Alan Fadling's Blog, page 10

Worship as a Refuge in a Noisy World

Blog by Alan Fadling

In my reading and research, I always appreciate when I find a warning about hurry from a previous generation. Consider these words that Elton Trueblood, a philosopher and spiritual writer in the twentieth century, wrote nearly ninety years ago:

 

"Our lives are, for the most part, full of noise and bustle and hurry, and it is certainly clear that our service of worship should be remarkable by contrast. The ‘snappy’ service in which ‘something is doing every moment’ is too much like the great noisy world outside.”*

 

Reading his reflections, I can’t help but think how much truer they feel today. Life has only grown noisier, more hurried, and more distracted. We live in a world of notifications and multitasking, a constant hum of productivity and entertainment. And, sadly, sometimes our worship gatherings echo that tendency rather than combat it.

 

Trueblood’s insight reminds us that the church doesn’t need to mirror the culture’s frenetic pace. Instead, our gatherings for worship can be a sanctuary for stillness, reflection, and renewal.

 

Worship as a Sacred Contrast 

Trueblood critiques the idea of a “snappy service,” where every moment is packed with activity and spectacle. Such a service, he argues, risks becoming indistinguishable from the rest of the busy, noisy world.

 

Instead, the church is called to offer something both deeper and slower—an encounter with the God who is among us. In this way worship becomes a countercultural act, a deliberate pause to seek God’s presence and realign our hearts to his purposes.

 

This resonates with me deeply. One of the reasons I love our worship service in the Anglican tradition is the way it gently invites us into rhythms of stillness and sacred space. There is space to hear scripture read aloud. There is space for quiet reflection. The goal of worship is not to give us yet another self-improvement task for our already too long to-do list. Instead, we are invited to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, trusting that the fruit of such a pursuit will overflow into every area of life.

 

Seeking First Things 

Jesus’s words in his Sermon on the Mount remind us of what matters most: “Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

 

When we gather for worship, the focus is not mainly on practical takeaways to better manage our lives or solve our problems. While God’s wisdom does, of course, bear fruit in our lived experience day to day, the higher purpose of worship is to seek God himself. The focus of worship is God.

 

It’s a shift in priorities. We don’t gather to first ask “What can I get out of this?” but “How can I realign my life with God’s purposes?” The church is at its best when it helps form us spiritually, equipping us to live as disciples of Jesus in a noisy, chaotic world. It’s less about quick fixes and more about deep, transformative growth. We learn to live and work at the pace of Jesus.

 

Growth Beyond Measurement 

This kind of growth—seeking God’s kingdom first—is often not immediately tangible or measurable. Trueblood asks, “Will this have tangible results? More than can be measured … but not directly.”

 

Spiritual growth is not easy to assess by quantitative measures. Instead, it unfolds subtly over time. The fruit of a life centered on God’s kingdom shows up in patience, peace, humility, and love—qualities that transform how we live, work, and relate to others.

 

The unhurried rhythms of worship, prayer, and reflection invite us into this kind of slow, lasting transformation. Growth at the pace of grace, as I like to call it, is both freeing and deeply hopeful.

 

An Invitation to Rest 

If our lives are marked by noise, hurry, and busyness, how might that impact our experience of worship? What if our gatherings became spaces of rest and renewal rather than just another engagement in my already-too-busy week?

 

In a world that constantly pulls us to achieve and produce, the church reminds us of our truest identity: we are beloved children of God. Worship becomes not just a duty but a refuge, a place where we can rest in God’s presence and be reminded of what matters most.

 

As we embrace this vision for worship, we’re reminded that spiritual formation is not about keeping up with the demands of life but about slowing down enough to meet God in the midst of our life.

 

For Reflection:

How might your worship practices become a space for slowing down and reconnecting with God’s presence?
In what ways are you seeking God’s kingdom first in your life right now? What might need to shift?
How could your weekly rhythm include moments of stillness and sacred rest?

 

UL #326: Living into the Answers- Formational Power of Soulful Questions

 

key to spiritual growth isn’t rushing to answers but learning to ask deeper, slower, and more transformational questions? In this episode, we explore how formational questions can shape your journey with God. You’ll hear examples of questions that unlock insight, guidance on crafting your own soulful questions, and encouragement to hold these questions as prayers in your heart.

Be patient. Live the questions now. And trust that, in time, the answers will come.

Join Gem and Brenda as they reflect on the creativity, patience, and grace required to live the questions God places in our hearts.

 

Resources Mentioned:

“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” Rainer Maria Rilke

How to Find Contentment Right Where You Are

Blog by Gem Fadling

 

As I was scrolling through my 2024 journal looking for inspiration on what I might share with you today, I realized that I'd been journaling about contentment for most of the year. Contentment has shown up in my praying and processing with God and in my conversations with my spiritual director, and it is an ongoing process that I am still working on.

