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When Success Isn't Enough, Purpose is Plenty
When Success Isn't Enough discusses the similarities and differences between living a life of success and living a life of purpose.
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
199 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
About the author
Mary Detweiler
9 books67 followersI love books. I love to read books. I love to write books. All of the books I have written were birthed in my own life experiences.
My writing journey began in 2005 when I started to write a book about how Celebrate Recovery had helped me overcome multiple hurts, habits and hang-ups I struggled with as a result of having grown up in an unhealthy family. It took me three years to write that book due to working full-time and parenting two teenagers. The result was When Therapy Isn’t Enough, published in 2008 by House to House Publications and in 2011 by Tate Publishing Company. My second book, When Religion Isn’t Enough, was published in 2012 by Tate and explains the difference between having religion and having a personal relationship with God. It also chronicles my journey from religion to relationship. I then wrote When the Glass Ceiling is Stained which was birthed in an experience I had in the fall of 2004 when I was removed from a church leadership position I firmly believed God had called me to. That book discusses the differences between ordination and anointing, as well as the differences between leading and managing. I also raise the following question: “Is Jesus the head of your church body or denomination? You may think he is, but is he really? How can you tell? The definitive mark of whether or not human beings are truly allowing Jesus to be the head of the church is when individuals who are gifted to lead, lead, and individuals who are gifted to preach, preach: regardless of their gender.” I decided to share that experience and the lessons I learned from that experience in the hope that other women who have been given the spiritual gift of leadership would benefit from it.
I served in leadership in various Celebrate Recovery ministries for 10 years. In 2013 I had both of my knees replaced (one in June and one in October) and stepped out of the Celebrate Recovery leadership role I was serving in at that time. Throughout the following winter (as my knees were healing) I waited on God to let me know what he wanted me to do next and wrote When Doing Isn’t Enough, published by Tate in 2015. In July 2014 God lit a fire in my heart to help his daughters be set free from belief systems and practices which reinforce the inequality of the sexes. In response to that fire being lit I wrote When Going with the Flow Isn’t Enough, incorporating much of Glass Ceiling into it.
As I worked with Tate Publishing Company during the publishing process of Doing, I saw a number of red flags which made me very uneasy about continuing my relationship with them. Therefore, as I was writing Going with the Flow, I began to look for another publishing company and found Credo House Publishers. Credo published Going with the Flow in 2017.
Another happening which occurred in 2017 is that Tate Publishing Company went bankrupt. Before they went out of business they offered to sell a print ready file of each of the author’s manuscripts to the author for a small fee. I purchased the print ready file for Doing and Credo re-published it. Glass Ceiling had already been incorporated into Going with the Flow, AND, I decided to write one new manuscript from my first two, Therapy and Religion. Though the new book is titled When Therapy Isn’t Enough, it is very different (and better if I do say so myself) than the earlier book of the same name.
Over the last few years, I have written When Success Isn't Enough, which discusses the differences and similarities between living a successful life and a purposeful life, and Do You Have an Exit Strategy? which outlines how to get right with God before you die. I have also written a 2nd edition of When Religion Isn't Enough, which is an expanded version of the first edition.
My writing journey began in 2005 when I started to write a book about how Celebrate Recovery had helped me overcome multiple hurts, habits and hang-ups I struggled with as a result of having grown up in an unhealthy family. It took me three years to write that book due to working full-time and parenting two teenagers. The result was When Therapy Isn’t Enough, published in 2008 by House to House Publications and in 2011 by Tate Publishing Company. My second book, When Religion Isn’t Enough, was published in 2012 by Tate and explains the difference between having religion and having a personal relationship with God. It also chronicles my journey from religion to relationship. I then wrote When the Glass Ceiling is Stained which was birthed in an experience I had in the fall of 2004 when I was removed from a church leadership position I firmly believed God had called me to. That book discusses the differences between ordination and anointing, as well as the differences between leading and managing. I also raise the following question: “Is Jesus the head of your church body or denomination? You may think he is, but is he really? How can you tell? The definitive mark of whether or not human beings are truly allowing Jesus to be the head of the church is when individuals who are gifted to lead, lead, and individuals who are gifted to preach, preach: regardless of their gender.” I decided to share that experience and the lessons I learned from that experience in the hope that other women who have been given the spiritual gift of leadership would benefit from it.
