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 Calling Venus, prayer is inspired by the sound of a wren, which leads on to thoughts concerning recognising our abilities.
The wren
It may have been small,
one of the tiniest of birds,
but what it lacked in stature
it made up for in voice,
its exuberant song carrying beyond the hedgerow
and out across the fields,
astonishing in its power and intensity.
However small I am, Lord,
however insignificant I may consider myself
compared to others,
teach me that with your help I can do surprising things,
greater than I would believe possible.
Teach me to recognise the abilities you have given,
and to use them to the full.
Amen.