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abandoned
June 7, 2014I gave up on this book when I realized that the premise was merely a gimmick. This book was all about prayer and making good, biblically based decisions, which is fine, but I was looking for a book about productivity and time management. The half-hour business in the title was contrived. Every anecdote was conveniently traced back to a 30 minute meeting or prayer session in which a good or bad major life decision was made. It could have easily been a minute, a week, or a year, but those don't rhyme and, frankly, fewer people would have bothered picking up the book. If you're looking to strengthen your spirituality and give it a bigger place in your life, read on. If you're looking for the time to get the dirty dishes out of the sink before you fall asleep at night, start by putting this book back on the shelf.
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March 30, 2021I'm okay with time management books (which I thought this was). I'm okay with books on religion. I'm okay with books on evangelical christianity. I'm not okay with a book on evangelical christianity that sells itself as a time management book.
July 13, 2014
From the title, I guessed this book was about being more productive in a short amount of time. It turns out I was quite mistaken. Each anecdote could have fit into any other time frame but for the purpose of this book, the author chose half an hour & repeated the phrase ‘thirty minutes’ or ‘a half hour’ in every third sentence or so. Unfortunately, the book was full of religious lectures. If you are looking for a book that can guide you to being more effective with your spirituality, this will do the trick. If you are looking for a book about time management & improved efficiency, give this one a miss.
February 11, 2015
The book title and description is very misleading. Whilst the book does have some snippets of tips on managing time and getting more out of life, this is really not the primary aim of the book. This is a Christian book aimed at getting people to be more spiritual, written in the guise of time management. Improving a persons spirituality might by its very nature lead to a more centred and fulfilled life. I became very dubious in some of the messaging and don't think I would want my kids reading this book, especially in areas labelled as being more humble as the examples provided would make people with low esteem become doormats.
Sections throughout the book containing direct conversations with God where he responds with specific and direct guidance left me wondering why I continued to read this book. Don't get me wrong I have faith, maybe I am just not fortunate enough to have had such specific guidance and advice.
What did I get from this book, create a personal action plan and then follow through and be more thoughtful about how you spend your day, chunking it up into half hours. I really don't think this book added much value to my personal time management. I was also reminded that there are others in this world who very much need our compassion and assistance, and churches and ministries play a very big part in this sphere.
I also question the values of a church or ministry where parents wont let their kids go to the movies but would let them watch movies at home. Or a church that was so strict about women not wearing makeup that it almost ruined Pastor Tommy Barnett's marriage.
From a time management point of view, don't use any of your half hours reading this book if you are after advice on time management and goal setting. This isn't the book for you!
Sections throughout the book containing direct conversations with God where he responds with specific and direct guidance left me wondering why I continued to read this book. Don't get me wrong I have faith, maybe I am just not fortunate enough to have had such specific guidance and advice.
What did I get from this book, create a personal action plan and then follow through and be more thoughtful about how you spend your day, chunking it up into half hours. I really don't think this book added much value to my personal time management. I was also reminded that there are others in this world who very much need our compassion and assistance, and churches and ministries play a very big part in this sphere.
I also question the values of a church or ministry where parents wont let their kids go to the movies but would let them watch movies at home. Or a church that was so strict about women not wearing makeup that it almost ruined Pastor Tommy Barnett's marriage.
From a time management point of view, don't use any of your half hours reading this book if you are after advice on time management and goal setting. This isn't the book for you!
August 15, 2017
A waste of time. . . Yeah-for-me book (see how cool I am, how I turned into a big time evangelist, lesson in pride) with the title of a self improvement book. Read the outline and you will get all of the self-help info there is. Better yet, find a real self improvement book elsewhere.
April 8, 2014
To be honest, I did not finish this book. Overall, the author has some good ideas and some great stories. But it seemed a bit contrived after awhile. All of his stories showed how magical things can happen in a half hour. Part of the reason this didn't ring true to me is that I could only think of a mom with young kids, desperate for a half hour to take a shower or eat a meal. She doesn't have time for a half hour of complete silence to think about her purpose in life plus a half hour to think about people she needs to forgive plus a half hour to call all of those people, plus THREE half hour sessions a day to pray, read the Bible, and worship. Those are all wonderful things, but not everyone can manage all of that in a day. I appreciate his main idea, and I will attempt to be more aware of my free half hour pockets of time and try to make them more productive. I will especially try to carve out a half hour every morning for prayer and Bible reading. But beyond that, I felt like the reader might get the idea that wonderful/amazing/perfect/miraculous things will happen to them if they just focus a half hour of energy toward something they want. It felt too much like a secular self-help book with some Bible verses scattered throughout.
