Church Health Today reviews only high-quality books. Every book featured is strongly recommended for the readers' library.

"The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (Free Press, 2003. 245 pages, $26)

Reviewed by Dr. Thom Rainer

Few people will doubt that we live in the rushed, fast-paced, rapid-fire, and relentless world of digital time. We often wish that we had more than 24 hours a day to do all that we need to do. We sometimes feel tired just thinking about all that we must do in the course of a typical week. I found a great book for the weary and rushed among us.

"The Power of Full Engagement" is not another book on time management. The authors recognize that the number of hours in a day is fixed, but that the management of those hours does not completely solve our problems or meet our needs. Managing energy, not time, is the key to greater performance, insist the authors.

But their solutions offer not only greater performance, but also suggest ways to health, happiness, and life balance.

Does this book oversell on its promises? To the contrary, I believe that the authors offer a realistic and conservative approach to life balance. Indeed, after I completed reading the book, I became motivated for new approaches to my own life physically, emotionally, mentally, and even spiritually. In fact those are the four areas that outline the book.

Loehr and Schwartz are no amateurs in performance consultation. The two men began their unique approach with some of the world's greatest athletes. Their clients have included tennis star Monica Seles, Olympian Dave Jansen, golfer Mark O'Meara, and basketball players Nick Anderson and Grant Hill, to name a few.

Now, years later, they work with a variety of men and women in the business world, politics, and education.

The last four chapters outline the authors' Corporate Athlete Training System, their approach to performance management and enhancement. It is a rather extensive process, but it is well worth the effort to go through it.

The only struggle I had with the book was the authors' understanding of spiritual issues. In no way is this book explicitly Christian. But the authors are candid about this matter: "We define ‘spiritual' not in religious terms, but rather in more simple and elemental terms: the connection to a deeply held set of values and to purpose beyond our self-interest" (110).

With that disclaimer, I was able to apply their principles more readily to my own Christian walk.

There is much common grace in this book for Christian readers. I see too many leaders burned out and struggling with issues day by day. This book is not panacea for the harried leader. It is, however, a great check-up tool with many good insights.

Apply many of the principles the authors advocate and you should see significant positive changes in your own life immediately.