A Book Review: Crazy Busy

“Hello, my name is Busy.”

Crazy busyness became a habit of mine. If you know me well, I'll seldom tell you that I'm free or can give you a specific date to schedule an engagement outside my own bulk of priorities.

I got this book, Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by American Pastor Kevin DeYoung, from RightNow writing seminar last month. It was facilitated by Sir Mighty Rasing (Author of May Powers Ka To Be #SuperEpic). Also, my first time to attend a writing workshop.

In one of our activities, I volunteered to share my thought about the book we were reviewing that time and I got a free book as a prize. There were some other titles to choose from but the Crazy Busy book was placed on top of the others and with its interesting title, I took it. And Sir Timmy from the RightNow team gave me a good feedback about it. He recommended it so much and also said that it was a very personal book.

And it is, Pastor Kevin DeYoung wrote his thoughts and research in a conversational manner. With his simple outline with lists made his points much easy to understand and relate to. Actually, turning the pages gave the feeling of having a friendly talk with your mentor in a peaceful afternoon. And I did not even want to finish my reading yet because I want more.

Anyhow, at the beginning of this book, Pastor Kevin pointed out that he wrote this book not because he’s the most knowledgeable and able to restore people having a crazy busy life but because he’d also like to study his own struggle and work on some changes. 

Don’t worry; this book is not too churchy that we’ll feel the condemnation of Heaven just because we are too busy with everything in our lives. It's 2014 Christian Book of the Year though. But Pastor Kevin was able to give a fresh insight on why we’re having a challenging view on being busy with our individual life, career, family, parenting, our hobbies, habits and even how our nation run on daily basis. 

This amazing book spoke right to my heart. I am aware that I lack discipline of managing myself in so many ways. But this gave me added learning that I should not ignore. I’ve always wanted to succeed in every aspect of my life. I’ve always worked hard to achieve my dreams. I’ve always tried to serve God and people more. But I've always found myself struggling, feeling stressed and defeated. I can totally relate to wonderful Jane who lived a priority-less life (Chapter 5). However, what Pastor Kevin had written gave me a brand new hope to realize and correct my shortcomings plus improve my ways. Thanks God for such wisdom and blessing. 

Hence, I rate this book with 5 stars over 5 and recommend this to all crazy busy people out there. You won’t see a list of how to simplify your life, restore your sanity nor becoming a less hectic immediately but you’ll be able to learn more about yourself and your busyness.

Well here is a list of my quotes from this Crazy Busy Book that had great impact on me.

• We are here and there and everywhere. We are distracted. We are preoccupied. We can’t focus on the task in front of us. We don’t follow through. We don’t keep our commitments. We are so busy with a million pursuits that we don’t notice the most important things slipping away.

• We make up most days not trying to serve, just to survive.

• Because we can do so much, we do do so much.

• When we are crazy busy, we put our souls at risk.

• Busyness is like sin: kill it, or it will be killing you.

• Busyness kills more Christians than bullets.

• You are trying to do what God does not expect you to do.

• Jesus didn’t do it all… And yet, He did everything God asked Him to do. 

• Setting priorities is an expression of love for others and for God.

• The people on this planet who end up doing nothing are those who never realized they couldn’t do everything.

• The biggest deception of our digital age may be the lie that says we can be omni-competent, omni-informed, and omni-present.

• We need God’s ordinary means on Sunday for our extraordinary busy lives the rest of the week.

• Life… is like a track workout. We run hard and then rest hard.

• You suffer more because you don’t expect to suffer at all.

• We were made to be busy.

• You can borrow time, but you can’t steal it.

• God can handle the pressure.

• It’s not wrong to be tired.

I want to quote more but I’d like you to read and explore this book by yourself. You may buy Crazy Busy: A (Mercifully) Short Book about a (Really) Big Problem by Kevin DeYoung published by OMF Literature Inc for P250 only. Available on OMF Literature branches and other bookshops nationwide.

You may also download a sampler here for free.