Alan Fadling's Blog, page 36

The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus

Blog by Gem Fadling

Lately I've been reading the First Nations version of the New Testament. I enjoy its unique and refreshed language. In particular, I’d like to share a couple phrases from John 18 that I think profoundly depict both the humanity and the divinity of Jesus.

 

The first phrase is from John 18:1: “When he finished sending up his prayers, he and the ones who walked the road with him walked across the Valley of Darkness (Kidron) and entered a garden with many olive trees.”

 

Jesus and his disciples have left the upper room and are now entering the Garden of Gethsemane. However, I want to focus on this phrase: “the ones who walked the road with him.” This is, of course, describing the disciples of Jesus. But when I first read this phrase I was struck by Jesus’s humanity. I felt the relational connection he and his disciples must have had as they traveled everywhere together at walking pace. 

 

Even though Alan and I have gotten behind in watching new episodes of The Chosen, we have really been enjoying this TV series. The show does a great job showing us the in-between aspects of the Gospel stories. When we read the Gospels events are compressed and follow in rapid succession in brief paragraphs.

 

But what about the backstory of all the people? The day-to-day aspect of their suffering. The desperation that built up over years. It has been wonderful to see a dramatization of what might have occurred between Jesus’s miracles. And that has put me in touch with the humanity of Jesus.

 

The second phrase is from John 18:5-6: “The betrayer, Speaks Well Of (Judas), was standing there with the lodge soldiers when Creator Sets Free (Jesus) answered, ‘I am he!’ At the sound of his voice they all moved back and fell to the ground.”

 

This, of course, depicts the garden scene where Judas identifies Jesus for the soldiers. Jesus spoke three words and the force of his voice caused a physical reaction: they fell to the ground. I wonder what was happening in that moment? Was Jesus’s voice augmented in some way? Were the soldiers simply blown away by his presence? What must that have sounded like? How would that have felt?

 

This is Jesus’s divinity on display. His power and authority are unmatched. His declaration “I am he!” is so potent it causes strong, grown men to collapse. 

 

There is a stark contrast in the way these two groups encountered Jesus. The disciples had the pleasure of his company as they journeyed together. The soldiers were blown back by his power.

 

But here and now, in the present, we have the amazing gift of being able to experience both aspects of Jesus at once in their fullness. His gracious, loving, healing presence AND his powerful, mighty presence. We live in the reality of this verse:

 

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. (Romans 8:11 NLT)

 

The gracious, loving, healing, powerful, mighty presence of Jesus accompanies you today. I pray you experience the fullness of this in your particular circumstances.

 

Reflection

Which aspect of Jesus seems most present to you today? Gracious, loving, and healing OR powerful and mighty?
What prayer emerges from your heart as you consider his presence with you?
Let this energize your day.

 

 

ICDT #54: Taming the Voice of the Stressed Achiever

 

The voice of the stressed achiever has much to do. She likes to focus on accomplishments and she cares about the opinions of others. Never allowing a break, the stressed achiever keeps you driving forward. She’ll have nothing to do with laziness. But what hums underneath is a fear that she doesn’t exist apart from her accomplishments. These are her mantras: Staying busy proves my worth. The more I produce, the more I am. Someone must push this thing up the hill. Let’s get going!

 

Today, I’m talking with Morgan Northway. She has a before and after story of dealing with her inner stressed achiever and it is truly inspiring.

UL Podcast #229: The Discerning Life (Steve Macchia)

 

This week Alan interviews friend and fellow author, Steve Macchia, about his latest book The Discerning Life. When we use the language of “discerning” in popular culture, we often mean something like having good taste—like knowing good wine from average. As a spiritual capacity, it’s much more than that as you’ll see.  

 

In more particularly Christian contexts, we may use the language of discernment as it relates to decision-making. We come to a fork in the road and we feel the need for wisdom to take the best path. But discernment is bigger than this as well. As you listen to my conversation with Steve, you’re going to appreciate the depth and breadth of just what a discerning life can be for us. 

 

Steve Macchia is founder and president of Leadership Transformations, Inc., a ministry which focuses on the spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is also the director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and previously served for fourteen years as president of Vision New England. Steve is the author of several other books, including Broken and Whole, Becoming a Healthy Church, and Crafting a Rule of Life.

 

Practicing Prayer of the Heart

Blog by Alan Fadling

There are many ways to pray other than speaking aloud to God, what we might call “verbal prayer.” Many Christian spiritual teachers have also spoken about the practice of “mental prayer,” which is a way of being prayerfully present to God in our thoughts and emotions. It is an inward form of prayer.

