The month of November is here and with it begins my favorite time of the year. I love November and the opportunity to reflect and express gratitude for so much in my life. Henry Van Dyke once said “Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse.”

There is a book that I have always remembered since I first read it many years ago. It is a book that has had a significant impact on my life. Many of you may be acquainted with Corrie ten Boom’s book entitled The Hiding Place. It is the true story of two Dutch women who were imprisoned during World War II for harboring Jewish refugees. One of the many messages of this book bears reminding.

Corrie and Betsie ten Boom lived by the precepts of Christ and found great comfort in reading the Bible. Their prison barracks were dimly lit, dirty, foul smelling, crowded, and constantly patrolled by guards. Corrie was put into a cell with her sister, which was a blessing for them both. Her constant worry was that the guards would see their Bible and take it away, since it was a great source of hope and comfort to them.

The place was so infested with fleas that the sisters could not move without instantly being covered with the bugs. They were very familiar with scriptures concerning gratitude and thankfulness in the Bible. Betsie told Corrie that they should thank God for the fleas. Corrie wasn’t sure she could do this, but she and Betsie bowed their heads and thanked God even for the fleas.

Weeks later Corrie was struck by the blessing that came from her obedience to thank God in all circumstances. Betsie had heard a supervisor say she wouldn’t step through the door of their cell because of all the fleas, and neither would the guards. It was because of the fleas that they were able to continue to keep their Bible without the guards finding it. They were also able to hold worship meetings and share Christ’s message with other prisoners. God asks us to give thanks even when there may seem to be little for which to be thankful. The ten Boom sisters fully understood this admonition.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season. One opportunity to express gratitude this season might be to join us at an Interfaith Thanksgiving Worship service being held November 23rd at 6pm at First Presbyterian Church on 865 N. Dustin.

I am grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ and His Gospel. I am grateful for you, each of you, and all you do.

With much love,

President Jeffery Nygren