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 Down, a bookmark leads on to thoughts concerning our unfolding story of faith.
The bookmark
It marked my place in the book,
showing how much I’d read
and how much was left,
saving me from the chore, after putting it aside,
of thumbing through the pages
to find the point I’d reached.
Though there’s no such simple tool, Lord,
in the unfolding story of faith,
help me to gauge my progress there,
recognising how far I’ve come
and how far I’ve yet to go.
Save me from going back over the same old ground
and settling for the familiar and undemanding,
but save me also from getting ahead of myself,
believing that the tale is complete
when it’s barely started.
Show me where I am
and where you would have me be,
and, as I continue the saga of discipleship,
help me to advance, page by page,
to a deeper knowledge of you.
Amen.