Dear friend,
This letter is different from the others.
It is not going to everyone. It is going only to you, and to the few others who chose to walk a little closer with me. So before anything else, I want to say thank you.
You did not have to do this. You could have kept reading my letters for free, like most people do. Instead you said, I want to be part of this. I do not take that lightly.
Why I call you a friend.
When I was choosing a name for this small circle, I kept coming back to one verse.
It is in John chapter 15. Jesus is with His disciples on the night before He died. He has been their teacher for three years. And then He says something that must have surprised them.
Verse 15. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
Notice what makes them friends. Not that they were perfect. Peter would deny Him that same night. It was that Jesus held nothing back from them. He told them everything.
That is what I want this circle to be. A place where I tell you more. Where I share the things I am thinking about and praying about, before I write them for anyone else.
What you can expect from me.
You already have all four of my guides. Keep them somewhere safe, and print them if you like to read on paper.
From time to time, I will write to you here, in letters that only the Friends of Father Thomas receive.
And when I finish a new guide, you will not need to buy it. It will come to you, free, on the day it is ready.
What I would like from you.
Friendship goes both ways. So I have one request.
Reply to this letter and tell me two things. First, your name and where you are writing from. Second, one thing I can pray for you about.
It can be big or small. A grandchild who has drifted from the Church. A worry about the years ahead. Your health. Your country. Whatever is on your heart.
I would like to know the people in this circle, not just their email addresses.
God bless you, friend. I am glad you are here.
With you in prayer always,
Father Thomas
P.S. This letter is just for you, so please do not forward it. But if you know someone who would want to walk with us, they can join here: fatherthomasletters.com/upgrade