This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser Podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other. Because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country, and it's got to stop. So join us at iHeart and standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out. And you can learn more by following at what's up with hate.
Hi, I'm Matt, and I'm Leah and we're from the grown up stuff podcast. And just in time for tax season. On this week's episode, we're chatting with CPA Lisa green Lewis about how small businesses can tackle their taxes using TurboTax business. A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes, and 17% of Gen Zers believed that you could write off any expense as a business expense. So can't blame them.
It's really important to do your taxes, right? Listen to grown up stuff on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Free standard shipping not available in Alaska and Hawaii exclusions and more terms apply. off to get 50% off plus free shipping on your first box weight loss with factor keto based on a randomized controlled clinical trial results will vary depending on diet and exercise. like cute flats, fun heels and cool sneakers from the page to servo collection right now at your DSW store or dsw.com This is our American stories and being that it's that time of the year St. Patrick's Day, we figured we'd give you the story behind the story, which is what we love to do here on our American stories. Here's Greg Hengler with the story of St. Patrick. RPC Hansen wrote in his book about St. Patrick that the tragedy with all the myths and legends, such as Patrick driving all the snakes out of Ireland, his association with using shamrock to explain the Trinity, and the preconception that he's Irish, is that these actually hide the truth. What we are about to do is get rid of the myths and the legends and go to the primary source, the words of Patrick himself. In fact, his fifth century writings and letters, known as the confession, are one of the earliest surviving documents in Irish history.
Here's Dr. Tim Campbell, director of the St. Patrick center in down Patrick Ireland. Those are the words that begin the history of Ireland. Patrick was born into a well-off family and lived in a country estate on the western coast of what was Roman-occupied Britain in the very last days of the Roman Empire.
As Roman legions abandoned Britain in order to protect themselves in other regions of the Roman Empire, order and authority fell into disarray and Britain's west coast became vulnerable to frequent plundering by Irish slave raiders. Patrick was a teenager living a very comfortable life as the son of a government official and church cleric, though he himself had very little interest in anything pertaining to his father's faith. One day, Irish raiders captured the 16-year-old Patrick along with several thousand men, women, and children from the surrounding countryside, packed them tightly into holds of waiting ships, and took them to Ireland, a wild and savage place beyond the Roman reach. Patrick was sold as a slave and was made a shepherd for a very harsh master. Patrick hated the Irish and this hatred fueled his will to live. He vowed one day to repay them for their cruelty.
Here's Dr. Campbell, Elva Johnston, Professor of History at University College Dublin, Patrick's biographer Thomas O'Loughlin, and Father Billy Swann. Celtic people did not work with slaves the same way that the Romans did. They traded their slaves pretty badly like cattle and would have worked you until you died. Particularly as a non-Irish slave, he would have been at an even greater disadvantage because he wouldn't have been recognized almost as a person.
Presumably it is a sort of meant to be slavery for life. He begins to conclude that this has happened because I deserved it basically and this happened to shake me out of my complacency and to shake me out of a way of life I was living in which God didn't matter for me. Here are the words of Patrick. I tended sheep every day and I prayed frequently during the day and more and more the love of God and the fear of him grew in me and my faith was increased and my spirit was quickened so that in a day I prayed up to a hundred times and almost as many in the night. Indeed I even remained in the wood and on the mountain to pray and come hail rain or snow I was up before dawn to pray. The spirit was fervent in me.
Something new is happening, something that hadn't happened before, that personal relationship, that dimension of a personal relationship with God. Patrick's bitterness and loneliness began to melt away as he came to realize God was with him. He tried to recall sermons from church and stories from the Bible. He chided himself for his boyhood lack of interest in God. Although Patrick knew of Jesus Christ, he never cared. But now as a slave in a strange green distant land, the little he had learned as a boy came flooding back to him.
He didn't have a Bible, but he could pray. And as his love for God grew, his hatred for the Irish died. Patrick was held as a slave for six years as he continued to pray every day. Here's the words of Patrick and Patrick's biographer Thomas O'Loughlin. It was there indeed that one night I heard a voice.
Patrick, well have you fasted. Very soon you are to travel to your homeland. Behold, your ship is prepared. I took flight, leaving the man I had been bound to for six years. But the ship was not nearby, but maybe 200 miles away, where I had never been and where I knew nobody. The biggest danger is someone says, you're a slave.
