Driven by 2 Million Reasons

Oklahoma resident Tom Pace has read The Purpose Driven^® Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? more than 75 times. During his eighth reading, a line in the book caught his attention: “give away a copy of this book.” And so began his quest of sharing The Purpose Driven Life with others. What started as a simple eye-catching line in a book went viral in Tom’s life, leading him to discover his own life purpose and give a life-changing gift to thousands of strangers.

Because he grew up struggling with Attention Deficit Disorder and Dyslexia, Tom became dedicated to bringing focus to literacy. By giving away The Purpose Driven Life, he hoped to encourage others to not just read, but to discover their life calling. “I went to Walmart and bought all that they had, and I started by giving my neighbors a copy of the book,” Tom recalls of the first books he gave away.

Soon after, Tom was inspired to hand out 5,000 more Purpose Driven Life books as he ran 236 miles across the state of Oklahoma. “I wanted to give away books in small towns, large cities that I ran through, and to strangers along the way,” he recalls.

Tom carried his passion for literacy into his work life. His company, which recycles used cell phones, donates a book for each phone that is taken in. Books are donated to places such as schools, homeless shelters, hospitals, mentor programs, and prisons across the U.S. “I know that if someone reads the book, their life is going to change,” he says. So far, Tom’s company has given away 300,000 Purpose Driven Life books.

Now that he’s discovered his purpose, Tom has a goal to give away a total of 2 million copies of The Purpose Driven Life. “Giving someone something as powerful as The Purpose Driven Life and being able to see their life change — that’s what it’s all about.”

Saddleback’s Classes 101–401 are designed to help you discover and live out your unique life purpose. To learn more about upcoming Classes, click here.