Authors Melissa and Kenneth McDuffie bring a Christian perspective to the subject of personal fulfillment in their book WHEN POTENTIAL MEETS PURPOSE: A Journey of Discovery, Growth, and Divine Assignment. They begin by defining potential and purpose in religious terms. Potential, they write, is “the invisible assignment coded into your spiritual DNA,” or “Heaven’s whisper of destiny wrapped in the raw material of today.” Purpose, meanwhile, is “the divine destination embedded in your design.” The idea, as they see it, is to discover one’s potential and wed it to one’s purpose, whereupon spiritual growth occurs.
At 100 pages, WHEN POTENTIAL MEETS PURPOSE is a quick and breezy read. It consists of 10 chapters of roughly the same length. Each chapter follows the same formula, complete with a relevant line from the Bible and a real-world example to illustrate the authors’ point. Sometimes the reader is given a sort of homework assignment, as in: “Take time this week to audit your calendar.… Make a list of what needs to shift. Then commit to one small step; take a class, start journaling, seek accountability, or launch the idea that has been on your heart.”
In conveying their message, Melissa and Kenneth McDuffie—both of them ministers—rely heavily on quotes from scripture. Most of the examples they provide in support of their ideas feature biblical heroes such as Moses, David, Esther, and Daniel. In keeping with many Christian preachers, the style is lofty and emphatic, with a lot of sustained metaphor: “You are no longer just carrying potential; you are a vessel of voltage. You are Power in Motion.”
Some readers will find the language, references, and advice overly abstract. Occasionally the authors give concrete scenarios involving ordinary people (associates of theirs, presumably) who discovered a spiritual calling following a period of self-doubt. These are short on detail, though, and largely drowned out by the deluge of religious rhetoric.
On that note, the authors’ voice feels generic and impersonal at times, as though they’re delivering a well-rehearsed sermon. It would be good to have some examples from their own lives so that readers can better relate to them and their experiences. Perhaps they were reluctant to place themselves at the center of the narrative, but some self-reference would have made the reading experience more engaging and intimate.
In spite of its faults, WHEN POTENTIAL MEETS PURPOSE: A Journey of Discovery, Growth, and Divine Assignment comes across as sincere. Melissa and Kenneth McDuffie clearly believe in their ideas, and one can reasonably assume that they practice what they preach. The scope of the book's appeal is certainly limited, however, to Christians and people interested in becoming Christian.
~ Michael Howard for IndieReader