One Thousand Gifts Bible Study Guide: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
By Ann Voskamp
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About this ebook
In everything, give thanks.
How do those four words strike you? Naïve? Infuriating? Impossible? Offensive?
For Ann Voskamp, the notion of being able to give thanks was lost between her gnawing anger and deep resentment toward God for his unfair dealings in her life and the lives of others. Having suffered from agoraphobia and anxiety for much of her life, she despaired of finding a joy of her own.
Then a friend dared her to write a list of a thousand blessings. Over the months that followed, she made some profound discoveries:
- How it's possible to give thanks even for the things that might crush you
- How thanksgiving always precedes the miracle
- How to slow down and live fully in the moment
- How things that feel like trouble might actually be gifts of grace
- How to break the bondage of fear by embracing everyday blessings
- How trust is the bridge over tumultuous waters that leads to joy
- How to turn your blessing into being a blessing to others
In this video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), Ann encourages us to take on the life-changing discipline of journaling God's gifts—to discover a way of seeing that opens our eyes to ordinary amazing grace, a way of living that is fully alive, and a way of becoming present to God that brings deep and lasting joy. It’s only in this expression of gratitude for the life we already have, that we discover the life we've always wanted…a life we can take, give thanks for, and use to serve others. In it, we come to feel and know the impossible right down to our core: that we are wildly loved by God.
Sessions include:
- Attitude of Gratitude
- Grace in the Moment
- All Is Grace
- Trust: The Bridge to Joy
- Empty to Fill
Designed for use with the One Thousand Gifts Video Study (9780310684398), sold separately.
Ann Voskamp
Ann Voskamp is the wife of a farmer, mama to seven, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Broken Way, The Greatest Gift, Unwrapping the Greatest Gift, and the sixty-week New York Times bestseller One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies and has been translated into more than twenty languages. Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, Ann knows unspoken broken, big country skies, and an intimacy with God that touches tender places. Cofounder of ShowUpNow.com, Ann is a passionate advocate for the marginalized and oppressed around the globe, partnering with Mercy House Global, Compassion International, and artisans around the world through her fair trade community, Grace Crafted Home. She and her husband took a leap of faith to restore a 125-year-old stone church into The Village Table—a place where everyone has a seat and belongs. Join the journey at www.annvoskamp.com or instagram/annvoskamp.
Read more from Ann Voskamp
One Thousand Gifts 10th Anniversary Edition: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Broken Way Bible Study Guide: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Broken Way (with Bonus Content): A Daring Path into the Abundant Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5WayMaker: Finding the Way to the Life You’ve Always Dreamed Of Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5One Thousand Gifts Devotional: Reflections on Finding Everyday Graces Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Daily Joy: A Devotional for Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPraying the Scriptures for Your Life: 31 Days of Abiding in the Presence, Provision, and Power of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It's Not What You Think: Why Christianity Is About So Much More Than Going to Heaven When You Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be the Gift: Let Your Broken Be Turned into Abundance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Way of Abundance: A 60-Day Journey into a Deeply Meaningful Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Befriend: Create Belonging in an Age of Judgment, Isolation, and Fear Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
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One Thousand Gifts Bible Study Guide - Ann Voskamp
learning to count
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten!
A mother sits with her little boy and counts each of his toes. She does this the day he is born. She goes through this ritual again, many times with him, in an educational routine until he learns to count all of his toes. Ten fingers and ten toes equal twenty. Eventually he learns about hundreds, thousands, and even bigger numbers like millions and billions.
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez!
All over the world it is the same—learning to count is basic, it is core, an essential for all children and adults. As we learn to count, we discover we can keep track of things. How many dollars do we have in our bank account? How many times have we been wronged by friends and how many scars have been left on our heart? How many calories did I eat today? How many friends do we have and how many have deleted me from their friend list? We are counting people. We can’t help ourselves. In English, Spanish, French, and every other language, we count and count and count.
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq, six, sept, huit, neuf, dix!
What do you count? What really counts in your life?
In 1897, Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote the words to a simple yet profound hymn. It was written for young people to help them learn what is really worth counting and also to remember who can be counted on. In particular, Johnson wanted people to learn that they should count their blessings when times were hard. His song begins with these words:
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Ann tells the story of her daughter, Hope, sitting down to play a hymn on the piano. She keeps the rhythm of the song, she keeps harmony, by doing nothing less than counting — that is what she does. She counts. The music teacher of a friend once said this to his students about how to keep the right beat of a song: When you are a musician and you stop counting, it’s like running around in the forest, in the dark, without a flashlight.
When you are believer and you stop counting blessings, it’s like running around in the forest, on the edge of a cliff, in the dark, without a flashlight.
Without counting, the song loses harmony.
And without counting blessings, our lives lose the song, the light—the beat of God’s heart.
There is hope and transformative power in counting our blessings and naming the good gifts of God — because we encounter the power of God Himself in our lives. If you want to discover the rhythms of grace, joy, and true thankfulness, count the gifts God has given and the ones He is giving you even at this moment.
Write them down, express them in words, notice them, and celebrate each one. Start with ten, then take off your shoes and count ten more gifts. Now you have twenty. Keep going: a hundred gifts, two hundred, and you will discover there are even more. When you get to a thousand gifts, you will be getting warmed up.
How long will it take to list all the gifts God has given you? Let’s start together and continue counting for the rest of our lives … and forever. Who wants to miss the beat of His heart?
One gift, two gifts, three gifts …
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