Be the Gift: Let Your Broken Be Turned into Abundance

by Ann Voskamp

Be the Gift, by New York Times–bestselling author Ann Voskamp, will challenge and encourage you to listen to God and look for opportunities to be His gift to others.

The idea that even in the depths of our own brokenness God can use each of us to be a gift to someone else is powerful—that He makes each of us enough to give to someone else. Just as powerful is the realization that in becoming God’s gifts to others, our lives become more abundant: “Maybe the only abundant way forward is always to give forward.” Ideas this powerful need to be put into action.

Live out the messages in Ann’s bestselling books, The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts, with Be the Gift, a practical guide that takes you through each day of the year with ways to bless those around you.

Featuring selections from The Broken Way and Ann’s blog, beautifully designed quotations, inspirational verses, and Ann’s signature photography, this gorgeous book will be an incredible gift to any loved one. It also includes pages of perforated gift tags in the back to include with a meal dropped off for an ailing friend or a pie baked for a friendly neighbor or even passed to a friend with a much-loved book.

One Thousand Gifts encouraged readers to live a life of thanksgiving and to chronicle the gifts from God in their everyday lives. The Broken Way reminded that freedom is not found beyond fear and pain, but within it. Now Be the Gift will unpack and chronicle the next step to really live in communion—opening ourselves up to givenness in spite of our brokenness. 

 

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Inspirational, Faith, Christianity, Religion, Devotional

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2017

About the author

Ann Voskamp is a farmer's wife, the home-educating mama to a half-dozen exuberant kids, and author of One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, a New York Times sixty-week bestseller..
Named by Christianity Today as one of fifty women most shaping culture and the church today, she's a global advocate for needy children with Compassion International, a loser of library books, a stirrer of soup, a loud laugher, a kid snuggler, a Jesus lover and honestly, a bit of a mess. It’s okay really. Grace is the most amazing of all.
Her online journal, one of the top 10 most widely read Christian blogs online, is a relief of quiet vulnerability and an oasis of sacred, seeing God in the everyday ugly beautiful.

Connect with Ann on:
AnnVoskamp.com
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest

Reviews

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book filled with beautiful reminders and inside the book there was a picture on nearly every page, making the reading even more lovely to read.

I didn't feel like this book resonated as much with me as One Thousand Gifts, but I do love the author's words, and although I find using different Bible versions to be distracting, I do appreciate how strong she is in sharing truths. Brokenness is often looked on as the end result, but what if we found the good broken places and sought God's will in how we can give to others every day?

[Kate Baldwin Meador · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Ann voskamp is like receiving a warm all-encompassing hug from my grandmother.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is nothing more to say than that Ann has a beautiful gift of moving you to get out of your comfort zone and love and do for others. We live in a broken, fallen world full of broken people who need love and this book helps to encourage us to reach out and love and gift of ourselves. <3

[Cristine Braddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I needed for right now.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t get enough of Ann Voskamp. Her writing speaks to my heart in such a unique and biblically-rooted way that I can’t help but share her work with others. Live broken today and see how God works through your brokenness.

[Lea McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ann Voskamp's Be the Gift seems to be another look at the idea that everyone is in some way broken; in other words, no one is perfect. Her idea is that rather than focusing on your brokenness, one should use those weak places to show others that we all have them and we can still all help others, i.e. we can Be the Gift. Voskamp's ideas are paired with her beautiful photography which also makes this book a gift. I want to be fair to Ms. Voskamp: the reason I have rated this book lower than some of her others I have read is because some of the ideas are repeated from her earlier works and in this format, they are not as well developed as some of her other books. They are good ideas; they are just presented with less explanation.

[Abigail Westbrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book of reflections for anyone facing a time of brokenness, and includes many photos and quotes - a lovely gift. It is written in short sections so would be easy to pick up and read a bit at a time, even for someone whose poor health or high stress makes focus extra difficult. I am only giving it four stars because the editor in me struggles with the author’s unconventional, somewhat random writing style; likely others would be less bothered by it.

[Jennifer V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used the Be The Gift expressions in this book as motivation to serve others in our community for the season of Advent.
This book reads like a written and picture diary. Beautiful wisdom with almost a poetic, flowing feel.

