Pressing Pause

I think most moms can relate with the need to "press pause" in their lives. Breakfast is burning on the stove and you know that there is a questionable smell coming from a certain baby- the wrestling match in the living room has gone from innocent to dirty fighting and everybody is crying and yelling for mom. Basically, my morning. I have found that pausing is essential for me, unless I want to turn into grumpy mom, yelling mom, impatient mom or any combination therein.

Pressing Pause, by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk seeks to give ladies a quite place to pause their day and draw near to God. Inside the gorgeous hardcover one will find 100 devotionals. At the beginning of each "quite moment" is a verse that is the jumping off point for the devotion. Following the verse is a short anecdotal story or lessened gleaned from the authors lives. There is a prayer and then a few questions to ponder about the topic presented. All of this can be read in a few short minutes.

I really liked the general idea of the book. Any mom can find a few quick seconds to read these. If you don't have time to write down your answers to the questions in the book, you can always think about them while loading dishes or folding laundry. The devotions contain a lot of encouragement for weary mom's to draw near to Jesus and practical advice on how to do so. I found some of the devotions lacking a bit of depth. There were a few topics that are just so well-worn in mom culture. I just found myself wanting more than another reminder to put the phone down.

The main thing I would say about this book-- If you find you can only carve out a few moments to press pause, don't pick up this book. Pick up your Bible instead. Spend that effort getting into the living word of God. These ladies have some good advice about drawing close to Jesus but why not meet with the Savior himself? Sure, there is scripture in the devotions but it's often one short verse. Honestly, when I find myself reading a book like this, I skim the verse and then dive into what the author is saying. It should be the other way around. That doesn't mean that this is a bad book-- It's a good read. But get into the Bible, and then pick this one up!


The book itself is really lovely and great quality. It exceeded my expectations in that facet. The thick hardcover has a beautiful watercolor design that is accented by the metallic-like purple. When the sun hits it just right it shines! It's just all-together well designed and would make an excellent gift- especially with mother's day coming up.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for my review.