Founder of the Methodist Church, evangelist John Wesley (1703-1791) was born on this day in Lincolnshire, England, the son of an Anglican minister. At age six, young John was saved from a burning rectory and his spiritual life was forever ignited.

"Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn," he once advised.

In 1735, as a student of the Scriptures devoted to God, he began a 55-year journal, the basis of much of his writing and insights. The following year, Wesley traveled to America as a missionary, spreading the word to Georgia colonists for two years.

"Do you know why that cow looks over the wall?" he asked. "She looks over the wall because she cannot see through it, and that is what you must do with your troubles: look over and above them."

Upon his return to England, Wesley became a passionate open-air preacher and laid the foundations for his own Christian movement, based on the spirit of God's love.

"I look upon the whole world as my parish," he said, traveling tirelessly throughout the country, often preaching to thousands and converting many in his lifetime.

Wesley said about wisdom, "When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me."

Do all the good you can.