Alan Fadling's Blog, page 21

UL Podcast #270: The Second Testament (Scot McKnight)

 

I’ve been a reader of the New Testament for forty-five years now. I’m still grateful for the wisdom and life guidance I find in those pages. Checking my current favorite NIV Bible, I realize that the New Testament takes up 225 pages. That’s about the length of many of the books I talk with authors about on this podcast. What I mean to say is that it isn’t as big as I sometimes imagine.

And I realize is that I can easily get into habits, even ruts, when it comes to how I understand what I’m reading in these pages. 

That’s why I’m glad to share my recent conversation with Dr. Scot McKnight about his recent translation of the New Testament called The Second Testament. In reading through familiar passages in it, I found myself challenged and awakened to the New Testament in quite a helpful way. I think you’ll find what he shares about this translation to be very life-giving.

Right after my conversation with Scot, my wife, Gem, and I have a brief conversation about our experience of The Second Testament. Be sure to stay with the episode for those thoughts. 

Scot McKnight serves as Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. He is the author of many books, including Reading Romans Backwards, Pastor Paul, The King Jesus Gospel, and commentaries on James, Galatians, and 1 Peter. He is also the coeditor of the Story of God commentary series and general editor of the forthcoming second edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters.

ICDT #86: Living in Two Levels

 

A few years ago I read Thomas Kelly’s A Testament of Devotion. He put into eloquent prose a dynamic that I had experienced, but had not yet found words to describe.

 

There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we may be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings. . . . In a deeply religious culture people know that the deep level of prayer and of divine attendance is the most important thing in the world. It is at this deep level that the real business of life is determined. . . . Between the two levels is fruitful interplay, but ever the accent must be upon the deeper level, where the soul ever dwells in the presence of the Holy One.

 

Thomas Kelly, A Testament of Devotion (San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1941), 9. 

 

We are going to unpack this idea today on I Can Do That! Podcast.

4 Ways to Connect to God Soulfully

Blog by Gem Fadling

In preparation for co-leading a pilgrimage for women to Italy last month, I spent some time getting to know St. Catherine of Siena and St. Clare of Assisi. These two female saints were quite formidable in their passion and love for God—and what that meant for their own souls and those around them.

 

In Ilia Delio’s book Clare of Assisi, I found a snippet Clare wrote in a letter to her sister, Agnes.

 “O most noble Queen,

gaze upon [him],

consider [him],

contemplate [him],

as you desire to imitate [him].”

 

Four words leapt off the page:

 Gaze
Consider
Contemplate
Imitate

 

These four dynamics are compelling invitations in my relationship with God that, if followed, could lead to much fruit that lasts, which Jesus spoke of in John 15.

 

Let’s take a brief look at each of these four dynamics. I’ll share a scripture and then a few thoughts on each one.

 

GAZE

 “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4)

 

Gazing feels like a lost art. When was the last time you gazed at someone or something? When I ponder the idea of gazing, the first image that comes to mind is the way a new parent holds and looks into the eyes of their newborn. Oh, the inexplicable wonder of a fresh, new little being.

 

I remember staring into the eyes of each of my sons as newborns. There’s an intensity to this kind of seeing. A taking in. A connection.

 

This verse talks about gazing on the beauty of the Lord. What might that look like in everyday life? This gazing is a posture of the heart. A stillness in God’s presence. A beholding. And the wonder here is that we are simply mirroring back the loving gaze that is already being directed at us.

 

How might GAZING become a part of your connection with God?

 

CONSIDER

 “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4)

 

David is considering that which he sees with his eyes, the grand landscape of the universe. He cannot fathom a being who could create the heavens, the moon, and the stars and can still find a place in his heart for humans as well. It’s a moment of overwhelm and praise.

 

To consider is to think carefully about. What might it look like for you to think carefully about what God has made? Then add to that the beautiful and humbling idea that God made and cares for you. Consider that and allow it to lead to praise.

 

CONTEMPLATE

 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” (Ephesians 1:18)

 

The word contemplate means to look at attentively and thoughtfully. I’d like to draw a line from contemplation directly to the word “enlightened” in this verse. Contemplation is one way our hearts might be enlightened toward hope.

 

I’d like to think that contemplation is the next movement beyond consider. Consider involves the head, while contemplation moves us to the heart. Allow the eyes of your heart to open wider to the riches of God.

 

IMITATE

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28)

 

If you’ve been following Unhurried Living for long, you won’t be surprised by my choice of this verse. There are many ways for us to follow the example of Jesus. The gospels are full of stories of the ways Jesus modeled for us an abundant and compassionate life.

