One of the great advantages of stillness and solitude is to give the brain a thorough rest from the incessant internal dialogue that most of us have with ourselves for most of the time.

Not that I have stopped thinking completely during my sabbatical. Most significantly, I have read Thomas Merton’s “Seeds of Contemplation”, Melvin Bragg’s epic novel about Celtic Britain, Credo, and several narrative books of the Bible, including Genesis, Esther and Joshua. Such books feel gentle on the mind. They shape one’s sense of identity and challenge one’s behaviour, but they don’t overly tax the brain.

I have spent most of my life thinking out what I believe, then seeking to live by it, but this is simply not how people really grow. Fears, hopes, energy levels, habit patterns are just a few of the things that get in the way. The most fundamental question is not “What do I think?” but “What do I want?”

My time on Iona has gone a long way to answering that for now. I want to avoid getting stuck knee-deep in mud, whether the physical or metaphorical variety. I want to pay much more attention to what God is doing, and make sure I collaborate effectively with his agenda. I want to live out the grandfather metaphor in my working life as well as in my family.

And armed with these “wants” I am ready to relaunch the dialogue – with myself, with God, with others. Thinking is not all bad. It just needs to stay humble. Over the next few blog entries, I want to bridge the gap from the end of my sabbatical to the present day, and explore how avoiding the mud, paying attention and being a grandfather are already beginning to play themselves out in seven spiritual enterprises.