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The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
"Who am I becoming?"
That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:
"Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."
It wasn't the response he expected, but it was--and continues to be--the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.
Within the pages of this book, you'll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.
That was the question nagging pastor and author John Mark Comer. Outwardly, he appeared successful. But inwardly, things weren't pretty. So he turned to a trusted mentor for guidance and heard these words:
"Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life."
It wasn't the response he expected, but it was--and continues to be--the answer he needs. Too often we treat the symptoms of toxicity in our modern world instead of trying to pinpoint the cause. A growing number of voices are pointing at hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil.
Within the pages of this book, you'll find a fascinating roadmap to staying emotionally healthy and spiritually alive in the chaos of the modern world.
286 pages, Hardcover
First published October 29, 2019
11678 people are currently reading
119288 people want to read
About the author
John Mark Comer
47 books4,529 followersJohn Mark Comer is the New York Times bestselling author of Practicing the Way, Live No Lies, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, God Has a Name, and three more. His podcasts, John Mark Comer Teachings and Rule of Life, have been ranked on top religion and spirituality podcast charts in the U.S. and U.K.
He's also the founder of Practicing the Way, a simple, beautiful way to integrate spiritual formation into your church or small group. After serving as the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, for nearly two decades, John Mark and his family now reside in California, where he serves as a teacher in residence at Vintage Church LA.
He's also the founder of Practicing the Way, a simple, beautiful way to integrate spiritual formation into your church or small group. After serving as the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon, for nearly two decades, John Mark and his family now reside in California, where he serves as a teacher in residence at Vintage Church LA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,116 reviews
January 12, 2022
I’ve never felt such joy while being so deeply convicted. This book really might change my life and I’m excited to lean into the way of life it presents, the unhurried lifestyle of Jesus Christ. Comer spoke directly to my anxious, restless and often frustrated soul with humor, and honesty, and deep wisdom. This book confronted the realities of my sin and my hurry which prevent me from love, joy, and peace. Yet it also gently and convincingly presented a solution, a solution embedded in Jesus’ own approach to life!
I’ve already started slowing down a bit after reading this book and it’s my goal to keep slowing down more and more so that I can cultivate the love and peace and joy of Christ in my heart.
I would recommend this book to literally anyone, but especially to Jesus-followers. Read this book. It’s abundantly encouraging and helpful.
I’ve already started slowing down a bit after reading this book and it’s my goal to keep slowing down more and more so that I can cultivate the love and peace and joy of Christ in my heart.
I would recommend this book to literally anyone, but especially to Jesus-followers. Read this book. It’s abundantly encouraging and helpful.
March 4, 2020
Like moths to a flame, we fly to a fire that will consume us. We each carry a profound sense of lack and loss, and in not feeling like we are enough or that we have enough we rush and reach to fill the void. But all the shiny screens and hustling habits leave us with little room to inhabit the lives we have as good and the God who drew near to us in Jesus as actually here. This book will grieve you in a good way and carry you to the feet of Jesus, where He’ll ask you to take up your mat and walk.
But do you want to walk?
Do you want to set aside what is shiny and sugary and soul-killing so you can savor the Presence of the God who is here?
This book artfully, winsomely, and wisely walks us to the wonder of life in Christ and the joy that can be ours when we keep company with Jesus by living in the unhurried rhythms of grace.
Bonus points in my book as a writer: genius short paragraph style for maintaining attention and kindly walking us where we are so apt to resist going.
But do you want to walk?
Do you want to set aside what is shiny and sugary and soul-killing so you can savor the Presence of the God who is here?
This book artfully, winsomely, and wisely walks us to the wonder of life in Christ and the joy that can be ours when we keep company with Jesus by living in the unhurried rhythms of grace.
Bonus points in my book as a writer: genius short paragraph style for maintaining attention and kindly walking us where we are so apt to resist going.
October 14, 2020
My son gifted me this as an audiobook because of some great conversations we had. He just sold his fancy new car and bought a “dumb” phone. I did not love the audio voice and I didn’t even agree with all the ways the author viewed the world, but and it’s a big one, I think this is a conversation we need to be having and I appreciate Comers willingness to say hard things. Still I will not be able to take a month off every summer but a day every week....absolutely vital. I highly recommend this conversation!
September 5, 2021
Most life changing book ever
February 1, 2022
The first self help book I've ever read! Such a great read on really being intentional about slowing down and incorporating rest and relaxation into our lives. A much needed and very refreshing read!
May 16, 2021
2 stars. I think that the author’s call to slow down and the importance of the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude, sabbath, simplicity, and slowing are essential to the abundant life in Christ. However, I really dislike his writing style and often felt annoyed by the little “relatable” things he added in. Also, I felt this book to be unpractical and really not until the last section did he give any helpful steps to begin the practices for which he advocates. This book could easily be reduced to only 100 pages and still pack the same punch.
