Monthly Archives: September 2015

Remember to Forget

Posted on September 29, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The late Dr Sangster once preached a sermon with the intriguing title: Remember to Forget. He got the idea from a line in Immanuel Kant’s journal, which simply said: ‘Remember to forget Lampe.’ Lampe was his manservant who had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Forgetting, Memories, Negative thinking, Remembering the past, Remembrance | Leave a comment

Memories that never leave us

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Some years ago I had a flashback memory that upset me deeply. When I was seven there was a boy in my class from a very poor family. He had no friends in the class. On a day when we … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, consequences, Guilt, Memories | Leave a comment

Is Jesus like Joe?

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Tony Campolo tells a story about Joe, the town drunk, who was converted in a street outreach mission. Following his conversion everything changed. Joe would spend his days at the mission, doing whatever needed to be done. To those hardened … Continue reading →

Posted in Christlikeness, Conversion, Spiritual blessing, Spiritual growth, Transformation, Transformed mind | Leave a comment

Dying without ever having lived

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The Dalai Lama was once asked what surprised him most about humankind. He replied that it was man, because he sacrifices his health to make money, then sacrifices his money to get his health back. And then he is so … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Life, Life's journey, Living Life | Tagged | Leave a comment

Taking stock

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

It’s important every now and then to take stock of our lives and ask ourselves, where am I going? Am I still on track? One of the most enduring images of the Christian life is that of a journey through … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Life, Life's journey, Spiritual comfort, Spiritual Insight | Leave a comment

Faith is not mindless belief

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

We often talk about blind faith. I don’t really like that term because I don’t think real faith is mindless belief – that’s more likely to be gullibility. Faith is facing our doubts and digging deep beyond our conflicting emotions … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, God, God in us, Half heartedness, Spiritual Insight | Leave a comment

I wonder why we don’t wonder?

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

One of humankind’s greatest technological achievements happened in nineteen sixty nine when Neil Armstrong took his first steps onto the Moon’s surface. Millions of people around the world stayed home to watch it happen live on TV. The second time … Continue reading →

Posted in Distraction, Foolishness, God, Wonder | Leave a comment

Success is what you are

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s never been a time in history when so called ‘successful’ people have been so idolised and admired. For most of us success is judged by the accumulation of wealth, prestige and power. But when judged by their level of … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, fame, Success | 1 Comment

Only worry on Wednesday

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

J. Arthur Rank, the English movie mogul, made a decision to do his worrying only on Wednesdays. He would write down his worries, put them in his worry box and forget about them until the following Wednesday. What he found … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Faith, Overcoming, Positive Thoughts, Worry | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wealth is in the mind

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

According to the LA Times you need a net worth of ten million dollars to be able to call yourself rich; that’s how much you’d need today to match the lifestyle of the average nineteen twenty five millionaire. Paradoxically, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Blessings, Contentment, Riches, Taking stock, thankfulness, wealth | Leave a comment