The Cause within You: Finding the One Great Thing You Were Created to Do in This World [Hardcover]

Matthew Barnett (Author), George Barna (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: February 1, 2011

Whether we realize it or not, each of us was created for a great cause—and we will never be truly fulfilled until we find and pursue it. Matthew Barnett, son of a well-known megachurch pastor, discovered his great cause when he relinquished his dream of building a big, successful church like his father’s and began listening for God’s dream for his life. Sensing that God was calling him to serve the poor and powerless of Los Angeles, Matthew founded the Dream Center, a beacon of hope for homeless families, drug addicts, abused women and children, victims of human trafficking, teen runaways, gang members, and many others whose lives were filled with brokenness.

If you are hungry for a life full of passion instead of apathy; if you are ready to use your specific gifts and abilities to make a mark on the world; if you need to be reminded that God loves you and has a plan for your life—The Cause Within You is the book that can change everything. Through his own story and the stories of others whose lives have been transformed, Matthew Barnett will lead you to the cause of your lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You were created for something amazing . . . and it’s time to discover what it is!
Matthew Barnett, son of megachurch pastor Tommy Barnett, discovered the cause he was made for when he relinquished his dreams of success and began listening for God’s dream for his life instead. When he sensed that God was calling him to serve the poor and powerless, Matthew founded the Dream Center in Los Angeles, a beacon of hope for homeless families, addicts, abused women and children, victims of human trafficking, teen runaways, and many others whose lives are filled with brokenness. Through his own story and the stories of others whose lives have been transformed, Matthew Barnett points the way for anyone searching for hope that God created them for a great cause—and that He can use all their life experiences, even the most difficult, to fulfill it. Along the way, he shares principles for:

• Finding the cause you were made for—and letting your cause find you
• Preparing for your cause
• Believing in a cause again after being burned or burned out
• Experiencing the rewards of a great cause

If you are open to discovering the unique cause within you, let Matthew Barnett be your guide through a process that could transform your life—and many others around you.
A Tyndale Audio presentation / Read by Matt Baugher
unAbridged five CDs / Read the book—also from Tyndale House Publishers
Copyright © 2011 by Matthew Barnett. 2011 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. Manufactured in the USA. Tyndale Audio is a trademark of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Produced by Jimmy Fedd for FeddHouse Audio. Barna and the Barna logo are trademarks of George Barna. BarnaBooks is an imprint of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Visit our exciting Web site at www.tyndale.com. Cover photo by Stephen Vosloo, copyright © by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: BarnaBooks (February 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1414348460
• ISBN-13: 978-1414348469
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (130 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This will change the world. February 1, 2011

By Jacob B

Format:Hardcover

"The Cause Within You" is the perfect example of living your life completely outwardly, completely about other people. Matthew Barnett is the founder of the Dream Center in Los Angeles, and anyone who has ever visited the 400,000 square foot hospital he founded knows that he lives every word of every page in this book, every day of his life.

This book will help you find your cause as you devote to make your life about other people. If you catch onto the vision in this book, you will soon start living your life completely differently, you will find a cause... the kind of cause that makes you rethink your dreams and re-align them to something with more purpose then you could ever imagine. That is what the Dream Center is to so many people, and the fruit that place has produced can't be denied by anyone.

I think this book should be required reading for anybody in bible school, anybody planting a church, etc. because it will challenge the core of what you believe and I believe it will set the pace for what the next generation church has to look like if it is ever going to change the world.

Five stars for sure. This book will inspire you, challenge you, teach you, the real stories of real people will touch your heart and if you loose yourself in this idea it will become impossible to ever go back to the way you used to live.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story, Light on Study Content February 13, 2011

By Amy Deardon

Format:Hardcover

More than anything, Matthew Barnett's story of building his Dream Center in Los Angeles reminded me of David Wilkerson's 1963 THE CROSS AND THE SWITCHBLADE, in which Wilkerson recounts building a ministry to New York City's teens involved with drug addiction and gang violence. In the present day, the Dream Center is a comprehensive outreach to the homeless and poor in LA and now in NYC as well, that emphasizes finding God's love and purpose along with food, shelter, and job training. The story of how the Dream Center grew from Barnett's failed pastorship of a dying church to a vision of others with whom he could serve is compelling. Barnett strongly emphasizes in this book of how GOD, not himself, led him to build the ministries and guided him to find the outlets and resources necessary to continue to grow.

