Radical Gratitude

March 14, 2005
Vaughn—who has collaborated on many books with Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson—yearned for a strong and continuous connection with God when her mother's death and her own spiritual apathy left her in need of renewal. What she discovered was gratitude. As Vaughn says, "the rhythm of divine renewal beats in the pulse of a purposefully grateful human heart." This is not a handbook for mastering the discipline of gratefulness; rather, it offers a new understanding of God and his gift of a grateful heart. Vaughn recounts her own journey to gratitude, then addresses possible obstacles. She says that gratefulness comes in four basic stages: remembering our slavery and our salvation; forgetting our sin, shame and success; looking up to see God as God; and looking around at our connections to fellow believers. Vaughn encourages readers to put gratitude into everyday life through simple objects that lead to remembrance such as rocks—which she calls biblical "Ebenezers"— jewelry, books, photos or anything that reminds us to be grateful for the mundane things of life as well as the spiritual valleys and mountains we've navigated. Vaughn's writing is tight and solid, and her storytelling a delight as she opens readers to the life-changing role of gratitude. Many Christians will find this a challenging, necessary and wonderful book.