Some of my favorite quotes...
“Busy is a choice. Stress is a choice. Giving yourself to joy is a choice. Choose well.”
“It isn’t having that makes us rich; it’s giving. Give sacrificially, live richly. Maybe all we really want is more of God. Abundance of Him.”
“You are where you are not to make an impression, but to make a difference.”
“We will be known for our actual fruits, not the intentions of our imaginations.”

[Sheila Witmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book because I loved One Thousand Gifts, and it's so beautiful. But.... it was just too redundant, vague, and felt like it should be poetry only it wasn't. I like the thoughts, and the ideas, just not the writing.

[Laura Brownstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so, so good and just fantastic. There are so many truths in it. I underlined so much. I want to give this book as a gift to friends because there's so much truth in it.

[Krista Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kind of read that helps my soul decompress. Her books do that for me.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Page 38 >>

Is there any word more powerful than giving?

Thanksgiving.
Forgiving.
Care-giving.
Life-giving.

Everything that matters in living comes down to giving.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be beautiful and inspiring!
This was a great devotional during a busy season of life...
It encouraged me to be faithful.
The list of ideas (in the back of the book) for sharing love with the world around us, was motivating.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5: this book was full of beauty, both in words and photos, as well as truth, grace, healing, and hope. It was a gift I savored.

[Renee Knoblauch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard several of my friend talk about how inspiring Ann Voskamp’s books are. I have to admit after hearing such praises that I never have read any of her books.

When the opportunity came up for me to review one of Ann Voskamp’s books I jumped on it and wanted to see for myself.

What a gorgeous compact hardback book. Just about every page has a full colored photograph on it. There is a ribbon bookmark attached to mark your place.

I wouldn’t call this a traditional book or even a flat out devotional. However, I do feel that you can read it like a devotional daily. Ann Voskamp’s words are uplifting and inspiring and very realistic. She says things that we can apply to our daily lives. I’m going to stress don’t let this book take the place of your daily Bible reading. It can be an addition to your daily scripture reading.

What have I taken out of this book? It’s about finding gratitude in all things and learning how to count the blessing that God has already given you. WE don’t want to let the brokenness drag our hearts down but- to turn that brokenness and suffering into gratitude so we can move forward and turn it to abundance. How do we do that? We heal when we look beyond our suffering and brokenness to be a gift to others. Show compassion; give a hand, ear, a shoulder with Jesus as the center of it all.

The last few pages gives you some “Gift Ideas” there are 60 of them. A few examples, “Hug someone today. Tell them they’re needed or order pizza for someone who is feeling down.
I received a free copy of this product from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. I am disclosing this information accordance with the FTC Regulations.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Be The Gift" by Ann Voskamp has the most gorgeous photos as you move forward in being the gift of compassion over the next 60 days with living in intentionality in being available to those who are broken and hurting. All of us are broken in some way, but when we can give to others, we are able to receive life giving joy and that is exactly what this book will challenge you to do on a daily basis. Included in this book are gift tags to attach to your GIFTS, places for you to journal as you experience gift giving moments with God. What I love about "Be the Gift," is how purposeful and intentional Ann was in living out what it means to help other people in small and big ways. Whether that means leaving dollar up and down the aisle at the dollar store or reaching out to the broken widow. This book will profoundly impact the way you do life, love others and show compassion.

This book doesn't feel like a traditional book, but it is a hardcover and can be read as a daily devotional. It has a beautiful bookmarker attached. I have already found myself journaling in several of the pages as well. It is truly one of a kind and would make a great birthday or Christmas gift. I give this book 5/5 stars. A favorable review was not required.

