I seem to have spent the whole day dishing out encouragement. Those who know me as capable of quite a bit of cynicism may find that difficult to imagine. But to meet a lack of confidence in the future is to be reminded of how fragile these things are. I actually find it quite alarming because, for all my cynicism, I don’t think I have ever seriously doubted the future for a moment. And it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it and how you are and how you feel … and you point people towards the promised land without being quite sure that it is there … but maybe that is what living in the tide of grace is all about. I’m learning.