Product Description

Probably Britain's best known and best loved rabbi, Lionel Blue is also the popular star of Radio 4's Thought for the Day. His mixture of gentle wit and homespun wisdom shows he understands what it's like to struggle with life's everyday problems and disappointments. This little book is a delightful collection of his amusing stories and quiet yet to-the-point insights on how we might see things in a more positive way and shine a more optimistic light on the gloomy corners of our world. Intended to give us all a lift and a little dose of cheerfulness, this small volume will be a companion and an inspiration to his enormous number of fans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #255540 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Rabbi Lionel Blue was born in the East End of London in 1930, the only son of a master tailor. Known to many for his work in both Christian and Jewish circles, he has lectured in comparative religion, conducted retreats and been the Convenor of an ecclesiastical court. At the same time he has also been an active broadcaster, journalist, cook and author (Bolts from the Blue, Blue Heaven, Bedside Manna etc).

Excerpted from The Little Book of Lionel Blue Thoughts by Lionel Blue. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
To Life! My greatest spiritual teacher has been Life itself. Not exotic life in a monastery high up in the Himalayas but ordinary life in London today. Some of life's lessons have been painful and some so natural that I didn't realise at first how super-natural they were. I have pondered on life's lessons on the tops of buses, in railway stations, at parties and when sitting silently in empty chapels, churches and synagogues. And in the silence I have become aware of a life beyond, pulsating beneath the surface of this one. May this book encourage you to ponder on your own life experience and to hear the Voice that speaks in it. Le Chaim! To Life! God bless you! LIONEL BLUE Happiness Some tips about happiness: It's not like a quiche, when the more slices you give away the less you have for yourself. It's the opposite. The more happiness you give to others the more you'll have for yourself. If you run after happiness, it runs after you and you never meet. But if you forget it, it just happens. Happiness isn't things outside you; it's a feeling, a state of mind inside you. I've been both happy and unhappy in comfortless hostels and luxury hotels. I'd sooner be unhappy in a luxury hotel, but that's not the point, is it? Enlightenment at a Bridge GameA young man was making a grand slam in bridge against an older couple. But instead of congratulating him, his wife mouthed, 'Fool!' leaving him feeling hurt and bewildered. Light dawned! The older man was the young man's boss and every win in the two-dimensional world of cards was a loss in the three-dimensional world of the boss's favour.Just as the real world encloses the world of cards, so a spiritual world encloses the real world. And a worldly gain in this life could be a loss in eternal life. So watch out! On Offer I used to treat God as a heavenly department store, a Harrods-on-high without price labels. I didn't ask for much, just comfort, security, health, happiness and such. But if you look at a crucifix or read up on tragic Jewish history, you realise such rewards are chancy. The time-tested reward of prayer is the growth of love that God inspires in us. That's what's on offer. Is that all?Probably. Sorry! In the Supermarket A lady on a park bench told me how she'd nearly lost her temper in a supermarket. The woman in front of her had muddled up her credit cards and was holding up the entire queue, the checkout girl was hysterical and the frustrated man behind her was ramming her in the backside with his trolley. 'I was about to explode too,' she said, 'when I suddenly burst out laughing. I sorted the credit cards, pacified the checkout girl and even wiggled my bum to make a better target for the trolley. I don't know what came over me!' 'You had a moment of grace,' I replied. 'Lots of us have them but usually we throw them away.' The Empty Church Is there anything in religion for you? You'll have to provide your own answer. Sit in an empty place of!
worship and let whatever happens happen. You'll need ten minutes because you'll go through layers of anxiety - 'Have I left the gas on?' Or embarrassing thoughts. Or feeling sorry for yourself. You might cry. Or feel what nonsense it all is. But at the end there is a moment of quiet. Do this about ten times. Something may speak to you in the quiet. Life 'What's life?' I asked as a child. Some said the purpose of life was happiness. But happiness is far too chancy. Some said life was a school where you learnt to acquire things, and then give them back. This made sense. I just want to add that life is like a mirror. If you look into the mirror of life with hate, it reflects it back. If you look into it with trust, it justifies some of it. So it's over to you! Parting I knew from something my partner said that we were breaking up after many years together. We had grown out of each other. I sat in a chapel nearby and looked into the black hole that had opened up in my life. An inner voice then said, 'In this world you only enjoy reflections of love. But one day you will meet the real thing.' I took this to mean that I would meet up with the inner voice that had been talking to me for so many years and that this meeting would take place at death. Death has not worried me since then. Pain - yes, but death - no. Status My big black dog would only eat her dog food if some human food were added. Gradually, she began to push her bowl nearer and nearer the dining-room table, until one day when I came back from a business trip, after entrusting the house to two dog-loving friends. My dog was now sitting at the dining-room table, and when I sent her sharply back to her bowl in the kitchen, she growled at me. I sympathised with her. She was trying to improve herself and become human, though she had no idea of what being human involved. Just as I want to improve myself and become spiritual, though I have little idea of the demands and responsibilities it brings.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful ideas to ponder on
I love the way Lionel Blue brings problems down to simple truths. I read excerpts from this book before going to sleep each night and somehow it puts things into perspective. A fun little book for dipping in and out of.