Syndicated columnist Dick Yarbrough spoke to Newton County community leaders at Friday morning's Legislative Prayer Breakfast.

Yarbough, whose column appears every Wednesday in The Covington News, led off with his usual mix of jokes and humorous stories, but his true message was that the world is only made better when people take the time to perform the small, good deeds on a daily basis.

Whether it's a teacher buying glasses for a poor student who couldn't see, or his wife making sure to use the first name of any store clerk she speaks to, Yarbrough said the daily actions are important.

Judges, educators, elected officials, pastors and business and community leaders gathered for the prayer breakfast, which was born out of a weekly men's prayer group started by Alcovy Circuit Superior Court judges.