Category Archives: understanding

Understanding the question

Posted on August 12, 2018 by vincentsmithauthor

When taking an exam it’s important to come up with the right answers to the questions; nearly right answers don’t count. Here are some of the answers that English schoolchildren gave in a Religious Studies exam: Noah’s wife was called … Continue reading →

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The kiss of understanding

Posted on June 12, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

The great pianist Paderewski once went to hear a friend’s daughter give a piano recital. But when the little girl saw the great man in the audience, she got stage fright, forgot her piece and broke down in tears. At … Continue reading →

Posted in Compassion, Encouragement, God with us, understanding | Leave a comment

We are all like icebergs

Posted on January 26, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

People say there’s nothing more awe inspiring than standing on the deck of a ship watching an iceberg passing by. Icebergs, of course, are dangerous to shipping because what we see is only a small part of what’s actually there. … Continue reading →

Posted in Awareness, Perceiving, Personal Growth, Self assessment, understanding | Leave a comment

Incarnation

Posted on January 16, 2017 by vincentsmithauthor

When he came to the throne in 1999, King Abdullah of Jordan caused great consternation amongst his staff by disguising himself as a taxi driver and driving a cab around Amman. He did it so that he could mingle with … Continue reading →

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A text without a context is a pretext.

Posted on March 16, 2016 by vincentsmithauthor

People trying to make a case against Christian faith often quote Bible texts that say things that are repulsive to modern ears. However, we should not quote the Bible indiscriminately. A barrister, hoping to make an impression on a jury, … Continue reading →

Posted in Believing, Bible, understanding | Leave a comment

Trying to empty the sea

Posted on July 6, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

St Augustine, one of the greatest theological thinkers of history, once saw a boy running backwards and forwards from the sea shore to a lagoon with a bowl full of sea water that he would pour into the lagoon. Augustine … Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, God, Knowing God, understanding, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Believing is seeing

Posted on October 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

St Augustine said ‘Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.’ Another way of putting it is not to say, ‘seeing is believing,’ but rather ‘believing is … Continue reading →

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