 

Some time back I came across this helpful counsel while reading a book on prayer by Henri Caffarel, whose work mostly centered around youth and family spirituality:

 

So when we have trouble getting our mental prayer started, it is a good idea to "try" successively some thoughts or attitudes of soul that have helped us to pray during an earlier period of mental prayer. If none of these awakens a response or a feeling of peace in us, we will remain unstable, as it were, more or less anxious. We have to keep searching, knowing that our very effort is already pleasing to God.*

 

Simply making the effort to enter into quiet prayer is itself prayer. Prayer is mostly a matter of my intentions and the orientation of my heart toward God. Perhaps I’ve found something helpful in the past—reading a brief passage of scripture or a meaningful spiritual book, or sitting in silence for a few minutes. It makes sense to try these again, whether or not it seems to help this time. Even if it doesn’t help, God sees my desire in action. God knows my longing for him. God also knows my weakness, my scattered thoughts, and my unfocused will.

 

In any prayer, inner peace is a good measure of whether we’ve actually entered into a place of communion with God. This is a peace that supersedes our comprehension. It’s a peace that runs deeper than our ability to explain. It’s a peace that meets us within anxious circumstances.

 

Sometimes I’m tempted to give up prayer of the heart if my seeking is not quickly rewarded with the peace for which I hope. I must wait amid my felt worries, distractions, spinning thoughts, and other discomforts. This is facing reality. And reality is where prayer happens. Prayer cannot abide in a fantasy. Prayer doesn’t flourish in my escape modes. Prayer is engagement with God in whatever approach I take. Any moment can be a moment of prayer if I am willing and intentional.

 

For Reflection:

Have you tried praying in quiet, pointing your heart and mind toward God? What has that experience been like for you? If this practice is a new one for you, would you like to try it? When and where might you experiment with this way of being with God? What might be a good way of beginning, drawing from some of the ideas above?

 

(Purchases made via the links may provide an Amazon Affiliate commission fee to Unhurried Living. This adds nothing to the cost of your purchase).

 

*Rev. Henri Caffarel, Being Present to God: Letters on Prayer, trans. Angeline Bouchard (New York: Alba House, 1983), p. 18.

 

 

 

Photo by Jeremy Yap on Unsplash

ICDT #53: Attuning to Your Body (with Sarah Jackson)

 

Most of the women I connect with have an interesting connection with their bodies. And that’s putting it mildly. It seems we either love her, hate her or ignore her. (Notice I didn’t call my body an it, but rather her). I know I’m playing around with semantics, but personalizing my body helps me not keep her at arms distance…like an object. Our bodies are God-created and given.

 

Many of us have suffered various forms of trauma over the course of our lives. And our bodies store the memory of these traumas inside. This is why we don’t want to ignore her messages.

 

Today I’m talking with Sarah Jackson and we’ll be discussing the idea of attuning to our bodies with awareness, understanding and care.

 

The connection between our minds and our bodies is undeniable. And even though the scientific world confirms this, practically speaking, we don’t always know how to make the most of this God-designed connection. Sarah is quite skilled at helping us make that connection. 

 

Connect with Sarah on Instagram.

 

Connect with Gem on Instagram and learn more on the Unhurried Living website

Learn about her new book, Hold That Thought: Sorting Through the Voices in Our Heads

 

UL Podcast #228: Finding Life in Seeking God (Trevor Hudson)

 

Today on Unhurried Living Podcast, Trevor Hudson shares wisdom he gained in a long mentoring friendship with Dallas Willard, and long practice in the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. He talks about the reality of how the life of the kingdom of God is a different sort of life. It’s a life that meets us even in our places of hardship, weariness, and pain. I think you’re going to find a lot of grace in Trevor’s insights.  

 All of this as we find life in seeking God.

A Necessary Choice

Blog by Gem Fadling

The hero or the heroine’s journey plays out in almost every character-driven movie you’ve seen or book you’ve read. There are quite a few ways to describe this journey, but these three elements are essential: Separation, Initiation, and Return. (Think Frodo and the one ring).

 

You may be surprised to see here that I am drawing formational insights (especially thought work) from a Wonder Woman movie. However, it contains one of my favorite scenes of all time—the inflection point where Diana decides to fully inhabit herself and her gifts—to be who she is without hesitation. Let’s look at it together.

 

Diana Prince has been raised and trained as a warrior. Steve, a young World War I pilot, crashes on her remote island, and she resolves to go with him to help with the raging war.1 After making their way past a few obstacles, they arrive at No Man’s Land. The two opposing sides have been at a stalemate for almost a year. No one has taken any ground. Steve and the men engage with the guys in the bunker, and a heated conversation between Steve and Diana ensues.

 

Steve assures Diana nothing can be done. He persists by saying it is impossible to cross No Man’s Land. Diana is perplexed and cannot believe what she is hearing. She is determined to act, so she turns her back as she unfurls her updo hair. In slow motion, she turns around, and we see her in her Wonder Woman crown and garb, as a new emboldened version of herself emerges.

