Author Archives: vincentsmithauthor

The Captain smiled at me

Posted on June 18, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Robert Louis Stevenson used to tell the story of a ship being battered by a huge storm. The crew were terrified and one young sailor gave way to panic and left his post to rush to the bridge, where he … Continue reading →

Posted in Confidence, Danger, Divine Protection, Faith, God with us, Peace, Trials and testings, Troubles | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Turning beer into furniture

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

One of the most memorable characters I ever met was a man named Snowy Royal. When I knew him he was an evangelist, but in earlier times he had been a prominent member of the Sydney underworld, a violent alcoholic … Continue reading →

Posted in Conversion, Jesus, New Life, Salvation, Seeing Jesus, Spiritual blessing, Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Starting afresh, Transformation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Being famous doesn’t always mean being admired

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In the closing years of the nineteenth century the Cherry Sisters performed to packed theatres throughout the American Midwest. Their fame came from them being unbelievably bad actors that people came to throw vegetables at. Amazingly, the girls were then … Continue reading →

Posted in accountability, fame, Judgement, Laughter, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Making the most of what you've got, Self Deception | Tagged | Leave a comment

Sitting on a gold mine

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A few years ago builders, while renovating a landmark hotel in Georgia, discovered the entrance to a shaft under the concrete floor in the main dining room. To their amazement they found the shaft led to the entrance of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Seeing the possibilities, Treasure | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare.

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Walt Disney once gave this advice to a young boy whose Dad had told him that Walt was a very wise man. He said: ‘There are four things you’ve got to do if you too want to be a wise … Continue reading →

Posted in Believing, Dare, Dreams, Faith, Vision, Visionary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Handling pressure

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

In the depths of the ocean there are two ways of handling the enormous water pressure that would crush a normal submarine. One is that of the bathysphere whose hull is made of steel plate several inches thick. It keeps … Continue reading →

Posted in inner peace, Spiritual blessing, Spiritual comfort, Spiritual Insight, Storms of life, Strength, Stress filled life, Tested, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Leave a comment

Acedia, an aversion to spiritual things

Posted on June 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

William Bennet, speaking at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, said: ‘There is a coarseness and a cynicism to our era…The ancients called it acedia, an aversion to spiritual things and an undue concern for the external and the worldly… I … Continue reading →

Posted in Bigotry, Cynicism, Materialism, Speaking the truth, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Darkness | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Hold the line

Posted on June 5, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A woman once phoned a theatre to say she’d lost a valuable diamond brooch and thought it might have happened there the night before. The manager told her to hold the line while he went to look. He searched thoroughly … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Fear, Persistence, Prayer | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pushing the limits

Posted on June 5, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Frank Allegretti, a meticulous pilot with more than twenty years experience, crashed his plane in a cornfield because it ran out of fuel. His distraught wife said: ‘Everybody told me, he was the most cautious pilot they ever knew.’ Sadly, … Continue reading →

Posted in Eternity, Foolishness, Risking, Salvation, Soul, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

First things first

Posted on June 5, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A seminar leader once placed a large jar next to a pile of rocks and asked how many rocks would fit in the jar. Then he piled as many in as he could and asked if the jar was full. … Continue reading →

Posted in Putting first things first, Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Success | Tagged , | Leave a comment