About the Author
John Mark Comer is the founding pastor at Bridgetown Church, director and teacher of Practicing the Way, and the New York Times bestselling author of Live No Lies and other books. His passion is the intersection of spiritual formation and post-Christian culture, and to that end, he is regularly show more found reading the desert fathers and mothers, ancient saints and obscure contemplatives, modern psychologists and social scientists, and op-eds from the New York Times. Most important, he is husband to T and father to Jude, Moses, and Sunday. show less
Works by John Mark Comer
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World (2019) 1,219 copies, 32 reviews
Live No Lies: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace (2021) 298 copies, 1 review
Loveology: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female. (2014) 131 copies, 2 reviews
The Practicing the Way Course Companion Guide: An Eight-Session Primer on Spiritual Formation (2024) 29 copies
Live No Lies Bible Study Guide plus Streaming Video: Recognize and Resist the Three Enemies That Sabotage Your Peace (2022) 9 copies
The Sabbath Practice: A Four-Session Companion Guide to Help You Stop, Rest, Delight, and Worship (2024) 6 copies
Loveology Bible Study Guide: God. Love. Marriage. Sex. And the Never-Ending Story of Male and Female. (2014) 6 copies
The Community Practice: A Four-Session Guide to Cultivating Community in the Way of Jesus (2025) 5 copies
The Generosity Practice: A Four-Session Companion Guide to Help You Experience the Joy of Giving (2024) 5 copies
Sabbath Meditations 4 copies
The Scripture Practice: A Four-Session Guide to Reading the Bible as an Apprentice to Jesus (2025) 3 copies
Deus tem um nome: O que você acredita sobre Deus transforma quem você é (Portuguese Edition) 2 copies
Different, Harder, Longer, Better 2 copies
On Suffering Lovingly 2 copies
How to Spend a Day with God 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1980-06-10
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- pastor
- Short biography
- John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Tammy, and their three children, Jude, Moses, and Sunday.
He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church.
Prior to planting Bridgetown, John Mark was the lead pastor of a suburban megachurch. Before that, he played in a band. John Mark has a master's degree in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of Loveology, My Name is Hope, Garden City and God Has a Name.
For more of John Mark's teachings on the Scriptures, Jesus, and life, go to bridgetown.church and sign up for the podcast or visit www.johnmarkcomer.com.
www.instagram.com/johnmarkcomer
www.twitter.com/johnmarkcomer
www.facebook.com/johnmarkcomer
I live in Portland, OR, with my wife Tammy and our three kids – Jude, Moses and Sunday. Portland is this great city in the Pacific Northwest buzzing with culture - food, drink, coffee, indie bands, and lots of depressed people. I love it. - Places of residence
- Portland, Oregon, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Oregon, USA
Members
Reviews
4 stars for writing not for agreement. I come to this book as someone who was born and raised in the church as we say in the South. I'm now sixty three years old and no longer a biblical literalist. This author is writing to a generation of younger seekers and he does a good job of stating his case. The only problem is his case is not the profound mic drop that he thinks it is. It's that old time religion and I've been there and have the T-Shirt.
The major themes of the book are:
God is show more compassionate and gracious
God is slow to anger
God is abounding in love and faithfulness
Yet God does not let the guilty go unpunished
He also goes to great length (The author, not God.) to tell us that God has an exact name and then goes through mental and text gymnastics to say it's Yahweh. Now I'm not a biblical scholar so I'm not attacking or refuting his conclusion. I'm just not sure it's quite as cut and dried as he says it is. He goes to much trouble to let you know that It's Yahweh The Compassionate Lord, Yahweh the Gracious, Yahweh slow to anger, Yahweh Abounding in love and faithfulness, Yahweh who punishes (ever notice how the loving religious folks love the punishing?) Just saying. But, Yahweh who punishes the children for the sins of the father to the third and fourth generation. Address him by his name. Yahweh.
