GCV Blog

Grace Church of the Valley blog.

Crazy Busy Book Review

by Pastor David

True story. We scheduled this review of Kevin DeYoung’s book Crazy Busy: a (mercifully) short book about a (really) big problem several months ago. It’s just that some things came up, the schedule got rearranged, we had several other projects that were more important. Basically things just got a little crazy. And busy. In other words, I needed this book even more than I thought, and you might too.

Who has time to read a book about being busy? Won’t that just make you busier? For starters, it’s a very manageable 117 pages, written in a very readable and enjoyable style. But beyond that, this book can help you change your perspective about how busy you are and, in the long run, help diffuse the frantic frustrations that keep you bogged down in business.

Crazy Busy can help you most when it comes to analyzing why you feel so busy. It uncovers the heart behind our frantic pace and, for me, revealed some pretty ugly idols that were masquerading as noble reasons to be busy. While this book won’t end your business, it will give you some perspective as well as some principles that can ease the insanity. Kevin Deyoung gives seven principles, each a chapter, that can reorient your perspective when you think your head is just barely above water.

You are beset with many manifestations of pride.

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

You can’t serve others without setting priorities.

You need to stop freaking out about your kids.

You are letting the screen strangle your soul.

You’d better rest yourself before you wreck yourself.

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

I needed this book, and you might too. I’m still tempted to reply to, “Hi how are you,” with the universal answer of “busy,” but I’m working to break that habit and others too. None of us are too busy to do what God wants us to do today. And any deceptive feeling to the contrary is just crazy.