The benefit of being two-faced

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Research in cognitive science – how the brain works – has found that the mechanisms we use to remember the past are the same as the ones we use to envisage the future. To walk down memory lane is, at the same time, to follow the road into our future.
The Romans had a god called Janus, whom they believed would guide them through all their times of transition. Janus was always depicted with two faces – one looking backwards into the past, the other turned towards the future. Nowadays we speak disparagingly about being ‘two-faced’. But for those early Romans, the ability to keep one’s past in view while focusing on the future was seen as a god-like quality.
This is why the Bible says “if God is for us, who can be against us.’ Remembering God’s faithfulness in the past is the best way to ensure confidence for the future.

Posted in Facing the future, God's faithfulness, Looking ahead, Remembering the past, Remembrance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lose weight – eat like a horse

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The two biggest sellers in any bookstore, according to Andy Rooney, are cookbooks and diet books. The cookbooks tell you how to prepare the food and the diet books tell you how not to eat any of it. Orson Welles once said, ‘My doctor has advised me to give up those intimate little dinners for four, unless, of course, there are three other people eating with me.’
A California scientist once computed that the average human beings eat sixteen times their own weight in an average year, while a horse eats only eight times its weight. Some might say that this proves that if you want to lose weight, you should eat like a horse.
Or maybe the real truth is in that old Biblical principle that says freedom only comes through self control. As Edmund Burke said: ‘It’s our passions that create our fetters.’

Posted in Diets, Passions, Self Discipline, Self-control | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Learning to be thankful

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A wise woman once said that there are seven things we ought always to be thankful for: automatic dishwashers, which make it possible to get out of the kitchen before the family come in for after-dinner snacks. Husbands who attack small repair jobs and make them big enough to call in professionals. Bathtubs – the one place where you have time to yourself. Children who clean up after themselves – they’re such a joy you hate to see them go home to their own parents. Gardening; because it’s a relief to deal with dirt outside the house for a change. Teenagers, because they give you an opportunity to learn a second language. And smoke alarms, which let you know when the turkey’s done.
Alternatively, like the Bible says, you can just learn to be thankful in all things, because that’s how God wants you to be.

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‘You’ll git water if ya don’t drink it first’

Posted on December 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A thirsty traveller trecking across the Nevada desert came across an old pump with a can wired to it containing a letter that said: “This pump is all right. But the washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock I buried a bottle of water. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but only if you don’t drink it first. Pour about one-fourth and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You’ll git water. The well has never run dry. Have faith. When you git watered up, fill the bottle and put it back like you found it for the next feller. (signed) Desert Pete.”
It reminds me of Scot Peck’s advice about ‘deferred gratification’. There are times in life when we too have to choose between grabbing what’s immediately available, or using it to prime our spiritual pump, believing that that will provide far more.

Posted in Deferred gratification, Living Life, Priming your pump, Spiritual growth, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Nothing is as bad as it seems when you’ve known something worse.

Posted on December 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old Jewish story about a man In Budapest who goes to the rabbi and complains, ‘Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?’ The rabbi answers, ‘Take your goat into the room with you.’ The man in incredulous, but the rabbi insists. ‘Do as I say and come back in a week.’ A week later the man comes back looking more distraught than before. ‘We cannot stand it,’ he tells the rabbi. ‘The goat is filthy.’ The rabbi then tells him, ‘Go home and let the goat out. And come back in a week.’ One week later that man returns to the rabbi, his face radiating joy, exclaiming, ‘Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat – only the nine of us.’
Happiness is all about attitude. Nothing is as bad as it seems when you’ve known something worse.

Posted in Contentment, Happiness, Joy, Living Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t give up

Posted on December 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Have you ever wondered how come a can of WD 40 got such a strange name? Well the W D stands for ‘water displacement’, and 40 refers to the number of times the inventors tried to develop a formula that actually works. They had a great idea but it took forty attempts to get it right. The message is, when you’ve got a dream and you know it’s a good one, don’t give up. Don’t quit because you are tired, or because you’ve failed, or because there are obstacles in your way.
But the greatest dream of all is to fulfil that sense we have that we are here in this life for some special purpose; and that truly is a lifetime journey of discovery. So next time you see a can of WD 40 remember that the Bible says ‘Don’t become tired of doing good, the time will come when we will reap a harvest, if we don’t give up.’

Posted in Doing what has to be done, Dreams, Failure, Great Endeavours, Life's journey, Making the most of what you've got, Persistence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Whispering hope

Posted on December 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Septimus Winner, one of the best known song writers of the nineteenth century, whose songs are still sung round many a campfire, has been rediscovered and inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. His best loved and most enduring song was ‘Whispering Hope’, whose lyrics say:
‘Soft as the voice of an angel, breathing a lesson unheard,
hope with a gentle persuasion whispers her comforting word:
wait till the darkness is over, wait till the tempest is done,
hope for the sunshine tomorrow, after the shower is gone.

And then comes the haunting refrain:
Whispering hope, oh, how welcome thy voice,
making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.

His inspiration for that song came from the words in the Bible that speak of Christian hope as an anchor that will never fail. And our oh-so-sophisticated world still needs that anchor.

Posted in Faith, Hope, Hope of Glory, Life's journey, Light, Light of Life | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Becalmed Oasis

Posted on December 18, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

John Hopkins University in Baltimore, in a study of the effects of prayer sessions among black women with breast cancer, concluded that there is evidence that the meditative states produced by group prayer sessions are a natural part of the brain and show that humans are inherently spiritual beings. Professor Greg Jacobs said: “Prayer is the modern brain’s means by which we can connect to more powerful ancestral states of consciousness.” He says that in such states people seem able to turn off the “internal chatter” of the higher conscious brain, and experience instead the sense of peace that emanates from that part of the brain that he describes as “the becalmed oasis.”
Well it’s nice to know that science offers support to what faith has always known – that in prayer our spirits touch the eternal spirit of God.

Posted in Peace, Prayer, Tranquility, Transformation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Never argue with a warning marker

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The US Naval Institute once reported an incident aboard a battleship on a foggy night. Shortly after dark, a lookout reported, “Light, bearing dead ahead.” The captain ordered a signal to be sent to the bearer of the light ordering it to change course. A signal came back saying “Advise you change course.” The captain sent another signal, saying, “You are on a collision course, you must change course.” The answer came back, “You must change course.” By this time the captain was furious. He signaled, “I’m a battleship. Change course.” Back came the reply, “I’m a lighthouse, you change course.” And they did.
The message is simple. No matter how good you think you are, never argue with a warning marker; especially if it’s one of those that God gives to guide you on the journey of life.

Posted in direction, Life's journey, Living Life, Warning marker, Wisdom | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The essence of a great prayer

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The essence of a great prayer is not in the majesty of its phrases but in its honesty; like the one that says: Dear God, So far today I’ve done all right. I’ve kept my mouth shut, I’ve not gossiped and I’ve not lost my temper and yelled at anyone. I’ve not been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over-indulgent. I’m glad about all that, but in a few minutes, Lord, I have to get out of bed, and from then on I’m probably going to need a lot of help. Thank you in anticipation. Amen.
But while on the subject of prayer, it’s worth noting that Jesus said that the value of a prayer is in the sincerity with which it is offered, not in the number of words used; like that of the publican Jesus referred to whose prayer simply was: ‘Lord, have mercy on me a sinner.’ And he, said Jesus, who was the one who went home at peace with God.

Posted in Peace, Prayer, Sincerity | Tagged , , | Leave a comment