Encouragement for Life

By Darrel Geis, Who was Saint Patrick and why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

Q: Who was Saint Patrick and why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

A:  Patrick, whom almost everyone calls “Saint Patrick,” although he was never canonized by the Catholic Church, was born to a wealthy family in AD 387 in Kilpatrick, Scotland. His real name was Maewyn Succat. It was his extensive missionary work in Ireland for which Patrick is famous. During the thirty years of work there, he supposedly converted over 135,000 people, established 300 churches, and consecrated 350 bishops. Patrick died on March 17, 461. For over a millennium, the Irish have celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

History records that Saint Patrick, at age sixteen, was captured by Irish raiders and spent several years as a slave in Ireland. It was during this time that he learned the various rituals, customs, and language of Druids, and it was these people that he eventually evangelized. Patrick apparently had a dream in which God spoke to him, saying, “Your ship is ready.” Patrick was then able to escape Ireland by ship. Shortly thereafter, he experienced another dream in which he received a letter that was labeled the “voice of the Irish.” When he opened it, he heard the voices of all those whom he had met in Ireland begging him to return.

Saint Patrick then returned to Ireland to tell people about Christ. Though the task was difficult and dangerous, he persisted and was able to build a strong foundation for Christianity. The Irish people were receptive to his teachings, especially in light of the fact that he was able to take several of their Celtic symbols and “Christianize” them. The most well-known of Patrick’s illustrations is the shamrock, a certain type of clover sacred to the Druids, which he used as a symbol of the Trinity.

Each year millions of people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It is a national holiday in Ireland when people do not work but worship and gather with family. In the United States, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in New York on March 17, 1762. It consisted largely of Irish soldiers. Today, St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated by wearing green, which symbolizes spring as well as Irish culture.

What started as a religious holiday has become a secular celebration of all things Irish. Neither Saint Patrick nor St. Patrick’s Day is mentioned in Scripture. While we would strongly disagree of some aspects of theology that St. Patrick taught, the fact that around 1,600 years ago a man dedicated his life to proclaiming the gospel, resulting in tens of thousands coming to faith in Christ, is most definitely worth celebrating (Luke 15:7-10).

*taken from www.gotquestions.org

By Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts, How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God

Growing up as an evangelical Christian, I experienced Lent as little more than a joke. “What are you giving up for Lent?” my friends would ask. “Homework,” I’d say with a smirk, or “Obeying my parents.” Lent was one of those peculiar practices demanded of Roman Catholics – another great reason to be Protestant, I figured. It never even occurred to me that Lent was something I might actually be interested in, or benefit from, or decide to keep, or come to value as a way of getting to know God better. In the last fifteen years I’ve discovered that Lent is in fact recognized by millions of Protestant Christians, in addition to Catholic and Orthodox believers. (The Eastern Orthodox Lent is longer than the Catholic or Protestant Lent, and it begins before Ash Wednesday.) Lent (the word comes from the Middle English word for “spring”) is a six-week season in the Christian year prior to Easter. (Technically, Lent comprises the 40 days before Easter, not counting the Sundays, or 46 days in total.)
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By Darrel Geis, Game Day

With my alma mater Ohio State having recently competed in the College Football Playoff, I was reminded of a memory from my college days in the 1980s that God used to plant seeds in my heart and draw me to Christ.

Before every home football game outside of Ohio Stadium, students involved with OSU Bible Studies would pass out Game Day rosters featuring Buckeyes players and their opponents. I was always eager to get a copy to follow the players by their number on the field.
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By John Hartz, The Pair of Shoes

As a small business owner I am constantly caught in the battle between the things I would like to be doing and the things my business makes me do. There have been so many books written on the struggle of the small businessman to move from working for his business to working on his business. Because we are constantly doing the work itself we have little time to do that higher order, higher priority “stuff” that will actually grow our business. And that, my dear friend, is aggravating. Really, whether you are a business owner or an employee, there is little that can bring more frustration to your soul than doing “menial” things while more “valuable” work goes undone.

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By Pastor Dax Welsheimer, God Desires Mercy Over Sacrifice

When I introduced myself in the last blog, I mentioned I try to live my life through three different filters. I wanted to share with you in the coming weeks what each of those actually mean, starting with the first filter –“God desires mercy over sacrifice.”

What does God desiring mercy over sacrifice actually mean?

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By Darrel Geis, Jesus Loves Me This I Know

Last fall I had the opportunity once again to serve as meals coordinator for Interfaith Hospitality Network, where we house, feed and provide clothing for homeless families displaced from their homes due to financial duress, usually caused by a significant illness, breakup of parents, or loss of the family’s main income source.

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By Darrel Geis, What Was Your Big Rock in 2015?

As we begin the New Year, it’s always appropriate to take a moment to reflect back on the previous twelve months, and thank God for his provisions and protection. What’s even better, though, is to intentionally “mark” a moment (or moments) where God made clear His purposes (i.e. through answered prayer or God-incidence), so that you never forget the lesson for the rest of your life.

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By Larry Burkett, Crown Financial Ministries

During a recent Sunday night service at a local church, a young minister shared a guideline for prayer handed down to him by an elder believer.

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By Darrel Geis, Christian Character and Competence – Our Unique New “Trust” Filter

I often hear advertisements from businesses that claim “we are a business you can trust”. Many say this, and, ideally, their claims are proven to be true. Everyone – Christian or not – prefers to work with businesses they can trust, but what “filter” can consumers use beforehand to help assure trustworthiness?

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By Darrel Geis, It Was for Freedom

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ” Galatians 5:1

If you plan on attending a sporting event or 4th of July festivities this summer, no doubt you will be asked to join in the singing of our national anthem….

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By Darrel Geis, Have Compassion

It was 1996, and a few Christian Blue Pages staff members and I attended the Promise Keepers men’s conference in Indianapolis, which was held in the Hoosier Dome, which was, at the time, the 60,000 seat home of the Indianapolis Colts.  The Blue Pages had secured exhibit space for the event as well in the Indianapolis Convention Center, located adjacent to the dome

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By Darrel Geis, Follow Me

And He said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

These are two of the most simple, yet profound, words that Jesus Christ spoke during his life here on earth. He spoke them to twelve men he chose as his closest companions, the people that would take the message of God’s amazing grace and love to the world. They were average, ordinary people.
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By Darrel Geis, Righteousness vs. Compromise

Over my 23 years the Christian Blue Pages, I’ve had the opportunity to observe Christians – in hundreds of situations – taking a stand for righteousness in their businesses. In situations where compromising one’s values might be expedient and beneficial to the “bottom line”, or unnoticeable to a watching world, it is critical that we as Christians in business do what’s right in the eyes of God.

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By Darrel Geis, Bloom Where You are Planted

I love sports, and earned a degree in Broadcast Journalism from Ohio State in order to direct that passion towards my ultimate goal — to be a sports anchor for a major network by 1999. But after two years working at a TV station at night and selling advertising for the Christian Blue Pages during the day, I was offered the position as Blue Pages sales manager. After much prayer, I sensed I was being “called” by God into leadership in this organization, and that gave me great peace.

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By Darrel Geis, Transform Our Life into Worship

Years ago, my pastor at the time often reminded our church that, in following Jesus and living the Christian life, our goal was to continually “transform our life into worship”. I have been inspired and challenged by those words over the years. Transformation in our lives requires an intentional effort to enact change – and that change starts when we allow God’s Word to renew our minds (i.e. our thinking).

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