Customer Reviews

Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

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I was recently sent a copy of this book and have to admit that I'm a little scared to really dive into it. Nancy DeMoss tackles the subject of gratitude and joy in her new book Choosing Gratitude. This book takes on more than just being thankful for things ... a topic that is especially prevalent at this time of the year. This is deep thankfulness and gratitude for every situation that we are, including (especially) that suffering that is in each of our lives.


I see situations like this in mine and my friends' lives right now:

~ watching a family member grow sicker and sicker.
~ a wife watching her husband sign papers. She never, ever anticipated divorce.
~ the child with a genetic illness. Right now, things are okay, but it won't always be that way.
~ the burden of unsaved family members.
~ the job that doesn't come after so many prayers.

Ms. DeMoss understands that it is hard to hold on to gratitude ... "hard to find joy when you are looking in mind-bending pain or heart-wrenching disappointment." Those words there that I quoted? That's Joni Erikson Tada - a woman who most of are well-aware of and can't even fathom the life that she lives daily in a wheelchair as a quadrapalegic. (And she has lived that way since she was an older teen.) Joni writes the foreword to this book, and if she says that Nancy DeMoss has something to say about gratitude, I'm ready to listen.

But really, it's not Ms. DeMoss that has something to say about gratitude. It's the Lord. If there is anyone (even more than Joni) that understands finding joy in the midst of such sorrow, it's our God. The one that watched His chosen people rebel against Him daily in the Old Testament. That watched His Son mocked and scorned by His own people. In spite of all that our Lord had, and wants us to have, a deep and profound joy that can't be shaken.

One of the things that I like about this book is that at the back of it is a 30 day devotional guide to walk you through some of the points that Ms. DeMoss makes in her book. Give you time to digest all she has written and in turn, hopefully work some of that out in your own life. This looks like an excellent book (and resource) and one I'm glad to add to my library.

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss is a great read. If you are a fan of her writing, you will not be disappointed in this book. I thought I was a generally grateful person, once I read this book I realized how much work I need to do in my own life.

I'm not going to sugar coat this; if you read this book, be prepared for conviction almost instantly. She starts by pointing out that "gratitude feels optional...an acceptable sin," and then clearly shows that an ungrateful heart is a sinful heart. On page 24, the author describes how our whining and complaining attitudes are from our lack of the Holy Spirit. I was particularly struck by her use of Romans 1:21, where Paul lists ingratitude along with the "terrible sins". I don't often think of ungratefulness as a "terrible sin" but it is.

At the end of chapter 3, I was feeling like a complete ingrate! I can see so many things in my own life that need to change. I was relieved to discover some reasons for gratitude and why it is so important in our daily lives. I had never really thought about the fact that Jesus was giving thanks at the Last Supper. He knew what would happen to Him that night, yet He was grateful. Would we be grateful if we were facing the same circumstances?

The author also connects our gratitude with our prayer life. This was an aspect of gratitude I had never considered before. "If you've always wanted prayer to be as natural as breathing, then pave the way with gratitude." It's true. If we have a thankful hearts we want to commune with the One who gives all good things. The author also challenges us to give thanks not only to God but to also to other people. On p. 119 she points out that Paul thanks people in all but 4 epistles. The thankful example of Paul was preserved in Scripture for a reason.

An especially great part of this book is that it includes a 30 day devotional in the back of the book. Each day includes a scripture reading and a small devotional. At the end is a challenging statement to help you reflect on the gratitude in your life each day.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to increase the gratitude in their own life. Truly, this is an area everyone can improve on in their own life. Get this book and begin your journey to joy!

This question, posed on the back cover, is the perfect way to sum up this book. Nancy Leigh Demoss shares why our life should be full of gratitude and how we can have that kind of depth in our life. We can trade in our whine for worship! When we accept the grace of God in our life we can be full of gratitude for what He has given us...even if it appears to be "bad" in our eyes. I enjoyed the many real life examples of people who have traded in the blues for a heart of gratitude and the incredible perspective they have on life in the midst of some very overwhelming circumstances. Also, Nancy does not leave you hanging as you attempt to apply all that you have learned, she gives a hands-on Bible study to work through at the end of the book. (Or in this case, a printable PDF on the last CD.) It can easily be used without the book and makes for a great follow up on what you have read rather than just putting the book back on your shelf and moving on to the next one. While I would recommend this book in print or audio, I have to say that I really enjoyed the audio version as I worked around the house and surrounded myself in good teaching. Christian Taylor has a beautiful voice that is easy and enjoyable to listen to.