 

Something within me is consistently not at ease with who I am, what I am, or where I am. If you're familiar with the Enneagram, you may know that Types One, Four, and Seven are in a triad called “The Frustrated Idealists.” Of course, each type has a different reason for being frustrated and a different view of what the ideal would be, but the term still applies to all three.

 

When I first heard the term Frustrated Idealist, I felt an internal yell: “That's me!” It described an undercurrent that I feel most of the time as it hums along just beneath the surface.

 

I appear to have an unspoken sensation that my situation should be different from what it is. Like antennae, my Frustrated Idealist is always reaching out for that unreachable thing that will propel me into satisfaction.

 

But the thing about the adage “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” is that there are always more fences and more yards to compare myself with.

 

As I perused through my journal, I noticed that my contentment processing has followed me all the way up to the present. And this is not the first year I've spent working on this dynamic within myself. But this past year I have made some significant movement forward. I consider this to be pure grace—a gift from God who is patient as he trains my heart toward the contentment I desire.

 

Today I'm going to share a little bit from insights I gained from Brian Zahnd’s book The Wood Between the Worlds.

 

In a chapter titled “One Ring to Rule Them All,” Zahnd talks about J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and connects it to the power and control of the religious and political leaders at the time of the crucifixion. Ultimately, it is an invitation not to grasp for the one ring of power.

 

There were a few lines he shared from Tolkien’s book that pierced my heart. The ring of power shows up for me these days as a search to be more than I am, to be larger than the small, routine life I lead. Discontent certainly is the engine behind that reach.

 

The ring of power turned Saruman into a cruel monster. Gandalf and Galadriel knew this, and they chose not to touch it and become seduced by its whims. In Zahnd’s book he recounts these conversations. Here’s what they had to say:

 

Gandalf: 

“No!” cried Gandalf, springing to his feet. “With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly. … Do not tempt me! I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great for my strength.”

 

Galadriel: 

“And now at last it comes. You will give me the ring freely! In place of the Dark Lord you will set up a queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! ... All shall love me and despair!”

 

She stood before Frodo seeming now tall beyond measurement, and beautiful beyond enduring, terrible and worshipful. Then she let her hand fall, and the light faded, and suddenly she laughed again, and lo! she was shrunken: a slender elf-woman, clad in simple white, whose gentle voice was soft and sad. “I pass the test,” she said. “I will diminish, and go into the west, and remain Galadriel.”

 

Gandalf and Galadriel remained pure by resisting the ring. They said no to it and therefore it had no power over them.

 

Samwise Gamgee, however, took another route (or was gifted this route from within). He was simply so content with his simple life that the ring inherently had no power over him. This is the posture I desire. I want to be so content that the temptation doesn’t even reach me.

 

Samwise:

In that hour of trial it was the love of his master that helped him most to hold him firm; but also deep down in him lived still unconquered his plain Hobbit-sense: he knew in the core of his heart that he was not large enough to bear such a burden, even if such visions were not a mere cheat to betray him. The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.

 

Zahnd goes on to say, “That Samwise Gamgee was content with his garden and didn't lust after an empire is what saved him from the lure of the Ring, and it's what makes him the true hero of The Lord of the Rings.”

 

Samwise had the good sense to know that the battle over power wasn’t even his to try on. He was “not large enough to bear such a burden.” This is true of me as well. My one small garden of a life is enough. I don’t need “a garden swollen to a realm.”

 

We weren’t created to withstand the pressures of the planet. Even though we can see and know what’s happening worldwide, our souls and hearts cannot bear up under the weight.

 

Our invitation is to love our neighbor—the ones we can see and touch. Our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls can, in fact, care for those around us. Planet-wide care is not ours to bear.

 

So this is my prayer: God, may my heart become more humble and my mind put at ease. I need not grasp for power or prestige, fame or fortune, or anything larger than what and who you’ve made me. Power and fame are cruel masters that torment the mind and body. May I become more and more content with what I have and who I am. Thank you for your care and help.

 

For Reflection: 

What is it you are reaching for that moves you into discontent?
If you achieved the thing about which you are discontented, what value would it add to your life?
Bring your own heartfelt prayer to God, asking God to grant you contentment.

 

_________________________________

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, part 1 of The Lord of the Rings (Houghton Mifflin, 2002), 60.

Tolkien, Fellowship of the Ring, 368.

J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King, part 3 of The Lord of the Rings (Houghton Mifflin, 2002), 911.

Brian Zahnd, The Wood Between the Worlds (InterVarsity Press, 2024), 96.

UL #325: What Does it Mean to Be Secure in God? (Michael John Cusick)

 

What does it mean to truly abide in God? How do we move beyond merely knowing about God to experiencing deep communion with Him? In this episode, I sit down with Michael John Cusick, author of Sacred Attachment, to explore the life-changing power of living in loving connection with God.

