Fields rolled by and I wondered which farm was her’s. I took photos just in case that was the one. It wasn’t. But we were getting close. Leah and I had been ministering at a women’s event in Ontario all weekend, and now we were on our way to visit my sweet friend, Ann Voskamp.
Leah, Ann, Me
I couldn’t wait to see Ann and meet her family – who were all as unique and wonderful as she describes on her blog. Two boys hid (and giggled) under the porch while we visited. The girls sat on the swing and listened. Flowers bent in the breeze behind the white picket fence.
And a zip line waited for us in the backyard. The kids told me all about it. How their dad created it and how much time it took. Voices echoed excitement. I asked if I could try it. Big smiles stretched across their faces. I don’t think they were expecting a city girl to go on the zip line. But this city girl is a farm girl at heart, and I love adventure!
I even talked their momma into trying it for the first time!!
Later we sat on the porch and talked, and we captured our conversation on video so we could share it with you. I shared earlier this week how we talked about naming things like our doubts and fears, as well as the beauty He brings that we easily miss. How naming them can bring clarity to our thinking and invite God into our everyday moments. Then we talked about framing the moments and messes so we can see God in them and worship Him there. Here is the rest of our conversation:
I have a few gifts to share… I brought home 3 signed copies of Ann’s New York Times Best-Seller, One Thousand Gifts. To enter to win, we’d love for you to be part of our conversation. Simply slip a note in the comments below this post by clicking “Share your thoughts.”
And, since we talked about overcoming self-doubts, I’ll tuck a copy of my book in with each of Ann’s for the three of you who win. Winners will be announced on Monday. To be notified, you can sign up for email updates in that little box at the top.
What a BEAUTIFUL way to look at things. I loved the part about the picture frame. I have not read the book but would absolutey Love too. Thank you so much for the encouragement this morning. Blessings, Kim
I have just finished your 7 day doubt diet, and it has blessed me! Everyday I sat at the computer with tears in my eyes as I read your words. I felt like you were writing just for me! I have suffered with fear, worry, doubt for as long as I can remember, my first memories starting at age 5. I have gone through ups and downs as I have weaved my way through different stages in my life, always knowing how much God loves me, that He created me, and that His work is perfect and wonderful, but still holding on to so much “doubt.” Reading your encouraging words and memorizing the scriptures has helped me to see that I can be a CONFIDENT woman/mother/daughter/sister in Christ. Thank you so much!!
Thinking of someone I could share 1000 Gifts with, since I have already devoured it myself, and also thinking that A Confident Heart is something I need. Enjoyed this conversation so much. 🙂
I away on a personal retreat center in Colorado Springs under a big blue sky surrounded by mountains. Maybe I shouldn’t be checking my email while I’m on a retreat but I open Ann’s blog posts everyday with child-like wonder and praise. I started reading One thousand gifts a couple months ago and started my list. God in His grace & goodness has begun transforming me from the inside out. And as I drove up the driveway of the Franciscan retreat center- all the flags had one word on it GRATITUDE- their theme for this month. Thank you Abba for showing me that it all starts with gratitude. I loved the video -and the illustration of framing the moments of our lives all for His glory. Beautiful. I also am so thankful you touched on self doubt. I wrestle with it so much that I’m often paralyzed by it and long for more of the God confidence of which you both speak. I’m a counselor by profession and most of the women I see are filled with self doubt, fears, lack of joy and confidence and struggling to grasp their identity and rest in the Love of Jesus. I would be honored to be gifted the books- I would love to give the signed One Thousand Gifts copy to my sister who leaves in two weeks to teach in Mexico for a year. She is going to leave a lot of her comforts behind and the list may be her saving grace. And I would like to read your book Renee for me and for my clients. Thank you both for sharing your gifts. “In glad, amazed humility we cast on Him our little lives in trusting obedience, in erect, serene, and smiling joy. ” Thomas Kelly “Whom I have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” (Ps 73:25)
Simple but profound. I needed to be reminded today to shift my focus, look at life from a different angle…and also not to envy Ann’s life on the beautiful farm!
As I read your thoughts this morning, I think it goes along with everything God has been saying to me lately. We need to be thankful for even the smallest gifts in this life. We spend so much time complaining, don’t we? I have been reading a devotional each night that really challenges me. It tells me what happened on that day in Christian history. When I see what others have suffered for Christ, what right have I to complain when something doesn’t go my way or something isn’t just right? I have no idea what suffering for Christ really means! God has been so good to me. Thank you for your wonderful thoughts!
