Monthly Archives: December 2014

Sink or swim

Posted on December 31, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Some years ago researchers placed two sets of laboratory rats in separate tubs of water and left them there to see what they would do. However, every so often they would lift one group of rats out of the water, … Continue reading →

Posted in Despair, Faith, Hope, Life, Life's journey, Living Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Cape of Storms

Posted on December 31, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The southernmost point of Africa was for centuries known as the “Cape of Storms”. But then, in the sixteenth century, Vasco De Gama, successfully sailed around it and found beyond the raging storms a great calm sea, and beyond that … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Despair, Faith, Grace, Hope, Spiritual blessing, Spiritual discernment | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

You can get bitter, or you can get better

Posted on December 31, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The best selling book entitled You Can Grow Bitter or You Can Grow Better got it’s inspiration from a young woman who had just received word that her husband had been killed in a farming accident, leaving her alone with … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Growth, Healing, Hope, Life, Life's journey, Overcoming, Pain, Spiritual growth, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble, Tried, Troubles | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Assuming too little too often

Posted on December 31, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Nobel prize-winner Richard Feynman, while visiting his old high school, was surprised to find that his grades there were not as good as he remembered and that his IQ level was reported as being only a bit above average. That … Continue reading →

Posted in Aspiration, Assumptions, Discerning God's Will, Faith, Life's journey, Making the most of what you've got, Opportunities, Positive Thoughts, Renewed Minds, Seeing the possibilities | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

I wish I’d kept that

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A friend of mine who works in real estate told me about a man who became increasingly envious of his friends because they had larger homes. So he listed his house with an estate agent, planning to sell it and … Continue reading →

Posted in Contentment, Disatisfaction, enjoyment, Envy, Gratitude | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The benefit of being two-faced

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Research in cognitive science – how the brain works – has found that the mechanisms we use to remember the past are the same as the ones we use to envisage the future. To walk down memory lane is, at … Continue reading →

Posted in Facing the future, God's faithfulness, Looking ahead, Remembering the past, Remembrance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lose weight – eat like a horse

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The two biggest sellers in any bookstore, according to Andy Rooney, are cookbooks and diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it. Orson Welles … Continue reading →

Posted in Diets, Passions, Self Discipline, Self-control | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Learning to be thankful

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A wise woman once said that there are seven things we ought always to be thankful for: automatic dishwashers, which make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family come in for after-dinner snacks. Husbands who attack … Continue reading →

Posted in Gratitude, thankfulness | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

‘You’ll git water if ya don’t drink it first’

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A thirsty traveller trecking across the Nevada desert came across an old pump with a can wired to it containing a letter that said: “This pump is all right. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to … Continue reading →

Posted in Deferred gratification, Living Life, Priming your pump, Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nothing is as bad as it seems when you’ve known something worse.

Posted on December 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Jewish story about a man In Budapest who goes to the rabbi and complains, ‘Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?’ The rabbi answers, ‘Take your goat into … Continue reading →

Posted in Contentment, Happiness, Joy, Living Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment