Cover Image: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

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An excellent book. I heard John Mark on a podcast and was so excited to get to read his book. I have recommended it to countless friends.

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The world needs more books like this. Books that challenge the status quo and encourage readers to look beyond for something more life giving, more centered around Christ and his call on our lives. This book is all that. Theologically sound. Easy to read. Maybe not easy to implement but definitely worth the struggle against cultural norms. I finished this book in a day. Now I need to go back and read it again... and again. This will stay on my shelf as a reference as I seek to live this type of Christ centered more contemplative style life.
I received a copy of this book from netgalley. This has in no way influenced my review. All thoughts are my own.

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With simplicity and frankness, Comer invites the reader to consider what he sees as the problems caused in our culture and society by our obsession with, and overwhelming tendency to, hurry. He compares those problems to what the Gospels tell us of the way Jesus lived. Then he lays out some of the practices that he has found to be helpful in orienting his life toward the latter rather than the former. The book reads as though you were having a conversation with a kind, wise friend who was pointing you towards a better way, without guilting or shaming you for the way you'd been living up to that point. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be recommending it to others.

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This book is a game changer. It's also one of the few "Christian Living" books that I would highly recommend for someone who isn't affiliated with the faith as it shows how the way of Jesus is a path to rescue us from the "Hurry disease" of the world. Comer writes in an easy to follow and conversive style without sacrificing depth. In a world where "I'm good, just busy" is seen as a norm, Comer points out that it should be a red flag and addresses why. This isn't your average everyday rule of life book - it's a challenge to the framework of our lives (which contains encouragement and guidance on how to move forward). Will probably continually return to read this title over the years.

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Really enjoyed this book as it addressed a common problem we all face today: hurry. Appreciate the author’s tone and suggestions to eliminate hurry. It was interesting how he weaved in personal examples along with history. Great read and will definitely recommend to friends and family!

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I really enjoyed this book by John Mark Comer. Although I'm familiar with his work, this is the first of his books I've read - and it didn't disappoint. Over the course of 2019, I've read a number of books on the importance of spiritual disciplines, saying no to hurry and distraction and standing up against the culture of "busy" we live in - and this was one of, by far, the best.
I appreciated his transparency about his own personal experience - and the realistic challenges that come when we start to eliminate hurry from our lives. I enjoyed the way he integrated truths from greats like Dallas Willard with his own thoughts, as well as Scripture. The way he introduced the idea of becoming an "apprentice of Jesus" in today's world was thought provoking and very fitting.
While I didn't necessarily agree with every practice or discipline he highlighted or encouraged, I was okay with that - because the concept of being an "apprentice of Jesus" is one I can accurately figure out how to apply in my own life - and for that, I'm thankful.

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This book can and will be a life changer for someone. We live in a life of hurry. We rush around with the rhythm of the world and not the patterns of God. In this book you will simply be shown how important it is to eliminate the hurry in your life.
It’s a stress inducing chaos that damages health and relationships.
There is an example utilizing the vine that stuck out. A vine grows on a trellis, a framework, a pattern. This is what holds it up. We need to replace the broken and brittle framework of the world with the healthy disciplines of God that bring us true peace, hope and joy.
This book is ideal for study personally or in a group.

Thanks to the vendor for supplying a free ebook for this review. The book was free but the opinion is mine.

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John Mark Comer is one of the most profound authors that has impacted my Christian journey. God Has A Name May have been the most impactful Christian work I have read. This book carries that same weight but in a more practical way. It’s one I will come back to time and time again. It’s a message we all need to hear now.

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This book is so relevant for these modern times as many of us in the church have allowed the ways of the world to seduce us to believe they will satisfy. Comer brings a tremendously insightful perspective to the "easy yoke of Jesus" and provides both the rationale and practical know-how in adopting it as one's mantra for life.

The first half of the book addresses the problems associated with the modern hurried life. The second half introduces us to the 4 "S's" of doing life adopting the "easy yoke": Silence & Solitude, Sabbath, Simplicity and Slowing.

Comer is a voracious reader and I love that he embellishes his own thoughts with those of many who've both gone before him or doing life presently. We share many of the same 'literary' heroes but he's also introduced me to a number of his that I was less familiar with.

I expect I'll be buying copies to distribute to friends and I hope the impact of Comer's words is felt far and wide to help influence a revival in the lives of the church community to discover this 'easy yoke' that Jesus invites us to adopt.

