Thanks Is Important, But More Giving Is Needed!

Every year about this time my mind starts to form an intimate and heartfelt circle of thoughts and memories both from my past and hopefully those to be. I don't know, but it seems to be an automatic reaction that stirs inside of me almost like that of the changing of the seasons.  Call me sentimental I guess.  But this time of year is one that I've come to consider the great window of opportunity and I have embraced it more heartily as I've gotten older.  It is the time to give and I don't mean the obvious material gifts and such.  I mean to give my family and friends real lasting gifts.  Thank yous and smiles, hugs and laughter, prayers and encouragement, visits and time spent, a bigger ear and smaller mouth.  See, you get the picture.  The greatest gift of all is giving of oneself.  Not by just going through the motions like some bored teenager who knows it all and whines to their parents about going to Grandma and grandpa's house again, but true giving.  You know, the gift!  L-O-V-E!  Yes, that word we don't use often enough.  The one we guard as if gold but seldom expose it even to our closest and dearest friends and families.  Now, we do share quite an array of other emotions though and all of them have their effects both cumulatively and temporarily,  positively and too often negatively.  But none affects our lives such as the one emotion that truly expresses our life's purpose and the divine will of our Creator and eternal soul.  We are meant to give love and receive love but to often we don't.  Oh, what a difference we could make. 
  If I may let me give you an example.  I often speak of my wife in these circumstances because she more than anybody I know,  practices what she preaches.  For those of you who don't know, she is an ordained minister and profound spreader of love.  She does it so often and willfully that her countenance is changed permanently.  She gives of herself whether it's asked or more often not.  And I have to tell you the cumulative effect of her love is felt by countless people.  We often joke and call her Joyce from the movie "Just Friends".  For those of you who've seen it, you know what I mean!  Anyway,  she just cares and gives so openly and without prejudice, it makes some people uncomfortable sometimes.   That is until they see her true motivation and heart.   I have seen tough teens, cranky old folks, hurt and lost single mom's, and many other folks have their lives impacted by her in a positive way.  She is a mentor to many and counselor to a few more.  But she often deflects it all off of herself and gives glory to her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  She is an endless well of good grace and the world is better off because of her.  Imagine the impact we could have if we adopted such an order of giving and grace.! 
  Just over two thousand years ago a simple carpenter's son, walked this earth and gave of Himself so completely and unabashedly that He went to the cross for us and His impact is as unending and  transformational today as it will be tomorrow.  Christ lived by the great tenets of giving thanks and love in equal portions.  The world was and is better for it.  Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."   We need to embrace the opportunity to give more love to each other.  So start simple, say it  to someone near and dear to you who needs to hear it, and say it regularly.  You'll soon see the difference in them and be encouraged to go further.  Difficulties and differences in life often happen for the lack of love and compassion not the abundance of.  May you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!!  Oh yea, don't worry, you're still getting a cookie tray too!!

First Corinthians 12:4-8 “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Renovation Realities!