Thanks for sharing! I really believe that being intentional in our attitude of gratitude is what will keep our eyes on Christ and help us to shed those thoughts of doubt. Thank you both so much for sharing your thoughts and lives with us so we can all have the peace beyond our understanding!
Sharing God’s word among people that you have never met is one of the most blessings in my life. There are days when I know that God speaks to my heart , standing in my kitchen, riding down the road, shopping, or in a dream, I know and believe that He is speaking and I use to share this with a dear dear friend who passed away this past April with cancer. Octavia always listened and believed God and she would share many things with me about her experiences. I would be in the grocery store on numerous occasions when I would see people that I did not know and would say “Hello or how are you “or just smile. I knew that God had put that person there for a reason. We would start talking and God’s name or some postive faith would come up most of the time. I have recieved many,many blessings from this experience and I know it is God. Watching your video was a framing in my life. I thank you for sharing and reaching out to us. God Bless your ministries…Gods’ merciecs are new every morning. I have several prayer request to give you. Gary Yoder – Chemo again; Sandra Parries- Chemo again; Faye George – waiting for test results from small turmor that was removed last Wednesday, July 20; Robin Reese- radiation, second time(Breast); Peggy Riddle- 10 year survior- found some cancer cells recently, removed breast; Thank you !!!
Thank you both for sharing. I hope some day to read both of your books. They sound like just what God wants me to read. We do have an awesome God who does make everything for our enjoyment but sometimes we need to shift our focus to get the full benefit of what He is triying to show us. Again thank you both for sharing and wishing you God’s richest blessings.
I am sharing the devotions of the 7 day diet from doubt with my friends and Sunday School class. I thank you for your devotions. Praise the Lord for you girls at Proverbs 31, you are such a blessing to us. I would love to win one of the books so we can share more.
Thank you Renee…you are such a blessing 🙂
I totally agree with you when you say that sometimes we need to shift our focus and perspective because no matter where we are in our life we can see God at work even when situations seem the worst. I think that when we keep in mind that our purpose in life is to give God glory and not ourselves then will we be able to frame more moments of our lives and see
God all over it. Thanks for your video. I look forward to reading your book. May God continue to bless your ministry and may He receive all the honor, glory and praise!
My colleague at work just experienced a tragedy. I hope this book might help her.
Thank you both!!
Thank you! I am waiting for you to come home and sign books since I ordered one! 🙂 But I can wait. Please pray for our VBS this week. We have 70 children, many not members of the church, coming to learn about how much God loves them this week. I am a co-director and the “Martha” of the group. I will be working hard to frame the moments. I actually have been doing that for years in my head, and now I can read about how to do that even more with both of your books!
Thank you for blogging! Enjoy the She Speaks weekend too!
What an inspiring message to me today. I am in the middle of a one of those circumstances of life that would normally drag me down to the depths of despair. I am trying so hard to enjoy what the Lord has given me and trust that as I frame the moments I am walking through now, I can look back and see it was all actually a beautiful picture with the perfect God given ending. . . done in in His timing.
Blessings to both of you.
I just want to say that I was feeling lost in my faith and a girlfriend of mine sent me the link for proverbs 31 which has lead me here to you. I have read the seven day dount diet and it has been wonderful and I am so grateful when the emails come to me and touch me so deeply. The timing of all of this has really been in God’s hands as I just lost my father on Thursday and now I look to the emails and websites for comfort and really feel a powerful connection to the Lord and feel so blessed that He is brought me closer through your words. I have also come to realize how much the little moments with my close friends matter, not what we do or what we say but that we are together and our hearts are bonding. Thank you again and many blessings to everyone.
Thank you so much for sharing this encounter between you and Ann. After reading her book “1000 Gifts” I started the experience of seeing my world in a frame and focusing on just what was in front of me instead of the darkness that often lurked in the corners of my mind and my world. The result has been a renewing of my faith and my Godfidence, not in He who made me, but in who I am in Him. Seeing you together on the porch made me smile as I remembered lunch just yesterday with my friend in Christ, Kristen, and the reaffirmed for me that God intends us to have these likeminded people in our lives who can lift us up, see us through heartache and keep us mindful of whose we are. When I frame my life remembering faith, family, friends and not what does the world want from me, I see God in everything and everywhere. In fact, when I got home after my lunch yesterday, I was sitting at my dining room table journaling and heard a loud squawking outside. When I went out to investigate, I found a bird’s nest in the oak tree in my front yard with three baby birds who were calling for their mother. I ran back in to get my camera and returned in time to see the mama feeding her babies! I took pictures of that magical moment and it reminded me how in Matthew 5 Jesus talks about how if he cares for even the least of these how much more will he care for us. Thank you Ann and Renee for your guidance and for helping me to learn to frame the world. In Him, Lynn
I am a man. My daughter led me to you two ladies. You all have listen to God and released his wisdom in you to others. Thank you for that. Naming them and framing the situation to see God in the situation is good stuff. See the responses and you know where the Lord is leading to release his children to be closer to him. Naming the problem lets you see and put a name to the problem and then you have the Gods power and Gods love to make the changes that he wants you to make. All he wants is for us to have a “child like” relationship with him. Not a complicated adult one but a child like. Some day the Lord will ask me to share with you how he taught me that through my daughter.