I'll find out where you come from and I'll take you back and I'll claim a reward. It took him days to walk 200 miles before reaching the seaport, and there right before him was a ship getting ready to depart. But the captain, seeing he was a slave, refused to give him passage. Patrick turned to leave, and as he did, he prayed for guidance. Before he ended his prayer, one of the sailors in the back of the ship said, come, hurry, we shall take you on. Patrick was then asked to pledge himself to the crew through a Celtic tradition that included sucking on their chests. These days we would shake hands, and in those days that was a way of bonding with each other to show that you would be loyal to them. He didn't want to do that because he was Christian.
The sailors gave him a pass and led him on board the ship. They traveled for three days before landing on an unknown desolate port. They traveled on foot for 28 days, searching for food as the haggard, half-starved men grew weak. The captain fixed his fiery eyes on Patrick and said, Tell me, Christian, you say that your God is great and all-powerful. Why then do you not pray for us? We are suffering from hunger.
It is unlikely that we shall ever see a human being again. Patrick smiled. Be truly converted with all your heart to the Lord my God, because nothing is impossible for him. When the men turned around, a herd of pigs crossed the path in front of them. They would feast on him for days. Patrick writes that after this, they thanked God mightily, and he became honorable in their eyes. But just days after this miracle, Patrick was once again taken captive and made a slave. On the very first night he was with his captors, he received a divine message telling him he would remain with them for two months.
This is exactly what happened. Patrick wrote, The Lord freed me from their hands. Two years passed before Patrick finally made it home to his family in Britain. The Patrick that returned was a very different person from the one who left. He was someone who had encountered God in the darkest part of his day and who had, as a result of encountering God in a real and living way, become much more comfortable with the idea that God was active and alive and to be taken seriously. Then one night a voice returned to him. And you've been listening to the story of Saint Patrick.
And of course, obviously we're telling this story because so many Irish Americans call this country home when we continue more of Saint Patrick's story here on Our American Stories. This is Nikki Glaser from the Nikki Glaser podcast. On a more serious note, I'm still thinking about that commercial with Tom Brady and Snoop Dogg hating on each other. Because when you listen to the reasons for hating someone or something, you realize just how stupid they really are. There is too much hate in this country, and it's got to stop. So join us at iHeart and standing up to it. If you see hate, speak up, call it out. And you can learn more by following at What's Up With Hate. Hi, I'm Matt.
And I'm Leah, and we're from the Grown Up Stuff podcast. And just in time for tax season. On this week's episode, we're chatting with CPA Lisa Green Lewis about how small businesses can tackle their taxes using TurboTax business. A Forbes study mentioned that a whopping 93% of small businesses overpay their taxes.
And 17% of Gen Z-ers believed that you could write off any expense as a business expense. So it's really important to do your taxes right. Listen to Grown Up Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Hi, it's Jenny Garth. We all know the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health. But what about our sexual health? I've been there, feeling totally stuck when it comes to my libido. That's why I started taking Addi.
And let me tell you, I've seen firsthand what a difference it can make in how you feel. Addi is the only FDA approved pill clinically proven to help certain premenopausal women have more interest in sex, have more satisfying sex, and lower the stress from low libido. Addi has helped hundreds of thousands of women get their drive back, including me. Talk to your doctor or visit addyi.com to learn more about Addi, the little pink pill.
Individual results may vary. Addi, or flibanserin, is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine, or other drug use. Addi is not for use in children, men, or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addi dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Addi at bedtime. This risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC, or herbal medications, or have liver problems, and can happen when you take Addi without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you are allergic to any of Addi's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur. Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and dry mouth. See full P.I.
and medication guide, including boxed warning, at addi.com slash P.I. Clean water access helps kids soak up childhood. Girls can be in class instead of walking hours for water.
Kids can be climbing trees and skinning knees instead of being sick with waterborne diseases. You're a hustler. You get things done.
But you don't always do things for yourself. With J.Lo Beauty, it takes just a few minutes a day to look like facials are a regular part of your routine. The J.Lo Deluxe Kit includes five skin care products that work as hard as you do. They'll hustle to brighten, firm, and hydrate your complexion, morning and night. The skin care kit is a one-and-done solution that is clinically proven to visibly tighten and lift for instant and long-lasting results.
