I’ll admit it. When the folks at Extreme Diva Books & Gifts contacted me to review their devotional series Devotions to Go, I was a bit skeptical. Devotional books can seem cheesy and leave you feeling empty. But too often lately, my only devotional time comes at night when I read the The New Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes and pray with my two-year-old son, Bradley. So when Jean Ann (the CEO at Extreme Diva) e-mailed me, I was ready for something a little more…grownup.
The Devotions to Go series features 20 books written by women for women. Each book contains a month of daily devotions on a variety of subjects. The books focus on a certain theme, such as Overwhelmed Moms’ Devotions to Go, Working Women’s Devotions to Go, and even Sweet Tooth Diva Devotions to Go. Jean Ann let me pick which book I wanted to read, and believe me, I had a hard time passing up that last one! I do love my chocolate and peanut butter. In the end, I went with Busy Moms’ Devotions to Go.
Lori Z. Scott wrote this particular edition. She is a former first-grade teacher who focuses on devotionals and books for children. In Busy Moms‘, Scott talks about things like “surviving the treadmill syndrome,” how to get “spiritual wrinkles and gray hairs,” and how to “help your kids view prayer as a valuable and helpful way of dealing with everyday situations.”
I could see myself in many of her stories, laughing when she describes her car as a “garbage heap on wheels.” I can relate to that! But she prompted deeper thoughts, too. My husband has been searching for a job, and sometimes we get so excited about a particular possibility, only to have the door slammed in our faces. Scott says, “When we see a ‘dead squirrel’ in the road–a tough relationship, a job loss, an unexpected lab result, an angry client–we’re often ready to glare at God and say, ‘You killed it.’ We neglect to see the big picture, the heavenly perspective.” Yes, I can relate to that, too.
As I read, I tried to think about the pros and the cons of Busy Moms’. It has some typos, and that bothered me. (Jean Ann says they are working with a new printer and hope to eliminate the typos.) Also, if you’re looking for an in-depth Bible study, this is not the book for you. It is a book for stashing in your purse and reading in the van right before you pick up the kids from school. (And since it’s the size of your hand, it’s a good size for stashing in your purse.) It’s quick and to the point. It’s light. It will spark a thought here and there. Scott includes a section after each devotional called “Take a Breath,” where she gives you an activity to do related to the devotional (must be the teacher in her!). 
If you’d like to check out the series, you can go to the Extreme Diva Web site here. Each book costs $8.95. Standard shipping is $2.00. If you order the Devotions to Go 6 Month Subscription in June, you’ll receive a free copy of Christmas Devotions to Go in December (7 books for the price of 5).
Has anyone else read this series of books? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
