Stress Less, Pray More

I really enjoyed this book. I read it daily as a reminder that I need to stress less and pray more.

We all get into this moods where we feel sorry for ourselves. I know I do it daily. We get into a depression when we stress out over things we can't control.  I stress out daily over things I can't control but this book has helped me a lot to just sit down and thank god for being alive. We need to take time to thank god for giving us life and be thankful for waking up every single day.

This book is full of daily reminders that have helped me be less stressed. I will continue to read this every day.

I love this book!! It is full of uplifting bible verses, shorties and prayers. It covers all subjects that women stress over and has a bible verse for it.  As I was reading this book I felt the stress lifting. A must read for every woman!! Thank you #NetGalley and #BarbourBooks for an ARC copy of this book.

"The more we worry, the less we pray. And the more we pray, the less we worry."

It sounds so simple. Yet, when it comes to stress, it's so hard. As women, we tend to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and with that weight comes extreme stress. We juggle fifty million balls in the air, and at least with me I often forget that I can hand over those juggling balls to God, instead I stress out over them - how to keep them all in the air, what will happen if one of them falls. This devotional planted the seeds to help change my focus on stress. It had inspirational and motivational insights. But what was even more important to me, this devotional is peaceful. Every time I started reading it, there was a calming effect on my mind and my heart. The author guides your heart in a way to want to pray to God, she helps lay out how to have a better prayer life so you can pray more and stress less. 

"You gift a lot of people with your time, sometimes more than you have to spare. But how much of your time are you gifting to God?" 

For me, I don't gift nearly enough time to God. I looked forward to having some quiet time with this devotional and with God in prayer. And I know this is one I will continue to go back to over and over again. There is great truth, encouragement and strong application in this devotional. I would recommend it for anyone who struggles with stress in their lives. 

Thank you to Barbour Publishing and Donna K. Maltese for providing me with a copy of this devotional in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very nice selection of devotions. Each has a scripture reading, a nice devotion that is not too long, but long enough to ponder on and be helpful in the life of a believer. Then a short prayer.  I enjoyed it very much and intend to use it throughout the year and beyond.

*My thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book via Net Galley. My opinion is my own and honest.

I received this book as an advanced read copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Women are often socialized to be caretakers, often putting the needs of others before ourselves, sometimes leaving us drained.  Donna K. Maltese's Stress Less, Pray More devotional guide of 180 readings reminds us to take time to reconnect with God through prayer.  These devotionals remind us to pause, reflect, and trust in the Lord.  One of my favorite passages is from the Book of Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord, Your God is with you wherever you go," (Joshua 1:19, NLT). I enjoyed reading this devotional, and I know that I will refer to it again.  I would recommend this book for any woman who needs to remind herself to, "Let go and let God."

Stress Less, Pray More

A Woman’s Devotional Guide to Tranquil Living

by Donna K. Maltese

Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Barbour Books

Christian

Pub Date 01 Jul 2018

I am relieving a copy of Stress Less, Pray More through Barbour Books and Netgalley:

This book reminds us that we all deal with stress and that it is nothing to be ashamed of. The issue comes when we let Stress completely take over or ignore it all together. We are reminded too that we need to stop trying to figure things out on our own and let the Lord help us figure them out.

The author points out too that stress is like a storm raging both within and without us drawing our attention away from God little by little.

We are reminded too that when things get difficult the Lord is there for us. We are encouraged to grow in prayer Lord.

We are encouraged to say a heartfelt prayer then dive into God’s word when we are feeling stressed or distressed.

I give Stress Less, Pray More five out of five!

Happy Reading

I choose to read Stress Less Pray More by Donna K.Maltese A Woman's Devotional Guide to Tranquil Living by Barbour Publishing because I live in a rural countryside where where prayers have been an important role for the community and where the contact with God is still important.
Sure: we live in a material world, pretty busy, where distractions are many, a different life-style in comparison to the one lived decades ago by our ancestors keep us distant from God and prayers most of the time.
There is no time for God it seems; not as in the remote past where there were precise moments, in particular after dinner, all dedicated to God, and where, in the families it was impossible to...escape away from prayers, rosary and so on.
Our life is made by a different society, our roles with the time changed, and responsibilities increased; a family counts a lot of stress and work for a woman and at the end of the day leave exhausted, too stressed for saying a prayer, for thanking Lord for this life. 
This book contains 180 readings and prayers for every woman. Praying is not just an obligation, it's also an occasion for saying to God thanks for this life, for being alive, for support us and for being close to us.
These readings want to reduce the stress of our dail- life and are made for spending some moments with God; precious readings for reflecting about life and for restoring our contact with God. 
Every reading starts with a verse from the Scripture, a reflection and a a final prayer.

It's a beautiful, inspiring and at the same time profound, meditative book.

I thank NetGalley and Barbour for this eBook.