October 22, 2023
I was content to just rate the book. But y’all asked. So,
You can come at the issues of this book by considering the pictures of sabbath/rest/unhurriedness Comer offers and imagining who could attain these. There’s the initial one of living in the city and being able to walk his dog to work (idk how anyone with a dog is unhurried but I’ll leave that). There’s taking a month vacation in the summer with a stack of books while his kids play in front of him (any parent knows that this is either helplessly out of touch or John Mark is being conveniently silent on where Mrs. Comer is in this scenario so that he can relax in the easy chair). There’s cooking long, slow meals at home (I, never mind). One could, and Comer does, go on.
Surely if sabbath is a real thing, it is available to everyone. Right? And yet, what of those pictures could a single moms with two (maybe three) jobs know? Can parents of young children experience this kind of sabbath when the definition of “small children” in the original Latin is “being hurried as you’ve never hurried before”? What about the pastors back at the other campus Comer left to go to the downtown, walkable one precisely because he couldn’t be at rest back there? Stinks to be them! What of the Apostle Paul? It’s hard to imagine his life fitting into this framework. Can we say his life was not hurried or busy or full to the brim? Can we really imagine he wasn’t absolutely exhausted in every way possible (actually, don’t imagine, just look up the Greek of “spent” in 2 Corinthians 12:15; he tells us he was)? If he was, must we assume he wasn’t rested? It would seem so according to Comer’s understanding.
My first issue is that idea of sabbath Comer presents is attainable by an incredibly small and specific demographic and seemingly no more. And that sentence includes my ultimate problem with the book and why it can’t get more than one star. Comer’s idea of sabbath is just that, an *idea* to be realized, a *thing* to attain, an *experience* to have.
It’s not that I think this book is weak theologically or silly practically. Although I think it is both at parts. It’s that I believe this book is dangerous. The people I know who have taken its word the most to heart, are the least restful, stretched thin people I know. Genuinely. They have set boundaries and blocked out time for sabbath, but they aren’t rested. In fact they are much less so than people I know who don’t have either of those things! They are either burnt out or seem to camp on the precipice of it. And I believe it is a direct result of this book. Why?
Because what Comer offers in this book is a carrot stick that can never be caught. As it is presented here, sabbath is a vibe, an ethereal idea, a millennial aesthetic. It’s a house that is always on the next hill over but is never arrived at. Sabbath/rest is something to, funnily enough, pursue, chase down, catch. (That’s why you must *ruthlessly* eliminate hurry. The title itself, too clever by half, tells you it doesn’t offer what it claims to.) Sabbath for Comer, and his disciples, is something over there out our grasp and must be strived for. And this understanding of sabbath is toxic.
Because, if that’s what it truly is, we must strive for sabbath. And this striving only produces discontentment because whatever that picture of sabbath is in our heads, it necessarily includes little stress, little physical tax, and no exhaustion in any sphere whatsoever. Good vibes only, please. However else you may want to nuance it, if you ask yourself “how do I have what he’s having?”, the answer is necessarily that sabbath is something we must strive for. It’s an idea (read, “fantasy”) to be actualized. You don’t have it, it’s somewheres out there though, and if you just keep on searching, one day it’ll be yours. One day. And until it does, until your living situation allows for it, sabbath is impossible.
But the rub is that Christians know, or ought to anyway, that true Sabbath is none of these *things.* Sabbath is not something to achieve or gain or finally arrive at. Sabbath is not a vibe or an experience. It isn’t healthy work-life balance. It isn’t even a feeling at all.
Sabbath is not an ideal to attain. Sabbath is a Person to know. The Lord of the Sabbath himself and knowing him is sabbath–not “sabbath” itself. Period. And because that’s the case, “sabbath” is available to any and all regardless. Absolutely counter to Comer’s presentation, Sabbath has chased us down. He’s available whatever our commute to work or gaggle of children is like. He and his rest is available to you whether you are hurried or in total zen. He and his rest are there when the kids are a mess and when they finally move out. He and his rest can be had in utter depletion like Paul or, yes, JM, while sitting with a stack of books. Because sabbath isn’t a thing, He’s a person. You need not do anything but sit with him.
You can come at the issues of this book by considering the pictures of sabbath/rest/unhurriedness Comer offers and imagining who could attain these. There’s the initial one of living in the city and being able to walk his dog to work (idk how anyone with a dog is unhurried but I’ll leave that). There’s taking a month vacation in the summer with a stack of books while his kids play in front of him (any parent knows that this is either helplessly out of touch or John Mark is being conveniently silent on where Mrs. Comer is in this scenario so that he can relax in the easy chair). There’s cooking long, slow meals at home (I, never mind). One could, and Comer does, go on.