This should become compulsory reading for all students studying some form of spiritual formation, theology and so on.

I received an early "Uncorrected Proof" e-book from Waterbrook/NetGalley, however, this has had no influence over my opinions expressed in this review.

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Absolute must read book! This is exactly what I needed to refocus me from my hurried life and remind me of the importance of living a more intentional and less hurried life. A hurried life distracts us from what is most important and robs our souls of peace. This book is very eye opening and challenging as the author utilizes convicting quotes, powerful research, and impactful stories. It challenges us to life the way God intended us to live and not at the frantic pace that has become the societal norm. This is a quick and easy read, but its truths run deep and resonate in the reader's mind. I found myself meditating on this book for days afterward and considering how to make practical life application of what I gleaned from this insightful read. It calls to question if we are truly enjoying being so busy and sparks the desire to make changes to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life at a slower, more intentional pace.

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This book contains truth and practices of crucial need in our modern lives. The author begins by sharing his own story of burn out which I found of great encouragement and help. The book then goes on to speak on the dangers of hurry and technology alongside the importance of being emotionally and spiritually healthy..

Technology has helped us and yet also challenged us with constant notifications that make us reachable 24/7. Hurry, busyness and productivity have become near gods in our lives, controlling us in ways that can quickly lead to burn out. One could even say they have begun to control many of us.

I believe this book is a critical message for our general. Hurry is presented as the enemy of our spiritual lives, and rightfully so. Hurry is uncovered as an issue affecting even the depths of our souls. Addiction to technology is shown as the controlling idol it has become. The question is, will we let this knowledge spur us to action or not?

This book explains how certain spiritual disciplines and life-altering practices can help alleviate the toxicity of hurry in our lives. These practices include silence and solitude, sabbath-keeping and rest, simplicity and slowing down. By employing these spiritual practices in our lives, we will find hurry and distraction no longer keeping us from living life as we should live it. We can begin to find ourselves truly present in every moment.

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“What’s hard isn’t following Jesus. What’s hard is following myself, doing my life my way; therein lies the path to exhaustion. With Jesus there’s still a yoke, a weight to life, but it’s an easy yoke, and we never carry it alone.”
Quote from The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

We live in a time where we see people going through life in a hurry. In a hurry to get a job promotion. In a hurry to get the latest technology. In a hurry to binge watch the latest Netflix show or get the newest, most stylist clothes. What if you don’t have to live life in a hurry? What if living a simple, minimalist life is truly better for you? John Mark Comer invites you to look at the deeper meaning of living a life of slowing down. He shares four practices that have helped him live a simple life and shares how they can help us as well.
1) Silence and Solitude
2) Sabbath
3)Simplicity
4)Slowing

I received a complimentary e-copy from Netgalley for a review. All opinions are my own.

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Ever feel tired, lost, and just plain burnt out? Same. In "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry," by John Mark Comer, we begin to see this problem is more common than we think. Are we replacing Jesus with striving to keep up with everyone and everything? Comer helps us refocus and retrain our minds to think differently and ditch the hurry mentality.

Honestly, I loved this book. Sometimes Christian books tend to get overly preachy, or just feel cheesy. This book brought enough preaching and truth mixed with helpful tips to make the book feel more like a resource I would use practically. There wasn't any gimmick or fluff. Just helpful, practical material.

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I've recently discovered Jon Mark's teachings the Bridgetown church podcasts and have very much enjoyed listening to them. So I was excited to dive into this book.
I loved the writing, it reads like a conversation. This book is full of food for thought but also a lot of practical advice on how to eliminate hurry from our lives.
I can't recommend this enough.

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John Mark Comer’s fifth book is due to release on October 29, 2019.
You may be familiar with John Mark Comer through the wildly popular podcast which he co-hosts with Mark Sayers, pastor and cultural commentator from Melbourne, Australia, ‘This Cultural Moment’. If you aren’t familiar with Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry will be a great introduction.

Comer takes us through the jungle that is our digital age and tries to help us recover our very selves; our bodies and souls.

“If you want to experience the life of Jesus, you have to adopt the lifestyle of Jesus.”

John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

Part 1 looks at the problem of hurry as a disease and the way it has infected our modern world where no one, especially clergy, are exempt.

