One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

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One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 11,003 ratings · 1,452 reviews

Just like you, Ann Voskamp hungers to live her one life well. Forget the bucket lists that have us escaping our everyday lives for exotic experiences. 'How, ' Ann wondered, 'do we find joy in the midst of deadlines, debt, drama, and daily duties? What does the Christ-life really look like when your days are gritty, long---and sometimes even dark? How is God even here?' In...more

Hardcover, 232 pages

Published January 24th 2011 by Zondervan (first published December 1st 2010)

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Jan 21, 2013 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was in my local bookstore and I saw this book recommended by the staff. I bought it on a whim. I got it home and was intrigued by Ann's style and how she she had tapped into something I had been feeling in the years following a bout with cancer...a spirit of thankfulness and knowing everything is by the grace of God. Reading through this book I realize I am not alone. Having spent a lot of time reading male writers and theology books in general, Ann is full of emotion and life. I find reading...more I was in my local bookstore and I saw this book recommended by the staff. I bought it on a whim. I got it home and was intrigued by Ann's style and how she she had tapped into something I had been feeling in the years following a bout with cancer...a spirit of thankfulness and knowing everything is by the grace of God. Reading through this book I realize I am not alone. Having spent a lot of time reading male writers and theology books in general, Ann is full of emotion and life. I find reading her words refreshing and at the same time overwhelming. But I am inspired by what I have read thus far. Inspired by grace, inspired to be thankful. I will never fully grasp all Ann has to offer here, because I am a man and have never experienced motherhood. Having given birth to six children and is in the process of homeschooling them--Ann draws from these experience and finds God's grace in the chaos. In this process of writing and giving thanks she finds meaning and closure of her past tragic beginnings in childhood.

Butso far I am inspired by her transparency in sharing. With all of this said I'm not comfortable with everything presented in this book. In fact I find myself uncomfortable in parts because of the depth of intimacy expressed. But I can honestly say I see the same level expressed in Scripture itself (Song of Solomon) where I am also challenged. She at times approaches experiencing God with a child like faith and is at times like a young teenage girl discovering emotions for the first time...of which I can only stand back and watch with a smile.

I know there is theological issues with this book and it is widely popular. I don't think Ann is trying to change theology or introducing anything new to the arena of Christian thought. She is simply writing down her experiences and in her own way. I have read the blogs that have been critical of this book and I understand their concern. But I don't know a Christian alive who can't benefit from being more thankful, more aware of God's love and grace. (less)

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Oct 19, 2011 Debby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Debby by: Shelley S. Reevees

Shelves: non-fiction

Ann Voskamp is a professing Christian woman, Canadian pig farmer's wife and mother of 6 home-schooled kids. She has struggled for most of her life with insecurity, fears, panic attacks and deep questions about the goodness of God.
A friend challenged Ann to look for and write down 1000 (that's right, one thousand) gifts from God. Gifts seen in daily life; not just the undeniable good, big, bright and happy stuff, but also what is seen of God's handiwork in the midst of the mundane, the ugly, the...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-living, ann-voskamp, author-like, past-book-club

My favorite blogger has finally written a book! Her writing style is unusual but captivating, so full of description and passion. I devoured this book in about 12 hours the first time I read it, a child running along the beach picking up shell after shell, each one prettier than the last. Then I went back and savored it more slowly, turning over the beautiful truths one at a time to be carefully thought about and applied to my everyday living. Than also read and enjoyed it, to my suprise. Highly...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Jo rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: religious-spiritual

