Author: David Lawrence Preston
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Valentine’s Day
Today is Valentine’s Day. For many people this means it is a day of flowers, chocolates and greetings cards slushy, humorous or both. We may think this is a recent invention like Fathers’ Day, but that’s far from true. Valentine’s Day dates back many centuries and has its origins in 3rd Century Rome. St Valentine…
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Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
I was asked to give a talk on love for Valentine’s Day. I accepted. Shouldn’t be too hard, I thought. After all, everyone wants to love and be loved, don’t they? I soon wished I hadn’t. Like Prince Charles I couldn’t even decide – what is love? I trawled the internet. I found the views…
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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself
Fear is at the root of many emotional problems. Fear paralyses; it introduces hesitation and doubt. It creates inner panic; you lose your reason and sense of proportion. Fear looks to the past; it replays images of failure, hurt and disappointment – a reminder that the past could repeat itself. It de-motivates and sabotages self-esteem.…
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The Law of Attraction is not what it seems
The two great principles that are said to determine what we make of our lives are the Law of Cause and Effect and the Law of Attraction. Some people have always known their significance, and now this knowledge is becoming known to many more. As the Buddha said, ‘All that we are arises with our…
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One Source of Everything?
Today, many scientists believe that we cannot dismiss the notion that there is but one source of everything. For example, in December 2004, a professor of astrophysics from Cambridge University, a man who has spent a lifetime studying the origins of the universe, made this astonishing statement on television: ‘We cannot discount the possibility that…
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The Best Exercise
Among all the hype for expensive gyms, personal trainers and trendy keep fit programmes, it’s easy to forget that the very best exercise costs almost nothing and is available to almost everyone. According to research by the LSE, people who regularly walk at a brisk pace for more than 30 minutes at a time are…
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Where do the laws of nature come from?
There’s an ongoing debate around the globe about how this world was made and how we came to be on it. In the USA it takes the form of heated discussions between those who trust science and those who prefer a religious – primarily Christian – interpretation. On one side are the Evolutionists. They follow…
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All the works of nature indicate intelligence
Human beings have always sensed a power greater than themselves. In ancient times they believed there was a god or gods ‘up there’ looking down on them and a place below ground where they went after death. Because they didn’t understand very much about the natural world, they reasoned it was under the control of…
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Where are you at?
In his best-selling book, Further Along the Road Less Travelled, M. Scott Peck pointed out that we are not all at the same place in terms of our spiritual growth. He identified four ‘stages’ of growth. If you had to pick one which most accurately describes you, which would it be? Stage One Stage One…
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Why spirituality and religion are so different
Religion and spirituality are not the same. Spirituality is not concerned with myths and fairy stories, but with life. That’s why many people are leaving the traditional religions. They cannot relate to the dogma and ritual that characterises them. They say nothing to them about life as it is lived. To be valid, a spiritual…