Is there a hint of optimism in the air these days? The Covid numbers seem to be lifting a bit, even as the vaccine portends more relief out ahead. Perhaps things are a little more quiet out there, generally, in any number of ways. I hope so.
From the ancient poet of wisdom, Ecclesiastes, we know there is a season for everything, “a time,” we are told, “to break down and a time to build up.” I suspect we’ve been enduring, for a long time now, so much of that breaking down. I’ve had it. It’s time now to begin again to build up, isn’t it?
I’ve decided I want to devote myself in the next chapter of my life to building up. That’s what I will be writing about out ahead.
I think often these days of those familiar words from Isaiah:
Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over days gone by.
I am about to do something new;
this moment it will unfold.
Can you not perceive it?
Something new? Don’t you see it? It’s about to happen! We have no choice but to rebuild, do we? But even as we begin, in our own small ways, we must stay alert to the new thing God is about to do, or is already doing, all around us.
I am one of those who believes our nation has come close to a breaking point. I have read widely on this point. I have written about it in any number of places. With many others I believe we may have begun a time of civilizational decline. We listen to various proposals about how to rebuild, how to heal, and then the old skepticism creeps in all over again. Faith in our institutions is broken. Trust in our leaders is challenged. Faith in politics, a trust we’ve been banking on for far too long, is close to shattered. One place not to begin rebuilding, I’ve come to believe, is with politics.
No, I think a new chapter of rebuilding must begin close to home, in our hearts and minds, with our families, our marriages, our places of work, our neighborhoods, those places where we might have some small influence, from the bottom up. I can do something there at least, can’t I?
And here’s my deepest conviction: Rebuilding will not happen until we rise to a new level of spiritual reorientation, nothing less than revival, conversion, deep changes of heart and mind for each one of us, changes as well in the way we live together in human community. True rebuilding will require, first of all, a radical refocusing of our attention on the presence of the living God. We’ll need to do this daily, each morning. As we do, we will find ourselves reshaped. What we pay attention to will change. And then we will find the way to radiate God’s love, through us, into the lives of those we touch. This is the promise of ancient teaching.
Sharon and I have moved to Scottsdale, Arizona. We’ve joined a marvelous community called Maravilla Scottsdale. We can’t believe it either (more on that at a later date). But we find ourselves on the threshold of a dramatic new season in our lives. We have no choice but to begin rebuilding our lives. We watch so many things we have accumulated over a lifetime, each guided by Sharon’s careful touch, march out the door. I sense we are moving into what Joan Chittister calls the “relaxed grasp.” We are beginning to “travel light.” That’s a place to begin to rebuild, isn’t it?
In the Celtic tradition there is a lot of talk about thresholds. Throughout our lives, at certain moments, we stand at a threshold, just on the verge of stepping over into something new. It happens all the time, spring arrives, sunrise unfolds out of darkness, new beginnings emerge out of sometimes hard endings. The Celts remind us that these threshold moments can be sacred. Don’t miss the crossing over. The Celts would often put up stone markers to sanctify a place of passage.
The Celts also called this threshold moment a “thin time,” meaning a time when God’s time and our time come closer together than they may ever get. That’s where I think I am right now. Maybe that’s where we are as a society. Maybe that’s where you find yourself.
These thin times are those times when God can do something new! It can be a time full of mystery, sometimes a little painful with all the letting go, but exhilarating too. A time of waiting, a pause, all the while watching expectantly. I have this sense God is about to make a move. It may come soon. Don’t you see it? I think I do see some of the signals, a few of the signs. I sure hope so.
Phil, thanks again for your very thought provoking Blog. I sure agree with your thoughts.
Roger
Dear Phil,
We welcome you and Sharon to our Maravilla family. Additionally, Maureen and I are delighted to have you as neighbors — just two doors down. We look forward to an enriching friendship. Thank you for your words, as their meaning provides thought and inspiration for what we may do for our community during these challenging times.
Warmest regards, Dwight
These are wonderful thoughts — you are an enduring inspiration to me!
BTW, I am reading “The Gift of Years” by Joan Chittister with my bible study, which includes Jennifer P. (as I think you know). Here’s a great quote connecting to your reflection: “The blessing of these years is the invitation to go lightfooted into the here and now …”
Thank you for the insights and hopeful glimmers of light. I am reminded by my anabaptist roots to hold loosely onto things of this world as we are only resident aliens. You remind us to hold tightly to those things God wants us to hold tightly. Blessings!
Oh, and yes – happy birthday!
Les
Phil: thank you for your new beginning, rebuilding essay. I resonate with you and trust we will see the unfolding of the ‘new thing’. May God bless you and Sharon in this new beginning of residence and stage of life….Loren
Dear Phil,
I’ve been waiting for your thoughtful blogs! So glad you are getting settled and back to us.
Thank you for your inspiration and hope. Now on to rebuilding.
Dear Phil,
I have been waiting to hear from you. So glad you are back to writing. I appreciate your hopeful words and will be rebuilding.
We miss you very much. Thank you, as always, for your wise and comforting words.
Phil,
This blog is what I am thinking but never could express like you have. Thank you for taking the time to so beautifully express my thoughts, hopeful but still tentative. You are a gifted and good man. Your brother, David
I am so happy for you to be in a place of beginning. Congratulations! Yesterday I was driving back from our waterfront beach place at Birch Bay where I observed the significant damage to our berm caused by yet a third big wind storm and high tide
since December. Along side the road at a stop sign I saw the first robin of the season. If I hadn’t been on a narrow 2 lane road with some other traffic and no shoulder, I think I’d still be sitting there just gazing at it in hope. Hope for tomorrow. Hope for new beginnings. Hope for our country. Hope for our national and personal health. Joy in today and in tomorrow. Love to you both!
Such tender and true words, Phil. So happy to read you and Sharon settled in such a lovely place with good neighbors like the Andringas.
We are so glad to hear from you, Phil. We hope you know we miss you and Sharon but think of you both often. Thank you for your encouraging words.
Nancy and Eldon
I join with Sue, who beat me to the comments, in welcoming you to the “new family” of Maravilla. We anticipate you and Sharon will play key roles in rebuilding hope with those here and beyond. I know I will enjoy reflecting on past years with you and discern God’s purpose and plan for us in our remaining years. Hoping for the thin line. And an early Happy Birthday, Phil.
I just finished sharing with our Men’s group at church the subject of Christian resilience when I read your thoughts, Phil. Resilience is when we can “spring back after being compressed by difficulty.” As you so noted, we are at that “thin time” when we can spring back through the grace and power of Christ. Yes,
it starts in our character, but hopefully the rebuild can be in politics, as well.
p.s.
Enjoy Scottsdale! What a beautiful place to be.
Thanks again Phil.
Phil, this is wonderful! A sense of expectancy that is so refreshing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and hopes and for taking us along with you!
Phil … I’ve been too much in our Covid Cave! I was not aware that you and Sharon had moved … you will be missed in these parts, but I’m so glad you are writing again … and I do appreciate your passion for healing and re-building our social and political systems through faith, hope, and love.
Marily joins me in surrounding you and Sharon with our love and prayers!
So good to hear from you again, Phil, and your words of hope.