Jeremy Farrell, Christ-follower, life and leadership coach and Human Resources professional with the IBM Corporation has written a challenging book that tackles the essence of the balanced life, be it physical, emotional or spiritual Balance. Farrell's experience and conviction about the achievement and sustainability of the balanced and resilient life is clearly communicated in every page. The author also takes one down a road that looks at not only Balance in life, but also putting the right things at the Center, and Aligning that life with its ultimate purpose. Adding to that an element of Accountability which supports transformative change and renewal. Farrell uses practical exercises and personal and anecdotal illustrations to make the journey of reflection, action and further reflection come alive to the reader. The book challenges the reader's perspective on their life, probing to deeper levels of self-analysis and small actions that can form the beginning of significant change. The reader is led to consider dimensions of life as spokes in a wheel. Although one starts by looking at satisfaction with the various main divisions of ones life, such as Health, Wealth, Family, Relationships, Faith, Work and Service, each of these 'spokes' can become smaller wheels in their own right.

Consider taking 'Faith' from being a 'spoke' to being a wheel of its own. In the exercise the Faith wheel can be broken into dimensions such as one's Relationship with God, Devotional life, Spiritual disciplines, Giving, Discipleship, Stewardship, Evangelism and Service. In the exercise one rates their satisfaction with each element, and then decides which should receive focus to improve satisfaction by a point or two in order to restore some balance to the Faith aspect of life. When looking at Faith one could also consider the principles of the Ten Commandments as spokes in a wheel of Obedience, or the Beattitudes of the Sermon on the Mount as spokes in a wheel of Compassion, or the Fruits of the Spirit as spokes in a wheel of Transformation. Similarly, the Work dimension of ones life can be broken out into work roles that can be assessed on a satisfaction scale and then areas chosen for priority focus. Dimensions of Work can be one's roles as an Employee, with dimensions such as Relationships, Integrity, Responsibility, Witness, Self-management, Leadership, Communication and Teaming. The reader can assign roles of their own to this based on their circumstances, but then assess and plan and execute. If the reader was to consider the spokes in a wheel of Discipleship, they would probably find the dimensions of Worship, Scriptures, Leadership, Servanthood, Discipling, Mentoring, Teaching, Witnessing, Praying, Ministry, Personal growth, and Personal Holiness, amongst others.

The challenge is to look at the Discipleship wheel by rating satisfaction with the aspects listed and determine a course of action to increase satisfaction with dimensions in order to be a more effective and obedient Disciple. The author is keen to point out that Balance, or balancing, is a process - it is never finished. If life were a road, the bumps, corners, wear and tear all take a toll on one's balance. The process described in this book is never-ending, and anyone looking for the silver-bullet, a one-off quick-fix solution will be disappointed, but the sincere seeker of tools and techniques for achieving meaningful change, renewal and resilience will find simple wisdom within this concise gem of a book.