Now if the above sounds as if I'm being blasphemous I assure you I'm not. I'm not trying to mock or disparage faith. My own faith has brought me through and still see's me through this life. It's just that I've seen people manipulate others politically, emotionally and even sexually using Jesus and I'm kind of tired of it. But, I promise I am not an enemy of faith or of religion for that matter.
God is compassionate and gracious. I can understand that. But then the author tells of how God is jealous and doesn't let sin go unpunished. Then the writer starts talking about all the idols and false god's and how they are demonic or fake but Yahweh is the only true God. Then somehow he manages to bring the Hebrew Deity of Ancient Israel back to the Christians of the West and of course Jesus. He then glosses over the times when God is angry and commands genocide in his name and say's "we want God to punish us" our sense of justice demands it. Really? I don't think so.
Then of course he does the "God is like a father and your father punishes you if he loves you." Well, if you mean beating my ass if I tried to backtalk him then yeah. If you mean a parent grounding you for sneaking out of the house then yeah. But, if you mean allowing you to be obliterated or cast into a burning pit forever and ever then no. No I don't think that is what a loving parent would do.
I worked for a while finishing up my Social Work BSW by working at a fast food place on an Army base. I worked at Popeye's. I used to work over the fryer. We would batter the chicken and then carefully drop it into the hot grease. If you got a drop of that hot grease on you from the splatter you were in pain so we were really careful. I remember thinking as I worked over this hot and dangerous vat of grease. I wouldn't take the tip of the little finger of my most hated enemy and touch it into that grease. I mean it. I couldn't do it.
Yet some Christians want me to believe that a God of love could allow a living soul or being to be tormented for eternity in a hell fire or to be obliterated. I have to tell you that I don't consider that a God with a big G. I would consider that a god with a little g.
Finally, I thought long and hard about my faith in my youth. I finally came to a place where the atheistic idea of a meatbot in a meaningless universe seemed to me to be the insane ramblings of deluded people. But, also the idea of a almighty being who creates a naked ape and then takes and Arc Angel with all power and knowledge and sends him down to earth. Then takes his own child in his anger and demands his murder and torture and by the way if this arc Angel called Satan can fool the puny little naked ape then the All mighty in his "love" will burn him for efver and evver. But, if the naked ape even after he's raped and murdered and hurt people will just say the sinners prayer before he dies the he gets a get out of jail card free.
I'm sorry to say the writer of this book while he's a very intelligent young man, Still didn't make religious dogma anymore sane or sensible by his mental gymnastics in this book.
So, bottom line if you are an evangelical then you will love this book. IT will not challenge you at all. But, if you are seeking spiritual nourishment then this is a very light snack indeed. show less
The major themes of the book are:
God is show more compassionate and gracious
God is slow to anger
God is abounding in love and faithfulness
Yet God does not let the guilty go unpunished
He also goes to great length (The author, not God.) to tell us that God has an exact name and then goes through mental and text gymnastics to say it's Yahweh. Now I'm not a biblical scholar so I'm not attacking or refuting his conclusion. I'm just not sure it's quite as cut and dried as he says it is. He goes to much trouble to let you know that It's Yahweh The Compassionate Lord, Yahweh the Gracious, Yahweh slow to anger, Yahweh Abounding in love and faithfulness, Yahweh who punishes (ever notice how the loving religious folks love the punishing?) Just saying. But, Yahweh who punishes the children for the sins of the father to the third and fourth generation. Address him by his name. Yahweh.
Now if the above sounds as if I'm being blasphemous I assure you I'm not. I'm not trying to mock or disparage faith. My own faith has brought me through and still see's me through this life. It's just that I've seen people manipulate others politically, emotionally and even sexually using Jesus and I'm kind of tired of it. But, I promise I am not an enemy of faith or of religion for that matter.
God is compassionate and gracious. I can understand that. But then the author tells of how God is jealous and doesn't let sin go unpunished. Then the writer starts talking about all the idols and false god's and how they are demonic or fake but Yahweh is the only true God. Then somehow he manages to bring the Hebrew Deity of Ancient Israel back to the Christians of the West and of course Jesus. He then glosses over the times when God is angry and commands genocide in his name and say's "we want God to punish us" our sense of justice demands it. Really? I don't think so.
