is willing to let you into his personal life. Having grown up the son of a pastor I've seen the hurt and backstabbing people will do in the church, so when a pastor is willing to lay it all in the open it is a big deal. I've sat under the teaching and leadership of Pastor Bill since 2009 when the Army brought me to Fort Benning. Even after being at Cascade Hills for six years I did not know many of the details Pastor Bill shared in his book. Not only is it a great read for someone who needs to know Christ, it is great for any follower of Christ regardless of their maturity in their Christian walk.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golden nuggets of wisdom from Pastor Bill Purvis

This is the story of my pastor, Dr. Bill Purvis. God truly got his attention and reached out to him when he was nearly 18 years old. This book contains many of the principles and Godly wisdom that Pastor has used to guide his life. Bill Purvis is truly a humble man, who depends on his heavenly father to provide him with all he needs. So grateful for his walk and how he leads others to the Lord. If you are looking for some practical and real ways to live the abundant life, this book is for you!

[Kellee Rayburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fulfilling your potential

This book helped motivate me
to continue to seek all that God has for me in life. Never give up!