Surely if sabbath is a real thing, it is available to everyone. Right? And yet, what of those pictures could a single moms with two (maybe three) jobs know? Can parents of young children experience this kind of sabbath when the definition of “small children” in the original Latin is “being hurried as you’ve never hurried before”? What about the pastors back at the other campus Comer left to go to the downtown, walkable one precisely because he couldn’t be at rest back there? Stinks to be them! What of the Apostle Paul? It’s hard to imagine his life fitting into this framework. Can we say his life was not hurried or busy or full to the brim? Can we really imagine he wasn’t absolutely exhausted in every way possible (actually, don’t imagine, just look up the Greek of “spent” in 2 Corinthians 12:15; he tells us he was)? If he was, must we assume he wasn’t rested? It would seem so according to Comer’s understanding.
My first issue is that idea of sabbath Comer presents is attainable by an incredibly small and specific demographic and seemingly no more. And that sentence includes my ultimate problem with the book and why it can’t get more than one star. Comer’s idea of sabbath is just that, an *idea* to be realized, a *thing* to attain, an *experience* to have.
It’s not that I think this book is weak theologically or silly practically. Although I think it is both at parts. It’s that I believe this book is dangerous. The people I know who have taken its word the most to heart, are the least restful, stretched thin people I know. Genuinely. They have set boundaries and blocked out time for sabbath, but they aren’t rested. In fact they are much less so than people I know who don’t have either of those things! They are either burnt out or seem to camp on the precipice of it. And I believe it is a direct result of this book. Why?
Because what Comer offers in this book is a carrot stick that can never be caught. As it is presented here, sabbath is a vibe, an ethereal idea, a millennial aesthetic. It’s a house that is always on the next hill over but is never arrived at. Sabbath/rest is something to, funnily enough, pursue, chase down, catch. (That’s why you must *ruthlessly* eliminate hurry. The title itself, too clever by half, tells you it doesn’t offer what it claims to.) Sabbath for Comer, and his disciples, is something over there out our grasp and must be strived for. And this understanding of sabbath is toxic.
Because, if that’s what it truly is, we must strive for sabbath. And this striving only produces discontentment because whatever that picture of sabbath is in our heads, it necessarily includes little stress, little physical tax, and no exhaustion in any sphere whatsoever. Good vibes only, please. However else you may want to nuance it, if you ask yourself “how do I have what he’s having?”, the answer is necessarily that sabbath is something we must strive for. It’s an idea (read, “fantasy”) to be actualized. You don’t have it, it’s somewheres out there though, and if you just keep on searching, one day it’ll be yours. One day. And until it does, until your living situation allows for it, sabbath is impossible.
But the rub is that Christians know, or ought to anyway, that true Sabbath is none of these *things.* Sabbath is not something to achieve or gain or finally arrive at. Sabbath is not a vibe or an experience. It isn’t healthy work-life balance. It isn’t even a feeling at all.
Sabbath is not an ideal to attain. Sabbath is a Person to know. The Lord of the Sabbath himself and knowing him is sabbath–not “sabbath” itself. Period. And because that’s the case, “sabbath” is available to any and all regardless. Absolutely counter to Comer’s presentation, Sabbath has chased us down. He’s available whatever our commute to work or gaggle of children is like. He and his rest is available to you whether you are hurried or in total zen. He and his rest are there when the kids are a mess and when they finally move out. He and his rest can be had in utter depletion like Paul or, yes, JM, while sitting with a stack of books. Because sabbath isn’t a thing, He’s a person. You need not do anything but sit with him.
January 7, 2026
easiest 5 stars i have ever given
Read
November 7, 2024I cannot stop thinking about this book
March 2, 2021
Soooo big caveat I should have read the synopsis/done more research before just diving into this book. I definitely didn’t realize there would be such a heavy religious perspective. That being said, I didn’t want not being Christian to stop me from giving the book a chance, especially because the topic was intriguing. But it did end up meaning that a lot of the book I just didn’t relate to. Again, not a fault of the book, that one is on me.
The ideas themselves I liked and will be trying but I wish the author gave more concrete examples on how to execute. There’s actually an online workbook that’s linked at the end of the book that I thought was soo helpful, I wish he just included that in the book itself, don’t know why he didn’t. Because without that most of the book was one of two things: 1) How we got to having such rushed lives and why it is bad for us (which I think the person reading is generally aware of hence why they are reading the book?) and 2) why each of his four ideas are important/help (with heavy emphasis here on sourcing the Bible and Jesus).
Finally, a minor note but a few times he seemed to put down other religions to elevate Christianity/Jesus? I noticed it particularly with Buddhism and it just didn’t sit well with me nor was it necessary in my opinion.
