I have followed Nicole Johnson's work for quite awhile and have been very blessed by her dramatic work. I have also enjoyed some of her earlier books, but this was not my favorite. When I pick up a book along this subject, I want the author to give specific suggestions and input about putting more calm in the crazy. While there are helpful suggestions like creating boundaries and giving yourself quiet time, it wasn't enough for me to be super happy with this boo. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What is the answer to finding calm in the midst of a harried life? Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy by Nicole Johnson starts out promising with an honest look at how many moms take on too many tasks and through multitasking we become faster at doing certain things, but slower at accomplishing anything. The first half of the book examines such a busy life and how often there must be a crisis before change can occur. The second half of the book starts going deeper into an action plan to find calm. Here, I found the author has some good suggestions like keeping secure boundaries and spending time in quiet. However, the author relies heavily on imagery like Create a room of your own, a mental place of strength and beauty that can become a home for your soul. Such suggestions are given with barely any mention of Christ or the power of prayer in producing calm. As someone who studied psychology at the graduate level, I love psychology and believe in it can be a tool used according to Biblical principles. However, the power of God to transform ones life was missing from this book, making it like any other self-help book . This not what I have come to expect from a publisher like Zondervan and I was deeply disappointed in the conclusion of a book that held such promise. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.