(CNN) -- Rick Warren, founder and pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, is one of America's most influential authors and religious leaders. In August, he moderated a discussion on key issues between presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain.



Rick Warren says no matter what problem you have, there's a purpose behind it.



His latest book is "The Purpose of Christmas." He was interviewed by Kiran Chetry on "American Morning" on Friday. Here is an edited version of the exchange:



Chetry: We always say we don't want Christmas to be commercialized. It seems that at the end of the year, we end up in the same position, worried about buying presents, worried about spending money, worried about holiday cards, and how do you get back to the real meaning?



Rick Warren: A lot of people are really hurting because of the economy and because of the fears about what's going to happen, and really those same problems are the problems that Mary and Joseph went through. Housing, no room at the inn, travel, economic unrest, things like that.



So I wrote this book really to focus us on what is the true meaning of Christmas. It's a book of hope, and the big idea behind it is that no matter what problem you're going through, there's a purpose behind it. God has a purpose, and that purpose can help you make it through even the stressful times when we decide to write a note to everybody, buy a gift for everybody, redecorate our house, have five or six meals and go to eight or nine parties.  Rick Warren: Shop more or pray more? »



Chetry: Exactly, because that's usually what ends up happening, and sometimes the spirit of giving and fellowship is lost in that. You also write in the book, remember that God loves you, but for somebody who is facing foreclosure -- let's say you lost a loved one or your job or dealing with an illness -- it can sound pat in a way. What do you say to people who say, pastor, I don't feel that God loves me or I wouldn't be going through this



Warren: Actually, sometimes what we think is a problem is actually a protection. For instance, last month my daughter-in-law, who is 25 years old, went through a brain tumor. She had her first child premature, about six weeks early, and when she had that baby early, it was breech. The cord was wrapped around its neck and it stopped breathing and they actually had to do an emergency C-section and resuscitate the child and save the baby's life and save her life.



We looked at that and we thought, boy, that's a pretty tough problem, but we now know that she had a three-inch brain tumor at the base of her brainstem, and if she had pushed, it would have killed her. And so actually, seven weeks later, when she should have been delivering the baby, we discovered the brain tumor, and she would have been trying to have brain surgery, three surgeries, one was 20 hours long, at the same time as having a baby.



So what we thought was a problem was actually a protection saving her life.



And sometimes, we look at a tapestry, and from the top down, you can see the picture. From the bottom up, it's all of these different colors of threads. It makes no sense. It's all jumbled. When God looks down, he sees what he's doing. When we look up, we just see the jumble.



Chetry: And she's OK?



Warren: She's OK.



Chetry: Thank goodness. I want to turn to politics now and ask you about the summit you hosted for both of the candidates. Great provocative questions and interesting answers we weren't hearing on the campaign trail. Now that the campaign is over, what is your reaction to the outcome and to President-elect Barack
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