“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” – James 3:17-18

Max and I headed down to Riverfront Park to take a morning stroll along the Tar. The hike was only 1.2 miles all told, but it believe it’s getting to be too much for an old dog. We walk at an exceptionally slow pace but the distance is still almost more than he can manage.

The river, which had been filling up nicely when we returned from our epic road trip with the grandchildren, is steadily losing ground again. Another 5-6 inches of rain over the next week or so would be more than welcome.

Regardless, I love our river – especially at sunrise. I love what it signals to me about dawn, about where the water is coming from and about where both the water and the light are going.

Looking upstream, into the sunrise, I can see everything that is new streaming into the possibilities and the promise held in today – in any new day.

The light and water cascading into today remind me of how unique this moment is, not only in my own life but in all of history. I am living – we are living – in an unprecedented moment. Much as we like to complain, it remains disarmingly true that a huge percentage of the world’s population live (and have lived for thousands of years) in systems with far less political or social freedom, with nothing even vaguely approaching the standard of living and the opportunities we enjoy, and without even a smidgen of hope of being agents of change – either in their own lives or the lives of others.

And the light… the water… the moment, all flow through me and beyond me to continue downstream.

“Life itself is a privilege, but to live life to the fullest-well, that is a choice.”

Andy Andrews

I believe, from my perspective, that this rare privilege of “agency” – of making mindful choices – is essentially everything when it comes to our human experience. The fact that we have the ability to steer our own ship, to make a difference in our own lives by virtue of the choices we make, and to live in a sense persuasively – making a difference also in the lives of those around us. This is how the gift of belief and faith and faithfulness changes everything.

250 years into the future, when historians look back and ask questions about today, maybe they will point to those of us standing by the river in the morning light and say, “The people of 2026 were privileged to live in such an unprecedented time, that brief blessed moment in human history. We are so grateful they recognized their opportunity. Thank God they stepped up and seized the moment. Thank God they stood firm for freedom and refused to let it all slip through their fingers. They were indeed, ‘We The People.'”

We are We The People. We are people both of privilege and of promise. So what are we going to make of this moment? How will we respond? Will the light still guide us? And will the river continue to bring living water to our tomorrows?

The answer is ours to live – DEREK