I served in leadership in various Celebrate Recovery ministries for 10 years. In 2013 I had both of my knees replaced (one in June and one in October) and stepped out of the Celebrate Recovery leadership role I was serving in at that time. Throughout the following winter (as my knees were healing) I waited on God to let me know what he wanted me to do next and wrote When Doing Isn’t Enough, published by Tate in 2015. In July 2014 God lit a fire in my heart to help his daughters be set free from belief systems and practices which reinforce the inequality of the sexes. In response to that fire being lit I wrote When Going with the Flow Isn’t Enough, incorporating much of Glass Ceiling into it.
As I worked with Tate Publishing Company during the publishing process of Doing, I saw a number of red flags which made me very uneasy about continuing my relationship with them. Therefore, as I was writing Going with the Flow, I began to look for another publishing company and found Credo House Publishers. Credo published Going with the Flow in 2017.
Another happening which occurred in 2017 is that Tate Publishing Company went bankrupt. Before they went out of business they offered to sell a print ready file of each of the author’s manuscripts to the author for a small fee. I purchased the print ready file for Doing and Credo re-published it. Glass Ceiling had already been incorporated into Going with the Flow, AND, I decided to write one new manuscript from my first two, Therapy and Religion. Though the new book is titled When Therapy Isn’t Enough, it is very different (and better if I do say so myself) than the earlier book of the same name.
Over the last few years, I have written When Success Isn't Enough, which discusses the differences and similarities between living a successful life and a purposeful life, and Do You Have an Exit Strategy? which outlines how to get right with God before you die. I have also written a 2nd edition of When Religion Isn't Enough, which is an expanded version of the first edition.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 3, 2020
Let me start by saying that I don’t think I fit into the real target audience for this book. I believe this book will be most poignant for those who are more ambitious in life (seeking but not finding fulfilment) and who are currently in a state of unease because they are not content with the path their life has taken. In contrast, I have never been an ambitious person, and I have set as a goal to achieve the level of contentment spoken by Paul in Philippians 4:11-13:
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
That is not to say that I regret reading this book, or that I gained nothing from it. Heavens no! I have actually now read several of Detweiler’s books and this one stays true to her style of hopeful encouragement smothered with heaping amounts of both scripture and real-life examples. It is also very clear with each of her books that she is extremely passionate about the topic, not to mention well informed and thorough.
And having known her personally for several years, I can also say that she loves people, loves helping them to change, and it is all rooted in a gratitude for what God has done for her. She seems to especially care for people who have been marginalized, mistreated, and/or maligned. She shines the spotlight and esteems those who have been ignored, disregarded or silenced. I have always held her with a great deal of respect.
For this book, the title alone gives a very quick synopsis of her message, When Success Isn’t Enough, Purpose Is Plenty. Within these pages, she clarifies how our aim should not be success (as the world would define it with wealth or prestige) but rather purpose (as assigned and ascribed by God). She uses several examples from the Bible all the way through modern characters, many of which have achieved, or at least strived for worldly success, but found that there was still something missing. These are inspiring stories which point to a deeper yearning in each of us.
This book will best fit the person who has gotten discouraged with the rat race, either because they reached the top and were not satisfied, or because they see the futility in the race itself. It is my hope that many will be motivated in reading this book to find their purpose through a vibrant relationship with God much as Detweiler has.
(I want to thank Mary very much for the review copy of this book.)
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
That is not to say that I regret reading this book, or that I gained nothing from it. Heavens no! I have actually now read several of Detweiler’s books and this one stays true to her style of hopeful encouragement smothered with heaping amounts of both scripture and real-life examples. It is also very clear with each of her books that she is extremely passionate about the topic, not to mention well informed and thorough.
And having known her personally for several years, I can also say that she loves people, loves helping them to change, and it is all rooted in a gratitude for what God has done for her. She seems to especially care for people who have been marginalized, mistreated, and/or maligned. She shines the spotlight and esteems those who have been ignored, disregarded or silenced. I have always held her with a great deal of respect.