April 1, 2018
I picked up this book because I thought it was about personal development- it's mostly about the Bible, heaven and service. It was fine until the creationist part "we were here for 10,000 years.." No not according to science. Authors should be honest about their content and not sell a book on religion disguised as self help book.
January 31, 2019
I did not do any research before downloading this audiobook. I read the description and assumed it would be a self-help book with a strong focus on increasing productivity at home and work. I don't have any problems with this being a religious book and I don't have a problem with books on faith in general. However, this is marketed as a self-help book, with only one mention of faith in the description. I naturally assumed this would be a self-help book. I did not realize that Tommy Barnett is a pastor and that this book is about working on your relationship with Jesus and not about increasing your productivity. It was a deceptive title and deceptive description. I only finished it because I didn't have a backup audiobook downloaded.
Although many of the concepts in this book can be applied to a non-Christian life, Barnett weaves them all back to God. I would never recommend this to a non-Christian reader. And because I think the title and description were so far removed from the content, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to a Christian reader, either.
"The Power of a Half Hour" is not about increasing your productivity. Tommy Barnett manages to squeeze the words "half hour" into the book within his preaching. But this book is primarily a collection of church sermons. Every chapter includes references to a healthy relationship with God. The title of Chapter 14 is "When God Calls, Answer Yes."
Tommy Barnett's approach is standard - using Bible verses and personal stories of coming to Jesus to teach the audience - not about the power of a half hour, but about Jesus.
This is the content you can expect out of Barnett's book:
"The 30 minutes we invest in acknowledging God's presence and engagement in our lives and activities are a crucial factor in creating a permanent bond with him."
"You don't have to become a monk, living in seclusion to experience life-changing times of quiet with God. If you are ready to listen, even for 30 minutes, He can connect with you regardless of the environment. He just wants you to take the initiative."
Although many of the concepts in this book can be applied to a non-Christian life, Barnett weaves them all back to God. I would never recommend this to a non-Christian reader. And because I think the title and description were so far removed from the content, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to a Christian reader, either.
"The Power of a Half Hour" is not about increasing your productivity. Tommy Barnett manages to squeeze the words "half hour" into the book within his preaching. But this book is primarily a collection of church sermons. Every chapter includes references to a healthy relationship with God. The title of Chapter 14 is "When God Calls, Answer Yes."
Tommy Barnett's approach is standard - using Bible verses and personal stories of coming to Jesus to teach the audience - not about the power of a half hour, but about Jesus.
This is the content you can expect out of Barnett's book:
"The 30 minutes we invest in acknowledging God's presence and engagement in our lives and activities are a crucial factor in creating a permanent bond with him."
"You don't have to become a monk, living in seclusion to experience life-changing times of quiet with God. If you are ready to listen, even for 30 minutes, He can connect with you regardless of the environment. He just wants you to take the initiative."
December 31, 2013
If we dedicated some time–even thirty minute increments, towards impacting our lives–clarifying our purpose, strengthening our faith, building our character, advancing our dreams, improving our relationships, or changing our world–we would be completely different. We would have a significant impact on those around us and live significant lives before God and others. We would live our dreams and do the sorts of things we wish we were doing now.
Tommy Barnett is the senior pastor of Phoenix Assembly of God. As a pastor, he has ‘devoted his entire adult life to helping people connect with God and find better ways to live’ (vii). What is Barnett’s method for helping people achieve their full, God-given potential. It is two things: time and intentionality. In The Power of a Half Hour, Barnett advocates carving out 30 minute time frames for: personal development (part one and two), cultivating spiritual health (part three), moral formation (part four), achieving success (part five), attending to our relationships (part six) and changing the world (part seven). Each section of his book is made up of pithy chapters meant to inspire you to invest your time and intention in growing in that area. The end of the book contains thirty, thirty-minute action plans which help readers put the book’s message into practice. There are also questions for group discussion corresponding to each section.
Barnett offers some good advice: if you want to make, real lasting change to your life, grow spiritually and impact those around you, it will require time and intention. Carving thirty minute increments devoted to personal growth seems like great advice. Barnett also illustrates this with countless stories of lives he impacted through consistently investing thirty minutes (for prayer, for reflection, for relational encounters, etc). Half an hour is a magically time frame because it is short enough to not feel burdensome, and long enough for something substantial to happen. I found lots of practical insights in this book.
