Saint Patrick Trivia How much do you know about Saint Patrick? Select "true" or "false" for each question. Then check your answers at the bottom of this blog post. True or False: St. Patrick was Irish. True or False: His real name was Patrick. True or False: His birthday was March 17. True or False: He was kidnapped and sold as a slave. True or False: He drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Did you know? * St. Patrick wasn't Irish. He was born in mainland Britain. * His real name wasn't Patrick. It was Maewyn Succat. Pope Celestine gave him the name Patrick later in his life, and we still know him by that name today. * St. Patrick was kidnapped by Irish Pirates from what is now known as Wales when he was 16 and sold as a slave in Ireland. * While enslaved, something special happened to Patrick. He said, "It was there that the Lord opened the understanding of my unbelieving heart, so that I should recall my sins, and turn with all my heart to the Lord, my God." * After six years of slavery, during which he became a Christian, St. Patrick escaped from Ireland. * When back in Britain, St. Patrick was called to return to Ireland as a missionary with a message. Patrick's Message   Slave When Patrick was in slavery, he came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior. He realized that he was not just a slave to the Irish, but also a slave to sin. We, too, are slaves to sin. The Bible says, "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" and "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (Romans 3:23; John 8:34). We have all lied or stolen something, had bad thoughts or meant ill to our fellow man. We have all sinned.   Separated Patrick was separated from his homeland, but he was also separated from God because of his sin. "Your iniquities have separated between you and your God" (Isaiah 59:2). We are also separated from God because of our sins.   Saved Patrick realized he could be saved from the consequences of his sin by placing his faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day so that we can be saved. Patrick did not trust in any of his own efforts for salvation—he trusted in Jesus Christ alone. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).   Sent After Patrick became a Christian and received new life in Christ, he escaped from slavery in Ireland. This led to new opportunities. Later, when he was in Britain, he was sent as a missionary. Where? Back to Ireland! Jesus was sent here to give us new life. He said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31)—as Patrick was! Trivia answers: False, False, False, True, False Be sure to visit ourIrish Gift Shoppe. ...read more

The ministry behind Swiss Valley Christian Bookstore is The Missing Link, which is a prison and Internet ministry linking troubled youth and adults with life-changing programs. After a prison chapel service at a very large correctional facility, Chaplain Mario (the founder of The Missing Link) stayed on to visit a 21-year-old young man who had just been locked up. For the sake of privacy, we'll call him Doug. A family member had asked if Chaplain Mario would visit Doug.  Doug had never been in trouble with the law. Unfortunately, one day he made a decision to drink alcohol—his first drink. Driving home, he hit another car and killed a young man. Now he was fearful and frightened, sitting alone in a prison cell, facing vehicular homicide charges. Chaplain Mario was privileged to lead him to the Lord and left aBlack Samsonbook and other life-changing literature with him. On the next visit, they just had some small talk but the amazing thing was the change that had come over Doug since the first visit. There was a real glow on his face and there seemed to be a real peace. Doug seemed to be very much alive and was eager to talk. He said, "Hey, let me tell you what happened, between you and me. I held a Bible study with the cellie next to me." I said, "How's that? Wow! That's great. That's amazing! How did you do it?" "Well," he continued out of earshot from the prison guard, "there's a hole in the wall. Shhh!!! There's a hole in the wall so I can see the other guy next to me. He was released several days ago but before he left, I was able to lead him to the Lord." I responded, "Wow! That's great, Doug. That's really great. I'm so proud of you." "But now," he went on, "there's a new guy here—a new prisoner—and last night...believe it or not, Chaplain Mario, I was able to lead him to the Lord last night." And Chaplain Mario said, "Wow! You are really something!" Here was a new convert and already he's leading others to the Lord. "Do you have any prayer requests?" Chaplain Mario asked. "Yes," he said. "Pray that God would give me more wisdom and understanding." "God will do that for you," Chaplain Mario responded. "The Bible says if you lack wisdom, God will give it to you and He will not hold it back from you. He will give it to you in big measure and make sure that you get all the wisdom you need." Chaplain Mario was able to spend about half an hour with him, even though the rest of the prison was on lock down. Doug has now been sentenced to 8 years in prison and has had his driver's license revoked for life—a tough punishment for one foolish decision. Please pray for Doug, that he continues to remain faithful in his Christian walk. Resource suggestions:  Making the Best of a Bad Decisionby Dr. Erwin Lutzer When Good Kids Make Bad Choices: Help and Hope for Hurting Parents Youth Halted Between Bad Choices and God's Purpose ...read more

 Whenever you find yourself slipping back, simply return to the Christian life fundamentals: Prayer. A daily time in God’s Word. Praise and worship. Attending church. Serving a church body. Giving. You won't always feel like you're having a great day in your Christian walk. The key is to remember we don't walk by feeling; we walk by faith. Make a decision to just keep on doing what you know you need to do. Soon you will feel Jesus' sweet presence again. Don't be so hard on yourself. God's capacity to forgive is infinitely larger than our capacity to accept his forgiveness. God is FOR you. He's not against you. He loves you far more than a human mind could ever imagine. For more help, I recommend you read Success and the Christian by A. W. Tozer.  ...read more