Cleanse, treat, moisturize, protect. The J.Lo Deluxe Kit does it all. See why the kit's a bestseller today. Visit jlobuty.com slash skin care and get an extra 20% off your first shipment, plus free gifts with code skin care. If you're not satisfied, return the bottles within 60 days for your money back. See the website for details.
That's jlobuty.com slash skin care to get that J.Lo glow. Continue with our American stories and the story of St. Patrick. Let's return to Greg Hengler and the rest of this remarkable story. After several years in the monasteries of France, Patrick was ordained a bishop. Patrick told his church, family, and friends he would be returning to Ireland, and they were shocked. Don't you know what they do with slaves who run away? Surely God would not require this from one who has suffered so much already. Settle down here in peace. The church leaders argued he was wasting his time.
Those brutal barbarians have no interest in God. Patrick told them, God snatched me from my homeland and parents so that I might know and love him. It is in Ireland that I wish to serve until I die, if the Lord would grant it to me. So Patrick, who was still a fugitive in Ireland, set his feet to walk and heart to share the gospel message to the Irish everywhere beginning in the year 432. The pre-Christian druids were a powerful force in 5th century Ireland.
These Celtic religious leaders were part of a pagan priesthood and would be rivals to Patrick's ministry. The druids hated him for leading people away from their idols. They robbed, beat, imprisoned, and tortured him. He was enslaved a third time.
Twelve times his enemies nearly killed him, but always the Lord rescued him. He sells his nobility, which I take to be a reference to him selling essentially his inheritance. It's almost like a form of seed funding, which will enable him to get to Ireland. I imagine that Patrick's parents had fully expected him to take on the role as maybe the heir of the family.
He would have been opting out of any responsibility for running estates, etc. Here's Patrick, Alan Harper, Chris Seaton, co-author of New Celts, and Father Neil Carlin. It was not my grace, but God who conquered in me and who resisted them all, that I might come to the Irish nations to preach the gospel.
In terms of the challenge of it, it was just awesome. He didn't know what he faced, possible death and persecution, more slavery, imprisonment. He established his great stone church on the hilltop. The site is strategically located on one of the main transportation routes in inland Ireland. That makes this an extremely significant and important place from which to conduct your mission. And you're conducting your mission in territory which has not been exposed to Christianity before. Patrick's approach seemed to be very much about confronting the spirituality of paganism, but not condemning the culture in which it bred. He used what was sacred to the people, but gave it a new context, a fuller, richer context, which they were able both to accommodate within their own understanding and see a continuity of what had been dimly perceived in the past through the coming of God into human experience. Patrick did break the mould of the church at that time. Being in that sense quite radical and an outsider, I think that to me is an authentic pattern that resonates with the New Testament. Think of John the Baptist, think of Jesus. They were not comfortable within the institutional structures of the church.
So much of church leadership was quite locked into an earthly security, a worldly security. Whereas what Patrick did was completely counterintuitive to go to one of the more wild and unwelcoming places. Patrick needed an awful lot of conviction in his heart, but he needed a lot of fire in his blood to be able to do what he did, which was effectively change a nation. I think one of the things that most interests me about Patrick is that he came into what was a situation of social difficulties and considerable conflict with a completely revolutionary message, which yes, he had to use local influence to spread, but which totally transcended the circumstances of the local divisions and disputes. He comes across from his writings as a very humble man, a man who knew his frailty. Talking of himself as a great sinner, like all the saints seem to do. And I often think it's like you come into the sun and you see the dust coming through a beautiful window in a building.
You didn't see the dust before the sunlight shone through that light. I often think of the saints like that, because to you and I, they're not great sinners, but as they came close to the great light and are aware of the great God, they become more and more aware of their sin, and yet more and more aware of God's mercy. Patrick converted thousands to Christianity. He opposed slavers, Irish kings, druids, and most of all, hostility from his fellow Christians.
Here again is Dr. Tim Campbell. Patrick went AWOL, and we just don't know how that all panned out. He said that he wanted to spend the rest of his life in Ireland because that's what God demanded.