The ideas themselves I liked and will be trying but I wish the author gave more concrete examples on how to execute. There’s actually an online workbook that’s linked at the end of the book that I thought was soo helpful, I wish he just included that in the book itself, don’t know why he didn’t. Because without that most of the book was one of two things: 1) How we got to having such rushed lives and why it is bad for us (which I think the person reading is generally aware of hence why they are reading the book?) and 2) why each of his four ideas are important/help (with heavy emphasis here on sourcing the Bible and Jesus).
Finally, a minor note but a few times he seemed to put down other religions to elevate Christianity/Jesus? I noticed it particularly with Buddhism and it just didn’t sit well with me nor was it necessary in my opinion.
July 3, 2023
All in all, Comer does a really good job diagnosing the problem with our culture - mainly, the fact that Americans are obsessed with "hurry," and it's a real problem. However, I think that this book doesn't really identify the larger problem of our world and our own hearts: the corrupting presence of sin that will remain no matter how simple or unhurried we make our life. Thus, it doesn't seem to offer the correct antidote to the larger problem and the glorious redemption that is awaiting those who live by faith in Jesus Christ. Though our cultural moment may be in need of more hurry-contrarians, our culture needs Christ all the more.
--edit (since this is getting a lot of attention) --
I really do like a lot of what Comer calls people to in his book. I just think that it reads far more like a cultural polemic than a guide to Christian spirituality, which is how so many Christians view it. I appreciate that Comer ends with an invitation to take up Jesus' easy yoke. I just think that the connection of "hurry-sickness" to sinfulness is an important one to make, and I found that lacking. Nonetheless, Comer presents a number of practices that will help many Christians live counter-cultural lives which are all wise to consider.
--edit (since this is getting a lot of attention) --
I really do like a lot of what Comer calls people to in his book. I just think that it reads far more like a cultural polemic than a guide to Christian spirituality, which is how so many Christians view it. I appreciate that Comer ends with an invitation to take up Jesus' easy yoke. I just think that the connection of "hurry-sickness" to sinfulness is an important one to make, and I found that lacking. Nonetheless, Comer presents a number of practices that will help many Christians live counter-cultural lives which are all wise to consider.
June 11, 2021
I think this is a great topic to read about: Hurry and how it is destructive. But, John brought up politics on page 20 and there was no place for that. Way to lose some of your readers so early on. I wish I would not have spent the money on this book. With there being many books about this topic, actively trying to offend some of your readers early on in the book is quite sad.
January 11, 2020
I have loved John Mark Comer's books and teachings for a few years now. He has beautifully mastered the art of using his own unique voice when writing, making deep or hard topics seem easy to read. This book is no exception and, honestly, may be one of his best works. I felt convicted yet encouraged, exposed yet freed.
We live in a world that highly values productivity and hurry, celebrating the people who can "do it all". The church, sadly, often shares this same value. Yet this way of living has left nearly all of us, myself included, feeling empty, burned out, and weary. In this book, John Mark weaves teaching and insight with his own story of the struggle between the desire to prove his worth/do it all and the desire to actually enjoy his life, his ministry, his family, and, mostly, being a disciple Jesus.
This book has showed me a better way, and it's been like a breath of fresh air to my soul. There are definitely sections that felt heavy because they hit so close, exposing parts of me that I've hid for a long time behind the mask of busy-ness. Yet every thread he pulled unraveled things in me, giving me words for things I didn't quite understand yet and methods to finding rest and slow again. I honestly believe that every person needs to read this book to find a new way!
We live in a world that highly values productivity and hurry, celebrating the people who can "do it all". The church, sadly, often shares this same value. Yet this way of living has left nearly all of us, myself included, feeling empty, burned out, and weary. In this book, John Mark weaves teaching and insight with his own story of the struggle between the desire to prove his worth/do it all and the desire to actually enjoy his life, his ministry, his family, and, mostly, being a disciple Jesus.
This book has showed me a better way, and it's been like a breath of fresh air to my soul. There are definitely sections that felt heavy because they hit so close, exposing parts of me that I've hid for a long time behind the mask of busy-ness. Yet every thread he pulled unraveled things in me, giving me words for things I didn't quite understand yet and methods to finding rest and slow again. I honestly believe that every person needs to read this book to find a new way!
December 24, 2024
Had no idea this book was religious. I’m not. Finished it and you know what? Hell yeah. Not bad.
January 28, 2025
This book makes it easy to see why Comer is such a popular and well-loved Christian writer. There's no denying his skill. He is a superb communicator, able to connect observations about daily life with theological truth in a very seamless way. He's also very good at putting everything at an accessible level. This book, which is essentially about burnout and the spiritual disciplines that prevent it, could have easily been a more cerebral or argumentative book. But Comer threads the needle in a way that just about any reader could follow and benefit from.
That being said, I think Comer loses me in a couple places. First, I'm not a fan of the two-sentence paragraph style of writing. I don't think this is just a stylistic preference; I think this kind of writing expresses a looser train of thought, which tends to be a series of assertions strung together with colorful illustrations, rather than a sustained reasoning. The paragraph is a marvelous literary tool, and I think something important gets lost when books sound more like podcasts than paragraphs.