Michael, a licensed professional counselor, spiritual director, and founder of Restoring the Soul, shares how our core needs—being seen, soothed, safe, and secure—are met in Christ. We also discuss the barriers that prevent us from experiencing intimacy with God, from false beliefs to misguided attempts to ease our pain.

Together, we unpack practical insights like:

The difference between accurate knowledge about God and communing with Him.
Why our struggles often stem from mishandled pain.
How imagination can open the door to experiencing God more fully.
And how mysticism invites us to spiritual oneness with God.

Join us for a conversation that will deepen your understanding of God’s invitation to abide and inspire you to take your next step toward living in sacred attachment.

💡 Guest Bio: Michael John Cusick is the founder of Restoring the Soul, author of Surfing for God, and a trusted voice in the integration of faith and counseling. His work has been featured in Relevant, HuffPost, and Red-Letter Christians. He lives in Littleton, Colorado, with his wife, Julianne.

👉 Tune in and discover how to abide in God’s presence today.

 

 

At the Pace of Grace: There Are No Instant Saints

Blog by Alan Fadling

Welcome to a new year. It’s often a time when I make new intentions and revise my rhythms of life and work. What challenges are you finding in your own spiritual journey? Spiritual development just doesn’t happen fast, no matter what any online expert says.

 

Our journey toward spiritual maturity is rarely straightforward, and the culture we live in doesn’t make it any easier. We’re conditioned to crave quick fixes and instant results, but true growth—especially in our spiritual lives—is a slow and intentional process, much like the way things grow in creation.

 

In December each year, I spend time reflecting on spiritual growth in my own journey in preparation for this new year. I ask myself, “How is God inviting me to continue maturing as a follower of Jesus?”

 

Recently, I’ve been reading On Living Well, a collection of writings by Eugene Peterson. In it, Peterson shares this striking thought:

 

“Being human is not easy. Not at all easy. The seasons do not automatically develop us into maturity. Our instincts do not naturally guide us into a superior contentment. We falter and fail. We doubt and question. We work and learn. And just when we think we have it figured out, something else comes up that throws us for a loop.”*

 

I love the beautiful simplicity of Peterson’s insight. Spiritual growth has never happened on autopilot for me. Unlike a flower or a cat, which develop naturally according to their design, people don’t mature by default. Growing older doesn’t guarantee growing wiser or more Christlike. Real maturity requires intention, humility, and effort.

 

Growth at the Pace of Grace

 

In my book An Unhurried Life, I wrote a chapter titled “Maturity: Growing Up Takes Time.” In it, I quoted Brother Lawrence, who once observed of an overly enthusiastic sister, “She wants to advance faster than grace would allow. You don’t become a saint in a day!”†

 

Isn’t that the truth? In a world full of hacks, tricks, and shortcuts, we’re tempted to bring that same mindset to our spiritual lives. But there are no quick fixes for becoming more like Jesus. Real growth happens slowly—at the pace of grace. That’s good news! Unhurried growth is lasting growth.

 

The Bible invites us to grow, but it also reminds us that this growth is rooted in grace. Peter writes, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).

 

Paul, too, urges Timothy, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1).

 

Grace is the soil in which our spiritual lives grow. But what does it mean to “grow in grace”? What does it look like to become strong in the grace of Jesus?

 

Paul’s Journey of Grace

 

One of the most helpful glimpses of what it means to grow in grace comes from the life of Paul. We see in his letters a trajectory of maturity rooted in growing humility.

 

In one of his earlier letters, Paul writes to the Corinthians, “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:9-10).

 

Paul acknowledges his past and recognizes that he owes everything to the generous grace of God. God’s grace is Paul’s identity. God’s grace is what empowers him. God’s grace is everything for him.

 

Later, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul deepens his perspective: “Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).

 

Notice the shift? Paul’s sense of himself has become even more humble. He now considers himself less than even the least of all believers. It’s not that Paul is more of a nobody. It’s that his perspective is even more riveted to the generosity of God in his life. The trajectory continues in his first letter to Timothy, where he writes, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15).

 

From “least of the apostles” to “least of all believers” to “chief of sinners.” This isn’t false humility or self-loathing. It’s the perspective of someone who is growing in grace. The more Paul understood God’s love and holiness, the more he became aware of his own brokenness, his own shortcomings, his own need. And these are the places in our lives where God’s grace is drawn.

 

As we make our way into this new year, why not take a moment to reflect on the grace that meets you right where you are. Your own spiritual growth will not be about perfection or about how quickly you achieve certain milestones. It is about a loving journey with Jesus at a pace shaped by his love, wisdom, and grace. We can come to see our lives through the lens of grace, just like Paul did.

