I’m not here to give you a history lesson on ancient Greece and Italy. But I AM gonna share a little bit about Nicopolis, Greece, a city near the shore of the Ionian Sea which leads to the Mediterranean Sea.
Nicopolis, Greece was named after Little Caesar’s Pizza.
Oops, that’s a willful typo. Yes, those exist here in my Rhyme and Reason Realm.
Actually, it was Caesar who founded and named Nicopolis Greece. According to a Roman historian named Suetonius (I gotta tell ya, I don’t like that sound of that name, it’s, shall we say, precarious).
Anyway…
According to Suetonius, Caesar was victorious in a battle near the city of Actium in Italy. And three years later, he returned “memorialize his momentous victory. And to “perpetuate his memory, he founded a city called Nicopolis near Actium, and provided for the celebration of games there every five years; enlarged the ancient temple of [his patron god] Apollo…”
OK, now there’s a cool connection to Caesar’s city of victory. And that connection is Paul. Yeah, THAT Paul. The guy who wrote 13 epistles (aka: letters) on the power of God’s loving grace.
Here’s the cool part.
According to an article I read, about 90-something years after Caesar was there, Paul spent some time in Nicopolis to strategize how to spread the victorious message of Grace.
Part of that strategy was to summon Titus to come join him in Nicopolis.
And get this.
Titus shared his name with Caesar’s famous general at the Battle of Actium.
Now, maybe you don’t get a kick out of those kinds of connections. But I sure do. Because they’re tiny glimpses into the unfathomable depths and heights of God’s brilliance. And those glimpses inspire me to keep writing and sharing the power of His love. The love that gives this life Rhyme and Reason.
And speaking of ongoing contests, here’s another quest into the letter Paul wrote to Titus.
All you gotta do, is read Paul’s letter to Titus.
It’s a very short letter. So, it won’t take you much time to get through it. And somewhere in the letter is the answer you’ll need to fill in the final word that finishes the rhyme below. Think you can do it? Remember, don’t overthink it. The answer might be in plain sight.
If and when you think you know, be sure to leave a comment, or send an email with your answer.
Here’s the rhyme:
And, Titus, you must come see me.
Nicopolis is where
You’ll find I have decided to
Live out the winter ________
There’ll be other challenges. So, there’ll be other chances to get your name in one of my upcoming books of Rhymes and Reasons. If you wanna get a jump on the competition and know when the next one is, jump on the The FunderFlash.
That way they’ll come to you, and you won’t have to go lookin’ for ’em.
(I’ll give you a hint: the next one is tomorrow)
Stay tuned,