Second, and more importantly, Comer's emphasis on "the way of Jesus" *feels* like a deliberate contrast against "faith IN Jesus." Now, I know he would deny this. But the book depends almost single handedly on the concept of following the way of Jesus, which reframes Jesus not so much as a Savior who can substitute for us, but as a teacher who can show us how to go. Surely both are true, but the emphasis of the New Testament is clearly on the former. I simply wonder how transformative Comer's thoughts on hurry will be when there is so little attention given to the resurrection life of Jesus in us through faith in him. Put another way: I wonder if Comer has given people new habits when we first need a new heart.
That being said, I think Comer loses me in a couple places. First, I'm not a fan of the two-sentence paragraph style of writing. I don't think this is just a stylistic preference; I think this kind of writing expresses a looser train of thought, which tends to be a series of assertions strung together with colorful illustrations, rather than a sustained reasoning. The paragraph is a marvelous literary tool, and I think something important gets lost when books sound more like podcasts than paragraphs.
Second, and more importantly, Comer's emphasis on "the way of Jesus" *feels* like a deliberate contrast against "faith IN Jesus." Now, I know he would deny this. But the book depends almost single handedly on the concept of following the way of Jesus, which reframes Jesus not so much as a Savior who can substitute for us, but as a teacher who can show us how to go. Surely both are true, but the emphasis of the New Testament is clearly on the former. I simply wonder how transformative Comer's thoughts on hurry will be when there is so little attention given to the resurrection life of Jesus in us through faith in him. Put another way: I wonder if Comer has given people new habits when we first need a new heart.
January 19, 2023
There is a lot of wisdom and practical advice in here to glean.
The irony of this book though, is there was enough fluff in it that I was inclined to skim a good amount - which felt an awful lot like hurrying through a book about not hurrying.
Many of his profound points were actually quotes from other authors that he just tied together, which made me want to read works from these other authors more than his work.
But still, it served as a relatively quick/easy compilation to consume on this very important, relevant topic.
I was surprised that in his section on “Spiritual Disciples,” he includes topics like “simplicity” and “sabbath” - and although he sets himself up so well with the “s” theme - he doesn’t include Scripture as a spiritual discipline?? It’s touched on here or there in the other categories but not given it’s own point.
I wouldn’t pick up this book primarily to use as a spiritual guide, as I don’t entirely agree with the author’s approach to some aspects of spirituality. But it was nice to get a spiritual perspective on what I’m also reading in Digital Minimalism (from a non-religious perspective, although at times Newport is more informative and makes stronger arguments from a logical perspective.)
Still, Comer offers plenty of nuggets to chew on and practical takeaways to consider, granted some skimming and discernment might benefit the process.
The irony of this book though, is there was enough fluff in it that I was inclined to skim a good amount - which felt an awful lot like hurrying through a book about not hurrying.
Many of his profound points were actually quotes from other authors that he just tied together, which made me want to read works from these other authors more than his work.
But still, it served as a relatively quick/easy compilation to consume on this very important, relevant topic.
I was surprised that in his section on “Spiritual Disciples,” he includes topics like “simplicity” and “sabbath” - and although he sets himself up so well with the “s” theme - he doesn’t include Scripture as a spiritual discipline?? It’s touched on here or there in the other categories but not given it’s own point.
I wouldn’t pick up this book primarily to use as a spiritual guide, as I don’t entirely agree with the author’s approach to some aspects of spirituality. But it was nice to get a spiritual perspective on what I’m also reading in Digital Minimalism (from a non-religious perspective, although at times Newport is more informative and makes stronger arguments from a logical perspective.)
Still, Comer offers plenty of nuggets to chew on and practical takeaways to consider, granted some skimming and discernment might benefit the process.
March 14, 2024
This book is extremely unbiblical, being contrary to a true, biblical doctrine of sanctification. The theology presented in this book seems to resemble the false teaching Paul warned believers about in the book of Galatians. John Mark Comer presents the reader with a works based sanctification, leading to a life of legalism and burnout. While this book provides some helpful information, I encourage anyone reading this book, to do so with caution.
August 17, 2024
I almost gave up a few times along the way. For me, it was extremely hard to get past the beginning of the book, but there were other times along the way I wanted to quit as well. The only thing that kept me going was the high ratings most readers gave it, so I kept waiting for something that for me never came.
The topic is spot-on. The best thing I can say about the book is that it made me want to seek out a different book about the subject, one more rich and meaningful. Sometimes you're personality just doesn't mesh with someone's writing style, and that was certainly the case for me here. I did finish it, but couldn't wait till it was over.
