Author Archives: vincentsmithauthor

Preferring prison

Some years ago Danny Villegas was sentenced to six years in gaol for robbing a bank. However, following his release, he decided he preferred prison life to working for a living. So he held up a credit union and then … Continue reading

Posted in Bondage, Freedom, Prisoners, Truth | Leave a comment

‘He won’t let me love him when he’s awake.’

A friend told me about a boy who was the apple of his parents’ eyes. But in his teens he went off the rails, dropped out of school and began hanging around with a bad crowd. Early one morning he … Continue reading

Posted in Family, God's love, love, Mother's love | 2 Comments

Clothed with kindness

Researchers from the University of Utah found there’s a price to pay when couples don’t get along. They found that women who buried anger were more likely to succumb to heart disease than wives who were vocal, and that women … Continue reading

Posted in Abundant life, Compassion, Gentleness, Healing, humility, Kindness, Patience, relationships | Leave a comment

Pick yourself up, dust yourself down.

Do you remember that song that Fred Astaire sang to Ginger Rodgers in the old movie, Swingtime? It went like this: ‘Nothing’s impossible I have found, for when my chin is on the ground I pick myself up, dust myself … Continue reading

Posted in Abundant life, Encouragement, Failure, Faith, God with us, God's love, New Life, Overcoming, Second chance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Photographing the presence of God

The famous neurologist Professor Andrew Newberg actually takes photographs of what believers call ‘the presence of God’. He invites people to meditate and pray in a secluded room. Then, when they are most deeply absorbed in their devotions, he injects … Continue reading

Posted in Calmness, God, God with us, God's presence, Peace, Prayer, Silence, Tranquility | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Prayers that become a curse

The ancient Greeks had a story about Aurora the goddess of the dawn, who fell in love with Tithonus, a mortal youth. So Zeus the king of the gods, offered her any gift she might choose for her lover; and … Continue reading

Posted in Blessings, Curses, God, Prayer | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

You always leave a scar

A man once taught his young son to control his violent temper by making him hammer a nail into a wooden fence each time he lost his cool. On the first day the boy hammered thirty seven nails into the … Continue reading

Posted in Anger, consequences, scar, Self-control | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter

A few years ago a woman in North Carolina attempted to set a world record while playing a convenience store video game. After standing in front of the game for fourteen hours and scoring an unprecedented seven and a half … Continue reading

Posted in Failure, Futility, Life, Meaninglessness, Purpose in life, Success | Leave a comment

Missing the mark

A few years ago TV viewers in Britain were horrified to see knife thrower Jayde Hanson ‘nick’ the head of his female assistant while attempting to repeat his world record of one hundred and twenty knives thrown in two minutes. … Continue reading

Posted in Failure, Forgiveness, God, Mistakes, Sin | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sparrows don’t worry

A construction crew building a new road had to knock down trees as it progressed. Their supervisor noticed that one tree had a nest of young birds who couldn’t yet fly, so he marked it not to be bulldozed. A … Continue reading

Posted in Abundant life, Anxiety, Divine Protection, Faith, God with us, God's faithfulness, Trials and testings, Troubles | Leave a comment