Happy Indian Summer friends!  Sorry I've been away these last few months.  We have been renovating a 100 year old stately home into a duplex this past year and this summer we've finally finished the project for the most part.  Whew!!!  What an ordeal!  I guess I can describe it in a way that most of you would understand if you've ventured into these waters before.  It was quite plainly, exhilarating and exhausting!  Yep, that about sums it up.  You see when you renovate a building that is this old it is always full of surprises.  Some good, but most having you gnashing your teeth and like Larry the Cable Guy, asking the Lord for forgiveness after muttering countless words you shouldn't under your breath.  Couple that with always stretching a budget to the extreme and the usual contractor problems and the ride is truly a roller coaster.  But when it's finished, you look back and look at each other and smile.  You know the kind of smile that starts deep inside you and wells up to stay on your face a few days.  Call it pride or whatever.  I call it soul satisfying gratitude and I have to say folks the house came out beautiful! 
   But, in doing this project which at times was equal parts agony and ecstasy,  I learned a few things.  As usual they weren't taught by myself.   I was the pupil and it was the Lord who taught me and the revelation He revealed to me was that I, myself, was actually quite similar to this old house.  Let me explain, please.  Whenever you renovate a building the process is usually like this.  You walk through and assess the job.  You then create a concept for the transformation of the building.  You draw it out then price it for materials and labor.  You then commence implementing the plan.  Sounds logical right?  Ahh, but therein lies the rub.  You see once the work starts you often find the hidden problems and in this house there were quite a few.  Old houses are not built by today's modern computer designed and cut standards.  Walls and floors are notoriously out of plumb.  Plaster walls are not the same as drywall to demo.  Old wiring and plumbing is well to say the least, dangerous!  I found nails in places where screws should have been and visa versa.  Hidden compartments, dead critters,  leaks and water damage and "Uh oh this isn't gonna work," were more common than not.  You would make some progress then hit an obstacle and have to change your design on the fly.  In finding this out, I realized a lot about both patience and persistence.  Needless to say we adapted, overcame, and worked through everything but at times it was a monumental struggle. 
   Now does any of this sound familiar?  It should because we are that old house and God is doing the renovation.  From the time our Father called our bodies into earthly being, He had a plan for us.  He designed us, conceived us, built us cell by cell in our mother's womb, then looked down and smiled when we were born.  But like all other temporal and earthly designs, we are subject to wear and tear through out our lives. Physical and emotional pain, takes it's toll.  The circumstances of life often hurt us to our core.  We become worn down and worn out. That's when God has to renovate us.  When we strip a wall, or pull out old wiring or plumbing, it's similar to God chastising us.  He corrects us by gently but sternly causing us to look within ourselves and remove all the old worn out problems and attitudes and replace them with new, better and more practical aspects of ourselves which reflect His perfect will and desire for our lives.  But in order to do this we must commit to the stripping down of our own walls.  To taking our own physical and spiritual house down to the foundation and rebuilding it.  It is then and only then after removing the old and replacing it with the new, that you become the house that God says, " Now I can dwell in thee."  Like the home we renovated, I experienced all the feelings and frustrations God does when He's trying to fix us.  But being the Master Builder, He never gives up, always adapts on the fly and with our newly humble attitude, transforms us into a palace fit for the King!  So if you want to truly have the perfect home to live in I suggest calling 1-800-NeedGod.  He's not on Angie's List but I couldn't find a bad review about Him!

