A blessing from a reader in South Africa

A reader writes:

We have never met but I am a good friend of [a friend of yours] and she has often spoken about you. I am Rector of [an Anglican church] in Cape Town where she is a member – although she has left us now to study for the ordained ministry.
I write to you as I have been on sabbatical these past two months and feel like you have been my spiritual mentor and guide as I have slowly read “Naked Spirituality” and been fed, inspired, challenge and encouraged by you, your story and your insights, during my time apart with God. I have been reflecting on my life and ministry (I have been at my current congregation for over twenty years) and praying into the next chapter of my ministry. “Naked Spirituality” came as a God-gift to me recommended by Amazon.com when I went on line to buy Eugene Peterson’s “The Pastor”.
Yesterday morning, running through the foothills of Table Mountain (one of my best thinking praying spaces), I felt God told me to email you and pass on my thanks and appreciation for your ministry to me. I am not sure in what “season” (!) you will be when you read this email – if indeed it gets to you, but be encouraged and know that God has used you to help this fellow pilgrim find God in the season he is in, and you have given me food for the journey.
God bless you today Brian.

Thanks for these kind words. As you can imagine, they go right to my heart because having served as a pastor for over twenty years myself, I know how much it meant to me when a book gave me additional strength for the journey. I’m especially encouraged when people respond to Naked Spirituality, because as a writer, it’s easy to get put into a box – in my case, the “commentator on state of the church” box. My primary calling has never been to be a commentator, but a disciple – and Naked Spirituality is a reflection of my own journey of discipleship.