Today is St. Patrick’s Day

So exactly who is St. Patrick?

Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was actually born in Wales. His name was Maewyn, and he almost didn’t get the job as bishop of Ireland because he was uneducated. In fact, far from being a saint, Patrick grew up a pagan. At age 16, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish bandits who had raided his village. During his captivity Patrick became closer to God. Patrick wrote, “and the faith grew in me, and the spirit was roused, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers, and in the night nearly the same.”

After six years, Patrick escaped and went to Gaul where he studied in a monastery. During that time, the young man realized that his calling was to convert pagans to Christianity. Patrick’s first wish was to return to Ireland and convert the pagans there. But his superiors sent another man first. Patrick was appointed as the second bishop to Ireland.

Patrick devoted his life to serving Christians already living in Ireland and to converting the pagans. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries and opening schools and churches. By the time of his death, nearly the entire country of Ireland had become Christians. Patrick died on March 17^th in 461—the day that has been commemorated as St. Patrick’s Day ever since.

While most Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with shamrocks and wearing green, the real intent of the day was to pray for missionaries around the world. So if you want to wear green today, go ahead. But be sure to take time to thank God for the many men and women who have devoted their lives to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Then he told me, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. You are to take his message everywhere, telling the whole world what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:14, 15).

To Do

Share with someone today the real meaning of St. Patrick’s Day.

Also on this day . . .

1756—St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated for the first time at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in New York City.

1845—The rubber band was invented.

1941—The National Gallery of Art was officially opened by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Washington, DC.

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.

This is Freedom of Information Day.

Freedom of Information Day is celebrated each year on the anniversary of the birth of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States and chief author of the Bill of Rights. The day’s purpose is to focus on the importance of every citizen’s right to obtain government information in a democratic society.

An important part of obtaining truth about the government was established in 1966 through the Freedom of Information Act. This law establishes the public’s right to obtain information from agencies such as the Defense Department, the State Department, and the Central Intelligence Agency.

As James Madison wrote, “A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.”

Madison noted that knowing the truth and having knowledge were important elements in a free society. Jesus also taught that knowing the truth was essential to being free. And what is that truth? The Bible tells us that Jesus is truth and the source of truth. John wrote, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17, New International Version). Jesus identifies himself as the truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

As the source of all truth, Jesus is able to set us free from our sins, from the consequences of our sin, and from the deception of Satan. Jesus clearly shows us the way to God—and when we know God, we have true freedom.

Jesus’ perfect truth gives us the freedom to be all that God intends for us to be.

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

To Do

Complete this sentence, “Because I know Jesus loves me and forgives me, I am free to _________.”

Also on this day . . .

1751—James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, was born.

1926—Physicist Robert H. Goddard launched the first liquid-fuel rocket.

1993—France officially declared that ostrich meat was fit for human consumption.

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.

Today is the Ides of March.

“Beware the Ides of March,” the fortune-teller warned in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, forever marking that day with a sense of ill will and feeling of dread. And for those who know the fate of Julius Caesar on that particularly day, it’s no wonder. (More about that later!)

At that time, the Romans wouldn’t have thought twice about the Ides of March. Even Shakespeare’s audience wouldn’t have blinked at the mention of that date. To the Romans, the Ides of March was simply the standard way of saying March 15^th. In the Roman calendar, every month had an Ides, usually on the 15^th day, sometimes on the 13^th. The Ides was one of three days that the Romans used as reference points for counting other days.

It was the events that occurred on that day, later immortalized in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, that have forever associated the Ides of March with betrayal and evil. On that day, Julius Caesar’s so-called friends and followers assassinated him while he sat on his gilded throne in the Roman Senate. As he lay dying from the many stab wounds he received, historians reported that Caesar looked up at his friend Brutus, and said, “You, too, my child?”

Years later, another leader would be betrayed by another so-called friend. This time the leader would be betrayed by a kiss—a signal that led to the Jesus’ arrest and death on a cross. The “friend”? Judas Iscariot.