[Shari English · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

I started reading this book because I truly wanted guidance on how to give back. I had to keep re-reading sentences not only because they are worded awkwardly, but also it sounded like Yoda talking to Like Skywalker! The author kept referring to "your brokenness, and reaching into the brokenness of the world and transforming into a giveness" Say what? Perhaps I misunderstood the author's purpose, because it sounded like a book to help recover from grief ; it had such a melancholy quality to it. It most definitely was not the guidance O was hoping for.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea that even in the depths of our own brokenness God can use each of us to be a gift to someone else is powerful—that He makes each of us enough to give to someone else. Just as powerful is the realization that in becoming God’s gifts to others, our lives become more abundant: “Maybe the only abundant way forward is always to give forward.” Ideas this powerful need to be put into action.
Live out the messages in Ann’s bestselling books, The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts, with Be the Gift, a practical guide that takes you through each day of the year with ways to bless those around you.
Featuring selections from The Broken Way and Ann’s blog, beautifully designed quotations, inspirational verses, and Ann’s signature photography, this gorgeous book will be an incredible gift to any loved one. It also includes pages of perforated gift tags in the back to include with a meal dropped off for an ailing friend or a pie baked for a friendly neighbor or even passed to a friend with a much-loved book.
One Thousand Gifts encouraged readers to live a life of thanksgiving and to chronicle the gifts from God in their everyday lives. The Broken Way reminded that freedom is not found beyond fear and pain, but within it. Now Be the Gift will unpack and chronicle the next step to really live in communion—opening ourselves up to givenness in spite of our brokenness.

This book was harder for me to read than Ann’s other books. This book wasn’t written in chapters but random thoughts or points with beautiful photos. I ended up reading a couple a day to start my day. She does have a calendar on her website on different ways we can all be a gift to those around us. They are simple little acts that could really brighten someones day, you don’t know the impact that you could make, because if you don’t know their journey and you have no idea what a little acknowledgement could do for their soul. My favorite entry is on page 41…

Maybe the love gets in easier right where the heart’s broke open.
Maybe you can live a full and beautiful life in spite of the great and terrible moments that will happen right inside of you. Actually – maybe you get to become more abundant because of those moments.
Maybe – I don’t know how, but somehow? – maybe our hearts are made to be broken. Broken open. Broken free. Maybe the deepest wounds birth deepest wisdom.
We are made in the image of God. And wasn’t God’s heart made to be broken too? Wounds can be openings to the beauty in us. And our weaknesses can be a container for God’s glory.
Hannah tasted salty tears of infertility. Elijah howled for God to take his life. David asked his soul a thousand times why it was so downcast. God does great things through the greatly wounded. God sees the broken as the best and He sees the best in the broken and He calls the wounded to be the world changers.
Our bad brokenness is made whole by His good brokenness.

I rate this book a 3 out of 5 stars!

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:

Be the Gift, by New York Times–bestselling author Ann Voskamp, will challenge and encourage you to listen to God and look for opportunities to be His gift to others.


The idea that even in the depths of our own brokenness God can use each of us to be a gift to someone else is powerful—that He makes each of us enough to give to someone else. Just as powerful is the realization that in becoming God’s gifts to others, our lives become more abundant: “Maybe the only abundant way forward is always to give forward.” Ideas this powerful need to be put into action.


Live out the messages in Ann’s bestselling books, The Broken Way and One Thousand Gifts, with Be the Gift, a practical guide that takes you through each day of the year with ways to bless those around you.


Featuring selections from The Broken Way and Ann’s blog, beautifully designed quotations, inspirational verses, and Ann’s signature photography, this gorgeous book will be an incredible gift to any loved one. It also includes pages of perforated gift tags in the back to include with a meal dropped off for an ailing friend or a pie baked for a friendly neighbor or even passed to a friend with a much-loved book.


One Thousand Gifts encouraged readers to live a life of thanksgiving and to chronicle the gifts from God in their everyday lives. The Broken Way reminded that freedom is not found beyond fear and pain, but within it. Now Be the Gift will unpack and chronicle the next step to really live in communion—opening ourselves up to givenness in spite of our brokenness.


My Review:

Ann Voskamp is an author well known for her inspiring and encouraging words. I know for me she has always had something uplifting to say that I can apply or that does apply to my daily life. She takes it above and beyond the normal scripture reference and shows us in a very helpful ways to choose God in all we do.



Be the Gift is a perfect book with selections from Ann's blog and The Broken Way. It is the collaboration of these two places of encouragement that I can see through the tears and dismal failures I make daily. Her words help me to see that God's grace and my "mess-ups" can meet somewhere in the middle to allow freedom to take place for me. Ann gives life to these words that will definitely pierce your soul.


Being broken in some ways feels that there is no hope. But being broken in Jesus will give you a total different outlook on this life. Filled with encouraging words, stories, life lessons, Scripture, and beautiful pictures you will surely glean something from Be the Gift.


