The Meaning of Faith

What is faith? In our modern American culture there are a lot of people who talk about faith, about having faith, and the importance of faith. But is faith simply an idea, a state of mind? Or, is faith an emotion, a feeling? Does it matter that our faith be grounded in historical objective reality or is it enough to just have faith in anything? Which is more important: the act of believing or the object of our belief? These questions are answered for us as this story that really serves as an illustration of the meaning of faith.