Category Archives: Spiritual Insight

God and goodness will prevail

Posted on December 24, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

During the darkest days of apartheid in South Africa, when the government banned all public protest, Archbishop Desmond Tutu held a church service at St George’s Cathedral. Hundreds of police gathered outside, then entered the Cathedral as Tutu was preaching, … Continue reading →

Posted in Desmond Tutu, Faith, God, God's presence, Spiritual Insight, Spiritual Leaders, Trust in God | Tagged | Leave a comment

Those who look for beauty will see it everywhere,

Posted on December 23, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A man walking through Times Square, where the sounds of the city are almost deafening, told his friend he could to hear a cricket. His friend said he didn’t believe him until the man walked to a small shrubbery and, … Continue reading →

Posted in Abundant life, Beauty, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual discernment, Spiritual Insight | Leave a comment

Surrounded by the miraculous

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

The poet Walt Whitman once said that we are surrounded by the miraculous but don’t recognise it. Science has increased our sense of awe, as it unfolds the marvels of the Universe; but many assume that because we know how … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Faith, humility, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Taking stock

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

It’s important every now and then to take stock of our lives and ask ourselves, where am I going? Am I still on track? One of the most enduring images of the Christian life is that of a journey through … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, Life, Life's journey, Spiritual comfort, Spiritual Insight | Leave a comment

Faith is not mindless belief

Posted on September 22, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

We often talk about blind faith. I don’t really like that term because I don’t think real faith is mindless belief – that’s more likely to be gullibility. Faith is facing our doubts and digging deep beyond our conflicting emotions … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, God, God in us, Half heartedness, Spiritual Insight | 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

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

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

A lousy read?

Posted on April 28, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Writing to the Sydney Morning Herald, someone said the reason fewer people read the Bible now is because it’s ‘a lousy read’ and in its present form is very different from the original. The writer obviously doesn’t know that our … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Evidence, Indifference, Literary Criticism, Manuscripts, Spiritual discernment, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Perception

Posted on April 28, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Human beings are only able to perceive thirty percent of the range of the sun’s light and one seventieth of the spectrum of electromagnetic energy. But bats detect insects by sonar, pigeons navigate by magnetic fields, and bloodhounds perceive a … Continue reading →

Posted in Perceiving, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual discernment, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , | Leave a comment