**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be the Gift by Ann Voskamp teaches us how to let our brokenness be turned into abundance.
This is such a beautiful hardcover book with bookmark ribbon, stunning photography, journaling space and kindness prompts. But most of all the short devotionals speak to me greatly.
As Voskamp says in the introduction; "This world is beautiful - but this world is broken. And the suffering is all around us...in us."
This is so, so true. Aren't we all broken in some way or another? Hasn't life dealt each of us some type (or several types) of blow that affects us greatly?
Voskamp writes "Even in the depths of our own brokenness - actually, because of the depths of our own brokenness - God can use each of us to be a gift to another broken heart.
To be the broken and brave who know that when the stakes are highest, kindness matters most.
Even the smallest seeds of kindness can begin to break the worst kind of brokenness.
What if we could be compassionate with each other, co-suffer with each other - so that we could be part of the healing of each other?"

Voskamp also points out that time is fleeting and that our chance at change is now. Pages 70-71 ask us "What if instead of waiting for good enough things to happen to us we could be the good things to happen to someone else who's waiting?
The world is brokenhearted and full of suffering, and if you listen to what life needs instead of what you need from it, you could fill the brokenness with your own brokenhearted love - and this in turn will fill you."

This goes against the grain of the world's thinking. TO DIE TO SELF. And yet that's what Jesus asks of us. "I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." -John 12:24

I could go on and on but suffice to say that there is great wisdom in this book. I always have a difficult time reviewing Voskamp as I do find her writing to be too poetic, as though she is trying just a bit too hard and it takes something away from the writing. But in this format, short little devotions, time can be taken to read and re-read the message in order to absorb and truly meditate on her words. I found this format to be much easier on the brain.

This book was given to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

[Victoria W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ann Voskamp's new book Be the Gift is not an easy read, I think, however, it is one with an important message for those who are able to read it.

Ann's style appears to be a collaboration of story and parable, honest vulnerability and hard truth. It's this hard truth that makes this book so very valuable.
I loved Ann's honest look at brokenness, her passionate pointing back to Christ, communion, and the church when it comes to the hard and the messy in life. This message of hard and messy things needs to be paired with the beauty of giving, koinonia, and eucharisteo to be real in our messy,human lives. In light of Ann's gift in storytelling and parable this message comes across in a way that blends this truth with everyday experience and emotion in a venue that makes her words seem tangible.

That said, I know some will (and do) struggle with Voskamp's writing style.With her unconventional presentation, wordy vocabulary, and unusual transitions some readers may find Voskamp's work difficult to track with which is okay, not everyone learns from a storytelling perspective. Voskamp's work requires patience and alertness (this is definitely not a midnight binge read) to absorb the full impact of her words, not to mention the possibility of a second read through.

The book, itself, seems to be aware of the weightiness of its words and the time required to process their meaning. As a result, the text is inter-spaced with beautifully shot pictures of life and light that give balance to the message which surrounds them.

Overall, I appreciated Be the Gift and found its message to be one that I will return to again.
4 out of 5 stars


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

[Jennifer Pickwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t think of a current author who challenges me with words on paper (or on screen) more than Ann Voscamp. Her newest release is Be The Gift and is filled with selections from her best seller, The Broken Way. With the Thanksgiving month upon us and Christmas right behind it, this book is a beautiful reminder to walk in kindness, generosity, and love. We can bring hope, love, healing and grace to those around us if we will open our eyes to the needs in front of us.

In her moving introduction Ann says, “The thrilling secret beyond all suffering is that even- especially- in that place of suffering, we can become God’s gift to others, and we can taste the actual goodness of his abundance.” And, “Even the smallest seeds of kindness can begin to break the worst kind of brokenness.” What follows is a challenge, through Ann’s personal reflection and narrative, to be the gift. I love all of it and need this reminder that God can use all of us to be the miracle our neighbors, strangers, and friends are thirsting for. As Ann compels us to action, she reminds us that we don’t have to be perfect to participate.

Also included in this beautiful book is a list of ideas to be the gift today, and some really cute gift tags to include with the plate of warm cookies or flowers. I feel like this book would be the perfect read to launch you into a less exhausting holiday season. There is so much wisdom and love in this book! I requested a review copy from the publisher and BookLookBloggers. I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I have not been compensated in any way other than the joy received from reading a great book.