Let this day serve as a reminder of the true, real friends in your life. Friends that stick close to you, listen to you, and care about you are valuable. They are worth much more than the dozens of superficial, fair-weather friends, who vanish when life gets tough.

There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

To Do

Tell a friend that today is the Ides of March, and then explain what it means. Then tell your friend what he or she means to you.

Also on this day . . .

1767—Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, was born.

1820—Maine was admitted as the 23rd state of the Union.

1907—Finland is the first European country to give women the right to vote.

1962—Wilt Chamberlain is the first to score 4,000 points in a NBA season.

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.

Albert Einstein was born on this day in 1879.

When Time magazine selected the most important person who lived in the 20^th century, the editors chose Albert Einstein: “He was the pre-eminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The touchstones of the era—the [atomic] Bomb, . . . quantum physics and electronics—all bear his imprint.” Einstein has been hailed as a “genius among geniuses” and the greatest thinker of the 20^th century.

Slow in learning to talk as a child, expelled by one school headmaster, and proclaimed by another as unlikely to amount to much, Einstein went on to develop theories that would change how we view and practice science forever. His work in quantum physics and the theory of relativity, for example, continues to impact how we view our world today.

Great minds and thinkers like Einstein inspire us, and rightfully so. Most of us can’t imagine being that wise. Yet, the truth is that being wise—being able to determine right from wrong—is never out of our reach. You may not be able to come up with the latest or greatest scientific theory, but you can always know what God wants you to do. How? James tells us that all we have to do is ask God, “who gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5, New International Version).

Godly wisdom goes beyond just knowing facts and information. It is the ability to make the right decision in difficult situations. It is choosing what God wants instead of what we want. And it comes from learning God’s will by reading his Word and then doing it.

Want to be known as a wise person? Ask God for wisdom. Then do what he tells you!

If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking (James 1:5).

To Do

In what areas of your life do you need wisdom? Take time right now to ask God for his wisdom.

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Potato Chip Day. Have a bag!

1794—Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin.

1914—Henry Ford announced the new continuous motion method to assemble cars, reducing the time it took to make a car from 12 ½ hours to 93 minutes.

1943—Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first President to fly in an airplane while in office.

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.

Today is Genealogy Day.

Where do your ancestors come from? Where do you fit on your family tree? Are you related to some famous person in history? Maybe you haven’t given much thought to questions like this, but thousands of people spend countless hours trying to discover the answers to the secrets hidden in their personal family trees.

Genealogy, the record of members of a family, is the second most popular hobby in American today—right after gardening. Genealogy is fun and educational, and everyone can join in, no matter how old. It’s like a mystery—you never know who you might find belonging to your family.

Genealogies were important in biblical times. In numerous places in the Bible, you will come across long lists of names tracing biblical family trees. (For example, see Genesis 4, 5, 1 Chronicles 5, 6, Ezra 10.) It’s often tempting to skip over these passages as just a long list of dead people, but genealogies were critical to the Jewish people. Why? For one thing, family trees were helpful in tracing priestly or royal descent. The genealogies also showed how God was at work through families in the Jewish nation. (Remember the promise of a great nation had been given to a family—Abraham’s—and passed down from there.) The New Testament has two genealogies that trace Jesus’ family tree, showing that Jesus was related to all Jews (Matthew 1:1–17) and that Jesus was related to all humankind (Luke 3:23–38). Both Matthew’s and Luke’s genealogies establish without a doubt that Jesus is the Messiah and the Savior of the world.

Go ahead and read one of the two New Testament genealogies. If you are a follower of Jesus, then guess what? You belong to Jesus’ family tree as well!

A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1, New International Version).

To Do

If your family hasn’t done so, take some time to make a family tree as far back as you can go.

Also on this day . . .

1781—The planet Uranus was discovered. In 1930, the planet Pluto was discovered.

1887—Chester Greenwood of Maine patented earmuffs.

1951—The comic strip “Dennis the Menace” appeared for the first time in newspapers across the country.

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.

The Girl Scouts organization was founded on this day in 1912.