The topic is spot-on. The best thing I can say about the book is that it made me want to seek out a different book about the subject, one more rich and meaningful. Sometimes you're personality just doesn't mesh with someone's writing style, and that was certainly the case for me here. I did finish it, but couldn't wait till it was over.
November 9, 2020
I know a lot of people really love this book, but I could barely make it past the foreword and finally called it quits two pages into chapter 1. For one (and I say this as a Christian), it does irk me when books that clearly have a spiritual bent are not marketed as such. That aside - because I do get that his particular brand of spirituality is the author’s perspective and lifetime work and can’t be extricated from this text - it was hard to find a single sentence that didn’t drip with pretension. I do hope that you find the peace you’re looking for if you choose to read this book, but be warned that John Mark Comer doesn’t exactly have a universally relatable literary voice.
March 11, 2020
If you can get over the occasional youth pastor vibes (unnatural references to biggie smalls followed with lines like “yes, I just quoted biggie smalls”) and the fact he writes as he would speak (sentence fragments/periods meant to signify where you’d pause if you were reading aloud) THE CONTENT IS SO GOOD AND, for me, LIFE-CHANGING.
August 8, 2021
You ever love what someone has to say but absolutely hate the WAY they say it? That's John Mark Comer for me. A friend introduced me to him last year (thanks Emily!) and he's definitely a unique teaching voice but everything he says is so laced with an aura of "I'm not like a regular pastor, I'm a cool pastor" it makes me roll my eyes to the point of needing prayer to heal my ocular nerve. He's like an orthodox Rob Bell in that way, and if that's your jam then go for it - but to me it reads like a Portlandia parody of a pastor; kombucha, Myers Briggs references, coffee snobbery, plant based diets, being a former member of an indie rock band... I mean come on my guy.
Anyways, now that I got that rant out of my system, this is a really good book and I appreciate the approachability and the balance of theology and practical application. Pretty much everyone I know would do well to read this book and put it into practice - I'm going to have to re-read it with an eye towards my own proclivities for hurry before too long. I just can't give it five stars because his writing/teaching style grates on me too hard but hurry (in all its forms) is a really meaningful subject that almost never receives the level of attention it deserves in the church.
Anyways, now that I got that rant out of my system, this is a really good book and I appreciate the approachability and the balance of theology and practical application. Pretty much everyone I know would do well to read this book and put it into practice - I'm going to have to re-read it with an eye towards my own proclivities for hurry before too long. I just can't give it five stars because his writing/teaching style grates on me too hard but hurry (in all its forms) is a really meaningful subject that almost never receives the level of attention it deserves in the church.
January 18, 2021
It was fine until he stated he is a democratic socialist. So pretty much undermines his entire theology by ideally not having to work too much and rely on the welfare state. Last time I checked, not very biblical
May 28, 2023
This book literally changed my life, my mind, my SOUL!? This book brought me closer to Jesus and helped me find realistic ways to live a more holy life. I loved every page of this.
July 18, 2025
First Read:
May 26, 2025
4.5/5 stars.
This was incredible. A wonderful, quick (ironically), reset to find peace and comfort in Christ, not in money or time or productivity or possessions. It could not have been more timely. Comar included many statistics and research on how much time we spend on our phones or watching tv or just simply wasting time, and as a result, I felt a rush of guilt. I felt the pressure to be productive and guilt for having binge-watched YouTube and tv shows, but then after all of those statistics, Comar paused and quoted Matthew 11, and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and release from the guilt I was just feeling. This book truly reminded me to put away the sins of the flesh and find comfort, rest, and satisfaction in Christ. There were also some practical tips and tricks to develop better habits and get rid of bad ones, this reminded me a bit of atomic habits, and it was really helpful as well. I will most likely read this again, and look into the author more. The audiobook was excellent and I would highly recommend.
2nd read:
July 12-18 2025
There are certain statements that Comer takes that I disagree with, but he is such a gifted writer and presenting an idea that our current culture so deeply needs to understand, that I’ll rate this book nothing less than 5 stars.
I especially enjoy the last third of the book, on slow walking, simplicity, and enjoying this life while holding in our hearts the promised life to come.
May 26, 2025
4.5/5 stars.
This was incredible. A wonderful, quick (ironically), reset to find peace and comfort in Christ, not in money or time or productivity or possessions. It could not have been more timely. Comar included many statistics and research on how much time we spend on our phones or watching tv or just simply wasting time, and as a result, I felt a rush of guilt. I felt the pressure to be productive and guilt for having binge-watched YouTube and tv shows, but then after all of those statistics, Comar paused and quoted Matthew 11, and I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and release from the guilt I was just feeling. This book truly reminded me to put away the sins of the flesh and find comfort, rest, and satisfaction in Christ. There were also some practical tips and tricks to develop better habits and get rid of bad ones, this reminded me a bit of atomic habits, and it was really helpful as well. I will most likely read this again, and look into the author more. The audiobook was excellent and I would highly recommend.