Ezekiel 36:26 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

Divine Creation by Professor Tino

   The other day I was out in the front yard of our house trying to get a section of garden prepared for some new perennials I want to plant.  As usual, with all of our kids mostly grown up and gone, I had my faithful but ADD afflicted dog Tino.  Now Tino is quite the character folks.  He's one half Scottish Terrier and one half Welsh Pembroke Corgi.  Or as we call him, a Scorgi.  He looks like a grizzly old fox but with shorter legs and with the attitude of a terrier.  For those of you who are dog lovers you know what I mean!  He also has the herding instincts of a Corgi.  This makes him quite the energetic lad.   Anyways, as I was spreading a load of dirt in the garden there was Tino standing guard as usual.  Smack dab in the middle of our two acres, puffing his fifteen inch high twenty seven pound frame up as much as possible.  His steely gaze taking in every movement and sound. His tall erect ears and darting eyes moving constantly back and forth, sending notice to all the squirrels, ducks and rabbits that this was sacred ground!  His sacred ground.  You see, Tino thinks he's the biggest and baddest dog in the neighborhood, no check that, the city.  He has the heart of a lion, the demeanor of a Doberman but the temperament of a cute little bunny rabbit.  He thinks he's tough.  First one to the fight and first one to get thrown out!  You can see why he's conflicted.  The first thing he does when I let him out the front door is sprint to the nearest oak tree and clear the area of any squirrels.  We happen to have a commune of them on our property.  Then he's off to another tree to do the same.  When he has finished dispatching all the little nut grabbers, he proceeds to disappear into the woods by the river and scatter all the bunnies and mallards.  It's somewhat amusing to see them dart out from the wood line and sprint furiously in all directions as this little tyrannical tornado disturbs them from their morning meal of clover and dandelions.  He actually reminds me of the Tasmanian devil character on the old Saturday morning cartoons I watched when I was a kid.  He's a virtual whirling dervish of spastic energy.  It is quite amusing to watch and the little guy provides us with endless hours of entertainment.  The only activity he likes better is a rousing, and I mean run till your exhausted game of fetch.  Sorry I'm wandering!
   I'll get back to my point for this essay on the disproof of evolution.  I am a big believer in that God uses all His creatures to teach us lessons in life.  So often it's just by observing His glorious living painting called nature. But that's another story.  Well, Tino taught me a whopper that made me smile at God and thank Him with a shake of my head and chuckle!  We all know about the wondrous attributes of man's best friend.  Loyalty, faithfulness, unconditional love, even when we don't deserve it, protectors and defenders of life and property.  The list goes on and each day whether on Facebook or in the news we read about numerous of tales of heroism, bravery or spectacular feats done by these lovable friends.  So, I'm wandering again.  Must be my old timers disease kicking in!  I am out raking dirt and I notice on my brand new sidewalk the largest pile of bird poop I had seen a a great while.  I look over to my black truck and there was the remainder of the bombing run.. Right across the grill and hood of my clean vehicle.  Isn't that always how it happens?  Anyway , I kept stepping over this virtual lake of excrement over and over again as I was trying to finish spreading the dirt before it rained.  My complaints on the ignorance of birds and their bowel movements were quite audible to my little friend.  Now, Tino at this time was over in the shade settling in after patrol to offer me company and his approval on my work.  Finally, after working my way down to the end of the planter I looked up to check my work and wipe off my sweaty bow, when I noticed the lake of poop was gone.  Not just gone but gone!  I checked my shoes to see if I had stepped in it.  Nope!  I looked up and down the sidewalk as if it got up and moved.  Nope!  Then I noticed Tino was missing.  I called, he didn't come.  I whistled he didn't come.  I walked around the house, all the way around.  Nope!  When I came back around the front again, there he was.  Sitting on the stoop, with the goofiest look on his face and his trail wagging.  He also had a big white and gray stripe on the center of his back!  Now I know there was no wet paint around folks.  Seems our little friend in his infinite God given wisdom, at least I'm convinced, decided to take care of the problem.  Mind you now, he was just freshly groomed last week!  There it was, wet, gooey and stinky right on the back of my little buddy.  Now you can look at this in two ways.  The evolutionist will say, that's what dogs do to over millions of years of natural order for a host of logical reasons.  To mark territory by erasing other animals scents.  To mask their own from enemies.  As far As I'm concerned that may be, but if that's what evolution is, then it clearly is regressing.
   Me being a pragmatist but trusting child of my Father thought otherwise.  The way Tino was looking at me was not as if he had done something wrong.  You know ears down, hiding with his little tail tucked between his legs.  No, he was sitting proudly up, tail wagging enthusiastically seeking approval.  I'm utterly convinced He was simply communicating to me that God told Him to help the crabby complaining child of His, me, and clean up the mess so I wouldn't step in it and become more foolishly enraged.  So clean he did.  For my benefit it became his mess.  Unselfish service without complaint, followed by the simple need of a pat, a treat, and a thank you.  Oh, and a bath.  Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Our little Tino, the wonder dog, is truly a gift from our Heavenly Father.   The Bible says that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise every day.  I just wonder why I seem to always end up foolish.  Just God's way of keeping me humble I guess!  So stop and look around your little world and give your little friend more credit than you normally do and be amazed to watch our Great God prove that creation is all His for us to enjoy!  Silly rabbit that's why they call it the Theory of Evolution!

Revelation 4:11
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Moms, The Mortar That Binds The Bricks!