 

One area in which I can always use some encouragement is around hurry. Jesus invites us to come. Especially the weary and burdened…come. Jesus said he is gentle and humble in heart. These are qualities to receive and then imitate, especially in our increasingly distracted, anxious, and lonely culture.

 

Let’s imitate Jesus and become people of peace, a soft place for others to land when they are in our presence. Rest for your souls is much needed. I’m sure you feel that as well.

 

Did you notice that all these terms--gaze, consider, contemplate, and imitate--are in relationship with God? We don’t enact these verbs in a vacuum or all by ourselves.

 

We are gazing upon God, considering God’s vast goodness, contemplating God’s generosity through hope, and imitating the ways of Jesus.

 

What a wonderful set of invitations to greater connection with our loving Creator. I hope you’ll review these again, looking for ways to make them part of your spiritual practice.

 

Reflect 

Which of these four terms strikes you today?
What connection between the words would you like to explore?
How might this dynamic process become a part of your soul care toolkit?

 

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

UL Podcast #269: The Counterfeits of True Rest

 

They say that authors often write books that they themselves need. That has certainly been true when it comes to what I’ve written about Jesus’s rhythms of work and rest. I have a deep-seated efficiency and productivity engine inside me. 

 

While this has often served me well in my work, it has also gotten in the way when it comes to entering into God’s gift of rest for me. It still feels like a discipline to stop producing and to simply embrace rest. When I do, I experience the grace and kindness of God. But it’s still often a challenge.

 

Today I am talking about the counterfeits of true rest when it comes to our work and our relationship with God.

ICDT #85: Moving Through Transitions

 

Transition. How do you feel when you hear this word?

For some, transitions are welcome because it’s a movement from one place to another.

For others, transitions are unwelcome for the same reason. Change can be disconcerting.

But whatever you feel about transitions, that’s where we’re headed today in our conversation.

The Fruit of Leadership Journaling

Blog by Alan Fadling

A couple of weeks ago, I shared about my long-standing practice of leadership journaling. Here, I want to share more about that practice and some of the good fruit it has borne in my life and work.

 

Cultivating Continual Growth

I also keep a journal as a leader to capture insights I gain from scripture, from reading, and from life. I capture experiences and stories, and I learn from them through reflection and writing. I often process my thoughts better through writing than through conversation with another person. I know not everyone is wired that way, but I am.

 

I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of journal entries in which I record passages from what I’m reading, followed by my reflections, questions, and further insights. It’s easy these days to read books in a rather shallow way. I’m glad for the habit of recording passages that encourage, teach, or even puzzle me so I can think and write more deeply in response to them.

 

In this same spirit, I’ve often used my journal as a place to work through a challenging issue I’m facing, whether personal, relational, or professional. I can easily get overwhelmed when faced with an especially challenging situation. Thinking out loud in my journal often helps me to grasp the core of the matter and find my way forward with freedom, clarity, and a bit more courage.

 

A Habit of Prayer and Gratitude

On many pages of my journal, you’ll find either a passage of thanksgiving or of prayer. I’ve shared elsewhere that I tend to be a person who feels like my cup is half empty. The practice of reflecting on the past 24 hours or so, looking for evidence of God’s generosity to me or around me, and then offering thanks in response has, in many ways, transformed my pessimism into hopefulness and more buoyancy. Learning to notice grace in my recent experience has taught me to better notice grace in the present moment. I am far more confident that God is being gracious, even when current circumstances are hard, troubling, or confusing.

 

Again, many of the good fruits that journaling has borne in my life have become long-term realities. It’s true that I sometimes feel better in the moment when I write out my thanksgiving or a prayer or work through a challenge, but the real fruit of journaling has been growth and development over time.

 

One specific way that I write in my journal is a practice I call “praying my work, then working my prayer.” I write a bit about that in my next book, A Non-Anxious Life: Experiencing the Peace of God’s Presence, which is due out in February 2024. I’m looking forward to its release.

 

What I’m Seeking First

I’ve already mentioned that I seek to be as honest as I possibly can in my journal and that I seek to write in the presence of God. So, even though I don’t write in my journal with a view to producing publishable material, I often do begin working on a sermon, a talk, a blog post, a podcast script, or even a portion of a book draft in my journal.

 

This may sound contradictory, but let me share what I mean. It’s a matter of what I’m seeking first. I’ve learned that when I sit down and seek first to write a blog post or a sermon manuscript, I sometimes experience distance or a detachment from God in my work. I’m doing something good for God more than doing something good with God.