 

We can be honest about our need yet confident in God’s unrelenting generosity. So, let’s walk together into this season with open hands and open hearts, trusting that the One who began this good work in us will carry it to completion. May your growth this year be slow, steady, and rooted deeply in the soil of grace.

 

For Reflection:  

How do you sense God inviting you to embrace a slower, grace-filled pace of growth in this season?
Where in your life might you be trying to grow “faster than grace would allow”?
How might Paul’s journey of growing in grace encourage or challenge you today?

 

*Eugene Peterson, On Living Well (Waterbrook, 2021), 7.

† Quoted in Alan Fadling, An Unhurried Life, revised ed. (InterVarsity Press, 2020), 144.

 

UL #324: The Need for Limits

 

Crafting a rhythm of life isn’t just about adding more to your schedule—it’s about making intentional choices that shape who you’re becoming. Inspired by Ruth Haley Barton’s question, “How do I want to live so I can be who I want to be?” this episode explores the beauty of setting limits as a doorway to creativity, discernment, and rest.

We’ll discuss how a rhythm of life can act like a trellis, supporting your growth and flourishing. With insights from spiritual writers like Margaret Guenther and Evelyn Underhill, we’ll uncover practical ways to create daily, weekly, and seasonal practices that feel life-giving and sustainable.

Join me as we take one small, simple, and gracious step toward cultivating a life that aligns with God’s invitations and your deepest desires.

🌱 Reflection Questions:

What feels life-giving to me?
What brings me joy?
What enables me to rest?

Resources Mentioned:

Ruth Haley Barton book - Sacred Rhythms
Evelyn Underhill book - The Fruits of the Spirit
Margaret Guenther book - Holy Listening
Learn more about our PACE cohort training: www.unhurriedliving.com/pace

Take a moment to pause, reflect, and begin building a rhythm of life that nourishes your soul.

Happy New Year from Unhurried Living

At the start of this new year, our hearts are full of gratitude for you. Unhurried Living exists to encourage, inspire and train you in the ways of Jesus’ unhurried rhythms. We are so pleased you have chosen to connect with us here.

 

We’d like to offer Psalm 73:23-26 as a prayer to kick off the new year.

 

Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

 

As you move into 2025, may you remember:

 You are not alone

God guides you
God alone is your strength and portion

 

Blessings to you and Happy New Year!

UL #323: You Are Not in Charge

 

In this episode, Alan dives into the surprisingly freeing good news that we aren’t in charge. Letting go of control doesn’t mean losing—it can lead to gaining a life rich with trust, peace, and joy. In a world that glorifies busyness and self-reliance, we often find ourselves weighed down by burdens we weren’t meant to carry. What if surrender isn’t a sign of weakness, but a doorway to abundance? Join Alan as he explores how releasing control opens us to the gift of trust and a more peaceful, joyful life.

This episode also reflects on how trust, submission, and surrender are not signs of defeat, but pathways to freedom, deeper relationships, and a fuller experience of life. Through stories, reflections, and Scripture, we discover how letting go can lighten our load, help us flourish, and bring us closer to the life we are meant to live.

Tune in and let the good news wash over you—you don’t have to be in charge, and that’s truly freeing!

God's Christmas Shalom

Blog by Alan Fadling

Merry Christmas from Unhurried Living! We hope you enjoy a great sense of the presence of God in Christ with you on this special day.

 

In my most recent book, A Non-Anxious Life, I share this:

 

“Peace is rooted in the robust and full-orbed meaning of the Hebrew shalom. It is more than an absence of tension, stress, conflict, or trouble. It is the presence of the Prince of Peace, the God of peace, the Spirit of peace. Peace is the atmosphere of heaven. And heaven surrounds and permeates us with peace we can breathe.”(p. 14)

 

I pray that your experience of the rich, strong peace of God in Christ would deepen in the coming year. May you sense the shalom of God in everything that challenges you, troubles you, stretches you, opposes you. May you breathe deep the peace of God, which is the atmosphere of heaven.

 

Grace and peace to you!

UL #322: Reclaiming Your Identity in Christ (Whitney Lowe)

 

In this episode, Gem sits down with author Whitney Lowe to discuss her book, Set Your Eyes Higher. Whitney offers a 40-day reset designed to help you let go of what’s not serving you, honor your limitations, and turn your gaze toward a God who loves you. She dives into the cultural pressures that skew our focus, and how to find peace and rest when life feels out of control.

Whitney shares wisdom on how to navigate the dynamics of insecurity, anxiety, burnout, and scarcity—issues that many of us face today—and offers practical advice for finding long-lasting contentment. We talk about how to cultivate spiritual rhythms, set healthy boundaries, and move from scarcity to abundance in a world filled with comparison and distractions.

Join us for a rich conversation about reclaiming peace and clarity, and discovering the hope and light that comes from a deeper connection with God.