Today's expression, "Faith will move mountains," is a paraphrase of something Jesus said in the Christian Bible. It means that if you believe strongly enough, you can do anything.

This quote reminds me of a Chinese story, about the "foolish" old man who determined to move a mountain. Knowing that generations of help would follow him, but the mountain wouldn't grow any larger, he could be sure of ultimate success!

James sees his student, a boy named Miguel, kicking a tree over and over.

James: Miguel! Gonna kick that tree down?

Miguel: Oh! I didn't even realize what I was doing.

James: Feeling down, huh?

Miguel: I'm so low, bottom looks like up!

James: Good one! So what's got you feelin' blue?

Miguel: Oh, a little of this, a little of that. School's tough, and my job prospects don't look so good. I haven't had a steady girl since high school days, and…

James: Whoa, whoa! You're gonna bring ME down!

Miguel: Sorry. I'm just having one of those days, you know?

James: I hear ya. But you've just gotta keep the faith.

Miguel: I know. But "easier said than done," right?

James: Of course! But never give up. "Faith will move mountains."

Miguel: I don't need to move any mountains; I'd be happy just to get through this week!

James: Amen!

Notes on the dialogue:

--Gonna kick that tree down?: James jokes that Miguel's repeated kicks might bring down the tree.

--Feeling down: Feeling depressed.

--I'm so low, bottom looks like up: An old expression, meaning that the speaker is below the bottom, lower than is actually possible.

--Feeling blue: Like "feeling down."

--A little of this, a little of that: Miguel is saying that there's no one big problem, just a lot of little problems.

--Job prospects: Possibilities of getting a good job.

--A steady girl: A regular girlfriend, one who dates you exclusively. The relationship is referred to as "going steady."

--To bring someone down: To make another person feel depressed.

--One of those days: The type of day that we are all familiar with:

"Bob, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing special. I'm just having one of those days."

"I know what you mean!"

--Keep the faith: Don't give up hope.

--Easier said than done: A proverb that means that many things are easier to talk about than to accomplish.

--I don't need to move any mountains…: Miguel is joking a little about the expression, saying that "moving a mountain" is much more than he hops for.

--To get through this week: To go through the week without having any more problems.

--Amen!: Usually a religious expression, it's used here as simple agreement.