More than 90 years ago today, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low gathered 18 girls from her hometown of Savannah, Georgia and held the first Girl Scout meeting. Juliette’s vision was to form an organization that would help girls develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. The girls hiked, camped, played sports, learned first aid, and served others. Within a few years, the group was organized officially as Girl Scouts, Inc. Today the group has a membership of more than four million girls. More than 50 million women in the United States today were once Girl Scouts.

At the core of Girl Scouting is the Promise. The Girl Scout Promise is the way members agree to act every day toward one another and other people. At every meeting girls affirm their commitment to the principles of Girl Scouts with these words: On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

At the heart of this promise is service and helping others. In much the same way, Christians need to put their faith into action by serving and helping others. James puts it this way: “Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless” (James 2:17).

Our good deeds are an outward expression of our commitment to God. How do we show others what is in our hearts? By cleaning our room without being asked. Helping a classmate at school with homework. Volunteering to do the “dirty jobs” at church. Collecting canned food for the hungry. Deeds of loving service affirm our faith in Jesus.

Let your good deeds shine for God!

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16).

To Do

Put your faith into action with a good deed at home, at school, or in your neighborhood.

Also this day . . .

Today is National Baked Scallops Day!

1789—The U.S. Post Office was established.

1894—Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time.

1904—After 30 years of drilling, the tunnel under the Hudson River was completed, connecting Jersey City, N.J. and New York City.

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.

On this day in 1888, the most famous storm in American history began.

No one saw it coming. The previous day the weather had been unusually warm. The predictions were for fair weather. Then on the afternoon of March 11, light snow began to fall. Two days later, the northeast was buried in 46.7 inches of snow.

At the time, the Blizzard of 1888 was called the “worst storm in living memory,” and it still holds the distinction of the worst winter storm on record in many areas of the northeast. The blizzard also had a long-reaching impact. The U.S. Weather Service Bureau was created to help better predict the weather, and cities began taking responsibility for snow removal.

Storms have a way of bringing our lives to a standstill. While we have better ways today of tracking and predicting storms, we often don’t know where they will hit or how severe they will be.

Remember the disciples in the boat on the Sea of Galilee? There they were, in the middle of the lake, when an unpredictable storm caught them off-guard. They feared for their lives as they struggled to keep their boat afloat. And where was Jesus? Sleeping in the back of the boat. When the panicked disciples woke him up, Jesus rebuked the raging seas and the whipping winds. In an instant, the storm stopped. Then Jesus turned to his friends and said, “Where is your faith?”

Life’s storms are like that, too. Whether you are faced with attending a new school, dealing with an illness in your family, or coping with an unexpected loss, remember Jesus’ words. In the midst of the storm, we need to remember that Jesus is with us and that he can calm whatever storm we are facing.

“Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him” (Luke 8:25, New International Version).

To Do

What unexpected “storm” has taken you by surprise? Based on what you just read, write down three ways you can weather this storm.

Also on this day . . .

Today is Johnny Appleseed Day.

1969—Levi-Strauss started selling bell-bottomed jeans.

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.

The United States issued paper money in 1862.

Paper money was first issued during the Revolutionary War by colonial governments. While some of the money was readily accepted in exchange for goods, other bills were not. During the war, the Continental Congress issued bills called “Continentals.” But with no firm backing for the money, these bills essentially became worthless. As George Washington put it, “A wagonload of currency will hardly purchase a wagonload of provisions.”

It wasn’t until 1862 that the federal government issued Legal Tender Notes, also known as United States Notes. These new notes—issued in denominations from $1 to $1,000 (later $5,000 and $10,000)—were the first national currency used as legal tender for most public and private debts. Then in 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed to regulate the flow of money and stabilize the economy. These Federal Reserve Notes issued in 1914 make up more than 99 percent of today’s paper money.

Today, we value money for what it is able to purchase for us. People trust in their wealth to buy what they need and more—houses and cars, clothing, food, luxury items. We all understand and speak the language of money in our culture.

