Too Blessed to be Stressed: 3-Minute Devotions for Women by Debora M. Coty

Too Blessed to be Stressed: 3-Minute Devotions for Women Reviews

• 
  E.F.B.

  I got this devotional because I finished my previous devotional and suddenly realized our local, physical Lifeway store was gone so I couldn't go pick out a new one from there. :( Hobby Lobby was one of the few other options, so I went and looked at their teeny, tiny collection of devotionals and this was one of the few that wasn't aimed at a specific audience (married people, teens, etc). At first, I wasn't sure I liked it. Some of the daily devotionals early on in the book were about a Bible verse that I felt needed a deep dive, but then the author went shallow. For example, she took a verse about temptation to sin and proceeded to use an example of being tempted to buy a hat she didn't need, which... wasn't exactly what the verse was talking about. However, as the book went on she seemed to get better at using the small space available for meatier thoughts. There were even some that I dogeared as being applicable to my life, and ones that moved me.
  
  Something I flip-flopped as to whether I liked it or not was the fact that, in the short prayers at the end of each daily reading, the author always calls God "Papa God" and she addresses her personal reason for this in the very first devotional of the book. To be super clear, I have NO problem with people using whatever term for God makes them feel closest to Him in their personal, private, prayer life. That's their business, there's nothing wrong with it, and I'm NOT judging anyone for it. At the same time, I wasn't wild about having this woman's personal name for God kind of pushed on me as the reader since that's not what I call God in *my* prayer life, and it really threw me off at first. I did finally get used to it, but, were I to write a devotional that included prayers, I would use something more neutral like "Dear God" to start them off instead of such a personal term like "Papa God". *shrug* I didn't reduce my rating over this, it's just something I thought I'd mention since it did briefly effect my reading experience.
  
  An additional minor gripe would be that I wish "Women's devotionals" wouldn't automatically assume all their readers have reached "married, with kids" status. It would be one thing if I only saw this occasionally, but the vast MAJORITY that I read, including this one, have some devotions that say or imply something along the lines of, "I'm sure we all know what it's like when our husband or kids do this thing and we feel this way about it" and every time, I'm just like, "No. No I don't," and then I feel distanced from the author and disconnected from the lesson being taught. I wouldn't mind it if it was worded in a way that didn't ASSUME that status in the reader, (Like, "Some of us may have experienced this") but it usually does. Unless the devotional is specifically marketed for married people it seems presumptive to do this because every adult woman is NOT in the same place at the same time in life. In my opinion, that needs to be understood and acknowledged by devotional writers so no reader ends up feeling as if they're out of place, or this devotional wasn't written for them. I've probably mentioned this kind of thing in some of my other devotional reviews, but I'll keep mentioning it, because it keeps happening.
  
  Though this wasn't my favorite devotional ever, despite some minor bumps, it did end up being a thoughtful read, and I liked that the daily readings were short enough to squeeze into a busy schedule so there's no excuses not to do it.
• 
  Mary Brown

  Synopsis:
  
  Got 3 minutes to spare? You’ll find the spiritual pick-me-up you desire in Too Blessed to Be Stressed: 3-Minute Devotions for Women.180 uplifting readings from bestselling author Debora M. Coty pack a powerful dose of comfort, encouragement, humor, and inspiration into your day. Minute 1: scripture to meditate on; Minute 2: a short devotional reading; Minute 3: a prayer to jump-start a conversation with God. This portable package makes a fabulous any-occasion gift for every woman. (Goodreads)
  
  
  Review:
  
  Whether you are in need of some calming thoughts and ideas to help you in your daily life or you are looking for additional ways to improve your spiritual well being, this book is a great help. These devotionals include a short scripture reading to think about, a short reading that helps to explain the scripture using everyday words and examples, and a prayer. It does not take long to read the devotional and I think everyone can spend three minutes a day to help improve their relationship with God and try to decrease their daily stress.
  
  I have really found this book helpful and it has definitely given me things to think about and other ways to help me deal with stress. It has given me a different perspective on things happening in my life and I have found myself remembering ideas that I read about to help me cope. I am sure I will refer back to it often in my daily living.
  
  I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for extra help living their live as stress free as possible and help staying connected to God.
  
  I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley and Barbour Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Lisa Lou

  3.5 Stars
• 
  Michelle

  Too Blessed to Be Stressed: 3-Minute Devotions for Women, by Debora M. Coty includes 180 devotionals designed to help you in your walk with Christ. These short and sweet devotionals are perfect for a quick pick-me-up or an extra shot of encouragement. I can also see this as a great way for new Christians to get into the habit of Bible study/reading. For those who believe they cannot find the time to read God’s Word, this devotional takes away those excuses. The devotionals are sometimes funny but always inspirational. They include a scripture, devotional, and a suggested prayer. Further research showed that there is a whole line of Too Blessed to be Stressed products, from a cookbook to a planner.
  