On an inspirational level, this book is remarkable. Barnett includes many stories of his own and others' interactions with the Dream Center that have produced positive and sometimes seemingly impossible changes. Barnett emphasizes the power of unconditional love and prayer that points people to God and help them to turn around.

I found this book less helpful in regard to its purpose as stated in the title: to help a person find what he was "created to do." Barnett includes general principles: for example, recognize that God can use you and your circumstances no matter what; aim to serve rather than to be successful; pay attention to God's leading (whether a sense or observations --> not specific); walk in faith with the idea of a progressive revelation; keep proper attitudes of loving others unconditionally and being open to opportunities; and do whatever presents itself no matter how small or unlikely.... Also it's important to develop partnerships and persevere together in a vision.

This is certainly good advice, but general. It is interspersed with the stories from the Dream Center, so seems perhaps greater than it actually is. There is a list of a few Scriptural references in the back of the book, but not within the body of text. The book is unabashedly Christian and might be difficult for someone to read who doesn't already have this mind-set.

What Barnett has accomplished in LA with his Dream Center is phenomenal and therefore I can't find it in my heart to downgrade his book too much. However, I found this to be a "feel-good" book with remarkable true examples, but beyond these examples little substance for deeper study.

I am grateful to Tyndale House for providing this free review copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion. Read more ›

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Changing February 1, 2011

By Jonas Asberg

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read a lot of great books but I never feel like it is worth my time to write a review after I am done with a book. It doesn't matter how good the book is it is just not going to happen unless it is absolutely extraordinary, this book IS extraordinary.

The Cause Within You by Matthew Barnett is the most inspiring book I have read in a very long time. The fact that I have had the chance to experience the Dream Center first hand and know that this is not hype but is something that is going on in Los Angeles 24 hours a day, 365 days a week!
Proceeds from this book go to the Los Angeles Dream Center so by buying this book you are already helping others realize their dream and their cause.

In addition this book is a great conversation starter when you read it in public people are really curious what it is about.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK - IT WILL CHANGE HOW YOU LOOK AT LIFE!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Changes your life with every page February 1, 2011

By JBodker

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

There are few books that i can actually sit down and read from start to finish that completely captivate my attention. Matter of fact, i can count them on a single hand. From the moment you read "The Cause Within You" you are absolutely mesmerized from page 1 until page 192. It's not just several stories that are laid back to back to be a tantalizing read, they are stories that construct a step by step process for the reader to use in order to find their one great cause. It's a road map to helping you get true fulfillment out of your life here on earth. Not only does it help you determine what your next step is to fulfilling your cause, it motivates you to get up and pursue it! Matthew Barnett lives his cause every single day through his church The Dream Center based out of Los Angeles and I am forever changed by this book and it will be a recurring read for me and my family.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Cause Within You May 28, 2011

By Michael Taylor TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

"The Cause Within You" is an inspirational title by Matthew Barnett and George Barna concerning the "Dream Center" -place where thousands of homeless and helpless people in the Los Angeles area are ministered to for God's glory.

Barnett readily admits that his original vision was to build a great church for God. Instead, God gave him another cause that perfectly fits Barnett's personality and character.

The major areas covered in the book include:

1. Barnette's early struggle in determining the cause God had for him that would be for God's glory.
2. Several examples of people who have been ministered to at and by people who volunteer and work at the Dream Center.
3. Tidbits from Barnette concerning finding the cause God has for you.

The book's narrative flows very smoothly and is easy to read. The title is inspirational and will challenge you to seek God's cause for you. I would have liked to have seen more practical advice on how to find that cause. Granted, the advice given was valuable but could have been more comprehensive.

Still, an excellent title to read.

Recommended.