Monthly Archives: February 2017

The practice of thanksgiving is our most transforming resource.

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

In every generation the wisest people have known that the surest way to change one’s quality of life is to change the way we think. Our ability to change our outer environment may be limited, but the way it affects … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Gratitude, thankfulness, Transformation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Trouble is inevitable, but misery is optional

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

Abraham Lincoln is credited with the saying that ‘most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.’ Now, that may be an oversimplification, especially when we think of refugees fleeing from unimaginable horrors, or people … Continue reading →

Posted in Endurance, Faith, Faithfulness, God with us, God's faithfulness, God's love, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Leave a comment

White-knuckle sailing

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

For me, one of life’s great pleasures is sailing, and I always hope for a steady ten to fifteen knot wind. Five to ten knots of wind is pleasant, less than five knots is boring; but the one thing I … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, God's presence, Tested, Trials and testings, Troubles | Leave a comment

What tides of grace flowed from that attic bedroom.

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

William Barclay tells the story of a servant-girl whose personal search for meaning in life resulted in a profound experience of the presence of God. But the demands of serving in a large house gave little freedom to do much … Continue reading →

Posted in Faithfulness, God in us, God's pleasure, Joy, Life, Life's journey | Leave a comment

Knowing when enough is enough

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

Someone overheard an old man saying to his daughter as she boarded a plane: ‘I love you and I wish you enough.’ She replied, ‘Daddy, I wish you enough too.’ They asked him what it meant. He said: ‘It means: … Continue reading →

Posted in satisfaction, Wisdom | Leave a comment

The only sure way out of that hole

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

A few years ago, the Isleta Casino in New Mexico used a TV commercial showing images of dollar bills floating down to an outstretched hand while an announcer said: ‘So the holidays have passed, and those credit card bills just … Continue reading →

Posted in Faithfulness, Gambling, Kingdom of God | Leave a comment

The only assessment that ultimately counts

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

One night at a famous jazz bar, legendary jazz musician Cab Calloway introduced a promising young saxophone player. After he’d played, a self-appointed jazz critic came over and said, ‘You aren’t that good, man. All you can do is play … Continue reading →

Posted in Faithfulness, Judgement, Stewardship, Suffering | Leave a comment

God or chance?

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

Scientists tell us that if our expanding universe had expanded a little faster, the matter formed would have sprayed out into space like fine mist so fast that a gazillion particles of dust would speed into infinity and never even … Continue reading →

Posted in Agnosticism, Atheism, Faith, God, Science and faith, Universe | 4 Comments

Saved by a comma

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

Maria Fedorovna, the Empress of Russia and wife of Czar Alexander III, was well known for her philanthropy. She once saved a political prisoner from exile in Siberia by transposing a single comma in a warrant signed by her husband … Continue reading →

Posted in Judgement, Pardon, Salvation, Substitutes, Substitution | Leave a comment

Like rats in a cellar

Posted on February 19, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

C.S. Lewis used to say that the best evidence of what a person is like is what they do when they are off their guard. ‘Like rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go … Continue reading →

Posted in Human nature, Sin, Spiritual growth, Transformation | Leave a comment