Thank you ladies for being the ladies you are. Watch over your husbands, we need it.
Dave
What a joy to find both of your blogs and the ministry you have. I am looking forward to finding the books when I return for a short stay in the states next month. What an awesome God we serve.
Thanks for sharing your hearts.
Blessings, Barb
I am so excited about both the books!! I have been talking to my mom’s Bible group about doing this as our next study. I never realized how much I doubt things and am beginning to unravel those doubts and replace them with beliefs and blessings. Amen Sista’s!!
It is always wonderful to be reminded to focus on what we have instead of what we don’t.
Thank you.
What a great story. Love the pictures. Being from Indiana, but having lived in Florida for almost 28 years, they bring back a lot of memories. I would love to read Ann’s book.
Confidence is something I have always lacked. I was a painfully shy child, and as an adult, it is still uncomfortable to make myself initiate conversations with new people. I second guess a lot of my decisions, afraid that i will say or do the wrong thing. I participated in the doubt diet, and am starting to find my confidence in Christ. I always new I “had” it, but I never claimed it! Thanks to both Ann and Renee who God has used in my life through this! I know many many more will be blessed as you continue to minister!
I can barely slow down my brain to process these thoughts, but I know that in order for anything in my life to change, I need to slow it all down and shift my focus. That really puts it into words for me- I am driven along by all the demands in my life and can’t seem to find a stopping off place, a place to rest for a moment and regroup. Mom of 8, 4 still at home, one with Autism Spectrum Disorders, alone in this place in my faith. It helps, I think, to remember to focus on God in every little thing, in this life where I know in my heart that God is in it, that He is ultimately in control, that He loves me, will help me, is there, even when I am flying haplessly along in this life that I feel is controlled by everyone else. What can I cut out to make it more endurable? Nothing. There is nothing that I can eliminate from my schedule. What can I add to make my life more meaningful, so that I am not just enduring the days? Framing the moments, good and bad, and bringing God into the center of each one. I have lost myself in all this clutter- no passion for anything, because to feel emotion also means feeling the sadness, anger and disappointment, and it is a load I can’t bear, and before I knew it was happening, I shut down emotionally. Anne, reading your blog (fairly regularly) made me realize what was missing. Your video conversations will help me get it back. Thank you!!
Thank you ladies, that was very refreshing even to fellowship with you for a few minutes. May God continue to bless both of your ministries…those to your family and readers.
I just finished reading One Thousand Gifts and have taken on the dare to create my own list. I am only a few days into it but am reaping the harvest because of focusing on the moments. My camera is most always with me, so I really appreciate the idea of framing the moment. It makes such perfect sense!
I stumbled upon Ann’s website a few months ago when I began my own blog. I have been so blessed by her posts and pictures. I had resolved this year to see God’s hand in my every day life. Thank you, Ann, for helping me frame it for others.
One thing just struck me. You mentioned that we are dust. I took a Disciple Bible class last year and that thought that we are dust took on a whole new meaning for me. Pop over to my blog and read my post called Dust. There is such power in that dust. http://everydaymissionary.blogspot.com/2011/04/dust.html
I have just begun reading Ann’s book and have been blogging about it for the last 4 days. I am committed to reading a chapter a day and then processing what I read on my blog. I had heard of the book for months and am so grateful to God that I am finally experiencing the concept of grace, thankfulness, joy…euchristeo! So blessed am I! Thank you for sharing these interviews. Your book sounds like it should be the next one I read and blog about 🙂
What a sweet, sweet friendship you both have, and thank you so much for sharing it with us in your video. Some really good truths to ponder, about framing our experiences in the light of who we are in Christ.
Thank you for the opportunity to win these special books.
Thanks for the encouraging front porch visit. Both of you are encouragers!
Wonderful words! I read Ann’s book this past spring during a dark and difficult time in my life. God purposefully allowed me to stumble upon her website to find out about her book. It’s has been such a tremendous encouragement to shift my thinking to look for the blessing even in the chaos, pain, or uncertain moments. Thanks for posting the video and God’s richest blessings to both of you as you minister to women around the globe!
