How the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind

Posted on March 14, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

One of the world’s most renowned atheist philosophers, the late Antony Flew, a few years ago launched a blistering attack on the bestselling author of ‘The God Delusion’, Richard Dawkins, calling him a ‘secularist bigot.’ Professor Flew set the agenda for modern atheism and went on to publish more than thirty books on atheism. But his last book, titled ‘There is a God: how the world’s most notorious atheist changed his mind’, reveals how he has been persuaded by scientific evidence and philosophical argument of the existence of a ‘divine intelligence.’ Professor Flew says that Richard Dawkins’ presentation of Christian belief is deliberately inadequate and that his numerous references to Albert Einstein to support his argument for atheism fail to mention that Einstein himself believed in a divine intelligence.

Posted in Agnosticism, Atheism, Divine intelligence, Faith, God, Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Longing for an island

Posted on March 14, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

While holidaying in the Virgin Islands, magazine editor William Falk each day found himself gazing across the water to a little island and thinking that’s where he’d like to be – a place where life was simple. ‘My problem,’ he said. ‘Is my life is too full.’
That’s the great paradox of our age; we have too much of a good thing. We’re surrounded by so much food that obesity is a national crisis. We have so much entertainment, information and stuff to buy that we value nothing. It leaves us staring at an island on the horizon, wondering what it would be like to just walk away.
But we don’t have to. If we want, we can choose the freedom of simplicity right where we are, and discover for ourselves that ancient wisdom of the Bible that ‘godliness with contentment’ is life’s greatest wealth.

Posted in Abundant life, Contentment, Escape, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Chosen people

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

I got a letter from an international credit card company recently telling me that because of my high status and salary they are offering me the opportunity to have their credit card. Well, as a retired clergyman, it’s strange they should consider me one of Australia’s high flyers. However, the thing that really surprises me is that I actually considered taking it up. Eventually I worked out why. It was because they had inferred that I had been specially chosen – and that’s heady stuff.
And yet, that’s exactly what Jesus said of all those people who are committed to following him. ‘You have not chosen me,’ he said. ‘But I have chosen you, and appointed you to go and bring forth fruit.’ So let’s not underestimate ourselves. Financial high flyers or not, if we value this truth, in God’s sight we really are chosen people.

Posted in Called and Chosen, Faith, God, Life, Life's journey, Living simply | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Who is the real VIP?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Charles Francis Adams was an important political figure in the nineteenth century. He kept a diary and one day he made this entry: ‘Went fishing with my son today – a day wasted.’ His son, Brook Adams, also kept a diary. On that same day, he wrote: ‘Went fishing with my father – the most wonderful day of my life!’
I wonder if Charles Francis Adams remembered that and still thought the same at the end of his life. It’s unfortunate that it takes most of us a lifetime to work out that the most important people are our kids and that we can never replace time spent with them, whereas we can’t even remember the things that once seemed so pressing.
Jesus had no doubts about it. When his disciples tried to keep children away from him he told them: ‘The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’

Posted in children, Family, Kingdom of God, Life, Life's journey, Priorities, Putting first things first, Raising Children, re-evaluating life, Regret, Remembering the past, Remembrance, responsibility | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

I believe in the sun even when it does not shine

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A few years ago I visited the site of the Dachau Concentration Camp – a place that was the scene of so much evil. There are now three chapels there, one Jewish, one Catholic and one Protestant – each of them is a memorial to the spirit of faith that was able to survive that hellish place. That spirit was powerfully expressed in some words found scratched on the wall of such a camp: ‘I believe in the sun even when it does not shine. I believe in love even when it is not expressed. And I believe in God even when He is silent.’
Corrie Ten Boom, the only one of her family who survived the death camps and whose life was celebrated the movie ‘The Hiding Place’, says that the last thing her sister Betsie said to her before she died was: ‘Remember, there is no pit so deep that God is not deeper.’
Faith is the ultimate victory.

