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A review by leswag97
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer
4.0
I was originally introduced to "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry" by John Mark Comer via the podcast series "Fight Hustle, End Hurry," co-hosted by Comer and Jefferson Bethke. Throughout the 10-episode series, Comer and Bethke walk you through their separate and complementary journeys of discovering what it means to slow down in this hurried, secularized, twenty-first-century world. I highly recommend not only Comer's book on the subject, but also this podcast series; they go hand in hand very well.
Because I began with the podcast series, rather than with "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry," I came to the book already with some preconceived notions, ideas, and already implementing even some of the practices and disciplines to help followers of Jesus slow down and enjoy life with God more that Comer lists in his book. Still, this book was a wonderful reminder and refresher for me in my journey of eliminating hurry from my life.
In the first half of the book, Comer touches on the state in which our culture resides and ferments, that is, a culture of hustle and hurry, a world of never-ending opportunity and possibility, so much so that we barely find time to settle down and allow "our souls to catch up with our bodies." Comer explains how the way in which our world is set up creates difficult problems for followers of Jesus, who are seeking to apprentice him and his lifestyle. Whereas the world offers us more and more, Jesus is here to show us how less can be more; while our culture teaches us to view life as a ladder of success, training us all to climb it as quickly and as intensely as possible, Jesus pulls this ladder down, replaces it with an "easy yoke," and instructs us to above all seek the ways and Kingdom of God.
The second half of the book, which was my favorite part, lists and describes in detail four practices (or disciplines) that Comer has personally implemented into his life to help in fighting back against the hurried and hustled culture of the twenty-first-century West: Silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing. In all four of these chapters, each chapter covering one of the four disciplines, Comer points not only at the witness of the Church's tradition and history, but looks at the very life of Jesus, showing how these practices were foundational aspects of Jesus' life on earth. If we are to be apprentices of Jesus, it is not enough to simply believe in the good news, and to continue to live out our lives in a morally good way; rather, Comer desires for followers of Jesus to apprentice him, to see his lifestyle as normative for our lifestyles, and to constantly ask ourselves the question, "What would Jesus do if he were me?".
This book is a must-read for Christians around the world, but especially for followers of Jesus in the Western world, and who, in light of the world as a whole, would be considered somewhat rich and privileged. Whether you are a college student, a business professional, a full-time parent, or someone simply working a 9:00 to 5:00 job week in, week out, this book is an important work.
Because I began with the podcast series, rather than with "The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry," I came to the book already with some preconceived notions, ideas, and already implementing even some of the practices and disciplines to help followers of Jesus slow down and enjoy life with God more that Comer lists in his book. Still, this book was a wonderful reminder and refresher for me in my journey of eliminating hurry from my life.
In the first half of the book, Comer touches on the state in which our culture resides and ferments, that is, a culture of hustle and hurry, a world of never-ending opportunity and possibility, so much so that we barely find time to settle down and allow "our souls to catch up with our bodies." Comer explains how the way in which our world is set up creates difficult problems for followers of Jesus, who are seeking to apprentice him and his lifestyle. Whereas the world offers us more and more, Jesus is here to show us how less can be more; while our culture teaches us to view life as a ladder of success, training us all to climb it as quickly and as intensely as possible, Jesus pulls this ladder down, replaces it with an "easy yoke," and instructs us to above all seek the ways and Kingdom of God.
The second half of the book, which was my favorite part, lists and describes in detail four practices (or disciplines) that Comer has personally implemented into his life to help in fighting back against the hurried and hustled culture of the twenty-first-century West: Silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing. In all four of these chapters, each chapter covering one of the four disciplines, Comer points not only at the witness of the Church's tradition and history, but looks at the very life of Jesus, showing how these practices were foundational aspects of Jesus' life on earth. If we are to be apprentices of Jesus, it is not enough to simply believe in the good news, and to continue to live out our lives in a morally good way; rather, Comer desires for followers of Jesus to apprentice him, to see his lifestyle as normative for our lifestyles, and to constantly ask ourselves the question, "What would Jesus do if he were me?".
This book is a must-read for Christians around the world, but especially for followers of Jesus in the Western world, and who, in light of the world as a whole, would be considered somewhat rich and privileged. Whether you are a college student, a business professional, a full-time parent, or someone simply working a 9:00 to 5:00 job week in, week out, this book is an important work.