Then of course he does the "God is like a father and your father punishes you if he loves you." Well, if you mean beating my ass if I tried to backtalk him then yeah. If you mean a parent grounding you for sneaking out of the house then yeah. But, if you mean allowing you to be obliterated or cast into a burning pit forever and ever then no. No I don't think that is what a loving parent would do.
I worked for a while finishing up my Social Work BSW by working at a fast food place on an Army base. I worked at Popeye's. I used to work over the fryer. We would batter the chicken and then carefully drop it into the hot grease. If you got a drop of that hot grease on you from the splatter you were in pain so we were really careful. I remember thinking as I worked over this hot and dangerous vat of grease. I wouldn't take the tip of the little finger of my most hated enemy and touch it into that grease. I mean it. I couldn't do it.
Yet some Christians want me to believe that a God of love could allow a living soul or being to be tormented for eternity in a hell fire or to be obliterated. I have to tell you that I don't consider that a God with a big G. I would consider that a god with a little g.
Finally, I thought long and hard about my faith in my youth. I finally came to a place where the atheistic idea of a meatbot in a meaningless universe seemed to me to be the insane ramblings of deluded people. But, also the idea of a almighty being who creates a naked ape and then takes and Arc Angel with all power and knowledge and sends him down to earth. Then takes his own child in his anger and demands his murder and torture and by the way if this arc Angel called Satan can fool the puny little naked ape then the All mighty in his "love" will burn him for efver and evver. But, if the naked ape even after he's raped and murdered and hurt people will just say the sinners prayer before he dies the he gets a get out of jail card free.
I'm sorry to say the writer of this book while he's a very intelligent young man, Still didn't make religious dogma anymore sane or sensible by his mental gymnastics in this book.
So, bottom line if you are an evangelical then you will love this book. IT will not challenge you at all. But, if you are seeking spiritual nourishment then this is a very light snack indeed. show less
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the ModernWorld by John Mark Comer
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry does a great job of diagnosing a problem we all know is there, pointing out how this isn't how life is supposed to be, and gives some practical guides on how to get off the hamster wheel.
And, no, the answer is not for everyone to sell all they have and go start a homestead with a tiny house, some cows, and some chickens.
This book was given to me a few years ago by my pastor and it has sat on my shelf until a few weeks ago. Recently, I've been on my own show more mission of simplification and this book really hit home for me.
This book could be lumped into the "self-help" category, I suppose. As such, it should be judged based on whether its solutions are effective. Only time will tell, but I think it will do that. We're talking about making lifestyle changes here. It's not an overnight process.
There are three parts to this book - the diagnosis (how we got here), the original plan (how it ought to be), and the solution (practical advice to be less hurried).
John Mark Comer was the former head of a megachurch in Portland, Oregon. He started the book off by telling what that demanded of him and what it did to his soul, his marriage, and his relationship with his kids. It wasn't pretty.
As a former pastor, there are certainly a lot of Scripture references in this book. But, there are a lot of secular studies and authors in the book, too. He uses Scripture to show how God designed us to have days of rest from the very beginning - not unending productivity and ceaseless "hustle".
He mixes the wisdom of Scripture in with numerous modern secular studies that show we are not designed for this hectic lifestyle and we need to take regular breaks. We need to learn to set hard boundaries. And, we certainly need to develop healthier relationships with our smart devices.
Comer doesn't preach a message of "Technology Bad" and then end the book. He admits there are benefits; it's our relationship to stuff and hustle that needs to be corrected, though.
The good news is Comer offers some practical advice on how to change your lifestyle to one that is less hurried, less stressful, and less complicated. And more restful. The practical advice he gives makes a lot of sense to me. I had already begun instituting some of the changes he mentioned before reading the book. And, they have made a difference for me in my sanity, focus, and peace.
Only time will tell how much of this I put into practice. But, I can see myself coming back to this book often for the advice it offers. show less
And, no, the answer is not for everyone to sell all they have and go start a homestead with a tiny house, some cows, and some chickens.
