Pastor Dewey Moede Note: Saint Patrick’s Day has a very special meaning for me….as it was the birth date of my Grandpa Floyd Caraway. My grandpa is still an awesome role model for me! I remember so many things he taught me. I carry him and the lessons I learned from him in my heart, mind and soul. My middle name is Floyd. Grandpa was honest as the day is long and was such a wonderful man of God! He had one of the best farms in Minnesota! Grandpa taught me to be a man of God and work hard and be honest in all things. This is one of the main reason I preach, to share JESUS with all and I pray that I can help families, especially chidden to grow up knowing God like I did. I want all children to have a grandpa and grandma like I did…or have, as they live in heaven now. Families are the fabric of our Country. Grandpa was born in Iowa in 1895 and passed into the arms of Jesus in 1989 at the age of 94. He is in my heart as is Grandma Lena Caraway, who passed away in 1978. I drove them many places after Grandpa could not drive long distance so many awesome talks and lessons learned.
Now I would like yo share this St. Patrick’s Day message from Joni:
Have you ever heard the real story of St. Patrick? You’d be hard pressed to figure it out when you think of how St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated. The true story has nothing to do with leprechauns or the “luck of the Irish.”
St. Patrick’s Day originated as a way to honor the first missionary who brought the Gospel to the Emerald Isle. While the exact details of his life are uncertain, what we do know is an incredible story of God’s heart for those living in darkness.
Although a teenager in what were the Dark Ages, Patrick was a well-educated young man. But Irish raiders kidnapped him from his home in Great Britain and sold him into slavery. An Irish tribal lord forced him to work as a shepherd over his herds. At the end of that time, he was able to escape his master and flee to the coast of Ireland where, miraculously, he was able to board a ship that took him to the continent. He eventually sought refuge in a monastery where he experienced a life-transformation through the story of Jesus Christ.