 

That’s why, when I first begin my work on a creative project, I often do so as a personal prayer and reflection. If I have a passage, I reflect on it and listen for what God’s Spirit is speaking to me. I don’t assume that what God is saying to me is exactly what others need to hear, but the more I learn to listen well for my own life, the more skilled I become at listening well as I seek to speak to others on God’s behalf.

 

I can experiment with ideas and see how they sound in the privacy of my journal and in the presence of God before they find their way into a manuscript, an article, or a podcast script.

 

So I often begin a creative writing project as a journal entry and try to keep my reading or listening audience on the perimeter at first. Once I’ve done some personal work with my subject, I will then copy that passage out of my journal into a separate document and begin working with it toward its final form. In my work, I want to seek first God’s presence, God’s ways, and God’s guidance for my own life and then reflect on how this might speak to a group of readers or listeners. It’s been a fruitful way to do better work.

 

For Reflection:

What sounds inviting or intriguing about my experience of leadership journaling? Is there something in this that you want to experiment with? When might you do that?

 

Photo by Bookblock on Unsplash

UL #268: The Free Life of Christ (Eric Peterson)

 

I have long been a great appreciator of the writings of Eugene Peterson. I realized recently that one of my first introductions to the idea of an unhurried life was from his book The Contemplative Pastor. I still have my 1989 hardcover edition of that book. It it, he has a chapter in which he invited pastors like me to become an “unbusy pastor.” I’m grateful for a full shelf of his books that have taught and mentored me over the decades. 

 

But recently, InterVarsity Press released an expanded edition of one of his early books titled Traveling Light: Galatians and the Free Life in Christ. I couldn’t believe there was a Peterson book I’d failed to find and read. It’s a beautiful exposition of Paul’s letter to the church at Galatia on the theme of Christian freedom. 

 

And today, I have the joy of interviewing Eugene Peterson’s son, Eric, who is also a pastor and was willing to talk about this re-released title.  Eric E. Peterson, a native of Maryland, is now a Northwest transplant, having lived in Washington State for the last thirty years. He is a village pastor of the Presbyterian church he founded in 1997. His first book, Wade in the Water, represents a pastoral perspective on the power of baptism to lead people more deeply into a sacred way of life. Peterson has a home in the woods just north of Spokane where he lives with his wife, Elizabeth and three children.

 

ICDT #84: Becoming a Mentoring Presence (Richella Parham)

 

Today we're talking about being a mentoring presence, or wise woman, in the lives of others. This really is an encouragement to any woman listening to think of herself as a wise woman in the life of another.

 

The actress, Julia Louis Dreyfus, has a new podcast called “Wiser Than Me.” She is 62 and she interviews women who are older than her. She asks questions so that she can glean life wisdom from other women’s life experiences. 

 

So our question today is this: how am I living my life so that, over time, I can become a wise woman. And how am I offering myself to others in this way…all along the way. 

Pilgrimage as a Lifestyle

Blog by Gem Fadling

About a month ago, I enjoyed a week in Italy with a group of 15 wonderful women. We were on a pilgrimage.

 

People have been going on pilgrimage for centuries. While it is a physical journey, it is also an inward exploration of the soul. Pilgrimage is a chance to connect with your inner life, your most deeply held beliefs, and your relationship with God in a focused and intentional way.

 

Again, I’m so grateful for the gift of my Italy pilgrimage. But I'd like to talk about how we might engage a spirit of pilgrimage in our every-day lives. I don't think it's a big stretch to say that we have a brief journey here on earth and that, in a way, we are all on a pilgrimage.

 

The American Heritage Dictionary defines pilgrimage as “a long journey or search, especially one of exalted purpose or moral significance.” This definition is a wonderful theme for living a life. So let’s look at a process for taking part in this way. This process can be used if you have intentionally set aside a couple of weeks or months, but it can also be used as a way of engaging your everyday life.

 

Set an Intention

In this busy and distracted world, intentionality can easily fall by the wayside. But it’s important to give yourself some time in prayer to find an intention. Intention and desire go hand in hand. You might begin by asking, What do I want? or What am I hoping for? As you linger and ponder those questions, an intention may arise.

 

For example, when pondering your desires and hopes, you might realize you really miss engaging beauty. So an intention might be: As I enter this journey, I will allow my eyes to see and my heart to take in the beauty around me.

 

Life can be busy, and we sometimes move at a pace that doesn’t allow for taking in the beauty around us. Pilgrimage is a time of slowing, usually to walking speed. Engaging beauty at this slower pace is a welcome invitation.

