Tag Archives: One Thousand Gifts

What It Is To Be A Writer

By Ordinary Servant | Published May 24, 2013

On my bus commute to work this morning, I am finally reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp.

One word that describes and encompasses this book is beauty.

Gospel Coalition

When we think of the word beauty, we think physical attributes. Such as eyes, smiles, faces, bodies, fashion, make-up, etc…  And yes, God has created beauty in this way.

However, there is a beauty which goes beyond the physical and into the heart, mind, spirit, soul, and character.

In saying this, I had the pleasure of hearing Ann Voskamp speak last year at the Allume conference. I had heard the buzz about her and her popular book, but never really paid attention.

That is, until I heard her speak that fateful night.

Ann Voskamp defines beauty on so many levels. She is stunning physically, but what stood out for me most, was what came out of her mouth. Her sweet spirit, poetic words and godly virtue spoke the loudest to me.

Ann Voskamp and her memoir, One Thousand Gifts oozes beauty. It’s like watching a sun rise and standing in awe at God’s creation. So is the experience reading her writing.

I live in New York City. Many tourists visit from all over the world and invade this city. You can see them looking up and snapping photos at our towering buildings.

While my soul yearns for patches of green grass, trees and blooming flowers.

No tall building will ever compare to the majesty of God’s creation. Nothing comes close to what true beauty really is. 

Beauty which goes beyond the physical and reaches deep down within the recesses of our longing hearts.

God created us to yearn for His beauty.

Beauty cannot emanate from our lips if it hasn’t captured our hearts.

I wrote this while meditating on Ann Voskamp’s poetic words. Her writing is rich and meaningful. 

The beauty in which she conveys her life, is truly a gift from above. A blessing to all who read it. 

This is what God does when we choose to live for Him.

He changes our battered hearts and sin stained lives and tranforms us. He takes the ashes and makes it into something beautiful. He takes pleasure in doing so, because He is the giver of life and good gifts too.  

If I were to write a book one day, I would only write it, if I could write as beautiful as Ann Voskamp does. She writes with a true sense of beauty, because her heart encompasses it.

Beauty emanates from heart on to the page for all to be blessed and enriched by.

This is the true gift and calling of what it is to be a writer. 

The greatest giver of gifts, our Heavenly Father has breathed life and beauty into the soul, spirit and heart of Ann Voskamp to bless us all with her writing.

If you haven’t read her book, you must. It will change your life.

 

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Rainbows in the Midst…

By Ordinary Servant | Published October 31, 2012

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrews 11:6

I woke up with this scripture on my mind. I thought it apropos given the aftermath of the Allume Conference and Hurricane Sandy.

Courtesy of Kurt Wilberding

It was a blessing to be able to attend the Allume Conference and finally meet Tricia Goyer (who is an absolute sweetheart), Mary DeMuth, Sarah Markley, Sarah Mae, Jessica Heights, Christin Slade, Kelly Thorne Gore, Rachel Wojnarowski, Christy Stroud from Tyndale Publishers, Revell Publishers, Zondervan Publishers and so many other wonderful people.

We drove three hours to get to Pennsylvania, checked in and headed over to register. I was given a beautiful bag filled with goodies.

It was my first time attending this conference, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was definitely excited with the line up.

Darren Rowse (a.k.a. ProBlogger) and Ann Voskamp were on the top of my list. I never heard either one of them speak before.

I was really touched by what Darren Rowse shared at his key note. He didn’t speak about how to make money with your blog, but more about his testimony and faith.

I enjoyed listening to Sarah Mae and Jessica Heights key notes as well. I love their hearts.

My hat goes off to Sarah, Jessica and their entire team for all their hard work and pulling off such an amazing conference. It truly was a success.

After awhile, it began to feel more like a Christian woman’s conference than a blogger’s conference which was refreshing.

My favorite place was the Prayer Room which was sponsored by The Seed Company.

Courtesy of Laura Gish

Isn’t the prayer room beautiful? I spent my free time there to unplug, pray and write in prayer journals. The Seed Company blessed us royally.

The highlight of this conference for me was hearing Ann Voskamp speak for the first time. I never read Ann Voskamp’s blog or her best selling book, One Thousand Gifts. I only heard wonderful things about her through the grapevine. Now I know what they were all talking about.

Prior to her keynote, there were two videos shown by (In)Courage and Compassion International which moved me. I love to support causes helping disadvantaged children and Compassion International does amazing work.

After the videos, Ann Voskamp began to speak and tears rolled down my face. What she spoke about pierced my heart. I was riveted and touched by her every word. What an anointed woman of God. I pray I could get a copy of her key note, because I want to hear it again. I felt God used her to confirm what He was speaking to my heart throughout the conference.

Unfortunately, I had to abruptly leave right after she spoke due to Hurricane Sandy. We left and drove home to prepare for the impending storm. I do not believe I have to reiterate how devastating this hurricane was to our city. It was truly unprecedented. Please keep us in your prayers.

I am grateful the Lord is still in control and on the throne. Despite the devastation, I chose to see rainbows in the midst of the storm. I continue to pray for all those who were affected.

Please let me know how I can pray for you today. Please leave your prayers in the comment section below.

 

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