Therefore, we've got to guess that he never did go back. Patrick died of old age and was buried in Northern Ireland in the year 461 on March 17th, the day we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day. Not long after Patrick's death, the Roman Empire fell, and Western Europe drifted into the Middle Ages. But Patrick's work was not in vain. As Christianity established itself, as it became more vibrant, it became known as the land of saints and scholars, and that led in turn to a whole proliferation of Christian missionaries leaving Ireland and flooding continental Europe. Patrick's story began a chain of events that is quite remarkable in the impact that it had. He wore out many more pairs of sandals in death than he did in life, and he's still going. People are still reading his confession and still being interested in Christianity because he wrote his message down.
Here again is Chris Seaton. The work of evangelism in Ireland and the establishing of those monastic houses contributed to a strong place of learning, of culture, and definitely, of course, a strong place of springboard for evangelism, which down the line spawned the re-evangelization of Britain and mainland Europe. To this day, Patrick's works offer hope for religious reconciliation in Ireland.
Here's Harry Smith from Belfast, director of the Christian Renewal Centre. Patrick brought a Christianity that was pre-Roman in a sense, you know, therefore he predates everything that we would see in this land as being Catholic or Protestant, and therefore, in a sense, he's an anchor point for us whenever we're talking about reconciliation in this land of something of a commonality. In closing, let us hear Patrick's final words. I pray for those who believe in and have reverence for God. Some of them may come upon this writing which Patrick, a sinner, wrote in Ireland. May none of them ever say that whatever little I did or made known to please God was done through ignorance.
Instead, you can judge and believe in all truth that it was a gift of God. This is my confession before I die. I'm Greg Hengler, and from all of us here at Our American Stories, have a great St. Patrick's Day. And great job as always to Greg Hengler, and again, a special thanks to CBN Films for allowing us to access their movie docudrama, I Am Patrick. We'd also like to thank the folks at Vision Video for giving us access to footage of their film, Patrick.
Check out the full documentary and 1,900 other titles of uplifting, family-friendly videos at visionvideo.com. And my goodness, he was an entrepreneur of sorts going into a wild, untamed land with a message that caused him to meet enemies everywhere around him, converting thousands to his faith, but in the end, lots of enemies too. And those final words, my goodness, I pray for those who believe in and have reverence for God. May none of them ever say that what I did to please God was not done in ignorance, but to please him. Beautiful words, a beautiful story, Patrick's story, St. Patrick's story.
And by the way that he calls himself a sinner is something we can all, all of us, believers or not, know that we're all flawed, and what a beautiful story and what grace he found through his God. A great story, a great Irish story, a great human story, here on Our American Stories. The Unshakeables podcast is kicking off season two with an episode you won't want to miss. Join host Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business, as he welcomes a very special guest, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon. Hear about the challenges facing small businesses and some of the uh-oh moments Jamie has overcome.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.
Copyright 2025. JPMorgan Chase & Company. It's time to do something real.
Get Viome and fix your gut now. Dial starstargut to get $110 off any test. That's starstar488 to receive a link to the offer. With the best all-inclusive vacation deals to Mexico and the Caribbean. Booking your getaway with cheap Caribbean vacations means you have more freedom to do your deal. Whether you want to enjoy snorkeling, endless margaritas and more, or simply soak up the sun and sand in a tropical paradise. Cheap Caribbean vacations has your deal for that. Plan and book the exact getaway you want at exactly the right price for you by using our exclusive budget beach finder. Or find a featured all-inclusive package to Oasis Hotels and Resorts and do your deal at cheapcaribbean.com.
The New Year's here. It's the perfect time to refresh those household essentials and score some cashback rewards with Colgate Palmolive. From toothpaste to dish soap, chances are you've got Colgate Palmolive products on your shopping list and in your house right now.
We're talking brands like Colgate, Soft Soap, Palmolive, Irish Spring, Fabuloso and Tom's of Maine. And right now, you can get up to a $10 digital visa prepaid card when you buy up to $30 of Colgate Palmolive products. Here's how it works. Spend $20 on their products, get $5. Spend $30, get a $10 reward. All you do is shop your favorite brands, snap a pic of your receipt and upload it to cprewards.com.
It's so easy. That's cprewards.com. So grab what you need or maybe try something new and get rewarded just for doing your usual shopping. And start your year fresh by earning cashback rewards with Colgate Palmolive. Rewards available while supplies last. Limits apply, U.S. only, 1-125-331-25. For full terms and conditions, visit cprewards.com.