 

Engage Self-Reflection

At face value, the term self-reflection can sound selfish or self-centered. But one could argue that self-reflection is a pathway to love. The greatest commandment itself says to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. “As ourselves” might be a big missing piece in how we engage this beautiful invitation. How will we love others if we do not know how to love ourselves?

 

I understand that most of us have mountains of past experiences that make this difficult. But I'm encouraging you to engage this part of your story. Do the work necessary to become unencumbered by past hurt. Open yourself more fully to the love of God as you are able. God's love for us helps us to love ourselves. And as this relationship continues to be refined, our love for others increases and can become purer.

 

Self-reflection is therefore important and necessary soul work. Pilgrimage is the perfect opportunity to engage in self-reflection because you've already made the choice to set aside time and place and focus. There will be hours to let your mind wander and allow the Spirit to bring up some inner dynamics. This can happen naturally when you're moving at a walking pace and when you have an open heart that's ready to receive.

 

Become Open, Aware, and Willing

In our book What Does Your Soul Love? I talk about “The Posture of Transformation: Open, Aware, Willing.” Being open, aware, and willing is a beautiful way to make your way, and it's especially effective when going on pilgrimage. Check in with yourself:

 

Are you open in body, mind, and soul for whatever invitations God might bring?
Do you choose to become more aware and to notice what is going on around and within you?
Are you willing to engage that which rises to the surface?

 

Open, aware, and willing is a wonderful posture to engage on pilgrimage and in life.

 

Deepen Your Faith

Pilgrimage can be a time that deepens your relationship with God. This almost goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, because this is a focused time of remembering God is with us and within us.

 

Time and space have been set aside for this very purpose. No one's making any promises about what will or will not occur or how many messages you will receive. It's not about that. It's just pure and simple devotion. It’s saying, “Here I am, Lord. I give you myself and I receive you as you offer yourself to me.”

 

And then we open our hands and let go. We do not control or manage what God does or does not do. There is such beauty, grace, and peace in opening ourselves and walking with a listening heart. Even this act, in and of itself, can grow our soul and our faith.

 

Cultivate Presence

Ah…presence. It’s an invitation that constantly gets beaten out of us by our driven culture. How many times have you heard me talk about how grace is found only in the moment? And yet, it’s quite a challenge to be present in body, mind, heart, and soul. Practicing presence is a central invitation because it bears fruit in our relationships with God, others and our work.

 

A pilgrimage gives you a chance to practice presence. At a walking pace, you're taking in what is happening. And as you set aside time for worship, prayer, journaling, and pondering, presence has a chance to flourish.

 

Pray the Prayer for Pilgrims

I hope you’ll accept this invitation to embrace pilgrimage as a way of life. I pray that something I’ve shared has lit a small fire somewhere inside you.

 

Engage life with intentionality.
Make time for self-reflection that leads to love.
Become more open, aware, and willing.
Deepen your faith by receiving what God is giving.
Cultivate presence in your life.

 

Awhile back, a friend sent me the following “Prayer for Pilgrims” by Murray Bodo:

 

I am not in control.

I am not in a hurry.

I walk in faith and hope.

I greet everyone with peace.

I bring back only what God gives me.

 

What a perfect stance when engaging in a pilgrimage--and an even greater posture for living a life.

 

Reflection

Try on the Prayer for Pilgrims this week. Each morning, simply say it aloud and let it penetrate your heart and become your intention for the day.

 

I am not in control.

I am not in a hurry.

I walk in faith and hope.

I greet everyone with peace.

I bring back only what God gives me.

UL Podcast #267: Seven Reasons We Don't Rest Well

 

My first book, An Unhurried Life, which was published over ten years ago, had this as it’s subtitle: “Following Jesus' Rhythms of Work and Rest.” Knowing what I know now about our great cultural struggle to rest well, I might have changed that to: “Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Rest and Work. It’s not that rest is more important than work. It’s that real rest is so neglected these days. 

And many of us are feeling our need for real rest more today than perhaps we ever have. Getting better sleep, setting aside a day a week not measured by productivity or accomplishment, even guarding some weeks each year to really rest is something most of us still struggle to do. 

Today, I’ll share seven reasons we don’t rest well. They aren’t theoretical for me. They are reasons I’ve struggled with entering into the gift of rest that God has always been offering me. I hope some of these will ring true to you as well, and just might help you move through some of these resistances, misbeliefs and challenges to a place of deeper rest of body and soul with God.