June 13, 2026 | Moments Almanac | Found

Hey, welcome to Moments Almanac, a time to remember the people, places, and events that leave fingerprints on the soul. Today is June 13th, 2026. My name is Matt Tullis. Thanks for joining me. This day marks two memorable anniversaries. On June 13th, way back in 1231, Anthony of Padua died. Nearly seven centuries later, on this same date, in 1893, Dorothy L. Sayers was born. Now, even though I'm a Baptist, I have a special fondness for Saint Anthony. Tradition remembers him as the patron saint of lost things. Perhaps that's because he once recovered a stolen book. Though over the centuries people have remembered him while searching for everything from wedding rings to family heirlooms, and I must confess, anyone who could help me keep track of my keys, phone, journals, directories, reading glasses, and occasionally even my Bible would immediately earn my admiration. But perhaps Saint Anthony's enduring appeal points to something deeper. We all lose things, not just objects. We lose perspective, we lose joy, we lose hope. Sometimes we even lose our sense of wonder. Which brings us to Dorothy L. Sayers. Born on this day in eighteen ninety three, Sayers became one of the most influential Christian speakers and writers of the twentieth century. She was a novelist, an essayist, a playwright, and a theologian, and she believed faith should awaken the imagination rather than put it to sleep. Late in life she reflected on Jesus' words about becoming like little children, and she wrote, Except you become as little children, except you wake on your fiftieth birthday with the same forward looking excitement and interest in life that you enjoyed when you were five, you cannot see the kingdom of God. One must not only die daily, but every day one must be born again. What a remarkable thought. Most people assume that growing older means becoming less curious, less hopeful, less amazed. The years can have a way of piling disappointments on our shoulders. We've seen promises broken, we've buried dreams. We know how fragile life can be. Yet Dorothy Elsayers suggests that Christian maturity is not the loss of wonder but its recovery. The child sees possibility where the adult sees obstacles. The child asks questions where the adult assumes he already knows the answer. The child wakes eager to discover what the day might bring. The gospel invites us into the same posture. In 2 Corinthians 4 16, Paul writes these words, therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. Notice that phrase renewed day by day. The Christian life is not simply a moment in the past when we trusted Christ. It is a continual renewal. Every sunrise is another invitation to receive God's mercy, another chance to learn, another chance to grow, another day to be surprised by grace. The years wrinkle our faces, but they need not harden our hearts. And maybe that's where Anthony and Dorothy unexpectedly meet. One reminds us of the things that we've lost, and the other reminds us that by God's grace, some of the most important things can be found again. Wonder, hope, curiosity, joy. As we remember Anthony of Padua and Dorothy Elsayers today, may God help us recover the years that we misplace. May He keep us teachable. May He preserve our sense of wonder at the goodness of God. And may we greet each new day not with cynicism, but with gratitude and expectation. Because in Christ every day is both a day of dying and a day of being born again. I hope you'll join me tomorrow. Until then, take care. Notice those scattered moments and share the grace.