In its early days, the religion of Islam was spread by the sword as it expanded across the Middle East, northern Africa, and into Spain. By 1683, a Muslim army had almost reached the gates of Vienna before it was driven back.

America is indeed a nation of immigrants, but the trend of mass population movements is not unique to the United States.

Many of the problems we have in life involve our relationships with people. We think our boss or teacher doesn't like us, or the folks next door are hard to get along with. Perhaps our marriage has soured and the children are in rebellion. If such difficulties are chronic in our lives, we need to ask a simple question. "Am I contributing to these negative situations?" If the answer is yes, we must then ask: "What should I do about it?"

Recent news has been abuzz about the sentencing of convicted kidnapper and child molester Michael Devlin. The horrific tales of his four-year imprisonment of one child and his related crimes have been told in courtroom after courtroom, as he has received multiple life sentences.

Is anything grander than holding a newborn grandchild, healthy, content, sleeping soundly, safe in your arms? The months of waiting now over and the labor of delivery already being forgotten in the realization of the anticipated birth. God certainly knows how to start people!