Growing Grateful: Live Happy, Peaceful, and Contented

by Mary A. Kassian, Jennifer Rothschild (Foreword)

The secret to peace and contentment can be found in developing a habit of gratitude. Thankfulness changes our perspective and reprograms our mood, fostering a rich happiness whatever the day holds--the kind of happy that blooms in every season of life's ups and downs.

In Growing Grateful, award-winning author and speaker Mary A. Kassian offers 101 entries on the joy of being grateful even in the hardest times. Each entry contains a Bible verse, a short meditation on gratitude, and a thoughtful reflection question. Learn how to be:


grateful for God's abiding presence.
grateful despite your circumstances.
grateful that God wants you to flourish.
Discover that in good times and bad, being a grateful person can lead you to a lasting contentment.

Genres: Christian

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 17, 2020

About the author

Mary Kassian is an award winning author, popular speaker, and a distinguished professor of women’s studies at Southern Baptist Seminary. She has published several books, Bible studies and videos, including: Girls Gone Wise, In My Father’s House: Finding Your Heart’s True Home, Conversation Peace, Vertically Inclined, and the Feminist Mistake.

Mary graduated from the faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine from the University of Alberta, Canada and has studied systematic theology at the doctoral level. She has taught courses at seminaries across North America She is a popular conference speaker and has ministered to women’s groups internationally. Mary has appeared on numerous radio and television shows, including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, and Marriage Uncensored.

Mary was born and raised in Edmonton, Canada. She and her husband, Brent, have three adult sons and one daughter-in-law. Mary has mastered the art of cheering after spending countless hours in rinks, arenas, and gyms: her husband is chaplain for a professional football team, her two older sons play ice hockey, and her youngest, volleyball. The Kassians enjoy biking, hiking, snorkeling (when they can find some warm water!), music, board games, mountains, campfires, and their family pets: Miss Kitty and black lab, General Beau.

Reviews

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biblically based devotional style book. I didn't realize it was short devotionals, so audiobook wasn't the best format; but still a very encouraging, convicting read.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really lovely book with such an important message. I didn't realise this was a book with daily passages to read and think on before I borrowed it from my library on audiobook. This was still lovely to read, however, and I very much enjoyed the way Mary A. Kassian wound stories from how life into teachings from the Bible. Being grateful in every aspect of your life is difficult but reading this book has shown me the importance of that. I'll need to buy my own copy of the book sometime so that I can meditate on each lesson properly. This would be the perfect book for a bible study group.

[Becca 💕 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to explore gratitude more so was glad to see this book was available through my library’s audiobook app. It started out mentioning God and the bible *a lot* which I thought wasn’t ideal for me but I could power through. But it just ramped up over the course of the book and the author declares that if you’re not showing gratitude to God then you’re not doing gratitude right and quotes bible passages every 3rd sentence. It’s too much to power through, if you’re not religious this won’t be the book for you.

[Abbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short, sweet daily reminders to thank God, contained in this book, have been very encouraging to me to redirect my thinking to God and His goodness! I looked for a book on thankfulness during what has been a season of multiple, painful experiences, in which I knew I needed to focus on gratitude or be swallowed up by bitterness over the broken things in life. This was the book I found and I recommend it as a precursor to daily devotional time as a reminder of how much there is to be thankful for and resetting my perspective on our good and loving Lord!

[Rachel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixing timeless truths with personal anecdotes, Kassian shows how to walk the path of gratitude in the midst of difficult and peaceful circimstances. Even when things are going well, we must be careful of pride. In trials, we depend on Him every day. I highly recommend this to anyone who needs to hear the truth spoken in love.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this over Thanksgiving break. So much to be thankful for. Short Christ-centered devotions.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great simple daily devotional!