A Review: One Thousand Gifts

I recently finished One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, by Ann Voskamp. Ann recounts her journey of learning to be thankful to God for all of his gifts, whether she would consider it a gift or a set-back. A friend challenges her to make a list of 1,000 things that she is thankful for... and through that journey, she begins to understand the importance of thankfulness and how becoming thankful opens the door to a more intimate relationship with God. One of my favorite passages of the book is actually a quote from Jean Pierre de Caussade,


"You would be very ashamed if you knew what the experiences you call setbacks, upheavals, pointless disturbances, and tedious annoyances really are. You would realize that your complaints about them are nothing more nor less than blasphemies-though that never occurs to you. Nothing happens to you except by the will of God, and yet [God's] beloved children curse it because they do not know it for what it is." (p.125)


There were a few things about the book that concerned me -- for example, I found her writing style distracting. Also, some of her theology and use of Scripture seemed a little fuzzy. However, those issues aren't deal-breakers, and what I gained from the book outweighs the negative. The book encouraged me to pursue thankfulness in all circumstances, and to see the goodness in all of God's gifts. To trust Him with my life.


I would recommend this book, with just a word of caution -- to read wisely and cautiously.

reading list update

1. One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp
2. Seven Steps to Healthy Eating, Paul Reisser
3. Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow [currently reading] 
4. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul David Tripp
5. Re-Read Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney [currently reading]
6. A Praying Life, Paul Miller *new addition to list
7. Christian History Made Easy, Timothy Paul Jones *new addition to list

a reading list

Somewhere between graduation from the U of I and burning out at seminary, I lost the desire and motivation to read for pleasure. It's understandable and okay that I'm burnt out, but it's not okay to throw in the towel and use the "I'm burnt out" excuse forever. So I'm going to keep a running list of books I'd like to read. I'm not going to give myself time limits or anything; I think just knowing that I have other books I want to read will help motivate me. 


So I'll keep adding to this as time goes on -- and PLEASE if you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them! -- this is what I have so far.


1. One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp [currently reading]
2. Seven Steps to Healthy Eating, Paul Reisser [currently reading]
3. Calm My Anxious Heart, Linda Dillow
4. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, Paul David Tripp
5. Re-Read Feminine Appeal, Carolyn Mahaney

It's not November, but I'm thankful for...

Inspired by this book... I'm embarking on my own journey to become more aware and more thankful for everyday gifts of grace.


1. headache-free days
2. headache-free days without medicine

"Marriage refers to Christ and the church--every marriage, no matter how pendulum-like because of our sin; every marriage, even if the couple doesn't care a bit about Jesus."


--Noel Piper, Foreword to This Momentary Marriage by John Piper

Just Do Something

So I just started reading Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung (yes, it seems that I am a on a Kevin DeYoung kick).


I'm not even half-way through the book, but I already decided I'm going to read it again when I'm done.


That's how good it is.

Book Review: Freedom and Boundaries

I don’t often recommend books… I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s because I’m afraid if I suggest a book that someone then doesn’t like, they’ll judge my literary taste. Maybe it’s because I haven’t come across very many books that I think need to be read. Regardless, I’m recommending a book. On the internet. This might be a big deal.

I recently read Kevin DeYoung’s Freedom and Boundaries, and it has been easily been one of the most helpful books (aside from the Bible, obviously) that I have read during my Christian life. It is a short, simply written (and understood) distillation of the issues surrounding women in the church—primarily whether women should be in leadership roles in the church. DeYoung holds a firm complementarian stance, but defends it gently and graciously. He takes the reader through six Bible passages (or groupings of similar passages) and explains what they say regarding the topic, and then navigates some common objections to complementarianism.

DeYoung explains in the beginning of the book that he set out with intentions to write a book “that explained the Bible’s teaching about men and women in the church in a way that the interested layperson could understand and in a size that she could read in a few hours” (xiii). He succeeded. He takes complicated passages to exegete, and explains them in a way that is simple to understand and yet not demeaning. One could tell that the book had been researched and toiled over at a scholarly level, but written in a way that anyone could pick it up.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book was the section on 1 Timothy 3:1-13. This is a tricky section, and it had caught my eye a few months prior to picking up the book. I was taking a class on the Pastoral Epistles, and in my study I came across a word which was causing me some trouble in my study.   The greek word for “wife” and “woman” is the same, and translation depends on the context.  In 1 Timothy 3:11, we come across this word, gynaikas. Depending on translation, the sentence will read either as introducing women deacons, or explaining the character of the wives of deacons. This is a significant difference. The class I was in never discussed it, and the commentaries I had glossed right over it. Nobody seemed to notice the issue! So the section focusing on this issue in the book was an answer to prayer. It was not overlooked.

This is a thorough, easy-to-read book on the role of women in the church. With practical help at the end of the book, as in “what should women do in the church?”, it left no rock unturned in my mind. I would recommend it to anyone who is a woman in the church, leaders in the church, or anyone who is still unclear on their beliefs regarding women in the church.

*In the interest of full disclosure, I receive a small portion of anything purchased by a link in this post.