However I did find Barnett’s recipe for personal success overly simple. Many of the stories he shared recount thirty minute personal encounters and prayer times. Yet these are only part of the picture. The effect of his thirty minute plan is cumulative. People change because of their continuing commitment to a set of principles, practices, and persons. Barnett understands this (as many of his examples attest) but the thirty minute rhetoric does not bear the freight of his message. I found myself agreeing with much of Barnett’s advice while feeling like his account of personal transformation was somewhat truncated by the temporal constraints he puts on each growth opportunity. Perhaps he just finds it easier to think in half hour chunks, but I don’t.
I think there is some helpful insights in here and I found myself touched by several of Barnett’s stories, but I did not resonate with the overall tenor of the book. I think that his action plan will be helpful for those seeking to make significant change to their lives. I give it three stars.
Notice of material connection: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Tommy Barnett is the senior pastor of Phoenix Assembly of God. As a pastor, he has ‘devoted his entire adult life to helping people connect with God and find better ways to live’ (vii). What is Barnett’s method for helping people achieve their full, God-given potential. It is two things: time and intentionality. In The Power of a Half Hour, Barnett advocates carving out 30 minute time frames for: personal development (part one and two), cultivating spiritual health (part three), moral formation (part four), achieving success (part five), attending to our relationships (part six) and changing the world (part seven). Each section of his book is made up of pithy chapters meant to inspire you to invest your time and intention in growing in that area. The end of the book contains thirty, thirty-minute action plans which help readers put the book’s message into practice. There are also questions for group discussion corresponding to each section.
Barnett offers some good advice: if you want to make, real lasting change to your life, grow spiritually and impact those around you, it will require time and intention. Carving thirty minute increments devoted to personal growth seems like great advice. Barnett also illustrates this with countless stories of lives he impacted through consistently investing thirty minutes (for prayer, for reflection, for relational encounters, etc). Half an hour is a magically time frame because it is short enough to not feel burdensome, and long enough for something substantial to happen. I found lots of practical insights in this book.
However I did find Barnett’s recipe for personal success overly simple. Many of the stories he shared recount thirty minute personal encounters and prayer times. Yet these are only part of the picture. The effect of his thirty minute plan is cumulative. People change because of their continuing commitment to a set of principles, practices, and persons. Barnett understands this (as many of his examples attest) but the thirty minute rhetoric does not bear the freight of his message. I found myself agreeing with much of Barnett’s advice while feeling like his account of personal transformation was somewhat truncated by the temporal constraints he puts on each growth opportunity. Perhaps he just finds it easier to think in half hour chunks, but I don’t.
I think there is some helpful insights in here and I found myself touched by several of Barnett’s stories, but I did not resonate with the overall tenor of the book. I think that his action plan will be helpful for those seeking to make significant change to their lives. I give it three stars.
Notice of material connection: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
September 24, 2017
This book is hard to review. For my Christian friends, maybe it is worth four stars. For my non-Christian friends just one star or less. Other non-christian mono-theists maybe able to to find it relevant if they consider their own deity and holy texts in place of God, Jesus, and the bible, but I simply don't know and cannot say for certain. The book is maybe 5% informational and 95% devotional. It is written by an extremely devout evangelic pastor who places conversion (especially among the lowest of us) as priority, need I say more?
Non-Christians can save themselves several half-hours by simply not reading the evangelizing book. Information applying to Non-Christians can be pulled out of the chapter titles alone, though if you do a deep dive you will find a few bits of information that applies to everyone. I would suggest spending the time researching elsewhere, seeking other books on time management, efficiency, strategy, and relevant concepts that you hoped to gain from this book. A few podcasts or even a pamphlet will be far more informative for the non-Christian readership group. But, I did find a few concepts interesting.
However, for Christians (especially evangelicals), the book very much reads like a devotional, like one giant sermon on how your half-hours can be either wasted on sins, like sloth or worse, or better spent devoted to God. How a half-hour can change your life, good or bad, or help change the lives of others or even chasing your dreams which apparently God placed there for you to gaurentee success. I like a few concepts in the book, but it was most definitely written for the Christian crowd and only the Christian crowd.
I don't remember who recommended this book to me, a Christian friend no-doubt, but if I could remember who I would probably disregard all their recommendations in the future. I tend to not read anything evangelical, anything that wants to replace our religiously free and diverse laws with the "Christian State" mentality (I should knock a star off for the author's brief insinuation of this alone, but I won't), or anything that references God and Jesus more than the bible itself!
