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Selections from One Thousand Gifts: Finding Joy in What Really Matters
What if joy were possible---right where you are? Inspiring hundreds of thousands of readers to wake to their own wondrous lives, the New York Times Bestseller, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, shares the journey of one woman facing her own hard, dark days and hidden fears, and stumbling straight into the answer of life's great riddle: How do you discover joy---right here and now? Selections from One Thousand Gifts features powerful, life-changing passages from Voskamp's compelling story and her own exquisite photography, framing a seemingly ordinary, gritty life around true amazing grace. Because if joy is a matter of gratitude, and gratitude is a matter of perspective, then giving thanks changes not only your perspective, but also changes your life. Open these lyrical pages and slow down to discover the joy you've always been looking for. Come find God in the moments
- GenresChristianFaithNonfiction
128 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2012
8 people are currently reading
282 people want to read
About the author
Ann Voskamp
88 books1,368 followersAnn Voskamp is a farmer's wife, the home-educating mama to a half-dozen exuberant kids, and author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, a New York Times sixty-week bestseller..
Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, she's a global advocate for needy children with Compassion International, a loser of library books, a stirrer of soup, a loud laugher, a kid snuggler, a Jesus lover and honestly, a bit of a mess. It’s okay really. Grace is the most amazing of all.
Her online journal, one of the top 10 most widely read Christian blogs online, is a relief of quiet vulnerability and an oasis of sacred, seeing God in the everyday ugly beautiful.
Connect with Ann on:
AnnVoskamp.com
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Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, she's a global advocate for needy children with Compassion International, a loser of library books, a stirrer of soup, a loud laugher, a kid snuggler, a Jesus lover and honestly, a bit of a mess. It’s okay really. Grace is the most amazing of all.
Her online journal, one of the top 10 most widely read Christian blogs online, is a relief of quiet vulnerability and an oasis of sacred, seeing God in the everyday ugly beautiful.
Connect with Ann on:
AnnVoskamp.com
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 12, 2012
As soon as I received the book for review, I went to my nook on the front porch by the fountain and wind chimes where I have created a reading haven. I didn't leave that spot until I had read every page of Ann's book, twice. At one point, I even asked my 15 year old son if I could read a few pages to him. I wanted to tuck some of Ann's golden nuggets into his heart where he might keep them to pull out later for inspiration.
The first wonderful thing I noticed was that Ann included her own exquisite photography in the book. If you've ever gone to her website, A Holy Experience, you've not only been blessed by her writing but by her amazing photos, as well. She has captured glimpses of life that are bulging with the joy she is seeking from every moment.
Ann has a way of penning words that read like a song from her heart. She is raw and honest and her writing reflects a heart for God that is both tender and lioness strong. Her new book could change your life, if you'd let it. She opens on the very first page with these words, "You've got to figure out a way to stay awake to your own wild and beautiful life." From these first words, through the rest of the book, the reader becomes captivated and hungry for how to be able to do just that. You find yourself wondering if you are experiencing joy in your every day life; the mundane days, the hard days, the glorious days. Ann draws you in, to contemplate the gifts in your own life that you may have dismissed or overlooked.
Then, as you read on, you realize that it is possible...possible to live a life of finding joy around every corner, in every circumstance. Ann encourages you to look life square in the face, seeing each moment as a gift to be grateful for and experience the joy that comes with being thankful for it!
The first wonderful thing I noticed was that Ann included her own exquisite photography in the book. If you've ever gone to her website, A Holy Experience, you've not only been blessed by her writing but by her amazing photos, as well. She has captured glimpses of life that are bulging with the joy she is seeking from every moment.
Ann has a way of penning words that read like a song from her heart. She is raw and honest and her writing reflects a heart for God that is both tender and lioness strong. Her new book could change your life, if you'd let it. She opens on the very first page with these words, "You've got to figure out a way to stay awake to your own wild and beautiful life." From these first words, through the rest of the book, the reader becomes captivated and hungry for how to be able to do just that. You find yourself wondering if you are experiencing joy in your every day life; the mundane days, the hard days, the glorious days. Ann draws you in, to contemplate the gifts in your own life that you may have dismissed or overlooked.
Then, as you read on, you realize that it is possible...possible to live a life of finding joy around every corner, in every circumstance. Ann encourages you to look life square in the face, seeing each moment as a gift to be grateful for and experience the joy that comes with being thankful for it!
September 2, 2025
This book has some nice visuals, but I was expecting something different. It was fine to read, just not quite as insightful as I was hoping.
April 22, 2012
Refreshing. Challenging. And different :) I really liked it!!!
February 20, 2015
I like the idea of looking for joy in your life, in practicing gratitude, but the language is too flowery and dramatic for me.
Pretty pictures.
Pretty pictures.
May 11, 2016
I would have liked this more if it hadn't warped into poetic-like language at certain points. I was looking for a more cohesive story, but it was still a nice, quick read.
