I was really excited to read this book! What momma doesn’t need a little calm? But while I did find a few things to keep in mind, overall I wa sdisappointed with this book. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book!

Author Nicole Johnson was wearing herself too thin, between being a wife and mother of two little children, working, traveling, trying to keep her household running, and attempting to maintain her relationships. This is her story of how a personal crisis made her reconsider her priorities. She was pushing herself in so many directions and that it something that so many of us understand and experience.

This book was heartfelt, honest and needed in my life. Sometimes we all need to step back and reevaluate what is important to us.

Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy: Making Room for Your Soul in an Overcrowded Life by Nicole Johnson 3 ☆’s

Thank you to Zondervan publishing for providing me with a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was lured by the synopsis of this book because anytime I am asked how things are going, I respond with crazy. I was hoping that this book would help direct me to the Bible, and if there was something there to help me discover the secret to not living a crazy life.

This book does give good advice and tips on how to create calm in yourself and in the family. All the advice and tips are more counseling based than biblical. There were some scriptures that backed up her advice, and they were presented occasionally but not enough. I think that her advice for creating calm is good. It was nice to be reminded of having boundaries, not only with others, but with the things that we distract ourselves with a lot.

I enjoyed parts two and three of this novel. Part one seemed like it was irrelevant. I was confused during this time as to why we needed, as readers, to know the information that was presented. I feel like it could’ve been summed up in a chapter or prologue. Parts two and three could’ve made the whole book on it’s own.

I enjoyed Johnson’s writing style and humor. She presents scenarios to show how craziness can look. Her writing is very authentic, and I got to glimpse into her life through this novel. She is psychologically based in her advice, and I understand why she chose to write in that way.

Overall, it was a decent read. It had good points on how to create calm in yourself and in your family. It just lacked the spiritual wisdom that I was hoping would be there.

I have enjoyed Nicole Johnson for a good long time.   I've heard her speak many times on her life reading it and just reinforced that God can help get us through anything.

Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy narrates the author’s experience of finding herself immersed in too much busyness when a relationship crisis suddenly brings her life to a standstill and subsequently forces her to reexamine her daily priorities and values. Whereas the first part of the book focuses on the author’s personal crisis, the second and third parts of her story yield many practical insights and ideas for navigating a path out of the craziness that afflicts so many women today as they combine careers, child-rearing, marriage, social schedules and a myriad of other responsibilities they feel pressured to assume. Johnson’s advocacy of acquiring stillness in life is presented in fresh terms as an antidote to the craziness; she rightly observes that many people think that seeking stillness is a good idea, but few people take the time to do it. Her critiques of overcommitment and too much social media are common themes these days, but she moves beyond critique to offer practical advice about defeating distractions and getting to the calm center that is possible for everyone. In her final chapters, she also goes a step further to illustrate how finding calm within oneself can help elicit calm in stressful situations and improve relational dynamics. This is a good read for those who feel 1) overwhelmed by life, 2) need assurance they aren’t the only ones with control issues, and 3) are ready to make personal changes to reclaim who they really want to be.

Nicole always has a way to center me....and appreciate all of the gifts we were so freely given...and to be grateful/thankful for everything life has to offer.

What is the answer to finding calm in the midst of a harried life?  Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy by Nicole Johnson starts out promising with an honest look at how many moms take on too many tasks and through multitasking “we become faster at doing certain things, but slower at accomplishing anything.” The first half of the book examines such a busy life and how often there must be a crisis before change can occur.  The second half of the book starts going deeper into an action plan to find calm.  Here, I found the author has some good suggestions like keeping secure boundaries and spending time in quiet.  However, the author relies heavily on imagery like “Create a room of your own, a mental place of strength and beauty that can become a home for your soul.”  Such suggestions are given with barely any mention of Christ or the power of prayer in producing calm.  As someone who studied psychology at the graduate level, I love psychology and believe in it can be a tool used according to Biblical principles.  However, the power of God to transform one’s life was missing from this book, making it like any other self-help book . This not what I have come to expect from a publisher like Zondervan and I was deeply disappointed in the conclusion of a book that held such promise.  I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy
Making Room for Your Soul in an Overcrowded Life

by Nicole Johnson

Zondervan Non-Fiction







Zondervan

Christian

Pub Date 06 Jun 2017


I am reviewing Creating Calm In the Center of Crazy through Zondervan Non-Fiction and Netgalley:
Nichols Johnson reminds us that although creating Calm in the center of crazy May not be easy, it is possible.
She remindsme us that pain can bring life screeching to a halt.
The author points out how rejection can effect our lives and how we do not know what printmaking point is until we reach it.
We are reminded too of the importance of setting boundaries with technology, because we have become so dependent on it.
Nichole Johnson points out the importance of taking Sabbatical from social media as well.
I give Creating Calm In the Center of Crazy five out of five stars.
Happy Reading!

I love the title of this book, but actually found the writing style to be the opposite of the title's message. The writing felt hectic, and I found my nerves a bit frayed as I read. There are great tidbits in the book, but one has to focus diligently to find them. The peaceful title was not an apt intro to the tone of the book. Additionally, the over-use of thd word "crazy" became tedious, to the point of being offensive.

Creating calm in the center of crazy is truly an inspiring book that presents lots of practical tips, stories and advice to any mom who has a busy life and finds herself in a crazy life, surrounded by kids and noise. It's not easy finding calm in this atmosphere and patience is seriously needed.  A relationship with God is the one thing that brings balance, peace and calm in the middle of any storm we may face. This book is wonderful and would recommend it to anyone. I received a copy of the book from netgalley for the review.