[Megsbookclub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be the Gift by Ann Voskamp was a harder read than I expected. I like to check out different religious authors from time to time and this book is Christian.
It has some really good points about how basically we are all human and we all have had broken hearts and ups and downs and that is what makes us so great to reach out to others. Because we have all been there. 💛
Be the Gift by simply holding the door, smiling, paying it forward or saying thank you because you don’t realize that simple acts can have the greatest impact on someone, especially someone you don’t know because you don’t know their journey and a small acknowledgement can go a long way! 🙋‍♀️
I read a small section each night for about two weeks to spread it out and think through each piece.
It was not written as organized as I would prefer but was still interesting to read and had beautiful pictures.

[Anne Karakash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be the Gift was my favorite non-fiction book of the year. This is a beautiful devotional for Advent. It is filled with hope and optimism, and is written with a surprisingly poetic voice. It took me a few days to get on board with the language but, once I leaned into it, I became an admirer of this author and her beautifully expressive way of phrasing her love for Jesus and the hope he brings to the world.

I don't have any real gripes with this book, though the author would suggest activities to go along with each reading - some of which were a bit too far outside my comfort zone and a few for which I did not have the supplies. Also, since I tend to read at night, I was always running a day behind on the activities. Regardless, reading this book was a pleasure and I thought it was a delightful way to embrace the coming of Christmas.

[Makayla Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book hard to follow, filled with metaphor after metaphor that made it feel like it should either be poems or prose that was trying too hard. The whole book has a somber and “broken” feel and seems like a book for someone who’s walking through grief but also the kind of book that a grieving person, if they received it, would throw out because it would fall in the same category as garden stones that say “forever in our hearts.” There were a few lines that I agreed with about Christ and his role with us - communion and restoring broken things. However it felt like the author was stuck on the brokenness and feeling constantly daily dead and broken without ever reaching the conclusion that Christ has reconciled the cosmos to Himself and has solved our every need in his incarnation. Beautiful photography but I wish the written content was better.

[Jodie Pine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful message of giving our lives away.

"The best way to love in a brokenhearted world is to feel along for the brokenness in things, and to give our own hearts to that brokenness and make a kind of wholeness."

"Our call is to take the form of reaching hands, open ears, listening hearts because our God is with us and we're called into communion with Him and with each other. Because our compassionate God is all-powerful and we cannot help but be compassionate with each other because this is the way of the most powerful."

"If you lean in close, you can hear it, the faint heartbeat of a strong hope, of people coming together to give grace to each other, through the brokenness of everything being re-membered...everything being put back together."

[Elise van der Leer-Schaaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

To begin with the positive side: there were some beautiful pages about giving;how Jesus shows and learns us to give to others, no matter our own circumstances.
Nevertheless, it felt as Voskamp idealised pain and suffering, as if this was how God originally intended life to be. She forgot to show the other side of this, how God promises us no more tears and pain in the second heaven and earth and how it originally was in Eden. Beside this, there is no real line/structure in this book. It made it hard to read, to understand the relation between pages. Lastly, most of the images felt kind of random and for me it didn't add to the book.

[WhatRachelsReading · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Ann Voskamp! I know her writing is very different and quite poetic but she speaks to me in so many ways! “Be The Gift- Let your brokenness be turned into abundance” ended up being such an encouragement. We are all broken people who go through hard times and suffering. When that happens, GIVE!!! Give your time, give someone else a word of encouragement. Even if your times of suffering God can use you to be a gift to others!
I personally loved the list in the back for ways you can give forward because sometimes you just need an idea of what to do! You never know how God can use YOU even in the toughest times!!

[Matthew Tessnear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to read this book. I’ve known I’m broken for a long time now. I’ve admitted I’m broken for a year now. And I’ve worked on understanding my brokenness for going on three months. This book encourages me further to share myself as a gift through many ways, including telling my own story. There are so many great revelations in this book. My only wish was that it would be divided differently to be a little more digestible and organized in a way to easily revisit passages. It’s like one long chapter.

[Cat Rayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful and insightful read. A reminder to become cruciform, Christ in human form. So many stand alone, convicting statements in a flow of words encouraging you to “be the gift”.

“ Live everyday like you are terminal. Because you are. Live everyday like your soul is eternal. Because it is.”

This was an excellent choice to read on the first day of 2019. Pondering worthy thought to begin a new year.