This book was given to me a few years ago by my pastor and it has sat on my shelf until a few weeks ago. Recently, I've been on my own show more mission of simplification and this book really hit home for me.
This book could be lumped into the "self-help" category, I suppose. As such, it should be judged based on whether its solutions are effective. Only time will tell, but I think it will do that. We're talking about making lifestyle changes here. It's not an overnight process.
There are three parts to this book - the diagnosis (how we got here), the original plan (how it ought to be), and the solution (practical advice to be less hurried).
John Mark Comer was the former head of a megachurch in Portland, Oregon. He started the book off by telling what that demanded of him and what it did to his soul, his marriage, and his relationship with his kids. It wasn't pretty.
As a former pastor, there are certainly a lot of Scripture references in this book. But, there are a lot of secular studies and authors in the book, too. He uses Scripture to show how God designed us to have days of rest from the very beginning - not unending productivity and ceaseless "hustle".
He mixes the wisdom of Scripture in with numerous modern secular studies that show we are not designed for this hectic lifestyle and we need to take regular breaks. We need to learn to set hard boundaries. And, we certainly need to develop healthier relationships with our smart devices.
Comer doesn't preach a message of "Technology Bad" and then end the book. He admits there are benefits; it's our relationship to stuff and hustle that needs to be corrected, though.
The good news is Comer offers some practical advice on how to change your lifestyle to one that is less hurried, less stressful, and less complicated. And more restful. The practical advice he gives makes a lot of sense to me. I had already begun instituting some of the changes he mentioned before reading the book. And, they have made a difference for me in my sanity, focus, and peace.
Only time will tell how much of this I put into practice. But, I can see myself coming back to this book often for the advice it offers. show less
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer
John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is part spiritual reflection, part cultural critique, and part practical guide—a call to slow down in a world that idolizes speed, productivity, and constant noise. Drawing from his own experience as a megachurch pastor overwhelmed by burnout, Comer makes a compelling argument that “hurry” is not just a scheduling problem but a spiritual one: a barrier to presence, compassion, and a meaningful life.
At its heart, the book challenges show more readers to rethink the pace at which they move through the world. Comer blends biblical teaching with accessible storytelling, modern psychology, and observations about digital culture, weaving them together in a way that feels both convicting and comforting. The tone is conversational—sometimes humorous, sometimes quietly piercing—making the book easy to read even when the content demands self-examination.
Comer’s central practices for eliminating hurry—silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing—aren’t innovative in the modern sense; instead, they intentionally revive ancient rhythms. What makes his approach effective is how he frames these practices not as guilt-laden religious duties but as invitations to freedom. Readers who come from Christian backgrounds will find strong theological grounding, while those outside the tradition may still appreciate the pragmatic value of slowing down and cultivating attention.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is an engaging, timely, and accessible work that speaks to readers exhausted by modern busyness. Comer’s message is clear and resonant: a slower, more present life isn’t just possible—it’s essential. show less
At its heart, the book challenges show more readers to rethink the pace at which they move through the world. Comer blends biblical teaching with accessible storytelling, modern psychology, and observations about digital culture, weaving them together in a way that feels both convicting and comforting. The tone is conversational—sometimes humorous, sometimes quietly piercing—making the book easy to read even when the content demands self-examination.
Comer’s central practices for eliminating hurry—silence and solitude, Sabbath, simplicity, and slowing—aren’t innovative in the modern sense; instead, they intentionally revive ancient rhythms. What makes his approach effective is how he frames these practices not as guilt-laden religious duties but as invitations to freedom. Readers who come from Christian backgrounds will find strong theological grounding, while those outside the tradition may still appreciate the pragmatic value of slowing down and cultivating attention.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is an engaging, timely, and accessible work that speaks to readers exhausted by modern busyness. Comer’s message is clear and resonant: a slower, more present life isn’t just possible—it’s essential. show less
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry: How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World by John Mark Comer
Terrible for me to say as a regular church goer, but I'm not one for normally picking up a religious book as my reading book of choice.
