On this day John Wayne is born in 1907.

One of the most popular actors of all time, John Wayne was born Marion Michael Morrison in Winterset, Iowa. Wayne planned to attend the U.S. Naval Academy after high school, but he was rejected. So he accepted a football scholarship to the University of Southern California.

While at USC, Wayne’s football coach found him a job as an assistant prop man on the set of a movie directed by John Ford. Ford used Wayne as an extra and eventually began to trust the youth with some larger roles. In 1930, Ford recommended Wayne for Fox’s epic Western The Big Trail. Wayne won the part, but the movie did poorly.

During the next 10 years, Wayne worked in countless low-budget western films, developing a distinct personality for his cowboy characters. Finally, his old mentor John Ford gave Wayne his big break, casting him in the 1939 western, Stagecoach. Wayne was Ringo Kid, and he played the role with the essential traits of the characters he used in nearly all of his other movies: a tough and clear-eyed honesty, unquestioning valor, and an almost plodding manner.

The Duke, as he was called, became known for these heroic characters—men of decency, honesty, and integrity. He built his acting career portraying men who did the right thing.

When it comes to real heroes, one of the defining characters in the Bible is David. You can almost envision David riding across the Wild West, battling outlaws instead of the Philistines. King David was known for his honesty, his integrity, and his decency. He was given one of the highest honors: in the Bible he was called a “man after God’s own heart.”

You don’t have to fight battles to be considered a “kid after God’s own heart.” Read Acts 13:22 and you’ll discover what it takes to be a real hero in God’s eyes.

After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22, New International Version).

To Do

Who do you consider your heroes? Write down one or two characteristics of those people you admire the most.

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Blueberry Cheesecake Day.

1805—Lewis & Clark first saw the Rocky Mountains.

1959—The word “Frisbee” became a registered trademark of Wham-O.

1977—The first Star Wars movie debuted.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.