Non-Christians can save themselves several half-hours by simply not reading the evangelizing book. Information applying to Non-Christians can be pulled out of the chapter titles alone, though if you do a deep dive you will find a few bits of information that applies to everyone. I would suggest spending the time researching elsewhere, seeking other books on time management, efficiency, strategy, and relevant concepts that you hoped to gain from this book. A few podcasts or even a pamphlet will be far more informative for the non-Christian readership group. But, I did find a few concepts interesting.
However, for Christians (especially evangelicals), the book very much reads like a devotional, like one giant sermon on how your half-hours can be either wasted on sins, like sloth or worse, or better spent devoted to God. How a half-hour can change your life, good or bad, or help change the lives of others or even chasing your dreams which apparently God placed there for you to gaurentee success. I like a few concepts in the book, but it was most definitely written for the Christian crowd and only the Christian crowd.
I don't remember who recommended this book to me, a Christian friend no-doubt, but if I could remember who I would probably disregard all their recommendations in the future. I tend to not read anything evangelical, anything that wants to replace our religiously free and diverse laws with the "Christian State" mentality (I should knock a star off for the author's brief insinuation of this alone, but I won't), or anything that references God and Jesus more than the bible itself!
March 9, 2015
Did not realise when I started listening to this audiobook that it had a strong Christian message, but I was impressed with the integrity of the author in integrating the spiritual and practical.
The book is filled with a lot of generally good advice, interspersed with interesting and engaging tales. Sometimes the message feels a bit forced within the 30minute time frame, but the point is always useful.
Recommended for those who want to be reminded how to focus.
The book is filled with a lot of generally good advice, interspersed with interesting and engaging tales. Sometimes the message feels a bit forced within the 30minute time frame, but the point is always useful.
Recommended for those who want to be reminded how to focus.
February 14, 2021
Was not expecting a religious book - Oops
May 1, 2022
The Power of a Half Hour is a great little book on the importance of how we spend even the small increments of our time and what can be done in just 30 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised to discover this book was from a Christian perspective, and so I enjoyed it even more! This book is full of encouragements and loving rebukes about how we handle the time God gives us everyday, and, if you’re like me with a tendency towards procrastination, I definitely recommend reading it. It’s very easy to say we don’t have time, but if you consider your day in 30 minute increments, how much potential is there actually in each day?? This book is solid food for thought.
October 21, 2022
Like others I was taken in by the title while the author uses stories that reflect how a half an hour can change lives I think it is less a time management book (like I had hoped) and more of a keep i. Mind how short interactions can affect others. In some cases I don’t think the interactions needed to be 30
minutes and in other cases it would appear that there were multiple smaller meetings to finally produce the one that the author presents. If I don’t relate it to the title the content of the book was good for me as a reminder of the need for conscious actions. Nothing new. Nothing special.
minutes and in other cases it would appear that there were multiple smaller meetings to finally produce the one that the author presents. If I don’t relate it to the title the content of the book was good for me as a reminder of the need for conscious actions. Nothing new. Nothing special.
October 6, 2021
This book was not what I expected at all, but I really appreciated the message and reminders.
October 23, 2019
So unfortunately this book was not what I was expecting it to be...
For me it ended up being just a book about a guy raving about God and Jesus and how we need to live our life through Him. Which for some people is completely fine! But for a non religious person, I found it to be a bit much and I couldn’t relate to anything he was saying or find any inspiration.
I was hoping to get some tips on how to be more productive with my time, but I did not get that...
but ah well, it was still an interesting listen (I listened to this on audio) and I guess I have insight into how someone lives their life through God.
For me it ended up being just a book about a guy raving about God and Jesus and how we need to live our life through Him. Which for some people is completely fine! But for a non religious person, I found it to be a bit much and I couldn’t relate to anything he was saying or find any inspiration.
I was hoping to get some tips on how to be more productive with my time, but I did not get that...
but ah well, it was still an interesting listen (I listened to this on audio) and I guess I have insight into how someone lives their life through God.
November 29, 2020
Great concept - Bad execution. Very little about the power of a half an hour. Then sprinkled into other topics and sometimes added as many half an hours but what earns only the one star is that the second half of the book is basically bragging about building his ministries.
January 4, 2021
All the God-talk put me off before I could decide whether the concept is any good!
January 28, 2021
Not a productivity book so much as a religious guide. Heavily Christian themed which is not apparent until you get into it.
February 3, 2025
Religious, memoir
I picked up this book thinking it would be about time management, self help, something along those lines and I wasn't even bothered by the surprise faith theme. What ruined this book for me was that it seemed more like a humble brag of everything that the author has accomplished, all under the guise of a life changing 30 minutes. Which, was clearly to follow the gimmick of his title, vs what actually happened.
Going into the book with a completely different idea of what the book was about, I ended up finishing it since I had it as an audiobook and I was driving and was already an hour in. But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really, I don't feel like it served any purpose unless you were trying to find out more about the author's life.
I picked up this book thinking it would be about time management, self help, something along those lines and I wasn't even bothered by the surprise faith theme. What ruined this book for me was that it seemed more like a humble brag of everything that the author has accomplished, all under the guise of a life changing 30 minutes. Which, was clearly to follow the gimmick of his title, vs what actually happened.
Going into the book with a completely different idea of what the book was about, I ended up finishing it since I had it as an audiobook and I was driving and was already an hour in. But I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really, I don't feel like it served any purpose unless you were trying to find out more about the author's life.
December 22, 2017
I actually only made it through half of this book. I knew the author was a pastor and there would be some discussion of God and religion, but based on the introduction, I was under the impression that this discussion was not at the forefront. My impression was wrong. I think this could be a great book for some one who is religious or has a strong sense of faith, but that isn't me. I found that many of the stories told in the first half of the book were conveying the same sort of message and I was looking for something different, more tangible, and more useful for my own life.
February 21, 2019
I was massively underwhelmed in relation to the promise of the title, but I was highly inspired by all this man's church is doing. I remember reading about one of his church members coming in wanting to start a mission to (I think) women who had been caught in sex trafficking. His response was "let's do it! What do we need?" At the same time I was reading this, my mom's friend wanted to start a small library at their Church and was told no because the pastor didn't think it would be maintained. I want my church to reach out like his does.
May 28, 2019
I listened to this via audiobook and found it very interesting to listen to. I thought there was a lot of beneficial things I got out of it that were also applicable, but there were times where I felt like the concept was lost. The author went back and forth between showing what you can do in your life in 30 minutes that is life changing and helpful and then stories of times when 30 minutes was powerful in his life. I enjoyed the stories and concepts, but it didn't flow together as much as it needed to.
September 20, 2022
This wasn't what I expected given the title but I kept reading anyway.. I understand the premise but this book could have been much shorter and gave the same message. The book is awfully bragy. The vibe of did this, I did that, I rubbed elbows with Johnny Cash, I brought so many people to Christ, etc. Moreover, it's an oversimplification of the gospel essentially saying one and done. Accepting Christ is much more than declaring belief. Also the story about "baptizing" a guy as he hung out his car window by pouring a bottle of water of his head, it mocks the ordinance.
July 10, 2023
I liked the concept of this one while trying to find an audiobook, but yowza, this author. Is he even married? Or is he a widow? Because in the chapters where he talked about raising kids he never once used the pronoun "we". Always "I". As in "Thanks to my parenting style, my children are all perfect," sort of statements. Only mentioned his wife in the chapter where they were trying to figure out how she fit into his big picture.
Cocksure. And for a Christian, that sounds even more offensive than if this were written from a secular perspective.
Cocksure. And for a Christian, that sounds even more offensive than if this were written from a secular perspective.
August 15, 2017
Didn't really know what I was getting into with this one - thought it was going to be a basic time management/productivity pep talk. It was that but the talk was given by the pastor of an evangelical mega-church so it also included lots of his ideas about religion. It was super short - started and finished it on the ride home from Atlanta to Beaufort (on 1.25 speed) and it gave me a few things to think about and try to practice in my life.
August 25, 2017
Lots of ideas and thoughts on how to have a more positive life and being positive to others around you as well as time for you. This is a spiritual type book however written in inspirational ways with some scriptures. In short, the main idea is to spend 30 minutes with your children, yourself, your spouse, and things that will make life better is always a positive thing. Try it!
Happy Reading, Heather
Happy Reading, Heather
March 24, 2019
Interesting book on the value of time and what you can get done in just 30 minutes. There is a lot of religious topics in the book, as the author related a lot of his content to things like worship, serving God and community. While reading this book I was reflecting on some of the things I do daily that are a waste of time. I'm trying to balance enjoying them in moderation of the weekend while saving time during the week for being more productive.
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