I almost hate to review this because I know so very many people absolutely love it. And I guess it's become something of a Christian classic. But, this was a difficult book for me to read, and therefore difficult to get into enough to relate well to it. This was my second try. I was reading it (slowly - having the same problems getting into it) when my brother died and I just stopped reading it. After two years, and continued sightings of gushing reviews I figured it was only fair to give it ano...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Maggie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiobraphy-memoir, secular-inspirational

well. it is a beautiful book. and practical spirituality is always a good part of life of which to be reminded. and the daily-thanksgiving-for-all-things is both an awesome part of life and a difficult remembering in any given moment of an uber-busy life. but sometimes me-thinks she does protest too much. it's almost a form of the old-time calvinist thought: prove you are saved ... try harder. *sigh* makes me glad to be rcc where i learned all these thoughts/ideas gradually and as i grew up and...more well. it is a beautiful book. and practical spirituality is always a good part of life of which to be reminded. and the daily-thanksgiving-for-all-things is both an awesome part of life and a difficult remembering in any given moment of an uber-busy life. but sometimes me-thinks she does protest too much. it's almost a form of the old-time calvinist thought: prove you are saved ... try harder. *sigh* makes me glad to be rcc where i learned all these thoughts/ideas gradually and as i grew up and also knew that we are loved even when we fall short and when we finally remember and come back to faith/gratitude that too is good enough and we are embraced again and quietly recall that even when we were "away" we were still being embraced, unawares.

sometimes i think the author concentrated soooo much on this control issue of daily thanksgiving that i just sort of wished she go to a movie, chill, and laugh a bit. maybe she could take up running as a way to relieve that strong build up of tension that she seems to carry around everywhere with her and sometimes uses as a cudgel against herself or others (her poor son!). but that's me. by the end of the book (not finding fault with the theology or the daily examples) i concluded that my best recommendation would be: read it slowly. small small bits at a time. b/c it's worth remembering or hearing for the first time. it's just not urgent. there's time enough. so relax the concentration of the entire book by staying with it but little bits at a time. like take an entire week to read half a chapter. the (true) wisdom that is contained in this book might actually work better that way. joy isn't meant to be a burden. and it is freely-given. and there are reliable ways to have it visit (often). but pressuring yourself to "keep it up" just plain exhausts the spirit. or it did for this reader engaging with this book..

another thought: taking the sacramental life of every day and working it too hard with all those words deflates the joy in True Presence, imo. that's our loss. the ideas remain strong, reliable, true. just too many words clutter up this book. first error of a writer: being in love with her own voice. best advice: slash every third word. in this case, maybe every other word.

it could also be that the book is undercut by the sheer amount of self-focus. of course the book is all about her. but it wasn't until the end that i realized that paris -- a city FULL of music in various forms -- seemed to be playing just for her. uhmmmm. okay. and then i reflected back on all the words of her book as well as some of the more special experiences that she took the trouble to describe (the one with her son, the time with the homeless man, the moment of communion and feet washing with her women's group) and it came clear to me that those were exceptions to the roll of "her moments" and, sadly, i sensed that she sets herself apart from other people. then i recalled luke 18:9-14. she is special. and she goes out of her way to impress that upon us mere beggars at the table. *yikes*

the one thing that she may not have yet figured out might be best expressed using the words of blessed teresa of calcutta: we are all the same distance from God. [saints, hard-working (grasping for good things) christians trying to prove their worthiness, AND sinners. all He needs from us is our Yes. and we don't need to repeat it. just be patient with it.]

i suppose she needs 1000 (2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 ...) gifts of awareness. she certainly didn't get it with only three examples.
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Jun 23, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoir-autobiography, spiritual-formation, margin-notes

"When we find ourselves groping along, famished for more, we can choose. When we are despairing, we can choose to live as Israelites gathering manna. For forty long years, God's people daily eat manna--a substance whose name literally means 'What is it?' Hungry, they choose to gather up that which is baffling. . . . MOre than 14,600 days they take their daily nourishment from that which they don't comprehend. They find soul-filling in the inexplicable. They eat the mystery. They eat the mystery....more

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Jul 11, 2012 Ebookwormy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1-character-forming, bible, non-fiction, memoir-autobiography

There are many books and resources available that examine deep woundedness, but few do it with the solid Biblical foundation of Ann Voskamp. Her Mennonite heritage has served her well, even when walking very dark paths.

Sensitive readers will be both broken and inspired by Voskamp's memoir of her journey from grief-stricken witness of the death of her sister, self-mutilation, agoraphobia and deep emotional torment. Chapters are rich with pieces of her dark path and streams of light. Voskamp draws...more There are many books and resources available that examine deep woundedness, but few do it with the solid Biblical foundation of Ann Voskamp. Her Mennonite heritage has served her well, even when walking very dark paths.

