One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Week 4: Chapter 3 — "First Flight"
Read Chapter 3 of One Thousand Gifts. Key Scripture: Genesis 1:31; Psalm 19:1.
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Voskamp describes taking a first solo trip — a pilgrimage of sorts — and discovering that slowing down to notice is itself a form of prayer. Let this chapter invite you to examine the pace at which you move through your own life.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.This chapter recounts one of Voskamp's rare ventures away from the farm and family — a trip that becomes a lesson in presence. What does she discover about herself when she is forced to slow down and simply be somewhere?
2.She wrestles with the guilt many mothers and caretakers feel about taking time for themselves or for wonder. Where does that guilt come from, and what theological lie might be underneath it?
3.Voskamp writes about seeing creation with fresh eyes — light, color, texture — as if for the first time. What does it mean that God declared creation "very good" (Genesis 1:31)? What does that declaration invite us to do with the physical world around us?
a.When did you last stop to notice something beautiful in the physical world? What was it, and what did it stir in you?
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