Part 2 looks at the solution and this is where Dallas Willard, Henri Nouwen, John Ortberg, Richard Foster, and Ronald Rolheiser come through beautifully. If you’ve never read any of the aforementioned, this book will whet your appetite for such giants of the faith that really were/are not giants at all, but humble men who sought/seek to be close to Jesus, the lover of their souls. (Dallas and Henri have gone to be with the Lord).

Finally, Part 3, takes us on a tour through four embodied practices that can help us cultivate a life of unhurried passion for the deepest and greatest things of life. So much so, that I stopped half way and purchased an alarm clock so as to not rely on my phone in the morning and thereby being sucked into the vortex that is social media/news as the very first thing. Comer invites us to experience the life we are meant to live by practicing 1) Silence & Solitude, 2) Sabbath, 3) Simplicity, & 4) Slowing.

At the very heart of this book is Comer’s realisation through his own pathological busyness, that if we are to be transformed into the image of Jesus, we must adopt the lifestyle of Jesus; take up, read, make some hard decisions (which in time will be experienced as doorways to grace), stay low and close to Jesus and buy a few of these to give away.

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The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer is a combination of a book on slowing down and a book on the spiritual disciplines. Comer calls them spiritual practices. “Discipline” is an offensive word today. Of course, the spiritual disciplines force us to slow down, so the combination works well. Western culture in particular loves the idea that the secret to life is ambition, assertiveness, busyness, multitasking, and constant hustling. There’s no time to sleep or rest. However, the truth is we live in a culture of low-grade exhaustion and anxiety. Something is missing, and no matter how hard we hustle, we can’t quite grasp that elusive happiness hustling and grinding promises. That’s where the spiritual practices come in. Comer calls them “the way of Jesus.”

Comer bases his premise on Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus calls the weary and burdened and promises them rest. How do they get it? Take up His yoke and learn from Him. Comer writes:
What if the secret to a happy life—and it is a secret, an open one but a secret nonetheless; how else do so few people know it?—what is the secret isn’t “out there” but much closer to home? What if all you had to do was slow down long enough for the merry-go-round blur of life to come into focus? What if the secret to the life we crave is actually easy?

I’ll admit as I read The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry I thought to myself, “This is all great stuff, but I’m really not that busy. Life is pretty relaxed.” Funny how God works. Almost immediately after finishing the book I was asked to teach two classes, coach my son’s team which practices 4 days a week, and take care of the lines on the team’s field, all in addition to my full time job. My schedule is now full. There are moments where I have this impending sense of not having enough time to get it all done. I keep coming back to Comer’s book and the spiritual practices he lays out for our hyper world.

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry clearly lays out our modern problem using a variety of sources. The quotes alone are brilliant and pointed me to great sources for additional reading. The book lays the groundwork for the solution based on the way of Jesus, and then offers four practices to help unhurry your life. Comer’s writing is smart and engaging. He says he wants you to feel like you’re having a conversation with him over coffee. I think he succeeds. I highly recommend this one.

John Mark Comer also cohosts the This Cultural Moment podcast, which is very smart and helpful. Check it out.

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This has been one of the greatest lessons for me over the last 20 years of my life as a Christian. I have always busted my tail-end for the sake of others while I am dying on the inside and my walk with Jesus is dry. WIthin the last 2 years though, I have learned the art of slowing down and now I feel like my walk with Jesus is so much deeper and my ministry is so much more fruitful. Reading this books inspired me more so and gave me more resources to why I need to slow down. I feel that the author totally related to my life both as a pastor and a father. I loved the book because I felt like i was sitting with someone who understood my struggle and pain with this issue and was able to graciously speak into my soul. It was so good for me. Thanks.

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In this book, John Mark Comer offers proof and personal anecdotes describing the benefits of living a less hurried life. I was personally convicted by his assertion that you can only live a peaceful life when your schedule reflects your values. This was a very helpful book, and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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For those who find themselves overwhelmed, worn out and weary, or constantly turning to a to-do list instead of rest, this is a book you can't afford to miss. Practical, honest, down-to-earth, encouraging and challenging, John Mark Comer has written a book that we desperately need in a culture that prides itself on busyness.

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Absolutely amazing! I flew through this book. For anyone who has a background in spirituality, you have heard of these things before, but the way John Mark Comer says it, amazing. I enjoyed reading this, and I believe it'll be a book I'll read again.

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