Our minister sent me this book recently in thanks for something I've been helping the church out with (the joy of receiving an unexpected book gift through the post!), and when I had a quick flick through it I was pleasantly surprised at the style - it felt young, relevant and above all not remotely preachy.
Now that I've read the whole thing, I actually got a show more lot out of it. Even if you're not remotely religious, I think Comer gives a lot to think about around how increasingly busy and exhausting life has become. We're all hurrying to try to do more and to obtain more, and in doing so are often increasingly worn out, cross and far from our best version of ourselves. We've no time for ourselves, little quality time for our loved ones, and not much time (for those who are Christian) for God.
Comer puts forward a good case for reclaiming the Sabbath as a day of rest and... wait for it... enjoyment! This seemed so far from my 1970s upbringing in which the Sabbath felt like it was supposed to be almost a day of drudgery. In Comer's head, the Sabbath - if you plan it properly - should be the best day of the week, the one to really look forward to with all chores and work shelved and time with family, friends and God prioritised, doing things that remind us of just how good our lives really are (including wine - hurrah!).
In all, as the title says, this is a book challenging us to be ruthless about eliminating hurry from our lives, and not just hurry but also the exhausting desire to always be striving to obtain more things rather than learning to live much more happily with less. I do get what he means by that - when we go on holiday I often muse how we can be happily sufficient for a couple of weeks with just what we've been able to carry in a suitcase, and I'm quite sure there is a lightness to be had from purging one's house of all the crap that we accumulate over the years. But... easier said than done.
Cromer is a pastor so of course there is a religious subtext to the book, but this was written in a really fresh way which gave me plenty of food for thought about how I could do much better on all fronts. I liked the chatty style - it felt non-judgmental and above all modern and relevant. Cromer's a young guy and he gets that times have changed since the biblical Middle East, so his arguments for slowing down were in the context of the reality of the world we now live in.
4 stars - mindfulness for the time-drained and a good 'entry book' for those curious about (re)finding God in the modern world. show less
Our minister sent me this book recently in thanks for something I've been helping the church out with (the joy of receiving an unexpected book gift through the post!), and when I had a quick flick through it I was pleasantly surprised at the style - it felt young, relevant and above all not remotely preachy.
Now that I've read the whole thing, I actually got a show more lot out of it. Even if you're not remotely religious, I think Comer gives a lot to think about around how increasingly busy and exhausting life has become. We're all hurrying to try to do more and to obtain more, and in doing so are often increasingly worn out, cross and far from our best version of ourselves. We've no time for ourselves, little quality time for our loved ones, and not much time (for those who are Christian) for God.
Comer puts forward a good case for reclaiming the Sabbath as a day of rest and... wait for it... enjoyment! This seemed so far from my 1970s upbringing in which the Sabbath felt like it was supposed to be almost a day of drudgery. In Comer's head, the Sabbath - if you plan it properly - should be the best day of the week, the one to really look forward to with all chores and work shelved and time with family, friends and God prioritised, doing things that remind us of just how good our lives really are (including wine - hurrah!).
In all, as the title says, this is a book challenging us to be ruthless about eliminating hurry from our lives, and not just hurry but also the exhausting desire to always be striving to obtain more things rather than learning to live much more happily with less. I do get what he means by that - when we go on holiday I often muse how we can be happily sufficient for a couple of weeks with just what we've been able to carry in a suitcase, and I'm quite sure there is a lightness to be had from purging one's house of all the crap that we accumulate over the years. But... easier said than done.
Cromer is a pastor so of course there is a religious subtext to the book, but this was written in a really fresh way which gave me plenty of food for thought about how I could do much better on all fronts. I liked the chatty style - it felt non-judgmental and above all modern and relevant. Cromer's a young guy and he gets that times have changed since the biblical Middle East, so his arguments for slowing down were in the context of the reality of the world we now live in.
4 stars - mindfulness for the time-drained and a good 'entry book' for those curious about (re)finding God in the modern world. show less
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