2nd read:
July 12-18 2025
There are certain statements that Comer takes that I disagree with, but he is such a gifted writer and presenting an idea that our current culture so deeply needs to understand, that I’ll rate this book nothing less than 5 stars.
I especially enjoy the last third of the book, on slow walking, simplicity, and enjoying this life while holding in our hearts the promised life to come.
May 28, 2023
Life changing; one I’ll be reading year after year! Thank you John Mark Comer for feeding into my soul.
November 4, 2024
Not as profound as it should have been.
I'll still give this a high rating. Much of what Comer writes is true and relevant. I'm sure there are many people out there who needed to hear this message. At the same time, I don't think I'm the right target audience. Much of the advice here isn't relevant for me in my current season. I need to work on adding more social events to my calendar, not less.
You can tell Comer is a husband and father with kids. You can tell he came from a tiring, fast-paced, competitive rat race. In this book, he urges people to unplug, disconnect, slow down, isolate, say no, observe the sabbath, and embrace simplicity. I get it. Some people need to hear that. But that's not something I struggle with. I already know how to say "no." I need to learn how to say "yes."
As much as he tries to speak to single people, his recommendations don't work for people who don't already have close friends and family present in their lives--those who don't already have in-person social connections. The advice to disconnect, slow down, and spend less time on social media isn't helpful for young, single millennials and Gen Zers who live far away from friends and family and don't have existing social groups. Comer assumes unplugging will automatically help bring soulful healing and revive personal connections. But often social media is a young person's only social connection. Take that away, and you'll make someone feel even more isolated and lonely, not refreshed and energized.
My generation needs to hear how to craft true and better connections, not to disconnect entirely from the few connections we do have. Just look at the marriage rates dropping. Just look at the rates of suicide among 14-24 year olds. This book needed a second part which discusses ways to craft deeper personal relationships and foster meaningful social connections--from within the calm created by simple living.
Comer makes some good points about avoiding an addiction to phones or social media. It was good to hear that again (see also 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You). At the same time, I cringed at his basic, almost condescending advice like "make a budget" or "drive below the speed limit" or "write in a journal." I already knew much of what he says, and I already practice much of what he recommends. I already set timers to limit my time on social media. I already understand minimalism. I already cook at home most days. I already have a budget. This book didn't introduce me to anything new, and the advice didn't hit me very hard. As Amy says, it's mostly forgettable. At least for me.
Read Amy's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Purely by coincidence, I picked up this book around the same time as Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You. Comer mentions Ortberg several times in the context of the influence of Dallas Willard. There is much overlap between these two books.
I'll still give this a high rating. Much of what Comer writes is true and relevant. I'm sure there are many people out there who needed to hear this message. At the same time, I don't think I'm the right target audience. Much of the advice here isn't relevant for me in my current season. I need to work on adding more social events to my calendar, not less.
You can tell Comer is a husband and father with kids. You can tell he came from a tiring, fast-paced, competitive rat race. In this book, he urges people to unplug, disconnect, slow down, isolate, say no, observe the sabbath, and embrace simplicity. I get it. Some people need to hear that. But that's not something I struggle with. I already know how to say "no." I need to learn how to say "yes."
As much as he tries to speak to single people, his recommendations don't work for people who don't already have close friends and family present in their lives--those who don't already have in-person social connections. The advice to disconnect, slow down, and spend less time on social media isn't helpful for young, single millennials and Gen Zers who live far away from friends and family and don't have existing social groups. Comer assumes unplugging will automatically help bring soulful healing and revive personal connections. But often social media is a young person's only social connection. Take that away, and you'll make someone feel even more isolated and lonely, not refreshed and energized.
My generation needs to hear how to craft true and better connections, not to disconnect entirely from the few connections we do have. Just look at the marriage rates dropping. Just look at the rates of suicide among 14-24 year olds. This book needed a second part which discusses ways to craft deeper personal relationships and foster meaningful social connections--from within the calm created by simple living.
Comer makes some good points about avoiding an addiction to phones or social media. It was good to hear that again (see also 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You). At the same time, I cringed at his basic, almost condescending advice like "make a budget" or "drive below the speed limit" or "write in a journal." I already knew much of what he says, and I already practice much of what he recommends. I already set timers to limit my time on social media. I already understand minimalism. I already cook at home most days. I already have a budget. This book didn't introduce me to anything new, and the advice didn't hit me very hard. As Amy says, it's mostly forgettable. At least for me.
Read Amy's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Purely by coincidence, I picked up this book around the same time as Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You. Comer mentions Ortberg several times in the context of the influence of Dallas Willard. There is much overlap between these two books.
July 18, 2021
The amount of times someone has said, “I’m reading this book and it reminds me of you” or “I swear this book was written for you” is pretty humbling and very convicting.