Perhaps your mother trained you to show gratitude by sitting you down at the table with a stack of cards, envelopes, and a pencil as soon as the last birthday party guest walked out the door. "Write your thank you notes," she said. Mom understood something that it seems we've forgotten: it is not enough to feel grateful. Gratitude comes to fruition when it is expressed. Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Christian author, speaker, mentor, and host of Revive Our Hearts, would say that writing your thank-you notes is a good place to start, but an attitude of gratitude is the goal and encompasses more than saying, "Thank you" for our gifts.

In Choosing Gratitude, DeMoss elevates gratitude to the status of spiritual discipline. She is convinced that Christians ought to be most the expressive people when it comes to gratitude. Or, as she calls it, "going gratitudinal." Following a succinct explanation of God's gospel, she writes, "Undeniable guilt, plus undeserved grace, should equal unbridled gratitude." But this unbridled gratitude, quite distinct from generic gratitude, is Godward and must be cultivated and practiced. "Over time, choosing gratitude means choosing joy. But that choice doesn't come without effort and intentionality. It's a choice that requires constantly renewing my mind with the truth of God's Word, setting my heart to savor God and His gifts, and disciplining my tongue to speak words that reflect His goodness and grace -- until a grateful spirit becomes my reflexive response to all of life."

And it is in explaining "all of life" that Choosing Gratitude becomes most challenging. Are you more prone to whine or to worship? Are you grateful for the most difficult and painful circumstances in your life? Do you allow pain to drive you closer to the Father or does it make you want to withdraw from His grace and fellowship? I enjoy DeMoss' encouragement to express gratitude for gifts and good times. Citing various scriptures and anecdotes, she writes how gratitude begets more gratitude, blessings and giving. But her compassion really comes through as she writes to the woman in pain, to the woman whose expression of gratitude will be sacrificial. DeMoss takes us to God's word to provide the language we need to express gratitude, whether it's gratitude for pleasure or pain.

DeMoss does not want this to be another good book that we forget about as soon as we're done reading it. Therefore, she provides a 30-Day Devotional Guide to help us begin practicing gratitude. Each reading includes a scripture passage, a meditation that further discusses the content of the book, and practical exercises to help us become more thankful people.

One aspect of Choosing Gratitude that I appreciate most is DeMoss' transparency. Choosing gratitude has not always been an easy choice for DeMoss; she shares her struggle with obedience in this area, how she sought accountability, and the things she does to help her maintain an attitude of gratitude to God in all circumstances. I loved reading how God worked in her life and how, when it came right down to it, He gave her the grace not to allow anything to get in the way of her fellowship with Him. Spending time with a woman with that kind of spiritual fortitude is always inspiring to me. I highly recommend this book for its insight and spiritual challenge.

this book changed my life.
i listened to it on CD and LOVED it.
found myself constantly thinking about it, quoting it and talking to my girlfriends about it.

i HIGHLY recommend this book.
i hope it also changes your life and strengthens your walk with the Lord as you grow towards His likeness,
because that's what it's all about!

Go Nancy!
(i think if she met me, we could be bff)

This is a potentially life-changing book talking about the fact that we can choose to be grateful even when we may not feel like it. Nancy DeMoss is Scriptural and practical. The first two-thirds of the book are well written, full of wisdom. The last of the book lets you put what you've learned into practice. By choosing gratitude for 30 days using this guide, you will start to develop a habit. I highly recommend this book.

Honestly, I wasn't very excited to read Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, but I agreed to review it for Moody Publishers. Wow! Was I surprised! This book held so much more than I was expecting. Author DeMoss states that gratitude is not merely a second-tier virtue in the Christian life--it is vital. At first I was doubtful, but by the end of the book, I agreed. This "Christian gratitude" recognizes what we've received first and foremost from God including the blessings we receive from others. Although sometimes these blessings come disguised as problems and difficulties. This gratitude also acknowledges God as the Giver of every good gift. And finally, this gratitude expresses appreciation to Him and others for those gifts.

Several new thoughts ideas spoke to me. For example, how choosing gratitude rescues from me from runaway emotions. That gratitude has a transforming power to it. And how a grateful child of God can't help but be a joyful, peaceful, radiant person. That's the person I want to be.

The book concludes with a thirty day challenge. It's a devotional guide attempting to move from theory into practice.

I highly recommend this book. It put a whole new perspective on life for me and has made me more intentional on how I live my life.

