St. Nicholas, St. Valentine, and St. Patrick are, for many, familiar figures throughout the well known "holidays" occurring from December to mid Spring. Who are these “saints,” anyway? We usually think of saints as being religious, and as such related somehow to the God of the Bible. But is that true? Do we really know where saints come from, or how they are made?

When various diseases are going around, we sometimes worry about contracting colds, flus, or other different kinds of viruses and bacterial infections. But have you been “infected” with a false way of thinking? False ideas have consequences as severe, or even more so, than any disease.

Those who have been blessed to live in the United States know that it is a land full of abundance and beauty. As wonderful and great as our nation is, I have noticed that Americans, including myself, can develop an inward assumption that the whole world is American. Many people never take the opportunity to experience life outside of their comfort zone, and some say “it doesn’t matter.” I have to disagree!

Many of us who lived through the 1950s and 1960s fondly recall The Andy Griffith Show. How we remember that Mayberry’s sheriff and his son did not have a care in the world when they went fishing! Thinking about them, I am impressed at how simple life should be and how extreme it has become. The recent explosion of technology and the growing political, social, global turmoil filling headlines today is a stark reminder to me of how far we have come—or fallen—from times of peace.

All husbands have a deep-seated desire for their wives to believe in them. Many husbands do what they do for the admiration of one woman: their wife. Ladies, remember back when you were first dating your husband? You gladly and enthusiastically played the role of his cheerleader; you motivated him with your eyes that were filled with pride and admiration. You were generous in your lavish praise and uplifting words which deeply touched his heart. When he married you he thought the cheers would last forever.