A Book Review

As described in my first post, this blog is somewhere to store things. I wrote the below book review for a friend. It didn't get published but I thought some others might find it interesting. Let me know what you think.

TIME POOR, SOUL RICH describes itself as providing 60 second "remedies" to soul weariness for busy professional women. Winckel states that the simple message of the book is this: " you can be simultaneously "poor in time" and "rich in soul".  These things are not mutually exclusive." (P2).  The first chapter lays out helpfully what the book is (quick remedies for your soul) and what it isn't (a time management book or help with clinical depression).

The first section then describes four areas of your life that busyness tends to strangle out.  These four areas are then sub-divided into another 4 causalities of busyness.  The sixteen chapters have been designed for the reader to pick and choose which causality, or area of life that needs enriching and they can just read that chapter.  There are not just remedies in these chapters, but stories of busy women and how they have handled themselves in this soul-dry area.

The next section then describes obstacles for our soul enrichment if the above sixteen remedies do not seem to be working.  There two types of obstacles.  The first set of obstacles are potentially one of the five pesky personality traits that may be causing us to self-sabotage our soul.  As Winckel says " we are our own worst enemy." (p171).  After a quick self-assessment the traits of the control freak, the attention seeker, the perfectionist, the martyr and the workaholic are reflected back to the reader through the testimonies of some of the characters we met earlier in the book.  It is nice touch to see a fuller picture of the lives of some of these women.

The second set of obstacles may be how we have allowed busyness to disconnect our belief system with daily lives and actions.  This is summarised into the chapter's heading of "Goddess, Genesis, Guilt and Gold" (p187) or specifically how I think of myself, my work, my past and the things I own, have or want. 

Lastly, the books finishes up with two chapters exploring what happens when we stop being busy and, most interestingly, what happens when the above still does not subdue your need for inner peace.  True to the nature of the book, this last one chapter is primarily a testimony of a busy professional woman and how, through the ebbs of flows of life and work, found God in the midst of losing everything.

If the above summary still interests you in the book, I suggest you buy it.  I do not recommend it though.  Like a bandaid for a broken arm, or like a green tea for a coffee fiend, the book seeks to draw the reader to soul enrichment but misses both the opportunities and real remedy that the gospel of Jesus provides.  The soul dryness that comes through a busyness of life can be soothed temporarily by many of the remedies described in Winckel's book.  Her use of the Bible's wisdom and poignant reflections is creative and engaging.  However, Jesus is the only way and truth to a real soul-enriched life.  In the forgiveness, mercy, grace and beauty of Jesus' love and lordship is where everyone, including busy professional women, will find real soul enrichment and joy.  Jesus says to the thirsty, time poor and soul-dry Samaritan women in John 4 that if we keep looking to the things of the world to quench our thirst, we will remain thirsty.  Jesus alone gives the water of eternal life. Amongst all the feel-good, creative and exciting ideas within Time Poor, Soul Rich, sadly the opportunities to speak of the gospel of Jesus as the ultimate cure has been missed.  The book is not convincing in its simple premise that being time poor and soul rich can go hand in hand.  The heart issues of busyness are untouched.

Why should you read it

This book has some creative and motivating ideas to engage outside of your work person and daily routine.  The range of ideas with different time frames makes the remedies accessible, engaging and potentially do-able.

Why you shouldn’t read it.

If you are too busy!  The book is a long read and is best when you have dealt with any heart issues between you and God that your busyness may have produced.  Time with God in his word is the best remedy for that but Kevin De Young's "Crazy Busy" and Tim Chester's "Busy Christian's guide to busyness" might also be a good place to start before going to Time Poor, Soul Rich.  It is, at best, maybe a pre-evangelism tool for busy non-Christian friends, though it's size means it is not a quick read. 

This review of the book is written by a professional and therefore maybe considered better.