Product Description
Giving thanks to God is a yearlong Christian practice. In this lavishly illustrated anthology, Leland Ryken presents forty of the greatest, most enduring thanksgiving texts of the English-speaking world—including Scripture, hymns, and prose—with helpful commentary and devotional remarks.
Paperback, 176 pages
Publication: October 2023
Endorsements
“A beautiful volume—a feast for the eye and the ear. Filled with gorgeous artwork and classic literary works, it is a book to return to again and again all year long.”
—Karen Swallow Prior, Author, The Evangelical Imagination and On Reading Well
“Encourages thought, inspires gratitude, and increases our wonder at a God who would bring us such happiness. Through this beautifully illustrated collection of forty meditations, Dr. Ryken helps us to see anew how many psalms, hymns, and poems express thankfulness in addition to extolling the worthiness of God. And yet Dr. Ryken makes an important distinction between thanks and praise: thoughtfulness leads us to gratitude, which in turn leads us to give thanks. It is this extension of thankfulness from us to the Giver of All Gifts that leads the grace embodied in us by the living Christ to come to fruition. Each of these entries and its enlightening corresponding discussion encourages the head toward reflection, the heart toward righteousness, and the spirit toward its joyous eternal home.”
—Carolyn Weber, Professor, New College Franklin; Author, Surprised by Oxford
“This is a volume that speaks to our minds and our hearts and lifts both to engage in thankfulness and praise to our great Redeemer God. Poetry and prose from an amazing breadth of authors are presented with clear explication and thoughtful application. And the carefully chosen reproductions of a wide range of visual art wonderfully illuminate the text. This is a volume for us to keep, to share with others, and to return to again and again when we need to be reminded that our great calling as the Lord’s people is to offer him our praise and deep thanksgiving for his grace and mercy to us in Jesus Christ.”
—Linda Boice, wife of the late James Montgomery Boice
“Ryken notes that thank stems from think, and he quotes Joseph Addison to say, ‘There is not a more pleasing exercise of the mind than gratitude.’ In this vein, it was very pleasant to think through and apply the treasures of this book—a refreshing occasion for thoughtful thanksgiving.”
—Mark Coppenger, Retired Professor of Christian Philosophy and Ethics, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Author
Leland Ryken, author of more than fifty books on biblical and literary topics, is the literary editor of the ESV Bible and emeritus professor of English at Wheaton College in Illinois.