I have never been someone to slow down. I over commit, over plan, over spend and it all ends up overwhelming me. A few years ago someone told me that this comes from the sin of wanting to be like God - wanting to be limitless. This message was reinforced in this book.
This summer I have been trying to press into slowing down. I spent college always moving and for my final year I want to challenge myself in embracing margin. I have been reading Ezekiel this summer and in chapter 20, God tells Ezekiel to show the Israelites their sin and one of the ones that is mentioned over and over again was “profaning the sabbath.” God cares about the sabbath. It mattered to Him then and it matters to Him now. I love how this book reminds readers that Sabbath is for rest and for worship.
Embracing our limits and inviting discipline (budgeting, limiting TV watching, limiting social events) into our lives will bring us closer to God. Following Jesus means emulating every part of his life - the slow and unhurried pace included.
Some quotes that I loved:
“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” (52).
“Corrie Ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t me you sin, he’ll make you busy. There’s truth inn that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect - they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul” (20).
This is a five star book, I don’t say that lightly!!! EVERYONE. NEEDS. TO. READ. THIS.
I have never been someone to slow down. I over commit, over plan, over spend and it all ends up overwhelming me. A few years ago someone told me that this comes from the sin of wanting to be like God - wanting to be limitless. This message was reinforced in this book.
This summer I have been trying to press into slowing down. I spent college always moving and for my final year I want to challenge myself in embracing margin. I have been reading Ezekiel this summer and in chapter 20, God tells Ezekiel to show the Israelites their sin and one of the ones that is mentioned over and over again was “profaning the sabbath.” God cares about the sabbath. It mattered to Him then and it matters to Him now. I love how this book reminds readers that Sabbath is for rest and for worship.
Embracing our limits and inviting discipline (budgeting, limiting TV watching, limiting social events) into our lives will bring us closer to God. Following Jesus means emulating every part of his life - the slow and unhurried pace included.
Some quotes that I loved:
“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” (52).
“Corrie Ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t me you sin, he’ll make you busy. There’s truth inn that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect - they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul” (20).
This is a five star book, I don’t say that lightly!!! EVERYONE. NEEDS. TO. READ. THIS.
January 22, 2025
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author himself. Rummaging for nuggets out of a colossal landfill of rambling fillers was quite exhausting and, ironically, contrary to the goal of an unhurried life. So I quit the book almost half way through.
If you are expecting to read something profound along the lines of Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines or Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, you will be extremely disappointed. The whole book has a casual style of writing and might be an attempt to engage the hip-hop culture. Often, the author appears condescending, cocky and preachy. Almost no example goes by without him bringing himself into the, sometimes cringeworthy, illustration or explaining how he personally relates to it, thus sounding narcissistic. The author’s interests in the popular self-help books is apparent from the quotes and examples.
It’s puzzling why Ortberg allowed his name to be dragged into this immature writing. The book also lacks professional editing and could have been a quarter of this size. Maybe the author’s opinion of his own book might change after a decade.
A Christian who enjoys an unhurried life by the enabling grace of God as he yields his waking moments to God has a deeper meaning and purpose compared to the unhurried hermit perched atop the Himalayan ridges devoid of Netflix and the internet.
This negative review might be an exception to the majority, seeing tons of positive reviews for the book. To each his own.
If you are expecting to read something profound along the lines of Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines or Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline, you will be extremely disappointed. The whole book has a casual style of writing and might be an attempt to engage the hip-hop culture. Often, the author appears condescending, cocky and preachy. Almost no example goes by without him bringing himself into the, sometimes cringeworthy, illustration or explaining how he personally relates to it, thus sounding narcissistic. The author’s interests in the popular self-help books is apparent from the quotes and examples.
It’s puzzling why Ortberg allowed his name to be dragged into this immature writing. The book also lacks professional editing and could have been a quarter of this size. Maybe the author’s opinion of his own book might change after a decade.
A Christian who enjoys an unhurried life by the enabling grace of God as he yields his waking moments to God has a deeper meaning and purpose compared to the unhurried hermit perched atop the Himalayan ridges devoid of Netflix and the internet.
This negative review might be an exception to the majority, seeing tons of positive reviews for the book. To each his own.
November 15, 2020
This book basically uses the bible and the life of Jesus to give examples of how to be mindful and why it's extremely important to be mindful in the chaos that we are currently living in.
The general idea of the book is nice, however, I found some of the examples of how to be mindful kind of unrealistic and hard to actually do.
Jan, 28, 2020.
The general idea of the book is nice, however, I found some of the examples of how to be mindful kind of unrealistic and hard to actually do.
Jan, 28, 2020.
June 15, 2024
This book was so good. I think I’d like to read it semi-annually for a while until the habits become a deeper part of my life. I’ve been so convicted and encouraged by it.
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