If Brother Lawrence’s Practicing His Presence was written by a group of people who failed and succeeded together, instead of an solitary believer, it might look something like Soul Revolution. Burke’s book is the story of a community of people who tried to consider God every hour for 60 days. Are you interested? All you need to do is buy a cheap watch with an every-hour beeper, and you’re off to the races.

While I’m pretty sure this book lacks the simple staying power of Brother Lawrence’s effort, there were a number of things about it that I enjoyed:

1. The stories fit the message perfectly. You can tell Burke is a preacher—he has the perfect anecdote for every situation. I even used one of these stories to challenge our congregation here in Bracebridge.
2. The sidebars contain testimonies of people who took the challenge and learned from it. The honesty of these messages drive the point of the book home.
3. There is a ring of authenticity here. You will finish this book with the hope that you too can grow in your Christian life, because other people have broken the trail.

Full disclosure: I didn’t take the 60-60 test personally—I just read the book. Even so, I was challenged and encouraged. If you’re looking for something to help you travel beyond the annual making and breaking of resolutions, give Soul Revolution a try.

Burke, John. Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended. Zondervan, 2008.