The Busy Mom’s Bible ~ a review

I was given a copy of this bible from Zondervan to review.  They tweeted a while back about this review opportunity and I was all over it.

First off, I would like to thank Zondervan for giving away around 5000 bibles.  I was looking for a photo to use and saw that they had overwhelming response to this Blog Review campaign.  Hooray for giving away the Gospel!!!

And Hooray for realizing that moms everywhere struggle with fitting in their devotion time.  I’m guessing this is not a new phenomena, but I commend the makers of this Bible for seeing a need and meeting it.

This is a NIV Bible with a gorgeous pink/brown cover.  We gals like things to be pretty, don’t we?  And inside.  The pink continues.  Now if you don’t like pink, well, I’m not sure you’re a girl.  Kidding!!!  I don’t think it’s available in other colors.  Yet.  Maybe that’s something that Zondervan could look at adding, if this Bible sells like hotcakes and they need to keep ‘em coming.  And the size is great.  Perfect for putting in a purse (if yours is on the sorta large size like mine.)  It’s about the size of a good paperback.  Not the super small, mass market ones.  You know, the ones you see on the Paperback Table at Barnes & Noble.  Let’s reign in the ADD, shall we?  I’m all better now.

Ok.  Aesthetics aside.  Let’s get to what’s inside. 

The things that I did like about this are the devotion inserts.  There are 52.  They start with a 1 minute Thought Starter.  There is also a 5 minute Reflect & Pray and a 10 minute Study.  So as little or as much time as you want to spend in here, it’s geared for that.  It removes excuses, is what it does.  How many times have I said, “My day just got away from me & I didn’t even read my Bible?”  Too many.  Now, even if you only have that one minute while waiting on the water to boil for macaroni & cheese, you can get in there.  10 Minutes in the morning with coffee and a danish sounds like a great way to start the day to me.  5 minutes before bed will keep you mulling over scripture as you fall asleep.

Now, I’ll address something that I’m not sure if I should or not.  But I will.  While I love this Bible, and I do, it seems it’s target audience is the shiny, happy mom.  I searched for material on depression and there was one section.  I know that we are supposed to have joy in our lives, but I do think it a disservice to assume that saved folk have it all together and are chipper all the time.  I guess, because I’m in this place, I need something that grapples with the hard issues.  But then again, that’s not necessarily the purpose of this Bible.  It’s for the Busy Mom, not the depressed and miserable mom.  So, I get it. 

All of that does not discount the fact that this is a great tool to help those of us running around like chickens sans heads.  It is. 

Let me state that again.  This is a great tool for the Busy Mom.  And did I tell you that it’s pretty?  Because it totally is.  Caa-ute!

So, even though I have issues ( and that’s what they are, my own issues) this gets an A+ from me. 

Thank you, Zondervan for giving me this Bible to review and for making it easier to do what I should have been doing all along.  You know, actually reading the Bible.