One Last Thought

June 24, 2024

Scripture

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”    (Ephesians 3:20-21 NIVUK) 

One Last Thought 

Summer is upon us, the longest day of the year just past, and so is the time I normally say I’ll be back with these missives in the Fall. As you can’t have helped notice I’m retiring from the work of Touchstone on June 30th but not from friends. After 40 years of this structure I’ll be free to see where the wind of the Spirit blows my little coracle of faith.  

I’ll always be available for conversations and meals, maybe even the odd little project. Currently I volunteer a day a week at our local food bank and have joined a local gospel choir. Beyond that I’m keen to see what the gracious Father has in store for me in service to others. It’s a new and welcome freedom.  

In the “Acknowledgements” in the final “Pop the Corks” blog/podcast I express my thanks to the untold numbers of friends who have supported, prayed and shared the journey with me. You’ve been part of that as a reader and I think I’ll miss doing these and your replies and comments. But everything, both good and bad comes to an end – and this has been a fruitful period of my life and I anticipate something differently fruitful as the days unfold.  

A couple of weeks ago in my morning prayers, Jesus was telling one of his many stories about an absentee owner who lets his property out to tenants. He is a great storyteller and in this case the tenants of a winery forgot they were tenants and even killed off the heir to the business. “What will the owner do?”, asks Jesus. The answer is to give it to someone else.  

I feel like Touchstone has been a loan from the Father, we’ve been tenants and we are handing it back to the Owner with gratitude and hope.  The Owner’s work will continue even if this little winery closes. 

A Prayer for Today

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.  I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will  does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and will never leave me to face my perils alone. (Thomas Merton)