Posted in Faith, God, God in us, God with us, Goodness, Hope, hope and love, Joy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The eternal harmony

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Sir Michael Costa, the celebrated conductor, during a rehearsal, stopped the music and said, ‘Where is the piccolo?’ It turned out that the piccolo player, thinking that his contribution would not be missed amid so much sound from dozens of larger instruments, stopped playing. But the sound of that one small instrument was necessary to the overall effect, and the great conductor missed it when it dropped out.
To the conductor there are no insignificant instruments in an orchestra. Just as to God there are no insignificant players in the great performance of life. You may think your contribution to life is insignificant and noone would be any the wiser if you stopped making it. But it’s not. From our perspective, our contribution may be small, but from God’s, it is crucial – part of the eternal harmony.

Posted in Giving, Life, Life's journey, Living Life, Making the most of what you've got, Self giving, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Siren song

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

Vladimir, a resident of Berlin, has an unusual strategy for bringing peace to his marriage. He uses an old air raid siren to stun his wife into submission. ‘She never lets me get a word in,’ he told the police. ‘So I crank up the siren and let it rip for a few minutes. It works every time. She shuts up.’
But despite Vladimir’s protestations the police confiscated his siren. As for his wife, she said, ‘My husband is a stubborn mule, so I have to get loud.’
It reminds me of that verse from the Old Testament that says: ‘It’s better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.’ But I think the best advice comes from another verse that says: ‘Life is short, and you love your wife, so enjoy being with her. This is the best thing you can do as you struggle through life on this earth.’

Posted in Communication, Companionship, Family, Living Life, love, marriage | Tagged | Leave a comment

When the worst that can happen becomes the best

Posted on March 12, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

When police in Germany went to arrest Maria Brunner for a stack of unpaid parking fines, all run up unbeknown to her by her unemployed husband using her car, they were surprised that she actually thanked them and waved to people as she was driven off to jail. Maria, who supports her husband and three young children by cleaning houses, said, ‘I’ve had enough of scraping a living for the family. As long as I get food and a hot shower every day, I don’t mind being sent to jail. I can finally get some rest.’
For most people going to jail would be the worst that could happen. But Maria showed that the worst thing can sometimes be the best thing – depending on how you look at it. I suppose that’s why the Bible says: ‘Our temporary problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison.’

Posted in Escape, Hope, Peace, Peaceful Sleep, Relief, Rest, Trials and testings, tribulation and trouble | Tagged | Leave a comment

No difference

Posted on March 10, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

A doctor in Missouri was driving between hospital calls one evening, exceeding the speed limit. Suddenly a police car appeared behind him, signalling for him to pull over. So the doctor picked up his stethoscope and held it up for the policeman to see. But when he looked into his rear-view mirror he saw a smiling cop waving his own symbol of authority in the air – his pistol. It was one of those moments when reality dawned; like everyone being equal before the law, no exceptions, not even for doctors.
It reminds me of what the Bible says about God’s impartiality, ‘There is no difference, for all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.’ But also ‘There is no difference…the same Lord richly blesses all who call on him.’

Posted in Forgiveness, Grace, Impartiality, Sin | Tagged | Leave a comment

The way God would paint our portrait

Posted on March 10, 2015 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a story of a homeless man sitting across the street from an artist’s studio. The artist saw him and thought he’d make an interesting portrait. So from a distance he painted this man – but not with downcast eyes and drooping shoulders. When he was finished, he took it over to him. ‘Who is it?” the beggar asked. ‘It’s you,’ the artist replied.’ ‘No,’ he said. ‘I don’t look like that.’ But the artist replied, ‘Well, that’s how I see you.’ He then gave the portrait to him and returned to his studio. Every time he looked across the street he saw the man staring at it almost in wonder. But after that day he never saw him sitting there begging again.
It reminds me of how Jesus looks at us; not as we are, but as what we can be. The Bible says: ‘If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.’

Posted in God, New Life, Salvation, Second chance, Seeing the best in people, Seeing the possibilities | Tagged , | Leave a comment