For this book, the title alone gives a very quick synopsis of her message, When Success Isn’t Enough, Purpose Is Plenty. Within these pages, she clarifies how our aim should not be success (as the world would define it with wealth or prestige) but rather purpose (as assigned and ascribed by God). She uses several examples from the Bible all the way through modern characters, many of which have achieved, or at least strived for worldly success, but found that there was still something missing. These are inspiring stories which point to a deeper yearning in each of us.
This book will best fit the person who has gotten discouraged with the rat race, either because they reached the top and were not satisfied, or because they see the futility in the race itself. It is my hope that many will be motivated in reading this book to find their purpose through a vibrant relationship with God much as Detweiler has.
(I want to thank Mary very much for the review copy of this book.)
January 25, 2021
Mary Detweiler's "When Success Isn't Enough" really resonated with me. In my former life, I was a lawyer in New Jersey and at times could call myself reasonably successful at least financially. Then God called me to go to seminary and become a pastor in Texas. Success is not enough. We must have purpose to live a fulfilled life.
Mary traces the lives of successful people including Howard Schulz, Bruce Springsteen, and Teddy Roosevelt. I learned a lot about their lives that I didn't know, which in the case of Bruce is saying something, as I've been a huge fan for many years. We all may have our own definition of success. By just about any definition, Schulz, Springsteen, and Roosevelt enjoyed great success.
Purpose is a step beyond success. It's successfully fulfilling a God-given calling. Mary shares stories from her own life, including heartache mixed with success as she continues to strive to fulfill her purpose. She integrates her stories with Peter and Paul from the Bible, as well as some modern day disciples. We learn that there is nothing greater than fulfilling God's purpose for our lives, even when it involves great sacrifice and struggle.
Mary explains that the road to successful fulfillment of our purpose requires vision, passion, motivation, focus, teachability, risk, and perseverance. It's not easy, but nothing worth doing is. Mary explains that as we struggle toward fulfilling our purpose we must find our security in God and rely on the Holy Spirit to accomplish through us what we could not accomplish on our own. She gives many Biblical examples and demonstrates this principle from her own life too.
My favorite quote: "It is possible to be politically free and be in spiritual bondage. It is also possible to be spiritually free and be in political bondage." Mary explains that we have always had to fight for political freedoms, but spiritual freedom to pursue our God-Given purpose is as simple as receiving the gospel.
This books well-researched and easy to read. I believe that you will get a lot out of it and I recommend it to you!
Mary traces the lives of successful people including Howard Schulz, Bruce Springsteen, and Teddy Roosevelt. I learned a lot about their lives that I didn't know, which in the case of Bruce is saying something, as I've been a huge fan for many years. We all may have our own definition of success. By just about any definition, Schulz, Springsteen, and Roosevelt enjoyed great success.
Purpose is a step beyond success. It's successfully fulfilling a God-given calling. Mary shares stories from her own life, including heartache mixed with success as she continues to strive to fulfill her purpose. She integrates her stories with Peter and Paul from the Bible, as well as some modern day disciples. We learn that there is nothing greater than fulfilling God's purpose for our lives, even when it involves great sacrifice and struggle.
Mary explains that the road to successful fulfillment of our purpose requires vision, passion, motivation, focus, teachability, risk, and perseverance. It's not easy, but nothing worth doing is. Mary explains that as we struggle toward fulfilling our purpose we must find our security in God and rely on the Holy Spirit to accomplish through us what we could not accomplish on our own. She gives many Biblical examples and demonstrates this principle from her own life too.
My favorite quote: "It is possible to be politically free and be in spiritual bondage. It is also possible to be spiritually free and be in political bondage." Mary explains that we have always had to fight for political freedoms, but spiritual freedom to pursue our God-Given purpose is as simple as receiving the gospel.
This books well-researched and easy to read. I believe that you will get a lot out of it and I recommend it to you!
September 7, 2020
I really enjoyed the mix of stories used to illustrate the concepts presented. Appreciate the “course correction “ notion of resetting our priorities and direction toward our spiritual calling.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews