LOVED this book. Our culture measures success by how busy you are, and how much you have going on. So to read a book about eliminating the hurry mentality was so refreshing! John Mark Comer always writes such inspiring books, and this was no exception. I'd highly recommend this book if you want inspiration on how to slow down you life in order to live a more intentional, authentic life.

My biggest problem with this book is that the author does not seem to understand the concept of being IN the world, but not OF it. He tries so hard to be relatable, cool, and hip, discussing popular movies, podcasts, and how he stays up until midnight drinking red wine (just like the rest of the cool, hip kids, right?!) I have a hard time taking someone like this seriously, especially when he’s supposedly a pastor. How can you be a pastor when you seem to be wholly influenced by the ways of the world?

All the issues he mentions modern people suffer from are because they are OF the world, but the author does not seem to realize this or even register it as a problem. On page 55 he mentions watching 14 seasons of X TV show instead of focusing your time on something more important, such as prayer. He calls this “missing out on the important things” but what it really is is a lack of prioritizing your faith and relationship with God because you got sucked into the world and have anxiety over not being able to keep up with the newest television shows (yes, the author claims to get a spike of anxiety if someone mentions a show he hasn’t seen… Is that not the definition of being of the world?)

The author also seems stuck on the idea that the modern world is too focused on work and we are all too productive. In fact, he claims that in this day and age we work more than ever. I’m sorry, but that’s just bologna. Please explain to me how I, working my 9-5 secretary job 5 days a week in an air-conditioned and climate controlled building, have it harder and work more than someone like, say, my grandmother, who was literally kept out of school as a child to help harvest her family’s tobacco crop so they could make a subsistence living on a small farm in rural North Carolina without running water. I’ll wait.

Obviously there are some jobs that have longer hours than others, but in case the author hasn’t noticed, we no longer live in a world where the majority of the population is engaged in backbreaking labor just to survive. In fact, we have so much free time now that we are open to distraction after distraction after distraction. He finally alludes to this over 50 pages into the book, saying that our hurry and overload is self-inflicted because we waste time on unimportant things. Instead of calling Christians (and everyone) out over the fact that they prefer scrolling on social media to reading their Bible, he goes off on a tangent about “living deliberately” from Thoreau. Um, if this is a book about following Jesus, why aren’t you QUOTING JESUS and talking about how HE wants us to live? Most of the “profound” quotes and key ideas in this book are from other people, many of which aren’t Christian, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. It was like Comer wanted to put together a book showcasing all the cool quotes he knows (he is, after all, a “reader”, which he pointed out to us, too) from various people, whether or not THEY actually followed Jesus.

If you feel overly hurried and stressed in your life, I do not recommend this book. Instead, let me give you a piece of advice: prioritize your life, with Jesus at the top, and pray to Him for guidance and help as you ACTIVELY TRY to remove unnecessary distraction from your life. Replace worldy pleasures like John Wick films (mentioned as being watched by the author - please explain to me how spending 2 hours watching one of those most violent films of the 21st century is Jesus-like) with Scripture reading and prayer and immersing yourself in product activities. I think you’ll see some good changes.

Perhaps my favorite book, maybe ever. Definitely the book that sparked the most change in my life, my routines, my rhythms. Thank you, JMC, for sharing what the Lord is teaching you.

This is the best book I’ve read on this topic. Comer does a fantastic job of not just telling you that slowing down is important, but he gives you realistic ways to do so and scripture to back it up. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is an insightful invitation to step away from a hurried, hustling culture that is currently dominating American society. Like a moth to a flame, we are drawn to what is faster, more efficient, and what gives us a rapid dopamine boost, rather than what is good for our souls. I enjoyed Comer's writing style and felt like I could hear his down-to-earth voice as I read. It was made clear that this book is not a precise formula to magically fix our habits, and I liked knowing that even the author was not an expert in escaping his own life's hurry. We are on a journey to be more like Jesus, and we cannot help but fall short at times.

I felt pretty convicted reading this book because rather than me eliminating hurry from my life, I know that hurry has been eliminating my own attempt at a peaceful, joyful, and Jesus-centered life. It made me think about how, for so many years, I have been in such a hurry to grow up and constantly work way over my limits rather than remain connected to Him throughout my day or truly enjoy my life as God intends for us.

The concepts in this book were not necessarily as ground breaking as I had hoped it would be, and I would have loved to hear more details about certain concepts, such as the connection between hurry and sin. Some of the book could have also been condensed. That being said, I have still been reminded to truly slow down and connect more with God daily. I recommend this book to any Christian that has been really struggling with hustle culture and needs to learn to take a step back to refocus on Jesus.

Matthew 11:29-30 "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is a nonfiction book that is part devotional and part practical Christian self help. Comer gives the Biblical basis for stepping away from our culture's obsession with filling time. Then he walks you through practical steps of how to unplug from the hurry. If you aren't convinced that you actually have a problem, he uses a scriptural basis to show how mismatched our priorities are compared to Jesus' priorities.

I found this book to be both challenging and encouraging. Reading this book brought me back to the popular Christian authors of the early 2000s who were writing material about following Jesus that felt fresh and subversive. Now, those authors were not actually basing most of their writing off of Jesus and the Bible. Comer has the same feel as those authors. Reading his book is like sitting down at a coffee shop with a hip, old, wiser mentor. This book feels like you are engaging in a conversation.

I've made personal changes to my life because of reading this book and it has helped me to change my perspective about my walk with Jesus, in a way that is more Biblically aligned and less falling back onto cultural norms.

This is the first book I had read by Comer, and I am excited for when he writes more and to discover his backlist. I can highly recommend this book to any Christian who is serious about following Jesus and living a life based upon his life, not just cultural norms or religious traditions. I highly recommend this book and have already recommended it to people in my life. This book gets 5 stars because I can see myself reading it again in the future.

Update: I have now read two more of his books and each one is a gem. This isn't a one-hit wonder type of situation. I have been encouraged and challenged by each other his books.

Firstly a huge thanks to WaterBrook & Multnomah for my complimentary copy and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I suffer from a hurried life (is that even a thing!?) I am that babe that will change the queue faster than I can spell Tyrannosaurus and I probably have not been noticing the blooming Jacaranda trees or roses. If I am being honest I am always in a hurry and even my prayer life is hurried sometimes because I just have to do 1000 things leaving me stressed out, burnout , skin breaking out and unhappy . John Mark Comer in the wisdom of a father tackled why rest is key , intentionality with whatever we are tackling and why the Sabbath is important. In the book you will find yourself nodding , sighing, critiquing self and above all finding ways that can help you tackle rest. If you feel anxious, hurried, tired then this book is for you!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading/listening to this book. It was full of wise advice and thoughtfulness. Each time I opened it, I was left encouraged to continue certain practices I already have in place and emboldened to make a few further changes.
Lots of good quotes in here…but I picked this one to share:
“Hurry kills relationships. Love takes time; hurry doesn’t have it. It kills joy, gratitude, appreciation; people in a rush don’t have time to enter the goodness of the moment. It kills wisdom; wisdom is born in the quiet, the slow. Wisdom has its own pace. It makes you wait for it—wait for the inner voice to come to the surface of your tempestuous mind, but not until waters of thought settle and calm. Hurry kills all that we hold dear: spirituality, health, marriage, family, thoughtful work, creativity, generosity…name your value. Hurry is a sociopathic predator loose in our society.”

#goodreads #bookstagram #johnmarkcomer #theruthlesseliminationofhurry #netgalley

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is an impactful and insightful book that keeps you engaged throughout the book. I truly loved this book, both in its simplicity and its message. I love how Comer breaks down the book with the problem, the solution, and practices for a slow, simple way of life as a disciple of Jesus. It's quite eye-opening with the statistics and facts of the busyness of our life and the harm it is doing. The humor is a nice balance and the suggestions/solutions are easy to understand and follow.

I have begun the "ruthless elimination of hurry" in my life and Sundays are becoming my true Sabbath.

I have already recommended this book to family and friends and plan on a small book study at my church.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of the book for my review.

#TheRuthlessEliminationOfHurry #NetGalley
#nohurry #nobusy

Despite saying "How To" in the subtitle, this is a not a book that will give you a formula. Rather, it will help open your eyes to the life that is happening to you and help you start to take control of the things in your life, instead of those things controlling you.

I actually really liked how often JMC said that he was not offering up a formula. He also regularly reiterates that what works for him might not work for others and that he knows that his life is not necessarily representative of the readers of his book. Another thing that he stated over and over again is how this approach to life is supposed to be full of grace and freeing, not legalistic. All of these things are crucial to be able to read this book and actually have it be beneficial to you.

I have "accidentally" employed a few of his suggestions in my life for years. I think it's due to a mixture of other influences in my life and my own personality. For example, when I first got social media, I was SUPER strict with it, so that I would not get addicted. Some business owners in my industry whom I've learned from recommended turning off notifications on all devices. I love living that way!!

But while I have done a lot of things well, there are definitely areas in which I can improve. Silence and stillness are big ones for me. I try to habit pair a lot and I reach for a book in every spare moment. I don't think those are problems in and of themselves, but since it means I don't leave space for just being, I am going to try and cut back a little bit.

These are just a few examples of the ways the ideas in this book have benefited my life. I could go much longer and deeper, but you get the idea. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.

What a great book. So many wonderful, much-needed reminders to slow down, breathe, and trust in Jesus. I definitely related to the part about driving and needing to get wherever I'm going as fast as I can. I think I'll take his advice and just slow down. The only part I did not like was a few of his more socialist-type views, but I got a lot out of it otherwise.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really appreciated John Mark Comer's wisdom here and his authentic vulnerability. You read this book not as someone who has it together giving you advice, but as someone you are going through the journey with.

