Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - Ron's Blogs

They came from 80-plus nations, hoping for Olympic glory. The athletes of the Winter Olympics descended on Vancouver with lots of hype and lots of hope. Yes, there were clouds in the Vancouver sky, but that didn't dim their flame.

But then came the big cloud that has hung over the Olympics since before the opening ceremonies. The sudden and violent death of one of their fellow Olympians. If you've watched the Olympics much, you've seen repeated replays of the fatal, high-speed accident that ended the life of a young Georgian luge racer in a moment. Even the high-flying celebration and pageantry of the opening ceremonies came to a jarring halt when the stadium went quiet for a moment of silence in his honor. You could see the deep emotion on the faces of some of the world's best athletes as the glory was, in that moment, overtaken by grief.

It sure seems like the "Odd Couple" to me - bloodthirsty vampires and romance. But several of the blockbuster books and movies of this past year manage to put them together.

The vampires aren't the old Bela Lugosi movie type - some crazy old guy in fangs and a tux. They're hunky young guys who just happen to have some unique dietary needs. And in the story, there's a young girl who falls madly in love with vampire boy, to the point of being willing to exchange her soul for a love that will last forever.

The New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl Champs - and the toast of New Orleans. I remember when they were "toast" in New Orleans.

The Saints' fans suffered through some terrible losing seasons. It got so bad that fans came to games wearing paper bags over their heads and signs that said "Ain'ts." That's pretty bad. As a Giants fan who's been with them through some super bombs and Super Bowls, I'm happy for the New Orleans fans who stuck with them through thick and thin.

How funny! A recent survey just revealed that more people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials than the game. Come to think of it, I've seen some fairly boring Super Bowl games, but the commercials were interesting.