My wife Melissa and I have the privilege of taking care of a five month old baby girl named Wren right now.  She is the daughter of a new friend of ours, a courageous and devoted young woman, who is raising two girls as a single mom.  Wren's mom is here in NW Wisconsin finishing her training as a game warden for the Indian tribal nations of the Great Lakes Region.  So we have her little one with us most evenings and I have to tell you she makes this grizzly old fart, smile, a lot!  Her innocence, unabashed wide eyed joy and helplessness touches me deeply.  As the father of five grown children, it takes me back to a time long gone and I often wonder where those days went so fast.  But this story is not about me and my sappy emotions, rather it's about mom's and the sacred honor and duty of motherhood.
  Seeing her on my wife's lap, getting fed or changed, played with or set down to sleep, there is a twinkle in my wife's eye and a warmth from her countenance that only comes from deep within the unspoken bonds that mother's and children have.  Even though she is not our own, I can see it in my wife's face, absolute joy, unspeakable joy!  I have to say I have been remiss in appreciating the special love and nurturing that God gives to women.  Come to think of it, it's the same way she looks and treats our own grown kids when they are around.  I guess I just took it for granted.  But to see her happiness and eagerness to take care of, comfort and protect that child, reassures me that all is well with God's divine nature in a women's DNA.  Us men, may be mainly the providers, protectors, disciplinarians and family stalwarts, or so we think, but we don't have the gift of making all things well in a child's world no matter what the circumstances.  Women, moms to be exact , they have it, and it's priceless!
  Think about all the times when your own children were growing up.  It was mom with the band aids and popsicles when they fell down and were crying as if there leg had just fallen off.  It was mom who picked the outfits out for Easter Sundays, first day's of school, Christmas pageants and countless other events.  It was mom who sang, read and prayed with them each day and most nights while dad's were working or slumbering in their easy chair exhausted from work that day.  Countless meals, meetings, sporting events, recitals, photo sessions, counseling sessions, and lectures filled almost every waking minute of the day.  Mounds of laundry, toys and bikes to pick up and still most times a smile, at least in my house there was!  Seriously folks, mom's are vastly underpaid and often times under appreciated.  Certainly albeit without meaning to, we take them for granted.  But it speaks well to the eternal reward God has for loving mothers and the crowns of righteousness they deserve to receive.  In this day and age of feminine emancipation and the degradation and demeaning of stay at home moms, the honor of servitude and it's nobility is proved over and over again in countless households across the world still. 
As far as I'm concerned there aren't enough flowers, Sunday brunches, gifts or platitudes we can give our wives and mother's.  It simply pales in comparison to the yeoman's duty they perform.   I have found that just the simple hug and thank you seem to work best for my wife.  Oh don't get me wrong she appreciates gifts, flowers, and dinners out like anyone else.  But a mom's real joy and happiness in life is often manifested in the lives of her children and grandchildren through the wonderful impact she had on them.  So Happy Mother's Day and Happy 39th Birthday to my wife and all the mom's out there!  We men won't admit it often enough but you are the greatest gift God gives us in this world outside of our Lord Jesus Christ!  Thank You!

Proverbs 31:26-31
"She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many woman do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive , and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. *

"It Is Finished!"

