Comfort through a cat

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

At the Steer House Nursing Home in Providence, Rhode Island, a cat named Oscar provides a unique service to the residents of the dementia unit. He makes regular rounds, hopping onto patients’ beds, purring and snuggling up to people before leaving to do the same elsewhere. Sometimes, though, Oscar curls up on a patient’s bed and goes to sleep. When this happens, the nursing staff spring into action, because they have learnt that Oscar has an innate sense for recognizing when a patient is near death.
Rather than finding Oscar’s presence morbid, they consider him a blessing as his presence brings comfort to the patient and alerts staff to send for the family. Oscar reminds them and us of the words of Psalm 23: ‘Even though I walk throught the Valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.’

Posted in Cat, Death, Eternity, Faith, Fear, Healing, Heaven, Hope, Hope of Glory, Spiritual comfort | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

All we have is what we are

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s a story about a wealthy man who could not conceive of a life without money. As death approached he had a vision of an angel who told him he could only take with him whatever he could fit into one suitcase. So the man thought about what would provide the greatest value and decided to fill it with gold bars. When he reached the pearly gates St Peter opened the suitcase to see what he’d chosen and said, “I don’t believe it! All you brought was paving stones?” and then ushered him through to the fabled streets of gold.
Well it may be a humorous story, but it contains a powerful message: the things we often think are the most valuable in this world will have no value in the next. All that we’ll take with us is what we are, and the quality of our faith, our hope and our love.

Posted in Heaven, Possessions, Poverty, Spiritual blindness, Spiritual Darkness, Spiritual discernment, wealth | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Spirit Trail

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The famous weavings of the Navajo Indians include what they call the Spirit trail in which the weaver deliberately forms a break in the pattern. It’s the artist’s way of letting the weaving take on a life of its own, allowing the unpredictable to enter into the tapestry. Similarly, the Amish people always include three imperfections in their works of art, and Islamic metal workers also build in some flaw to their creations. For them, the flaws are placed there to remind us that only God is perfect and all human creations are flawed. But for the Navajo, the Spirit trail is a positive flaw that celebrates the fact that what the human mind may see as a mistake is actually a way in which God may enter our lives and create something better.
It’s what the Bible means when it says: ‘God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness.’

Posted in Imperfection, Spiritual discernment, Spiritual Insight, Strength, Weakness | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Availability is what matters

Posted on December 15, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I heard about a man who applied for a job as a handyman. The prospective employer asked him if he could do carpentry?” The man said no. So he asked him if he could do bricklaying?” Again the man answered, “No.” The employer asked, “Well, what about electrical work?” The man said “No, I don’t know anything about that either.” Finally the employer said, “Well, tell me then what is handy about you?” The man replied, “I live just around the corner.”
Sometimes the greatest ability we can have is availability: to be there with whatever it is we’ve got whenever it is we’re needed. That’s the secret of true Christian discipleship; to be available whenever and wherever our hearts tell us God wants us to be. Ability is good, but in our spiritual life availability is what really matters.

Posted in Availability, Discerning God's Will, Discipleship, Faithfulness, Servant leadership, Spiritual Insight | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Legacies

Posted on November 23, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

During the Great Depression, a wealthy lawyer died leaving a will specifically designed to embarrass the beneficiaries. He left shares in the Ontario Jockey Club to two prominent men well known for their opposition to gambling, and shares in a Catholic brewery company to every Protestant minister in Toronto. But the bulk of his fortune was to go to the Toronto woman who gave birth to the most children in the ten years after his death. It was this that really caught people’s imagination. The Newpapers called it ‘The Great Stork Derby.’ Finally, his fortune was shared amongst four mothers who each produced nine children.
Well, rich or poor, we all leave legacies. And for those who receive them some legacies embarrass, some infuriate, but I hope yours bring blessing.

Posted in Blessedness, Embarrassment, Legacies, Memorials, Remembrance, Spiritual blessing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Beacons of love

Posted on November 23, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When NASA launched the space probe “Pioneer 10” its mission was to reach Jupiter and send back information. At that time no satellite had gone beyond Mars, but Pioneer 10 accomplished its mission, and kept on going, past Jupiter, then Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Despite the immense distance, it continued to beam back radio signals to earth. The most remarkable thing was that those signals were powered by an 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light.
Well that could be a parable of our lives. Unimpressive we may appear, but only eternity will reveal the full extent of what has been transmitted from lives involved in the greatest mission of all – being beacons of love.

Posted in Life, Life's journey, Light, Living Life, love | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How what’s really real really works

Posted on November 23, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Cynthia Bourgeault, director of the Aspen Wisdom School in Colorado, talking about the speculation that surrounds the life of Jesus, said that whoever Jesus may have been, his teaching and existence in and of itself made such an impact on people that they passed on his story like wildfire and the explosive energy of it has changed the world.
That much is true. It’s also true that people continue to meet him in their hearts and in their lives, creating some of the most remarkable human beings who have modeled the highest possible degree of human dignity and compassion. For all these people it was the encounter with Jesus that changed their lives. Is this all just massive self-delusion? Or is it the actual working mechanics of how everything that’s really REAL, really works.

Posted in Influence, Jesus, Spread of Gospel, Transformation, Wisdom | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Do you want to retire rich or retire well

Posted on November 23, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Ralph Warner, in his best-seller, ‘Get a Life: You Don’t Need a Million to Retire Well,’ urges people looking towards retirement to think about more than just financial matters. He interviewed dozens of contented retirees and was unable to find a major correlation between successful retirement and money. He discovered that successful retirees rate five factors as important to satisfaction in the retirement years: health; interests that help you engage with life; friends; family relationships; and finally, money.
His research illustrates again the truth of Jesus’ famous comment that our lives do not consist in the abundance of things we possess. The most important things are the values that shape us and the love that we take with us even when everything else has gone.

Posted in Abundant life, Contentment, Happiness, Living Life, love, Retirement, Wellbeing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Seeing opportunities instead of problems

Posted on November 23, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A wealthy man, on his way to catch a plane, parked outside a Manhattan bank and took out a five thousand dollar loan, leaving his Rolls Royce as collateral. Two weeks later he returned to get his car back. He paid back the five thousand dollars plus fifteen dollars and forty cents interest. The loan officer was intrigued and asked him why a man who could afford a Rolls Royce needed to borrow five thousand dollars. The millionaire explained that he didn’t need the loan, he just needed a safe place to park his car, and where else in Manhattan could he do that for only fifteen dollars and forty cents. No wonder he was a millionaire.
Winners in life are those who see opportunities where other people only see problems. It’s what Jesus meant when he said: ‘If you can believe, all things are possible.’

Posted in Faith, Initiative, Opportunities, Positive Thoughts, Seeing the possibilities | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Departing in dignity

Posted on November 20, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Babe Ruth was to American baseball what Don Bradman was to Australian cricket. But Babe Ruth didn’t finish the way Bradman did. At the end of his career he went to seed and even his fans turned against him, and at his final game they jeered him mercilessly. However, sitting amongst the mob was a little boy for whom Babe Ruth was a great hero. The story goes that the child, broken hearted by the insults, ran out onto the field and hugged the great man’s legs. Suddenly the crowd went quiet and watched in silence as Babe Ruth walked off the field for the last time with a little boy who idolised him holding his hand.
One of the most important lessons of life is to know when it’s time to leave, and to do so with dignity. And if you can do it with someone who loves you, you’ve finished well.

Posted in Babe Ruth, Don Bradman, Following the Crowd, Futility, love, Retirement | Tagged , , | Leave a comment