I’ve heard many people talk about this book, and was interested to read it and see if it would gel with me. It definitely did. I found myself telling friends and family about different points the author made and found it particularly profound to consider living how Jesus lived, not just doing what Jesus said. It reshapes how we spend our time and therefore how we live our life. I’m not sure I’ll ever master this way of living but I’m happy to have read this book regardless. As the book got further in there were definitely things I think I will just never go all the way in on. Simplicity just isn’t for everyone 😆 I’m too much of a maximalist for it. I also found some of the tips (only check email once a week?!) literally impossible as a parent or a working mother. But a really inspiring read regardless.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is a wise invitation to a slower pace of life. It is about being intentional in developing a habit of rest and relaxation. It is a display of how full our lives can be if we live through the lens of "learning the unforced rhythms of grace."

Comer points to notable ideas by established authors and practices, like Marie Kondo's thoughts on minimalism, or The Shallows' author, Nicholas Carr and his research on what phones are doing to our brains. Comer also notes facts and history that point to how ridiculous our lifestyle is  -  from our phone addictions to how we're being brainwashed by capitalism and advertisement  -  all to show that slowing down, putting your phone away, driving the speed limit, or decluttering your house is entirely countercultural.

I feel lighter, happier, more at ease  after reading this -  not even fully in a religious sense but in a humane one. Just so much simplistic, yet beautiful wisdom in these pages.

A great read! My church based a Sunday morning study off this book and watched John Mark Comer's video study on RightNowMedia. It was so good that I decided to read the whole book as well and I'm so glad I did! I like JMC's writing style a lot, it feels very genuine. A very culturally relevant book and one that every twenty/thirty-something year old should read! Highly recommend!

Enjoyable, easy to read, yet so informative. John Mark Comer does his best to explain the peace of God that we can get from slowing down and stepping away from the rat race of societal pressures to truely experience the life that God intends for us. When we slow down and stay focused on God, rather than the next TV show, our relentless cell phone notifications, the next promotion, more money, etc, we can live lives that reflect the joy we experience through our Savior. Getting bogged down by life and it's burdens is not what we are intended for, rather to live lives that reflect Jesus when he says to bring your burdens to him and he will give you rest. Many of those burdens were not meant for us to carry and by letting them go, no only can we unburden ourselves, but also lead others in the way of simplicity in Jesus. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the message it conveys and plan to buy a copy for myself to reread on a regular basis. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book. I read a lot of books about minimalism, and I read a lot about living more like Jesus, and so I was a big fan of combining the two.

Let's just start with the writing style. John Mark Comer writes very similarly to how I talk/think, and so I am fully convinced that we would be instant friends if we were ever to meet in person. He is so sarcastic, and reading this book made him a real person. It was so relatable, but bigger than that, it was enjoyable, because it felt like having a conversation with a friend.

Moving on to the content. I loved how he frames the Christian life as being apprentices to Jesus, and then went on to pull out details of Jesus' life that so often get missed or overlooked as he convinces readers why we all need to slow down. He goes on to offer tips and guidelines for how to help achieve this elimination of hurry, but does so in a way that is so relatable and doesn't feel judgy or condescending at all. I also loved how much of a human he is. So often Christian pastors/authors can come across as next-level Christians who only ever talk or think about Jesus, but Comer talks openly about his struggles, his love for The West Wing, enjoying a glass of wine, and other completely normal human things.

Overall, while not everything in this book was something I could implement (my job literally requires me to keep my notifications on), I am thoroughly on board with eliminating some of the hurry in my life, and Sundays are now fully protected to be a Sabbath.

“The Hebrew word Shabbat means ‘to stop.’ But it can also be translated ‘to delight.’ It has this dual idea of stopping and also of joying in God and our lives in his world. The Sabbath is an entire day set aside to follow God’s example, to stop and delight.”

Some books change your life; some books change how you see life. ‘The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,’ might have done both. Comer helps us reimagine our everyday life along the lines of perhaps the most overlooked of the ten commandments; “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Turns out, there is a rhyme to the reason and Comer powerfully unveils how our cultural epidemic of hurry, is hurting us, and the world around us with truly massive ramifications.

John Mark Comer has a way of writing that just feeds the soul and this book was no exception; whether you prefer audiobooks, ebooks, or paperbacks, find a copy and read it. Reread it. Let this book transform your life and let your life transform the world. One sabbath, at a time.

I have really enjoyed working through this book! There was much that I am challenged by and have been given a lot to think about. I highly recommend this book for literally everyone. The epidemic of hurriedness doesn't discriminate against any particular group but ensnares all people in its life-sucking grip. At our church we've even begun incorporating this into our discipleship resources that we will walk with people through. HIGHLY recommend this read!

Easily one of the most impactful books I've read in quite awhile. I already know that I'll be re-reading this. I took a bit of a break from it, but I wish I hadn't. I wish I had just read it through and gotten the concepts down so that I could go back through them and apply them practically to my life. I just downloaded the workbook that goes along with it (johnmarkcomer.com/howtounhurry) and I'm excited to apply these concepts to my life. I need it. We all do.