I love Ann’s blog and I can’t wait to read more of yours, Renee! God has led me to some wonderful women lately and I need to add that to my list of gifts!
Ann’s book gave me a vocabulary of grace, language with which to praise the Giver of all good gifts. I’d love to read Renee’s book, too. As an “older”, hopefully Titus 2 woman, I love younger women teaching me and journeying with me in becoming more what God wants for us as women. Thank you both!
What a wonderful outlook…I cannot wait to read the book. I want to live life this way!! thank you!
Forgot my blog’s website!
I watched both videos and just loved seeing the two of you together. You both have so much excitement about God and His gifts!
Counting gifts has helped me, but I have to remember to consciously *thank God* for the gifts. I don’t know why I picked up the habit of being afraid to thank God for what He has provided. I think it is an odd, sort of superstitious thing that if I thank God for something, He will take it away. I need to examine this in light of scripture and pray about it, because that is not the God of scripture!
Maybe it comes from Proverbs 16:18 and the way Grandma scared my mom with that: Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. My mom was so afraid of being prideful! (And I think earlier generations were much more conscious of this than we are.)
But thanking God for His gifts and graces is NOT being prideful. It is being grateful to God and recognizing that He is sovereign.
Now to get that in my heart!
Renee, I so need to read your book next! I look forward to The 7-Day Doubt Diet! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing the conversation that you and Ann had. I love the idea of taking pictures and framing moments–the gifts from God! You are both amazing women–thank you for sharing all that you do with us!! Blessings to you both.
I’m really strengthening my own relationship with Christ through Ann’s website. Looking forward to picking up both books (or winning them) this fall. I work on a school, so in my mind, fall is the start of a new year, not January. I’m needing to rework my own routines to carve out some more time for prayer and devotion.
Thank you for your gift offers. God-findence is something we all need.
Thank you for the reminder to frame the moments He has given us. Beautifully said.
God-fidence! I love that! It really puts into perspective where our hope, our confidence needs to be; not in ourselves, but in our Lord. Thank you both for giving me that image of framing the moments, the gifts, from God. Easier said than done sometimes, but that word picture will help. The Lord bless you and keep you both!
After 47 yrs of marriage and with 5 grown up children and eleven grandchildren, and numerous ups and downs and caring for loved ones, I often get discouraged in my christian life as to how so many things have happend contrary to my beliefs that I begin to doubt my salvation so I would love to read your books so as to help me to frame things and get rid of this self doubt.
I have been blessed through both of your blogs … and now here you are together! Awesome! Learning to ‘frame the moments’ as I count His gifts. Thank you both for sharing your hearts and your love for Jesus. You are changing lives! Praying for you both and She Speaks this weekend.
What a beautiful video, and how much glory it must give to the Lord! You are unique, amazing women and I thank you for reminding me of the beauty and value of each moment and experience God gives us. I love Ann’s statement that every experience is Holy, because He is with us at all times! Praise be to God.
Thank you Renee and Ann. There are 6 of us that are studying Ann’s book right now and are growing so much because of it – up here in Southern Ontario, Canada. A friend just recommended YOUR book for our next study (before I even saw this post!) so I look forward to checking you out more and being blessed by growing closer to our Saviour and more confident in HIM!!
Framing God’s gift what a neat idea I will start capturing my blessings and framing them I have been trying lately to give God thanks in all circumstances and Praise Him in this storm , I am currentley unemployed and have been for just about 2yrs never thought I would be in this situation but God has used it for His good my elderly Mother who has alot of health issues I have been able to spend more time with her and be more attentive and God is restoring that relationship that once was broke and He is still working on it He is teaching me to be a servant and teaching me how to love when thegoing get tuff. It would be awesome to win and her and I could do the book to gether because somedays it is hard because of her being so set in her ways she gets aggravated at me and it can really get awful so I am trusting God and trying to have a joyful attiude towards all of the things that I am going thru.
Thank you Ann and Renee you both are a huge blessing in my life.
Carol
reframing is like “perspective” which is an idea God has been repetedly bringing to my attention!
I have found your blog via Ann’s. Thank you for offering these generous gifts.
I have so enjoyed the conversations you and Ann have shared with me…I am reading One Thousand Gifts for the second time and God has so used it to wake me up and show me how to worship him and love him. Eucharisteo has become my daily word… I have been following her blog A Holy Experience for many months and found your blog recently through her’s. I am so enjoying your words…thank you!! “Framing the moments” is a wonderful concept. I’m so loving all that God has been bringing into my life regularly this year… 175 days of new insights and blessings….I’m so in love!!!