  I gave it five stars, though I prefer more depth to my devotionals. I particularly liked how each page starts with a question to get the reader involved and examining their life and spiritual walk.
  
  (I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)
  
• 
  Mochaspresso

  The book has 180 devotionals that are written in an informal and witty way that is easy to read and relate to. The devotionals are all structured in the same manner. It starts with a bible quotation. Then, there is a short reflection or rumination on how that scripture can be applied to daily living and then it ends with a prayer. The messages in the devotionals are very poignant and relevant. With titles like "Worry Won't Help" and understanding when it's time to "Loosen Your Grip" on things that you can't possibly control. Granted, these are not new or novel ideas. These sentiments have been around for ages in all kinds of settings from therapy sessions to the Al-Anon Serenity Prayer. These are things that we know. It's just that we tend to forget them from time to time and this provides a nice little reminder in a concise, humorous and witty way.
• 
  Naomi Warden

  I loved this book!! I have read these devotional passages daily, truly inspirational. Ms Coty puts the information out there for anyone especially women will understand. I can definitely say this book has changed my relationship with God or as Ms Coty calls him "Papa God". Thank you again for such awesome devotional book. This book was provided to me free of charge by Netgalley for an honest review.
• 
  Susan Snodgrass

  This is a wonderful little devotion, not only for busy women, but not so busy women. No one is too busy to take time to do these little devotions. And they are very relevant for today, too. I thoroughly enjoyed how they spoke to me.
  
  
  *I was provided with a free copy of this book via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
• 
  Cyndy

  Short and Sweet
  
  Absolutely love turning to these short and sweet lessons and often share them with my Bible Study group! Thank you Deborah Coty for your concise and meaningful reminders of our Father's love.
• 
  Brandi

  A light-hearted approach to begin and end your day, all 365 days of the year. These devotions are short and sweet and frequently filled with humor and wit to help you take a different approach to the day ahead of, or behind, you. The topics cover all issues faced in everyday life. There is a Scripture Index provided at the end as well. This devotional is recommended for those who prefer to keep it light and not too deep. I personally enjoyed the page design and the simplicity of the approach; it feels fun and uplifting and brought a smile to my face.
  I was given a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own, freely given.
  
• 
  Jacquie

  Sometimes you just need a quick devotion to refresh and boost you up for a while. This book was gifted to me and I would try and read a couple pages each day or so. It would be my couple minutes to refresh and just relax for a bit during this crazy life we all seem to have. What's nice about this book is that there is a devotion for pretty much everything you could think of happening in life and I can relate to most of the stories. It helps to know you are not alone and sometimes just need that extra boost to make it through the hour, day, week, or year.
• 
  Michelle Regan

  Each day I read one or more of these devotions, I came away wishing for something different. 3 minutes is generous...in that amount of time I read several. I am not a fan of The Message Bible version and not a fan of always referring to "Papa God", so both the opener and the ending rubbed me wrong. Some people may truly benefit from this style, it just is not for me.
• 
  Samareia

  Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  Everything and everyone enteresting, practical easy read very helpful,purposeful Just down right outstanding ! I am very thank the book was written and shared.
• 
  Jessica Louis (Pen&Snap)

  Too Blessed to Be Stressed.... hm.
  
  This year one of my resolutions is to become more at peace and less of a basket case. I am a stress queen, despite my best intentions. So when I came across this title on Netgalley.com I figured it was, well, a Heaven sent.
  
  For this particular book I pretty much only read it during stressful times, when I needed a positive word to help calm me down.... unfortunately, it never did much for my stress. Even when I was calm as can be this just didn't.... I couldn't connect with what was being said.
  
  Don't get me wrong, I liked what the author talked about, there were some nice quotes and Bible passages, but it just didn't resonate with me. All in all, it was just an okay read.
• 
  Amy

  The format of this book is appealing, with quick reminders and refocusing ideas to consider when stressed. Each section is set up with a biblical passage, a reflection and thoughts for moving forward in faith. All in all, this book is "nice", but not life-changing. This is the second book I have read this season in which God is referred to as Papa God, and for me, this is uncomfortably informal. I know that in some ways this colored my overall experience of the book.
  
  This book was provided by NetGalley as a digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
• 
  Maria Elmvang

  More like 30-second devotions. There were some good ones among them, but unfortunately I found a number of them too cutsy for my tastes. There was nothing wrong with them as such, and the messages were sound - it just wasn't my cup of tea.
  
  Mostly I really didn't like the title. Stress comes in all shapes and sizes, and this seemed like an inappropriate use of the word.