Category Archives: Inspirational

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

Live like a llama

Posted on May 21, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Lexy Fowler, who owns a sheep property in Colorado, says she tried everything to stop coyotes killing her sheep without success – that is until she discovered llamas – those aggressive, funny-looking, afraid-of-nothing creatures from South America. “When llamas see … Continue reading →

Posted in Armour of God, Attitude, Bad Habits, Inspirational, Resisting the Devil, Self Discipline, Spiritual discernment, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Change of Identity

Posted on April 17, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The French writer, Henri Barbusse, tells of a conversation overheard in a dugout full of wounded men during World War 1. One of them, who knew he had little time left to live, said to another man: “Listen, Dominic. You’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Easter, Forgiveness, God, Grace, Hope, Inspirational, Jesus, Life's journey, New Life, Resurrection | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finding God in the Loneliest of Places

Posted on April 9, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a wonderful story in the Bible about a man named Jacob who had to leave home in a hurry to flee for his life. That first night he ended up at a lonely spot where he settled down miserable … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Awareness, Contradictions, Discernment, Divine Protection, God, Guidance, Heaven, Hope, inner peace, Inspirational, Life's journey, Loneliness, pilgrimage, Promise, Seeing Jesus, Spiritual discernment, Trust in God, Wonder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Contradictions that are true

Posted on March 26, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Movie mogul Sam Goldwyn used to mangle the English language so badly that his mixed metaphors came to be known as Goldwynisms. Some of his classics are: ‘A verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on,’ ‘Every Tom, Dick, … Continue reading →

Posted in Contradictions, Discernment, Faith, Happiness, Inspirational, Jesus, Life's journey, Living Life, Seeing the possibilities, Spiritual discernment, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Dollar isn’t God

Posted on March 24, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

On the anniversary of nine/eleven, the boys choir of Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London visited the trading floor of the British arm of Cantor Fitzgerald, a stock broking company whose six hundred and fifty eight American employees all perished in … Continue reading →

Posted in Awareness, Discernment, God, inner peace, Inspirational, Law of Jungle, Money, Remembrance, Self Deception, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Insight, Terror, Terrorists, Trust in God, Uncertainty of Life, War, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Virus Called Peace

Posted on March 24, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I once received an email warning me of the spread of a virus called “Inner Peace.” It told me to be alert for symptoms that could pose a serious threat to my usual stable condition of conflict. These symptoms include: … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts of Kindness, Appreciation, Attitude, Awareness, Compassion, Contentment, Faith, Forgiveness, Generous spirit, Grace, Happiness, Healing, hope and love, inner peace, Inspirational, Jesus, Joy, Knowing God, love, Mercy, Personal Growth, Seeing Jesus, Spirituality, thankfulness, Transformation, Unselfishness | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

MBA

Posted on March 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a fast food chain in America called Wendy’s. Its founder was Dave Thomas, a self-made millionaire who worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken before going off on his own and starting Wendy’s. Dave said the secret of his success was … Continue reading →

Posted in Attitude, Generous spirit, Grace, Inspirational, Jesus, Life's journey, Living Life, Servant leadership, Spiritual Insight, Success, Unselfishness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Signs of civilization

Posted on March 2, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The famous anthropologist Margaret Mead was once asked: what was the earliest sign of civilization in any given culture? Her answer was: “a healed femur.” The femur, of course, is the leg bone below the knee. Mead explained that no … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts of Kindness, Civilization, Compassion, Generous spirit, God, Healing, Inspirational, Law of Jungle, Life's journey, Loneliness, Mercy, relationships, Spiritual Insight, Spirituality, supportive community, Survival of Fittest, Sympathy and Support, tribulation and trouble, Uncertainty of Life, Unselfishness | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Granny Smith

Posted on February 21, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old tombstone outside St Annes Church in the Sydney suburb of Ryde, dedicated to the memory of Maria Ann Smith. In the early days of Sydney she was the midwife for the area and was commonly known as … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciation, Awareness, Discernment, Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Inspirational, Life's journey, Making the most of what you've got, New Life, Spiritual Insight, Transformation, Trust in God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment