Saddleback Community Church pastor Rick Warren has announced he is working on a new book, titled The Hope You Need, which will focus on the ten phrases found within Lord's Prayer and how Christians can apply those principles to their lives.
Warren, who authored The Purpose Driven Church in 1995 and The Purpose Driven Life in 2002, first revealed he was writing a third book around Easter two years ago. However, the book was abruptly postponed when, less than a week later, Warren's son Matthew took his own life after a long battle with depression.
"I decided to put the book on hold...I was in no shape to write a book. I thought, 'It's not time..when God wants me to write it it'll come along,'" Warren told the Saddleback Church congregation on Sunday.
"But just as we were about ending the Daring Faith series [earlier this year], I felt God's leading to say, 'This summer, you've got to finish The Hope You Need,'" he continued.
The Southern California based megachurch pastor revealed that the book, which will be released in January, will focus on the Lord's Prayer and will dissect each of the ten phrases found within the prayer.
"[The Lord's Prayer] gives us ten pictures of God, it gives us ten reasons for hope, it gives us ten promises to build our lives on, and it gives us ten steps for renewing our lives and growing," Warren explained.
The Hope You Need will also be used for Warren's 2016 radio teaching series, titled "Forty Days of Hope," and will include a textbook that can be used in church small groups.
In concluding his message, the pastor asked for prayers as he works to meet deadlines and complete his latest book "by the end of August."
Saddleback Community Church, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, is one of the nation's largest megachurches, drawing an estimated 20,000 people to weekly services. It also has nine campuses in Orange and Los Angeles counties, and four international campuses.
Last year, Warren and his wife, Kay, launched a mental health ministry in Matthew's honor to help shed light on mental illness in the church and to help raise mental health awareness in the local community. The Warrens also address alcohol addiction, drug abuse, orphan care and HIV/AIDS via their church ministry.
"It's so important that people know, no matter how desperate their despair, there is hope, and not to give up," Kay wrote in a 2014 press release. She added, "We want this to be a hopeful event that encourages individuals and helps them realize they are not alone in dealing with mental illness."
The Warrens teamed up with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange and the National Alliance on Mental Illness to host a day-long event, and a second summit is set to take place later this year in October.
