3rd Generation on the Scene

When will the need for a downtown space for our work be necessary again? What or where is the Marketplace? How has the virtual world of business created a new way of friendship and relationships for good and/or bad? That’s one thread I’ve been picking at lately.

At the same time another thread has been going through my alleged mind: For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. (Acts 13:36,37 NRSV) It’s a line from Paul’s great sermon in Antioch giving an overview of Israel’s historical place in the salvation story. But that line about David serving his generation and then exiting stage left has always been an operating principle for me.

We began nearly 37 years ago with those in their late 20’s to those approaching 50 as our “generation”. We’re now in our 60’s and late 80’s if we are still around – I was 37 so was in the middle. We grew together through career, family, spiritual, community and world successes and failures. Setbacks, getting fired, struggling with kids and marriages, dealing with the wealth that comes with success, moral failure, misuse of power were all on the menu. Handling achievement, the use of influence for social good, use of wealth in the service for something greater than acquiring and keeping it, watching children get launched, finding meaning in the work we do as an expression of the gifts God has given –  these too were on the menu. In all of this the greatest discovery has been that we are loved by God and that sense of being loved shaped ambition and service in whatever context.

And now a third generation is here. We already had many second-generation men and women become part of the circles of friendship but now the grandkids of people who have been connected to us are showing up in conversations about spiritual friendship.

In many ways our work has been less about physical location than about being a safe place to explore ideas or challenges that may not be easily voiced in whatever religious culture our friends belong to. Our marketplace originally viewed as “Bay St.” has expanded to be a part of the marketplace of ideas where anything is safe to discuss while Jesus remains part of or central to the conversation.

Maybe I will be back on “Bay Street” or hosting retreats in cottages or perhaps not for some time. Offering day retreats, safe outdoor conversations and rounds of golf now that the weather is improving will meet some of our deep need to be together as friends – but virtual community and friendship is here to stay. Meanwhile Zoom groups and meetings are still fruitful and plentiful.

Lots of issues are still on the conversation plate – cancer, diminishment from aging, developing a new identity (my generation), leadership ambition, fertility, marriage and family, spiritual formation of friendships for life (younger generations). 

Once more I say thank you for staying with me in this little spiritual enterprise and for your support as we discover where our Coracle of faith is blown by the Spirit. We have more generations to serve apparently.

Beauty of friendship continue among us,

Norm

P.S.

We would like to thank many of you for your continued support of Touchstone through a time that has proved difficult in so many ways. As ever, we are grateful.  Like many of you, while we continue to have meetings and conversations using Zoom, we are so looking forward to having face to face interactions again, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.

We have maintained our expenses at a lower level, principally owing to limited travel and gathering opportunities, but we still very much depend on your generosity which enables us to continue offering spiritual friendship to a diverse group of friends and produce new material, including podcasts and videos, for our website and mailing list.

We would value your continued partnership this spring.

There are a variety of ways to donate, which can all be found on our website:

https://www.touchstone.ca/donations

Thank you.

Warm Regards,

Martin Cobb, Treasurer