Preparing for New Wine in a Liminal Season

Stepping Away After 19 Years to Rest, Listen, and Become

A liminal space is a place or time of transition, representing the “in-between” threshold between “what was” and “next”. Derived from the Latin word limen (threshold), these spaces are often physically, psychologically, or temporally transitional, such as hallways, airports, waiting rooms, or life stages. They are characterized by feelings of nostalgia, eeriness, and discomfort.

Photo by Jeff Nissen on Unsplash

It’s been a week since I officially stepped off the team at Life.Church/YouVersion, and it still feels pretty odd. I suppose after 19 years, deep habits, routines, and rhythms are pretty dialed in and set. If you missed that news and announcement, you can read more about it here.

When I was eighteen years old, I started working full time and never looked back. So basically, for 35 years I have been waking up every weekday and heading to work, and generally speaking, it’s been pretty great. I have had some great jobs, gained wonderful experience, and been able to do some pretty amazing things with some of the most brilliant people in the world. And just a few days ago, for the first time ever, I woke up and didn’t have a job. And just to be clear, this is by choice.

I desire to take a few months off of work, to step into a liminal space of honest discomfort. What would be easy for me would be to roll right into something and just keep going. But what I believe would be a better decision is to use this key time of transition, this “in-between,” to get prepared for what is next and new. My prayer for this time is to be restored, rested, and filled, with my mind, body, and spirit full and ready to pour out into what God has planned for me.

Today I check into a Catholic Monastery for an Ignatian Silent Retreat, where the focus is to encounter Christ through silence, solitude, and stillness. I am very excited and have wanted to do something like this for a few years, but never made the time for it. To be honest, I am also extremely nervous about this time, and I know it is going to be very hard. I know I am addicted to my phone, to activity and productivity, as well as progress. I have ebbed and flowed in and out of sabbath, and have not found consistency in this space. I am praying for a bit of a reboot, and for a new and fresh desire for stillness and spaciousness. I am also praying for the Lord to bring clarity around the “new wine” He desires to bring out of me for this next season.

“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.” - Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭37‬-‭38‬

As I exited the Life.Church/YouVersion team, I could not have been more grateful and thankful for the 19 years. The time was tremendous and absolutely amazing. And please know, it was super hard. Those two things can be true at the same time, super hard and absolutely amazing. As God made it clear, it was time to step away and prepare for something new He has for Robin and me.

As we were preparing for the transition, I was reminded again of Dallas Willard’s quote, “The main thing God gets out of your life is not the achievements you accomplish. It's the person you become.” Because of that, I spent a few months working on my Becoming Manifesto. What simply started as a question, “God, who have you made me to be?”, developed into something more. This has become my North Star, my guide for this next season of new. I know He is making new wine. He is breaking new ground. And we desire to step into whatever He has set out for us next.

Until next time,

Terry

New Wine - Brook Ligertwood

In the crushing
In the pressing
You are making
New wine
In the soil, I
Now surrender
You are breaking
New ground

So I yield to You and to Your careful hand
When I trust You I don’t need to understand

Make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me

So make me Your vessel
Make me an offering
Make me whatever You want me to be
I came here with nothing
But all You have given me
Jesus, bring new wine out of me