There are a lot of famous phrases, some cliched, still others with profound wisdom and prophetic implications, that have been uttered throughout history.  John F. Kennedy's, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."  Neil Armstrong, probably America's most famous astronaut uttered the historic phrase from the moon, "That's one small step for man and one giant leap for mankind."  Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address began, "Four score and seven years ago..."  Patrick Henry, one of America's most passionate founding fathers and orators shook his fist in the eye of England's King George and yelled, "Give me liberty or give me death!"  Japan's Admiral Yamamoto stated rather prophetically to his celebrating staff of officers after Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 said, " I am afraid all we've done is awoken a sleeping giant."  Martin Luther King's speech on the Mall In Washington D.C. began with this familiar phrase, "I have a dream..."
  All of us can recall our favorites that have seared our memories and touched our hearts with endearment for the cause at hand and the brave fights waged by ordinary people made extraordinary in their brief moment in history.  Certainly, when debating their impact, it would seem to emphasize the fact that their importance at that particular time period when ours and other countries were at critical crossroads in history was enormous.  Be it known however, that a lifetime of noble work and achievement is fine for the chronicles of history books but their words would forever capture us and seal their larger than life status and immortality through time!  But all the monumental catch phrases and inspirational quotes pale in comparison to the three words uttered over 2000 years ago on a rugged cross in Calvary.  In unspeakable agony, beaten mercilessly and nailed to a crucifixion cross, a carpenter from Nazareth shouted the words that would shatter the bounds of time and limits of mortality for us all.   "It is finished!"  John 19:30 in the Greek language translates the phrase to "Tellestai!" and no single sentence ever spoken has had the immeasurable timeless impact like this one.  Almost all well known famous quotes are linked primarily to a specific time and place or events.  But this one short deliberate statement cuts through every single circumstance or event that's ever happened here on earth.  It unequivocally, interprets one way and one way only.  At that moment as Christ's life was leaving His battered body, His mind was clear and His mission was about to be completed!  God's Holy plan of redemption through the sacrifice of His only beloved Son had sent shock waves through the universe!  Hallelujah, the price had been paid, albeit at great cost to both the Heavenly father and His Son.  Yet today, a significant and growing number of people when hearing this greatest assemblance of words, this short seemingly meaningless sentence, cannot place it.  Here we have the single greatest historic and spiritual moment in recorded history and it's often relegated to a back of the book presence in today's Easter Bunny, chocolate egg, superfluous world.  Let alone preached about in many of our watered down churches.  Yet the powerful impact is still there!  Millions of us walk around today completely unaware of the fact that the life given on Golgotha that first Good Friday then resurrected on the first Easter Sunday, paid it all!  All! 
  We can rest assured knowing that Jesus never did it for publicity or fame.  He craved neither!  He never did it for sympathy or self martyrdom.  He died for you and me because He loved us so much that He knew that their was no other way to reconcile our lost and fallen nature to His!  No way to heal our brokenness, remove our bondage.  Consequently, His marvelous and glorious resurrection confirms and gives hope to the lost and hopeless today.  I am changed because of His sacrifice for me.  I love Him and try to honor Him in my life.  I am encouraged by the glorious reunion and restoration that is to be at His second coming.  So in the midst of Easter brunch, little ones gorging on candy, family dinner and fellowship give Him your thanks and heart for the three greatest words ever spoken!  Our Lord is an all loving and all inclusive God and this promise is meant for every color, creed, religion or belief.  May God bless you all and keep you this Holy and Happy Easter!

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

They Call Me Grandpa!

One of life's great pleasures is the proverbial passing of the torch or the changing of the guard as my father used to say.  Melissa and I have recently been blessed with the news that we are going to be grandparents for the first time!  When we first heard the news from our daughter, our initial reactions were quite typical for a father and mother.  My wife of course, for those of you who know her was born to be a mother but her DNA is inundated with the grandma gene.  After all it's been twenty years since we last celebrated the birth of a child, our baby and youngest Rebecca.  She has had numerous battles with withdraw over the years and her favorite phrase for reminding me about the blessings of having kids even after our years of fertility is " Blessed is the man who's quiver is full."  She would've given the Duggar family a run for their money!  That's how much she loves children and being a mom.  Alas, God was generous to give us five beautiful and healthy children so we are not lacking!  Now the smile hasn't left her face since she heard.  She already is looking for cribs, car seats, clothes and planning for baby showers and years of smothering the poor child with so much sweetness, love and affection the baby will have cavities before it's teeth come in!
  Me on the other hand reacted as the typical father, as if I was investigating a crime.  Alright, how did that happen?  I need to speak to him.  Well, that changes everything!  Ok, let's sort through this for a minute!  What?  Sort through it?  How did that happen?  It was almost as if I was in denial!  Then reality kicked me in the pants and I came to my senses as I looked at my beautiful daughter and put on my sunglasses to keep me from going blind from the light of my wife's smile.  I was going to transition from dad to grandad.  I could feel the waves of anxiety come over me.  I had passed through the next great portal of life and there was no going back.  My hair was thinning, my wrinkles were suddenly more pronounced, my AARP card mysteriously appeared on the table, and I had the sudden desire to buy a Buick.  My Lord, what was happening to me!  My wife and child were hugging in tears of joy and I suddenly needed to see my chiropractor!
  I was awoken from my paralyzing fear by my daughter saying, " Well grandpa what do you think?"  It was then the Lord checked my spirit and said quite pronounced, "Rejoice and celebrate this life to come, for I have given it to all of you."  It was as if I was becoming a father for the first time.  So, I just grabbed her, gave her a hug and told her how truly excited and happy I was.  How could I not?  One of our own beautiful girls was going to be a mom and experience all the joy and emotion that God puts into our lives through the privilege of being a steward to His most precious creation.  This is life's most important task besides our own salvation and relationship to Him. It all makes so much sense to me now.  As my life has wound along it's highways, I've lost my way a number of times, made my share of mistakes and not been the best child to my Heavenly Father.  However, He was always there.  Ready to forgive, love some more, put me back on the right path and reveal His will and blessings for my life.  I have had many!  They all center around my family.  First my beautiful wife of 31 years Melissa, then five great children, DeAnna, Christina, Alicia, Ricky Jr., and Rebecca.  Now our grandchild!  It's been a marvelous and awesome ride and now it continues.  Melissa and I get to pass along our wisdom and love again!  God is truly good.  So to all my friends and family out there who are or will be graced with grandchildren, embrace the moment.  Jesus said, " I have come to give you life, and give it abundantly."  Truer words could not have been spoken.  Now it's off to the store for some Rogaine and Just For Men hair coloring!