Sensitive readers will be both broken and inspired by Voskamp's memoir of her journey from grief-stricken witness of the death of her sister, self-mutilation, agoraphobia and deep emotional torment. Chapters are rich with pieces of her dark path and streams of light. Voskamp draws her healing from intimate situations of encouragement from the LORD, but also from the Bible itself and the wise, ancient wisdom of those who have walked the path of faith before. Her notes are carefully referenced in a section at the end and read like a who's who in esteemed Christendom: Augustine, Lewis, Elliot, Piper, de Cassaude, Heschel, Carmichael, Chesterton, Luther, and Julian of Norwich appear on the two pages I skimmed.

Apparently, there has been some hub-bub about the final chapter "The Joy of Intimacy" which begins "I fly to Paris and learn how to make love to God." The imagery of God as husband who intiates and believer as wife who responds is not original to Voskamp as her generous Scriptural references and quotes (Calvin can certainly not be dismissed!) indicate. The idea of God courting us, seeking us, leading and the mystical union of Christ with the Church are a fitting climax, a holy intimacy that earthly, physical intimacy is to picture.

I cannot close a review of this work without commenting on Voskamp's unique poetic style. Her prose is filled with vivid pictures that sing life to the soul, and capture a deep, profound place of human experience. For me, it was best to read one chapter at a time, process what was written and then return when ready for another drink.

Highly recommended.I suspect this work will become a classic from our time. It is worthy of being read for years into the future, until the Bridegroom comes to wed us forever. Revelation 21:3-4 "3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

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Apr 10, 2013 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-memoir, self-help, spirituality, 2013

I don't remember where I first saw this, but I've wanted to read it for quite some time. The short of it is that in order to live in joy no matter our lives or circumstance, we need to live in gratitude and thanks for the gifts God gives us.

Her writing is a unique style that breathes depth and emotion on a deep level even when addressing the mundane, which goes right along with the context of the book of finding joy and appreciation in the things that may seem mundane but are simply overlooked....more

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Apr 09, 2013 Molly rated it 2 of 5 stars

What, at first, I enjoyed about this book is what eventually became tedious and labor-some. There is no question that Voskamp is adept at constructing flowery and poetic prose. Unfortunately, for my taste, her style became a bit too much to digest. While I am moved and inspired by her work's powerful message on the importance of gratitude and communion with a gracious and loving heavenly father, her delivery often kept me from truly enjoying the experience of reading what she was communicating....more

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Mar 10, 2013 Clara rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is clear about its Christian roots. If constant reference to the principles and beliefs of Christianity and expressions of religious fervor are not to your taste, then this may not be a book for you. At its core, however, A Thousand Gifts is a book about gratitude, and whatever your religious (or "un-") beliefs, Ann Voskamp's message on the benefits of giving thanks is ecumenical and universal. It's that message, and the inherent truths of the benefits of a life lived in thankfulness,...more This book is clear about its Christian roots. If constant reference to the principles and beliefs of Christianity and expressions of religious fervor are not to your taste, then this may not be a book for you. At its core, however, A Thousand Gifts is a book about gratitude, and whatever your religious (or "un-") beliefs, Ann Voskamp's message on the benefits of giving thanks is ecumenical and universal. It's that message, and the inherent truths of the benefits of a life lived in thankfulness, that make the book compelling. The Christian imagery and context are the structure--crucial to Voskamp, certainly--around which she builds her story.

Voskamp asks readers to accept the challenge, over the course of a year, of making a list of one thousand things for which we are grateful. Doing this, she says, invariably leads to a different way of seeing, and a more joyful and meaningful life. That's what she discovered through her own experience of counting gifts, and it's about the radical changes in her inner life that she writes.I didn't find the book or Voskamp's writing treacly or overly-sentimental, which was a fear when I first picked it up. It's certainly fervent, but never cloying.

