To me, prayer shouldn’t be separate from daily life, but should arise spontaneously from it, inspired by the ordinary sights, sounds and experiences that surround us. That was the raison d’être behind my series of books, Touched By His Hand, Touching Down, Touching the Seasons and Heaven Touching Earth, supplemented by Calling Mars and Calling Venus, both written at the suggestion of Kevin Mayhew and aimed specifically at men and women respectively. In the following, for example, taken from Touching the Seasons, a breathtaking view leads on to reflections concerning the Ascension of Jesus.
The view
I climbed the mountain
and suddenly I could see what I’d never seen before,
a panorama stretching out before me,
giving a different perspective
and a sense of wonder at the grandeur of it all.
Too easily, Lord,
when it comes to faith,
I settle for something less,
my understanding of Christ limited,
partial –
the picture I have of him
hidebound by my narrow preconceptions
and finite comprehension.
Open my heart to the full extent of his greatness,
the wonder of who he is and all he has done,
so that I may recognise the one made flesh
as the living Word;
the one who humbled himself on the cross
as the risen Saviour,
who lives and reigns with you,
one God,
now and always.
Amen.