November Pastoral Letter

Dear Friends,

November is the month when we celebrate Thanksgiving Day—this year it is Nov. 25. It is a day for good food, good laughs with family, and a good time to give thanks to God, from whom all blessings flow.  

But, Thanksgiving does not have to be limited to one day. In fact, the apostle Paul reminds us to:  Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.     (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

So, how do we rejoice always? How do we pray continually? How do we give thanks in all circumstances? It is especially challenging during these difficult days of a pandemic that seems to have no end in sight.

Sometimes we need to be reminded. We need daily hints of how to be grateful, even when we might not feel it. 

And so, in November, I am going to offer “Twenty-One Days of Thanks-giving.” 

Why Twenty-one days?  According to Dr. Maxwell Maltz in Psycho-Cybernetics, “It requires a minimum of about 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to gel.” Since his book was published in 1960, more than 30 million copies have been sold, so that this observable metric in his patients has become accepted as fact.

Since then, other studies have highlighted a range in variables in habit forming that make it impossible to establish a one-size-fits-all answer. For example, certain habits take longer to form. As demonstrated in the study, many participants found it easier to adopt the habit of drinking a glass of water at breakfast than to do 50 sit-ups after morning coffee. A consistent routine is important, but what is most crucial is a good reason to develop the habit, and some motivation to continue.

Friends, I know that in the time in which we live, it is easy to lose heart. It is easy to get down and depressed. It is easy to forget to count your blessings. And it is especially difficult to do it alone.

Therefore, for 21 days (from Nov. 8 through Nov. 28), I will send you a daily email with a verse about gratitude. Together, we will practice giving thanks for 21 days. And by then, with God’s grace, it will become a habit, a holy habit, that we will want to continue each and every day.

To get us started, read and reflect on this:

Gratefulness helps us return to ourselves, restoring our equilibrium and helping us to see beyond what’s broken to the beauty and wholeness of life.  –Tim Roberts

May it be so.

Gratefully yours in Christ,

Donna