I found Voskamp's writing style somewhat affected (she often excludes the definite article "the," seemingly indiscriminately--think of reading this parenthetical statement as "she often excludes definite article..."), but perhaps the more charitable description is "stylized." In any case, this slowed down my reading. After a couple of chapters, I wondered whether the author had intended this slowed pace by her odd sentences, since the book's topic is one to savor rather than wolf down. Ultimately, I decided that it wasn't something Voskamp had planned, but I was glad her sentences had that effect on me. I started looking forward to reading the book before I went to bed, which is when I do about half of my reading. It became a comforting and quiet way to end my day. And best of all, I continue to think about what I read.

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Aug 19, 2012 Megan Larson rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Believing Sinners and Redeemed Ingrates

Recommended to Megan by: Karen

Shelves: christian-living, favorite-books-ever, memoirs

...books that become old friends...
...the soft sound of rain and low ceiling fan hum...
...soul words that open floodgates from eyes...

"Charis. Grace.
Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving.
Chara. Joy.
A triplet of stars, a constellation in the black.
A threefold cord that might hold a life? Offer a way up into the fullest life?
Grace, thanksgiving, joy. Eucharisteo.
A Greek word...that might make meaning of everything?"
"Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle."

And it does.
Ann Voskamp lived much of her life wit...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

A book I revisit each year.

I ran a women's summer book club in the summer of 2011 and for six weeks we studied this book.

If you're looking for a matter-of-fact book this book will drive you nuts - as it did several in our group. They just wanted a point and wanted it in a forthright manner.

If, however, you want a book that meanders, that stops mid-sentence with a point, only to have the author look at the light casting a iridescent flow in a soap bubble while the author does dishes - you will l...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Homeschoolmama rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-re-read

UPDATE: Well, my thoughts still stand. I will re-visit this book, I think... I'm glad I read it and bought it... The writing style does bug me, so I take it in little doses... So I give it 5 stars for thoughts and insights, 3 or 2.5 for irritating, inconsistent, idiosyncratic, annoying grammar!

I first heard of Voskamp several years ago when I was looking for a read aloud geography book for my daughter, for home school. Voskamp is a homeschooler herself. We loved that book and read it through.

I...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Rachelle Rea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm pretty sure I saw the trailer first.

Then I read that this woman who says no to "inspirational" non-fiction said yes to One Thousand Gifts.

And then I found my way to A Holy Experience.

And lastly I ended up at She Speaks, where I heard her speak, and I took notes and I laughed and I cried and at the end, I finally bought the book.

I'm oh-so-glad that I did.

There is little I feel I can write that hasn't already been written so many times it sounds cliche and worn-out. But they are all true. One...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Denise rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-books, nonfiction, scl, biography-memoir, christian-nonfiction

Hard book to rate, even harder to describe. I appreciate the author's honesty. I enjoyed the glimpses into her everyday life. I do think I need daily to be conscious of God's blessings, both big and small. I do need to have more of an attitude of thankfulness and trust. Good points. There were parts of this that truly were beautiful and moving. But also, there were parts that I felt went on too long and I had to force myself through (the moon thing). I disagree with some of her assumptions, and...more

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Jul 18, 2011 Rebecca Young rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow...probably the MOST beautiful book I've ever read. It is a mix between poetry and memoir. It is very emotional writing, and (as another reviewer pointed out) she breaks a lot of literary rules...so that might bother some people. The writing is at times achingly poetic...I had to read so many parts to my husband just for their sheer beauty. It is written by a Christian woman and I found it so enlightening to read about faith, trial, hope, and many other gospel topics from a fresh perspective...more Wow...probably the MOST beautiful book I've ever read. It is a mix between poetry and memoir. It is very emotional writing, and (as another reviewer pointed out) she breaks a lot of literary rules...so that might bother some people. The writing is at times achingly poetic...I had to read so many parts to my husband just for their sheer beauty. It is written by a Christian woman and I found it so enlightening to read about faith, trial, hope, and many other gospel topics from a fresh perspective with a different vocabulary and tradition of discussion.
After reading three chapters I had so many little sticky tabs marking spots, that I ordered my own copy so that I could mark up all the breathtaking passages. Here's a few of my favorites...
"A nail is driven out by another nail; habit is overcome by habit" Erasmus said. I look down at the pen, this pen I keep wielding, one writing her way to one thousand. This pen: this IS nothing less than the driving of nails. Nails driving out my habits of discontentment and driving in my habit of eucharisteo (giving thanks). Because that habit of discontentment can only be driven out by hammering in one iron sharper. The sleek pin of gratitude.