October 5, 2019
This is a treasure to keep handy and leaf through on a regular basis. The photographs, calligraphy, and Voskamp's expert command of language make this a real treasure for recognizing God's grace and mercy in everyday moments.
March 11, 2020
The attitude one at the end of reading this book is totally different, very refreshing and inspiring.
December 29, 2021
This was a good reminder to be thankful and grateful each day for the big and small things that bring joy.
February 16, 2016
I dont usually go for coffee table books. My coffee table is for practical things like my tea mug and the book I am currently reading. I dont believe in dusting around decorations. But I was recently given a copy of Selections from One Thousand Gifts; Finding Joy in What Really Matters.
As someone who has kept a list of things for which I am thankful for several years, I find in Ann Voskamp a kindred spirit. I am a hunter of beauty, Ann writes (p. 53), and I move slow and keep eyes wide, every fiber of every muscle sensing all wonder, and this is the thrill of the hunt.
I hunger to taste life.
To taste God.
Ann Voskamps list came out of tragedy. Some of her theology may not quite jibe with yours. She is a poetic writer whose style is not for everyone. (Some of the reviews on Amazon of the original best-seller are scathing.) But in the small pieces of these selections, I find them not just eye-opening, but soul-opening. Her photographs are exquisite. The script of the items on her list gives a touch of intimacy; the decorations on the page enhance the whole; in short, this is a beautiful piece of book-making. It will find a place in my house, not on the coffee table where it would only get shoved aside to make room for the latest Smithsonian or National Geographic, but someplace where I can pick it up and read it in small bites like the bedside or even the bathroom and be reminded of why I keep searching for specific people, events, gifts and answers to prayer for which to thankful and in which I can see Gods hand in my life.
As someone who has kept a list of things for which I am thankful for several years, I find in Ann Voskamp a kindred spirit. I am a hunter of beauty, Ann writes (p. 53), and I move slow and keep eyes wide, every fiber of every muscle sensing all wonder, and this is the thrill of the hunt.
I hunger to taste life.
To taste God.
Ann Voskamps list came out of tragedy. Some of her theology may not quite jibe with yours. She is a poetic writer whose style is not for everyone. (Some of the reviews on Amazon of the original best-seller are scathing.) But in the small pieces of these selections, I find them not just eye-opening, but soul-opening. Her photographs are exquisite. The script of the items on her list gives a touch of intimacy; the decorations on the page enhance the whole; in short, this is a beautiful piece of book-making. It will find a place in my house, not on the coffee table where it would only get shoved aside to make room for the latest Smithsonian or National Geographic, but someplace where I can pick it up and read it in small bites like the bedside or even the bathroom and be reminded of why I keep searching for specific people, events, gifts and answers to prayer for which to thankful and in which I can see Gods hand in my life.
January 10, 2013
I got this book in the mail today as a gift. The photography was beautiful, and the words had a soothing quality to them. It was wonderful to take a moment to consider that everything, especially the smallest things, is a gift of grace.
"If trust must be earned, hasn't God unequivocally earned our trust with the bark on the raw wounds, the thorns pressing into the brow, your name on the cracked lips? How will He not also graciously give us all things he deems best and right? He's already given the incomprehensible.
Christ our Crossbeam."
~Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
"If trust must be earned, hasn't God unequivocally earned our trust with the bark on the raw wounds, the thorns pressing into the brow, your name on the cracked lips? How will He not also graciously give us all things he deems best and right? He's already given the incomprehensible.
Christ our Crossbeam."
~Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts
March 7, 2016
Very short, rather bland, "hallmark-ish" selections from "One Thousand Gifts", along with some stunning, professional photography that could be on a calendar. The deep anguish and sorrow of the original book is absent from this small-sized hardcover abridgment. It might be a nice way to hook someone into the original book where they could then experience the power and depth of Ann Voskamp's writing. It is also a nice way to remember that book for us who have already read it.
September 7, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. The writing is beautiful and poetic and the pictures are stunning. I love the idea of a gratitude journal and writing down the things you are thankful for. It is too easy to only focus on the negative and in these days when everyone is always rushing through their days it is easy to forget to slow down to even see these gifts.
May 9, 2012
Sweet selections and reflections on finding the grace and joy in everyday life and remembering to give thanks for it. The photography is stunning, definitely to be counted as a gift for this author. Beautiful work!
July 27, 2012
My go to gift for friends and family! Love!!!
September 8, 2012
great devotional book
April 18, 2013
daily dose of euchresteo. a lack of doxology leads to depravity.
October 24, 2013
A good gift book. Takes some of the best stuff out of the book and condenses it for those who aren't readers.
September 2, 2014
This book helps you to notice all of the blessings around you. I found it very comforting to read.
July 24, 2014
Inspiring, lovely photos, thought-provoking pages!
June 3, 2015
Life a life full of joy, even through the trials
5 stars!
5 stars!
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January 19, 2016Lovely book about a woman's search for joy and gratitude.
March 23, 2016
Excellent book. Would like to read the rest of them.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews