Calculated risk takers

Posted on October 8, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A few years ago Cornell University conducted a survey of a wide range of people to find out what people most regret. They discovered that twice as many people were bothered more by what they did not do rather than what they had done. Missed opportunities were the most common of all regrets. Most of them were about being unwilling to take chances and being more afraid of the short term consequences of failure than the long term benefits of success.
It reminds me of that story Jesus told about a king who gave money to each of his servants to put to use. The only one who was finally condemned was the one who was so afraid of losing the money that he buried it and did nothing. God doesn’t call us to be gamblers, but in the game of life he does expect us to be calculated risk takers

Posted in Cornel university, Regret, risk takers | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Busyness is the Devil

Posted on October 8, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The writer John Ortberg says that he once called a wise friend to ask for some spiritual direction. He described the frenetic pace of his life; the demands of work and family responsibilities: that endless round of driving kids to activites, attending meetings and so on. He said, ‘I feel tired and empty inside. The joy in life has gone. What do I need to do?’
His wise friend simply said, ‘You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.’ John thought about it and then said, ‘Okay, I’ve written that one down, now, what else is there?’ His friend just looked him straight in the eye and said. ‘You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.’
Maybe that’s what the psychologist Karl Jung meant when he said, ‘Some people think busyness is of the Devil. Busyness is not of the Devil, busyness is the Devil.’

Posted in Busyness, Devil, quietness | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Reflecting the light

Posted on October 8, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I heard about a New York policeman who found a boy in an alley flashing a mirror up to a window in one of the tenements. He suspected he was up to no good. But the kid protested his innocence and explained that he was flashing light up to his little brother in their apartment. “He don’t ever get out, mister.” The boy said. “He’s crippled with polio and the only sunlight he sees is what I flash up to him with this mirror.”
I suppose that’s an example of what Jesus meant when he said that we are the light of the world and that we should let our light shine. He was talking about the way that our words and actions flash reflections of God’s love and light to people who otherwise might never see them. It’s a wonderful thing to see the light come back into someone’s eyes, and it takes so little to do it.

Posted in Compassion, Good deeds, Light, Light of Life, Sympathy and Support | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wisdom, knowledge, and joy

Posted on October 8, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University did a survey of one hundred university lecturers both before and after they found out if they had received tenure in their positions. They all expected to be quite happy if they got tenure and rather unhappy if they didn’t. But Gilbert’s research showed something quite different. Those who got what they wanted were happy for a while, but not as happy as they thought they would be. While those who failed were not as unhappy as they expected to be. So he came to the conclusion that happiness, or the lack of it, has very little to do with the things we think.
It sounds a bit like the ancient wisdom of the Bible that says: ‘there is nothing better for a man to do than to enjoy his food and drink, and his job…for God gives those who please him wisdom, knowledge, and joy…’

Posted in career, Futility, Gift of God, Happiness, Joy, Success, Wisdom | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Putting on a new face

Posted on October 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

According to a report from Reuters, The British Association of Plastic Surgeons now considers it possible to actually replace a patient’s features. Full face transplants are no longer science fiction fantasy. A proposed microsurgical procedure could give new skin, bone, nose, chin, lips, and ears from deceased donors to patients who have been disfigured by accidents. There are still some ethical and practical obstacles to overcome, but, as one victim of face cancer said, “If we can donate other organs of the body, then why not the face.”
Wanting a more perfect version of ourselves is a universal human longing. That’s why it’s good to remember Jesus’ promise that those who experience his transforming power shall one day be made perfect – our humble beings transformed eternally into his likeness.

Posted in Accidents, Beauty, Healing, Hope, Hope of Glory, New Life, Promise, Self Image, Transformation | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fool’s cap

Posted on October 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old story about a King who appointed a new court jester and was so pleased with him that he gave him a special fool’s cap to wear as a symbol of his ability.The king told him to wear the hat always and never to give it away until he found someone who was a greater fool than he. Years later, that same king lay dying, and he called for his jester to cheer him up. The jester asked him what he was doing, and the king told him he was about to go on a journey. The jester asked him when he would return, and the king said he would never return. Then the jester asked him what preparations he had made for this journey, and the king told him he had made none. So the jester removed his cap and gave it to the king, saying, ‘Take back your cap, Sire, for you are a greater fool than I.’

Posted in Death, Foolishness, Life's journey | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Live, love and laugh

Posted on October 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

When Norman Cousins was diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease, he released himself from hospital and decided to treat himself. Aware of the harmful effects that negative emotions can have on the body Cousins prescribed his own treatment, consisting mainly of mega doses of vitamin C and a positive attitude produced by faith, hope, love and laughter. The laughter came from watching old Marx Brothers films and Candid Camera re-runs. It didn’t take long for him to discover that ten minutes of laughter provided two hours of pain-free sleep. Amazingly, his debilitating disease was eventually reversed and when his story was published he received thousands letters from appreciative physicians throughout the world.
If a good regular dose of laughter can have that effect on our physical well being, how much more when you add in spiritual joy and peace. No wonder the Bible says: ‘The joy of the Lord is my strength.’

Posted in Joy, Laughter, Life, Life's journey, love, Positive Thoughts, Strength | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hope springs eternal

Posted on October 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Alexander Pope wrote: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast: Man never is, but always to be blessed.” But where does man turn when hope dries up? The director of a medical clinic told of a young man who was terminally ill, arriving for his usual treatment and encountering a new doctor, who said to him quite casually and insensitively: ‘You know, don’t you, that you won’t live out the year?’As that young man left, he stopped by the director’s desk and wept. ‘That man took away my hope,’ he said. The director put his arm around his shoulder and said: ‘Maybe it’s time to find a new one.’
Clare Booth Luce said: ‘There are no hopeless situations; there are only people who have grown hopeless about them.’ And for people of faith, even when facing death, hope of eternal life is the anchor that holds them secure.

Posted in Death, Eternity, Faith, Hope | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

There are some things you don’t have to see to believe

Posted on October 6, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

C.T. Powell in his book ‘Seeing is Believing’ reports on an interchange between a high school teacher and one of her students about evidence for the existence of God. The teacher had challenged the students to provide one piece of tangible evidence and, because no-one could, she said: ‘Then our logical conclusion is that God doesn’t exist.’ But one girl challenged her on this by saying: “Just because we can’t see something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We could do brain surgery and investigate the parts of your brain and we could do a CAT scan and see the brain patterns in your head. But we couldn’t prove that you’ve had a single thought today. Does that mean that you haven’t thought anything today?
Evidence comes in many forms; you don’t always have to see to believe. There are some things you just know are true.

Posted in Atheism, Believing, Evidence, Faith, Fingerprints of God, Knowing God | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Spiritual Immunity

Posted on September 30, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

Sir Alexander Fleming, when he discovered penicillin, warned against people taking too little of it. An under-dose, he said would permit germs to remain in the system thereby allowing one to build up an immunity that could then be passed on to other people. So, by playing with penicillin treatments people could do serious harm to themselves and others.
Something similar happens in the spiritual realm when people play with faith and dabble in a spirituality that really doesn’t demand anything of them. It’s good to have an interest in the deeper mysteries of life, but if that interest doesn’t reach down to the very heart of our being and change us, it won’t be the sort of faith that truly makes the connection with God and sustains us through life. It may be just enough to make us immune to the real thing.

Posted in Half heartedness, Spiritual Immunity, Spirituality, True and False Religion | Tagged , , | Leave a comment