I fill the sink with the circle of bowl, and batter floats up in suds. I wash. I see my reflection in the stainless of the tap. I know you, those seeing eyes. You're the one in dire need of time, that thing we can't buy, what we sell of ourselves to get more of what we think we want, what we sacrifice to seemingly gain. They say time is money, but that's not true. Time is life. And if I want the fullest life, I need to find the fullest time. ...God gives us time. And who has time for God?

The world I live in is loud and blurring and toilets plug and I get speeding tickets and the dog gets sick on the back step and I forget everything and these six kids lean hard into me all day to teach and raise and lead and I fail hard and there are real souls that are at stake and how long do I really have to figure out how to live full of grace, full of joy--before these six beautiful children fly the coop and my mothering days fold up quiet? How do you open the eyes to see how to take the daily, domestic, workday vortex and invert it into an everyday cathedral?

It's my own face that obscures the face of God. How can I help this son of mine see when I can't see? The parent must always self-parent first, self-preach before child-teach, because who can bring peace unless they've held their own peace?

Remembering is an act of thanksgiving...this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried. (To be honest, I have to say that I am simply jealous that there are people who can write like this! I covet the ability to write so beautifully!: )

God reveals Himself in rearview mirrors. And I've an inkling that there are times when we need to drive a long, long distance, before we can look back and see God's back in the rearview mirror. Maybe sometimes about as far as Heaven--that kind of distance.

And one more...though these are only a few of the MANY things I have marked with my red pencil...

The quiet song of gratitude, eucharisteo, lures humility out of the shadows because to receive a gift the knees must bend humble and the hand must lie vulnerably open and the will must bow to accept whatever the Giver chooses to give.

I highly recommend this book...especially if these excerpts speak to you in any way. It is a book about opening up your life to the JOY that God wants you to have. About seeing everything...EVERYTHING...He gives as the gift that it is. Good, bad, happy, sad.... To remember....."God is always good, and I am always loved."(less)

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Mar 28, 2011 Samantha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011

*A dare to live fully right where you are*

This book was sent to me courtesy of DaySpring.
I had a feeling that it would impact my life but I wasn't ready for the soul-shaking, eye-opening change it would produce.
I read through slowly, bit by bit, savoring each morsel of truth.
I found my self identifying with Ann even though my life's tragedies weren't identical with hers.

As I read, I prayed and God spoke to my heart. I slowly learned to slow down, enjoy the moment,
thank Jesus for everything.
Even...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, memoir

One Thousand Gifts is a small hardcover divided into eleven titled chapters, each of which begins with a relevant quote. The story of this book is centered around a dare: record one thousand gifts, one thousand blessings, one thousand everyday graces that God showers on you. This is what a friend challenged Ann to do, and Ann obliged, not realizing that this simple act of thanksgiving would change her life forever.

This book is unique in many ways. For one, Ann’s style isn’t exactly prose, nor do...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Becca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club, faith

I loved this book. It is not a quick pound-it-down energy-drink means to happiness, though. Her rich poetic style is like a fine wine meant to be sipped and savored. Voskamp begins by baring the flaying of her soul in the death of her younger sister. Here one wounded soul instinctively recognizes another. Her transparency gives validity to everything that follows.

"That that which tears open our souls, those holes that splatter our sight, may actually become the thin, open places to see through

...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book as part of my Lent project this year. It's about living your life by giving thanks to God, and recognizing his presence/gifts in everything around you. It's about being grateful, even amidst the stress of every day life, and how that can change your perspective and bring you closer to God. It has a great message - found myself jotting certain phrases down while I was listening. Her writing is not great though, which is why this book only gets 3 stars. There were times when I tho...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Sharie Patty rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderfully poetic book. I have found ways to be thankful for ugly grace in my life. I have read it multiple times and have shared a copy with 20 dear friends. If you are wondering whether the hard work of life is worth the effort read this book. It is a thought provoking book that you can not skim through.

