Author Archives: vincentsmithauthor

Lost forever

Posted on September 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When the American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar died, his mother opened his home in Dayton, Ohio, to the public, so that people from all walks of life could come experience his life, even though he was no longer alive. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Living Life, Memorials, Mourning, Shrines | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sparks of God

Posted on September 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The Stoics were a group of philosophers in ancient Greece. One of their great beliefs was that there was a spark of God in every living creature. The Sceptics – another group of Greek philosophers – laughed at this concept … Continue reading →

Posted in Discerning God's Will, Faith, God, God in us, Obedience | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A message from moths

Posted on August 30, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The poet Shelly referred to the way that moths are drawn irresistably to the light of a star as a powerful symbol of our own yearning for something beyond the limitations of this life. For some reason we don’t understand, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alistair McGrath, God, inner yearning, Spiritual discernment, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A message from a bird

Posted on August 30, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I remember once sitting in my car overlooking Moreton Bay, and opening a Bible to read something at random. The passage I ended up reading was a psalm and was titled God’s Provision for His People. I thought it higly … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Faith, Faithfulness, Money, Obedience, Trust in God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Records in sand and stone

Posted on August 30, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old story about two friends travelling through the desert and having an argument. One of them got angry and slapped the other in the face. The second man said nothing, but wrote in the sand, ‘Today my best … Continue reading →

Posted in Anger, Forgiveness, Memorials, Records, Remembrance, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

No pockets in a shroud

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

John D. Rockefeller used to be the world’s richest man. He was once asked how much a person needed to be happy; and with great insight into human nature, he replied: ‘Just a little bit more.’ After his death, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Futility, Heaven, Treasure, wealth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Virtual reality is a poor substitute

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The American Congress, a few years ago, passed a law that entitles deceased war veterans to have a bugler play at their funerals. However there’s a problem; there are very few buglers around these days. So Congress decreed that a … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, funerals, Substitutes, Virtual reality | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Missing the point

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I heard about a woman telling her friends about the value of a first-aid class she had completed. ‘Just yesterday, she said, ‘I was driving down the main street when I heard this awful crash. I slammed on the brakes, … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Doing what has to be done, Religion, Self Deception, Sympathy and Support, True and False Religion | Tagged , | Leave a comment

If you’re happy and you know it…

Posted on August 29, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Dictionaries often define the word ‘happy’ as ‘lucky’ or ‘fortunate’. But there’s another definition that describes it as ‘the capacity for enjoyment.’ I like that because I’ve long believed that it’s not how much we have that makes us happy, … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, enjoyment, Happiness, perception | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

No-one feels a nobody when they are part of a great endeavour

Posted on August 19, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London was being built, somebody asked one of the stonemasons what he did. He replied blandly that he cut stone. He asked the same question of another mason, who said that he was building a … Continue reading →

Posted in Affirmation, Attitude, Encouragement, Great Endeavours, Inspirational, Life, Life's journey, Purpose in life, Self Image, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment