“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

#OTD November 30, 1554: Queen Mary I formally restored Roman Catholicism as England’s state religion. Determined to undo the Protestant reforms of her father Henry VIII and brother Edward VI, Mary launched a fierce campaign against Protestant leaders. Nearly 300 Protestants were

#OTD November 29, 1898: C. S. Lewis, the beloved Christian writer and scholar, was born in Belfast. He would go on to author The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity, works that continue to shape Christian thought and imagination.

#OTD November 28, 1628: John Bunyan, English preacher and author of The Pilgrim’s Progress, was born in Elstow, England. Imprisoned for preaching without a license, he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress during his 12 years in jail. Published in 1678, it became one of the most

#OTD November 27, 1826: Explorer Jedediah Strong Smith entered California’s San Bernardino Valley, becoming the first U.S. citizen to cross the southwestern North American continent. Smith was known for keeping a Bible with him at all times and for relying on divine providence

#OTD November 26, 1901: Joseph Henry Thayer, American biblical scholar and lexicographer, dies at age 72. His Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament became the standard English language NT lexicon for many years and remained widely used even after newer works appeared.

#OTD November 26, 1789: President George Washington proclaims this day as the first national Thanksgiving, setting it aside for public thanksgiving and prayer. The tradition later became annual when President Abraham Lincoln, in 1863, designated the last Thursday of November as

#OTD November 25, 1748: Isaac Watts dies at Stoke Newington, England. Often called the father of English hymnody, he wrote nearly 600 hymns. Many became enduring classics, including “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” “Joy to the World,” “Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun,” “At

#OTD November 25, 1742: David Brainerd, age 24, was approved as a missionary to the Native peoples of New England by the Scottish Society for the Propagating of Christian Knowledge (SPCK). From 1743 to 1746, despite fragile health, he ministered among the Delaware (Lenape), with

#OTD November 24, 1572: John Knox, the fiery leader of the Scottish Reformation, dies in Edinburgh. A former Catholic priest who became a Protestant exile, he returned from Geneva to guide Scotland’s break with Rome. Knox was instrumental in shaping the Scots Confession of 1560

#OTD November 23, 1654: French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal underwent a sudden and profound religious conversion late at night. He recorded the experience on a piece of parchment now called the Memorial, noting the exact date and time, followed by these

#OTD November 22, 1873: Horatio Spafford’s four daughters drowned when the French steamer Ville du Havre sank in the Atlantic after colliding with another vessel. His wife, Anna, survived and sent a brief telegram from Wales that read, “Saved alone.” In the deep sorrow that

#OTD November 22, 1963: C. S. Lewis, beloved author, Christian apologist, and scholar, died at age 64. Known for The Chronicles of Narnia and classic works such as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, and The Great Divorce, Lewis shaped modern Christian thought through his

#OTD November 21, 1638: The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland convenes in Glasgow and votes to abolish episcopal rule, restoring Presbyterian government to the national church. Meeting in defiance of King Charles I’s attempts to impose bishops and Anglican-style worship,

#OTD November 20, 1541: John Calvin, at age 32, formally returned to Geneva and helped organize a new civic and ecclesiastical structure grounded in Reformed principles. Geneva became a disciplined Christian commonwealth where church and civic leaders worked closely together.

#OTD November 20, 303: During the Great Persecution, Emperor Diocletian issued an offer of amnesty to imprisoned Christians on the condition that they sacrifice to the Roman gods. The decree was driven in part by overcrowded prisons, since many believers chose imprisonment rather

#OTD November 20, 870: (Traditional Date) Edmund, King of the East Angles, was martyred by Danish invaders for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. Offered peace in exchange for abandoning Christ, Edmund chose to defend both his faith and his throne. After his capture, he

#OTD November 19, 1672: 17th-century Puritan-era minister and writer Richard Baxter defies English law by preaching without a license under the Act of Uniformity. Refusing to abandon his calling, he continued ministering despite repeated fines and threats. Baxter was known for

#OTD November 15, 1630: Johannes Kepler, the German mathematician and astronomer known for formulating the laws of planetary motion, dies at age 58. A deeply Christian thinker, Kepler believed that studying the cosmos was a way of “thinking God’s thoughts after Him,” seeing the

#OTD November 16, 1827: Western Theological Seminary, a Presbyterian institution for training ministers, officially opens to students in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

#OTD November 15, 1917: Oswald Chambers, serving as a chaplain to British troops in Egypt during World War I, dies after complications from surgery. After his death, his wife Gertrude (Biddy) carefully transcribed his talks and notes, eventually compiling “My Utmost for His