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Apr 24, 2013 Jen B. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian

I should probably read this book monthly, for the rest of my life. Ann is an amazing writer, although, at times, I get lost in her figurative language. Lots of analogies and vivid pictures being painted, and sometimes I had to read and re-read. This isn't a bad thing, but expect to take your time through this book, rather than have each pointed slapped quickly in your face and then the next one quickly approaching.

Prior to reading this book, I had partaken in blogging challenges about thankfuln...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Kyle McManamy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Voskamp gets one star above the minimum because she's a good writer, but everything else about this book makes me want to get copies out of circulation.

This is her story of being challenged to write down 1000 things for which she is thankful. Voskamp, a farmer's wife, homeschool mom of 6, and literature major in college writes about the struggles of ordinary life in such a way that many Christian women with children will be able to relate. Her style (which she calls prosetry, a mixture of "pros...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Elasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. A lot of people have reviewed this book. It is certainly an interesting writing style -- poetic with heavy use of imagery. Readers seem to either love that or hate it (the style). I read it on vacation at the beach and found it creative and thought-provoking; for me it was effective at conveying the author's message, which in a nutshell, is that living day to day purposefully with gratitude for all that God gives us (good and bad) will help us to feel more joy, and will eventually lead us t...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Joe added it

Shelves: theology

It's the life in between, the days of walking lifeless, the years calloused and simply going through the hollow motions, the self-protecting by self-distracting, the body never waking, that's lost all capacity to fully feel - this is the life in between that makes us the wild walking dead. (27)

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. (33)

Eucharisteo - thanksgiving - always precedes the miracle. (35)

"The only real fall of man is his noneucharistic life in a noneucharistic world...more It's the life in between, the days of walking lifeless, the years calloused and simply going through the hollow motions, the self-protecting by self-distracting, the body never waking, that's lost all capacity to fully feel - this is the life in between that makes us the wild walking dead. (27)

As long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. (33)

Eucharisteo - thanksgiving - always precedes the miracle. (35)

"The only real fall of man is his noneucharistic life in a noneucharistic world." That was the fall! Non-eucharisteo, ingratitude, was the fall - humanity's disappointment with all that God freely gives. That is what has scraped me raw: ungratefulness. (35)

Facing the abandonment of God Himself (does it get any worse than this?), Jesus offers thanksgiving for even that which will break Him and crush Him and wound Him and yield a bounty of joy. The mystery always contains more mystery. (36)

The Eucharist invites us to give thanks for dying. To participate in His death with our own daily dying and give thanks for it. (37)

The act of sacrificing thank offerings to God - even for the bread and cup of cost, for cancer and crucifixion - this prepares the way for God to show us His fullest salvation from bitter, angry, resentful lives and from all sin that estranges us from Him. At the Eucharist, Christ breaks His heart to heal ours - Christ, the complete accomplishment of our salvation. And the miracle of eucharisteo never ends: thanksgiving is what precedes the miracle of that salvation being fully worked out in our lives. Thanksgiving - giving thanks in everything - is what prepares the way for salvation's whole restoration... (40)

Because the picking up of a pen isn't painful and ink can be cheap medicine. And I just might live. (49)

Practice is the hardest part of learning, and training is the essence of transformation. (56)

Do not disdain the small. The whole of life - even the hard - is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole. (57)

I have lived pain, and my life can tell: I only deepen the wound of the world when I neglect to give thanks... (58)(less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

How to sum it up? It is a lovely book by a Canadian author which by default earns it points! I love the lifestyle she describes, being a stay at home, home-schooling mom of six to a farmer's wife. I love that just in that description this is a person who is not afraid to do her fair share of the world's work. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of living in constant gratitude, because saying other wise would make me awful!LOL! No, I love the idea, that while not revolutionary at all, is profound, and God...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Reid rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: christian-living

Creative, moving, thoughtful, sometimes hard to follow. Well worth the read.
I found myself crying on and off, through the first two chapters.

