Welcome to an outstanding month of August, the 8th month of the year in our modern day Gregorian calendar. It has 31 days and is named after the Roman Emperor, Augustus Caesar in 8 BC. It’s also known as the “Holiday Month,” the final month of summer while some other versions designate it as Harvest Month. The month was originally named Sextillus in Latin, because it was the sixth month in the ancient Roman calendar. Just as the Roman senate renamed the month of July after Julius Caesar for reforming their calendar that had degenerated into a chaotic embarrassment, the same way they renamed the sixth month after Augustus, Julius’ grand-nephew after his major victories over Marc Anthony and Cleopatra and became emperor of Rome. In that same month he conquered and brought Egypt under Roman Empire and also brought an end to civil wars.
Uniqueness in August: Interestingly, eight countries gained independence during the month of August: i) August 9, 1965 – Singapore; ii) August 10, 1822 – Ecuador; iii) August 14, 1947 – Pakistan; iv)August 15, 1945 – Korea; v) August 15, 1947 –India; vi) August 17, 1945 – Indonesia; vii)August 25, 1825 – Uruguay and viii)August 31, 1957 – Malaysia.
Some Notable Events in August: *August 1, 1876, Colorado (the Centennial State) became the 38th state of the United States; *August 3, 1492, Christopher Columbus started his 1st voyage sail across the Atlantic; *August 6, 1945, the 1st atomic bomb was used in warfare on Hiroshima, Japan; *August 9, 1974, Richard M. Nixon became the 1st US President to ever resign from office; *August 12, 1877, the phonograph was invested by Thomas Edison and *August 12, 1898, Hawaii was annexed by the US.
Some Special Days: Aug.1 – National Raspberry Cream Pie Day; Aug. 2 – International Forgiveness Day and Sister’s Day; Aug. 3 – National Watermelon Day; Aug. 9 – Book Lover’s Day; Aug. 11 –Presidential Joke day; Aug. 21 – Senior Citizen Day; Aug. 26 – Women’s Equality Day; Aug. 31 – National Trail Mix Day
Famous Birthdays of the month: Barack Obama, Herman Melville, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter O’ Toole, Madonna and Cameron Diaz. * August 4 – Happy Birthday President Obama (44th US President).
Special Holidays: National Family Fun Month; National Peace Month; National Picnic Month; Romance Awareness month and Water Quality month.
Discipleship Digest reflects on the topic: When Go means Come!! It tries to re-examine how far we obey Christ’s commands to go and make disciples of all nations. Many Church leaders obey this command in their own ways far from Jesus prescribed way. This could amount to disobedience. Kindly read and pass it to at least ten people. Remember you are too blessed to be stressed. We shall be glad to have your comments. These feedback help us serve you better. Don’t forget no one else determines your happiness but you. Pray daily, ceaselessly and expectantly. This is your season of divine-august visitation. Have fun; it’s still Holiday Month.
Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill, Director of affairs, Weefree Ministries