I liked this book so well I am rereading it immediately. I would have given it 5 stars if it had hit the topic of graditude during suffering a bit more. It was helpful as far as it went. I realize the choice is up to me, so that is why I am rereading it, using the study to make sure I've retained the content. It is based and uses the principles of Gods word.

Is the gratitude that flows out of your life as abundant as the grace that flows into your life? This question is on the back of this book, and it so rightfully sums up this book. Nancy DeMoss looks at what it means to be a grateful person and why it matters much deeper than we usually think about gratefulness.

Choosing Gratitude takes being grateful and thankful to a whole new level. As with all of Nancy Demoss's books, this one gets right to the heart of the subject in the very beginning. There is so much chunked in this book I needed to read it slow, and go over the pages more than once to get the impact of what Nancy was teaching. One of the many precious topics to me was reading when and where we can be thankful. And as she points out it is anytime, morning and evening, three times a day, in the middle of the night and continually. And at the end of the section she writes: "So gratitude should be an every moment, every hour, every day, lifetime commitment. Will we ever run out of things to be thankful for? Not a chance................ Wow, that gives me something to think about.

And as a bonus with this book, you get a 30 day devotion in the back of the book that you can read anytime during the year.

I love Nancy Leigh Demoss's books and teachings. And this book was just as awesome as her others that I have read. To me, she can say more in one chapter than many can say in an entire book. Her love for the Lord and commitment to following Him is very evident in her writings and teachings. I have been blessed to hear her teach in person, and her live teachings are covered in the love of God and His Word just as her books are.

This is a book that I recommend for all ladies for personal reading and studying or Bible Study groups. Just remember to have your notebooks and pens ready to take notes as you read and study, and enjoying what Nancy has to teach you!

I want to thank Moody Publishers for providing this book for me to read and review. The opinions in this review are mine only.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss is the author of 10 books for women, including the bestsellers LIES WOMEN BELIEVE and CHOOSING FORGIVENESS. She is also the radio host and teacher for "Revive Our Hearts" and "Seeking Him," which are heard weekdays on over 1,000 radio stations. Her books have sold over 2,000,000 copies, and this newest title is sure to be as well received as her earlier works.

Given the nationwide feelings of frustration and discouragement, DeMoss's book on choosing gratitude is a timely one. And yet, she discusses how utterly "timeless" an attitude of gratitude should be in every Christ follower's life. Her style is warm, transparent and completely inviting, as is her invitation to revisit the necessity of cultivating a heart that recognizes and gives thanks for each and every day (as well as whatever fills each and every day).

Christians will value how genuinely DeMoss cares about honoring Christ through the good and bad seasons of life. She tells her own stories of difficulties where she didn't feel inclined to give thanks or be grateful for the hardships God allowed. Very poignantly, she gives readers the step-by-step mental and emotional process she went through to face challenges and how God met her in amazing ways, encouraging her heart to truly give thanks for that which broke her heart.

DeMoss doesn't stop at the "heartbreaking" impasse, however. Rather, she shows how God transformed the hurt into wholeness, the brokenness into blessing, and the comfortless into one who can comfort others. Readers will journey along with the author asking themselves the same questions she has faced over the years on topics both specific and general to "gratitude" and how this approach does impart joy. Chapters include in-depth stories, biblical passages, and commentary on themes tied to recognizing the power of gratitude; how guilt, grace and gratitude mix; why choosing gratitude matters; whining and worshipers; ways to say thanks; learning to give thanks for "all" things; the thanks that requires sacrifice, and going "gratitudinal" for good.

After reading through DeMoss's dynamic (and most convincing) text, readers can then follow up with her 30-day devotional guide included at the back of the book. Each fully fleshed-out daily offering includes a suggested scripture reading, stories and comments by DeMoss, and Gratitude in Action points to put into practice specific principles to cement that "giving thanks in all things" discipline.

Closing out the text is a lovely, heartfelt prayer, "A Grateful Prayer", for readers to recite --- before, during and after they read the book. DeMoss has also compiled a nifty list of Hymns of Gratitude for readers to refer to (and read or sing) in order to inspire their thanks through the written word and song.

All in all, DeMoss has done a marvelous job of covering the bases on gratitude, doing it with her characteristic grace and style. This resource is a keeper (and sure to be a favorite gift-giving book) that will spur Christians toward recognizing all they should be thankful for and to giving thanks with greater zeal and consistency.

--- Reviewed by Michele Howe