It's All About Eucharisteo

 

 

 

After reading Ann Voskamp's book, One Thousand Gifts I decided to take this dare.  To count 1000 gifts in a year. I thought to myself how easy this dare would be.

And over a year later, I'm only on gift #237.

Geez, this was harder than I thought. Now keep in mind that we had a lot going on the last year.

Had our house on the market, moved, moved again. Just lots of stress.

BUT I still should have been counting.

 

Eucharist {thanksgiving} is the state of the perfect man.

Eucharist is the life of paradise.  Eucharist is the

only fully and real response of man to God's creation,

redemption, and gift of heaven.

Alexander Schmemann

 

Now about that word eucharisteo...

 

 

The root word of eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took the bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be gift and gave thanks. Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.” Charis. Grace. Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving. Chara. Joy.

 

 

 

Here are some quotes by Ann from her book.

 

“If all these were gifts that God gives-

then wasn’t my writing down the list like…receiving.”

 

“Wherever you are, be all there’ is only possible in the posture of eucharisteo. I want to slow down and taste life, give thanks, and see God.”

 

“Thanksgiving creates abundance; and the miracle of multiplying happens when I give thanks–take the just one loaf, say it is enough, and give thanks–and He miraculously makes it more than enough.”

 

 

 

 

Grace, thanksgiving, joy. I need to see all of this. So Im not taking this lightly this time.

I am picking up where I left off.

 At the end of every post I will be counting my gifts.

 

{Philippians 4:11-12}

"I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.  I

know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.

I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether

it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little."

 

If you haven't already, I recommend you reading One Thousand Gifts.

Do this dare with me.

Count 1000 gifts this year!

 

 

Many Blessings,

Jenny

 

 

#236- kids waving bye to daddy in the morning

 

#237- smiley face stickers stuck on the floors

 

#238- an encouraging email

 

#239- the smell of clean laundry