The Power of Silence

From painting cars to making films, Timothy Mahoney’s journey is one full of twists and turns, not to mention risks. But Tim wouldn’t have it any other way. As an author, director, and producer, he’s been able to weigh the Bible against the evidence—and watch it stand true. The result was his award-winning film, Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus, followed by five other films in the same series.

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One of the most inspiring and difficult spiritual practices I have participated in is a silent retreat. There is one here in Minnesota put on by the Jesuits called Demontreville Retreat House. The retreat is an exercise first developed by Ignatius of Loyola. It features a series of talks and provides time for personal reflection and solitude. The concept is built on entering into a time of quiet reflection and meditation. After going through an orientation, participants are invited into two days of silence.

During the retreat, I have withdrawn completely from the world. And that takes a bit of doing because our culture is inundated with so much busyness and so many distractions. The setting where our retreat is held is beautiful, with a lake to view and woods to wander in as we reflect on our lives with the Lord and our relationships with him and others.

The hard part is being comfortable with the silence. But once you learn the discipline of silence, it prepares you to hear the voice of the Lord through Scripture, teaching, and prayer.

During one retreat, we were encouraged to think of all the people in our lives who were there when we needed help. As I reflected, I thought of my Uncle Mander McPherson, who was a significant influence at strategic times in my life. He taught me how to play guitar and inspired me to write songs. He helped redirect my life to find a different person to marry. So I wrote him a letter and told him how much he meant to me. I would learn later how much that letter meant to him.

When we read the Gospels, we see that Jesus went on silent retreats, too. Because it is in the silence that our heavenly Father speaks to us.

—Timothy Mahoney, founder of Thinking Man Films, as told to Rapt Interviews