Giving Thanks: Rediscovering the Heart of Gratitude

Young people today face an uncertain world filled with serious threats. In such a climate, gratitude can feel difficult. Yet for over 350 years, The General Thanksgiving has providing a framework for gratitude even in the hardest times. Giving Thanks reintroduces this prayer to the contemporary church. "The historic prayers of the church, when used well, are energising to contemporary discipleship, mission and encountering God. To be used well they need to be led well by someone who not only understands their history and theology but by someone who has lived the prayer. Philip Plyming is such a leader and in this book journeys with us through the General Thanksgiving in a way that encourages and challenges us to be transformed by a heart of gratitude with the Lord." ''The Book of Common Prayer is laid out before a new generation, and Philip Plyming combines the story of its creation with its message. He commends it in the simplest terms: "one of my favourite prayers, particularly when things are tough, and I am finding it hard to pray". Read it, and be thrilled.'' ''Beautifully weaving together the timeless language of the General Thanksgiving with vivid contemporary examples and reflections, Giving Thanks is both highly accessible and deeply insightful. This is a book that will not only inform but also inspire, encouraging a spirit of gratitude to God in every reader. I warmly commend it to anyone seeking to cultivate thankfulness in their daily life.'' ''This is a sparkling exploration of a beloved prayer. I found myself regularly pausing in worship and gratitude. This insightful book takes us not just to the heart of one of the greatest prayers of the English language, but to the heart of God himself. Highly recommended.'' ''A deeply thought-provoking reflection on saying thank you - mainly to God but also to others - why we should do it, how we should do it, and what we should thank him for.'' For the first time in generations, young people today are growing up poorer than those before them, facing an uncertain world filled with serious threats. In such a climate, gratitude can feel difficult. Yet for over 350 years, a powerful resource has helped believers frame their thanksgiving: The General Thanksgiving from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. This theological masterpiece has guided generations in expressing profound truths in an accessible way, providing a framework for gratitude even in the hardest times.Giving Thanks seeks to reintroduce this prayer to the contemporary church. With deep attention to its original meaning, it explores the spiritual truths embedded in the prayer and reveals how thanksgiving is not about ignoring reality, but responding to God’s goodness – past, present, and future. Far from being a burdensome duty, a life of gratitude is a whole-life response to who God is and what God has done.This is an invitation to rediscover The General Thanksgiving and integrate its wisdom into daily Christian living.

• | Author: Philip Plyming
• | Publisher: Canterbury Press Norwich
• | Publication Date: Oct 24, 2025
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• | Binding: Paperback / softback
• | ISBN-13: 9781786226433
• | ISBN-10: 178622643X