But King Solomon recognized an important truth: We can easily get trapped into trusting and depending on our money to meet our needs rather than God. We use money daily to solve our problems. Often it’s the easiest way to get what we want. Money is necessary for survival, but if we begin to love money more than God and depend on it to meet our every need, then we will soon run into trouble. People who build their lives on money rather than God soon discover that they have nothing in their spiritual banks.

Wisdom or money can get you almost anything, but it’s important to know that only wisdom can save your life. (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

To do

Take out a bill and look for the motto “In God we trust.” Think of all the different ways you should trust in God rather than in money.

Also on this day . . .

515 BC—The building of the great Jewish temple in Jerusalem was completed.

1880—The Salvation Army arrived in the United States from England.

1986—The Wrigley Company of Chicago raised the price of its seven-stick pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum from a quarter to 30 cents.

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.

Today is Panic Day!

It’s official. Today you have permission to lock yourself in your room, grab your security blanket or favorite stuffed animal, and stay in bed until tomorrow. It’s Panic Day!

So what sends you into panic mode? A huge math test? Getting that book report done by next week? Maybe the idea of speaking in front of the class makes your hands start to sweat and puts your stomach in knots.

Whatever it is, we all face situations in which our first instinct is to hit the panic button. Tom Roy certainly knows. The Pennsylvania native came up with the idea of Panic Day in memory of his own panic attacks as a young actor. While he submitted the idea of this holiday as a joke, many people take this holiday all too seriously. Roy says, “Every year someone calls me and asks, ‘Did you create Panic Day because of all the stuff that’s going on in the world right now?’”

Good question. There’s plenty to read about or hear in the news to make anyone panic. At times events are enough to convince anyone that the world is out of control. You may even feel that way when you are forced to move because of a job transfer or when a loved one gets sick or when parents divorce. Life very quickly can go haywire.

So what can you do panic begins to bubble up? First of all, remember who is in control. As the psalm-writer reminds us: “But the Lord is in his holy Temple; the Lord still rules from heaven. He watches everything closely, examining everyone on earth” (Psalm 11:4). Nothing happens to you that God does not know about or see. Trust him to care and guide you whenever panic hits.

I form the light and create darkness,
I bring prosperity and create disaster;
I, the Lord, do all these things (Isaiah 45:7, New International Version.

To Do

Find out what puts your friends or family members into a panic. Remind them of who is in control.

Also on this day . . .

Today is Barbie’s birthday!

1562—Kissing in public was banned in Naples (punishable by death).

1788—Connecticut became the fifth state in the U.S.

1858—Albert Potts of Philadelphia patented the street mailbox.

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.

Today is International Woman’s Day.

The purpose of International Women’s Day is to remember women’s struggles to achieve equality in the last hundred years, and to recognize the achievements of women. Today it is observed by the United Nations and is a national holiday in many countries.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history. One such woman in the Bible is Ruth—an ordinary woman who made history.

Ruth was the most unlikely of Bible heroines. She was from Moab, a longtime enemy of Israel. She had married an Israelite whose family had traveled from Bethlehem seeking relief from a famine. Years later, Ruth’s husband died, her sister-in-law’s husband had died, and her mother-in-law Naomi’s husband had died. The three widows were left to fend for themselves.

Naomi told her daughters-in-laws to stay in Moab and remarry, but she was going home. Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Ruth told her, “I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

So Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem. Ruth went to the fields to gather the leftover grain so she and Naomi could eat. The field belonged to Boaz, a relative of Naomi’s. Boaz, who had heard about Ruth’s great devotion to her mother-in-law, took the two women under his protection, and eventually married Ruth.

But the best part of the story is that Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed. He later had a son named Jesse, whose son was David, King of Israel. And from David’s family line came the most important person of all—Jesus.

Ruth was an ordinary woman doing ordinary things, but God used her to make history. Her story became His story.

But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. I will go wherever you go and live wherever you live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16).

To Do

Read Matthew 1:1–17 and check out Jesus’ family tree. Look carefully for where Ruth’s family is connected.

Also on this day . . .

Today is Middle Name Pride Day—tell someone your middle name and be proud!

1894—A dog license law was enacted in New York State. It was the first animal control law in the U.S.

1969—The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am was introduced.

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.