Basically the book is about how the author became a grateful person.
Instead of continuing to be a whiner. Never is enough. Something is always wrong.

The Biblical thinking is related, from her perspective to what when wrong in the garden.

Adam and Eve sinned because enough wasn't enough. Even though they had God and the garden, they still wanted more. They we...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ann Voskamp shares so honestly right from her heart in this thoughtful, rich, exquisitely written book that expounds upon the well-known, but perhaps not fully understood idea of thanking God for the gifts He has given us. It's kind of like a "can't see the forest for the trees" thing. As Christians, we "know" we are to give thanks - but do we really understand the relational dynamic between ourselves and God when we fully and sincerely embrace this truth? Ann invites the reader to take the jour...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Casie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: faith

Last night I finished this book.

First I will tell you the good:
This is an inspiring idea. I believe greatly in giving thanks and noticing the good above the bad. I feel closer to God when I am thankful and aware of my blessings. And as I have said before, I am motivated by the books I read. They are like a trainer to keep me on track. This book is all about thankfulness and understanding and experiencing the fullness of God's love.

Now I will tell you the bad:
The way this lady writes, kind of ma...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Christine rated it 1 of 5 stars

(Warning - review sent to family, not edited to protect the feelings of my friends who have read this and may like it...)

I finally, just shy of 7 full months, finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (actually one thousand gifts, looking more closely at the cover). And there is a peak at what I despised about the book. First, however, as Dad taught me, I will say something nice. She does have some good and interesting views on living the Christian life fully, with total gratitude for what God...more (Warning - review sent to family, not edited to protect the feelings of my friends who have read this and may like it...)

I finally, just shy of 7 full months, finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp (actually one thousand gifts, looking more closely at the cover). And there is a peak at what I despised about the book. First, however, as Dad taught me, I will say something nice. She does have some good and interesting views on living the Christian life fully, with total gratitude for what God gives you (hence looking for 1000 things for which to be grateful). Take this: "Every moment I live, I live bowed to something. And if I don't see God, I'll bow down before something else" (p 110). Sounds reminiscent of someone else, but still good. So, you may find the book worth reading, if only for the references to other people like CS Lewis and Henri Nouwen. Plus, she married a Dutchman, so what's not to like about that.

But, for the rest - consider this my scathing pregnancy review (a la Three Cups of Tea while pregnant with Naomi). Her style of writing is so poetic, it is gagging. Her misuse of proper grammar was distracting and not inspiring. "Yet, now wisps of cheese tell me gentle that this is the first secret step into eucharsteo's miracle" (p 57). And this is mild, mild!, by comparison to some other sections. In one chapter she is leaving her family at the dinner table to run through their crops to try and catch the moon (?!?!). You can't imagine how long it took me to get through that section! Bleh bleh bleh. Some strange theological ideas mixed in too, but maybe I was misunderstanding her due to the extreme poetic license (and lack of an editor??). To you give you one last glimpse from the acknowledgments at the end, "Caleb, Joshua, Hope, Levi, Malakai, Shalom, six who have swollen me, shaped me, and birthed me into love." Pardon while I breath into a paper bag.

Anyway, feel free to chalk this up to pregnancy. But, I can't read it again later to see if it was all hormones. Someone else read it and let me know.(less)

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About Ann Voskamp

Ann Voskamp's a farmer's wife, mama to 6 kids, & author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are (Zondervan). Everyday, she takes the wild dare. Right in the midst of her own and gritty grace-filled life. When the kids and the washing machine sleep, she washes her real dirt down with words and The Word. Some of her words find themselves in an award-winning series for cur...more

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A Child's Geography: Explore the Holy Land: Volume II [With CDROM]

One Thousand Gifts Study Guide with DVD: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

A Childs Geography Explore His Earth (Childs Geography)

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“I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.” — 75 people liked it

“Sometimes you don’t know when you’re taking the first step through a door until you’re already inside.” — 55 people liked it

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