Psalm 105
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Happy St. Patrick's Day...But Hold the Cornbeef and Cabbage!

  Today marks the annual celebratory festival of the Irish.  Beloved by millions of people across the country and around the world, it's often marked by wearing green, drinking green beer and subsequently feeling green, parades and of course the gold standard of Emerald Isle cuisine, corned beef and cabbage!  That traditional dish with it's pungent aroma of stewed cabbage, potatoes and carrots with slices of pickled beef brisket is everywhere from restaurants to households, but will have no place at my table.  Don't get me wrong, I like potatoes, carrots and even cabbage.  But the combination of them with the beef is enough to send me reeling with nausea.  Maybe it's the Italian in me who's been raised around fresh garlic, olive oil, linguine and clams, traditional spaghetti and meatballs with sausage, I don't know.  But I simply will not for the life of me eat or order it, ever.
  Now don't get me wrong, I love almost all things that the scenic and beautiful country of my Irish brothers and sisters has to offer.  They have great beers and stouts, world renowned whiskeys, Bailey's Irish Cream and awesome Shepherd's Pie, but alas that's about it.  But that's ok as they have never laid claim to be the center of the culinary universe!  Instead the Irish are proud, fiercely loyal, stoic and brave people who's history has been checkered, and difficult at best, but regardless an exercise in persistence and tenacity that make the Irish people truly embrace life.
   Some facts you may or may not know about this great country.  Northern Island is well known for the civil war between Catholics and Protestants.  The ongoing conflict between England and the IRA still subliminally exists. They invented the tank, modern tractor, the submarine, color photography, the cure for leprosy, ejector seats for planes and of course Guiness Stout.  Their national heroes and some famous alumni of the green isle include, actors Liam Neeson, Pierce Brosnan, musicians James Galway and Bono, singers Sinead O'Connor, The Celtic Women, Nobel Prize winning writer and poet, William Butler Yeats, writer Samuel Beckett and many, many more.  They have been instrumental in the building of America and have influenced all walks of life in the USA.  Famous Irish Americans include, Teddy Roosevelt, John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Gene Tunney, Ben Hogan, Mark McGwire, John McEnroe, Tom Brady and also many, many more.  But the most influential and greatest hero of Ireland is without a doubt St. Patrick himself.  But do you know his story other than the holiday named after Him?  Well, if not, here you go!  This biography is from the website Catholic Online.
 
Patrick was born around 385 AD in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.
As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.
During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote
"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same." "I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."
Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.
He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."
He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.
Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.
Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.
Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).
Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.
He died at Saul, where he had built the first church. 

  You see without St Patrick's faithful service, Ireland would be a pagan nation today.  Instead he like St. Valentine, St. Nicholas and St. Joseph spent their lives in service to our loving and almighty Lord.  All of them are celebrated through holidays on the calendar and all were devout men of faith who helped paved the way for the spread of modern Christianity.  Unfortunately they are usually just footnotes to the raucous and often unchristian like celebrations that are supplanting their noble work and divine service.  By the way did you know that the shamrock is famous because St. Patrick used it to describe the Holy Trinity when he taught, not for luck as it's known today.  So when you raise that green beer and dig in to that steaming plate of corned beef and cabbage, salute all that God gave us Irish, especially the man who gave his life's service for Ireland's spiritual future!  Top of the morning to you all!  I'm off to order a pizza!

John 12:26
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.