 

As she climbs out of the bunker, our view flashes on her shield, arm bands, boots, and golden lasso. For the first time, she chooses to be herself, in all her fullness. She emerges into the burned landscape and gray sky of No Man’s Land. Bombs explode all around as she strides boldly into the space between the warring factions.

 

In slow motion, a lone bullet is shot from the other side. As it makes its way to her, she waves her cuffed arm, and it ricochets away. The scene cuts to her face as we glimpse a tiny smirk and a determined twinkle in her eye.

 

She gains more strength and courage to continue her journey across No Man’s Land. The music swells as bullet after bullet is deflected. Steve and his men gain the courage to follow her as they all emerge from the bunker.

 

In the middle of the field, she is hit with a melee of machine gun bullets as the camera pans an overhead view. She takes all the hits with her shield. This gives Steve and his men an advantage, and they manage to overtake the men in the opposing bunker.

 

No Man’s Land is the location of Diana’s awakening. The truth is, she already had what she needed. She had trained as an Amazon warrior. Courage and fortitude simmered deep within. Her entire life journey led her to the center of that field.

 

She simply needed to act on what was within her.

 

She was alive to her voice, power, and choice, and she embraced and owned it. Along the way, all the moments of her life counted— the moments of training, of insight, of action, and, yes, of failure.

 

The moment Diana steps out into No Man’s Land is a major turning point. But this did not happen all by itself out of nowhere. Everything counted leading up to that moment.

 

I remember watching an interview with Patty Jenkins, the director of the Wonder Woman movie. She mentioned that she had to fight to get the No Man’s Land scene placed into the movie. Some thought it was unnecessary and slowed the movie down. But she knew instinctively that it was the inflection point of the movie and crucial to Diana’s story. Jenkins was right. It was absolutely necessary to witness Diana choosing to become who she already was.

 

How ironic that a woman had to use her voice to fight for a scene in which a woman steps into her own voice. And how telling that others were sure this part of the story was unnecessary. Isn’t it sometimes the same in our own lives? People all around suggesting what is and is not important for and to us.

 

Finding our voice and stepping into who we are is a beautiful part of our own personal story. This movement is critical—especially for the second half of life. Whatever we build in the first half gets to play out beautifully, lyrically, cinematically in the second half as we continue to shed the false self and step into who we are.

 

No one’s life is perfect. We all still have struggles, fears, and self-doubt. However, we can enjoy a new sense of wisdom, grace, and focus.

 

And these dynamics are beautiful to experience and witness. Wonder Woman’s No Man’s Land graphically represents our own thought landscape. Unhelpful thoughts fire at us, seeking to derail or keep us stuck. But like Diana’s golden cuffs, we have the power to stop the unhelpful thought in its track by noticing, discerning, and responding. As we move past each “thought-bullet” our confidence grows, causing our freedom to increase and our voice to emerge.

 

Reflect 

Is there an area of your life in which you sense an invitation to take some new step?
What thoughts and emotions arise as you consider this?
What might be the benefits of taking such a risk?

 

Adapted from Hold That Thought by Gem Fadling. ©2022 by Gem Fadling. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press.  www.ivpress.com .

 

 

Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

 

 

UL Podcast #227: Leadership as a Transforming Process

 

Today, we come to the final episode based on our book What Does Your Soul Love? The final chapter is titled: “Process: Staying on the Path of Change.” One of my key learnings over the years has been that to remain a person of spiritual influence in the communities where God has placed me, I must remain engaged in the transforming journey into which God has invited me. Letting myself get stuck, but then stay stuck along the way doesn’t help me or anyone else. 

So I’m looking forward to sharing a recent conversation I had with my friends Jeb Shore and Matt Fogle about Leadership as a Transforming Process. I really enjoyed it and I believe you will as well.

ICDT #52: A Necessary Choice

 

Today I’m sharing with you a very special story. It’s actually an excerpt from my new book, Hold That Thought. It’s my description of a pivotal scene from the movie Wonder Woman. I know…what can you learn from a superhero movie, right? Well, it turns out you can learn a lot. When you are open, aware and willing, there is no telling from where your next life lesson might emerge.

Gaining Perspective in the Presence

Blog by Alan Fadling

In Christ, God shines a light on reality. I love how the Gospel of John highlights this for us:

 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The Pharisees challenged him, “Here you are, appearing as your own witness; your testimony is not valid.”

Jesus answered, “Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid, for I know where I came from and where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I pass judgment on no one. But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me.” (John 8:12-18)

 

Jesus is the one who brings light to the whole world. This is a remarkable claim that sounds scandalous in our pluralistic, “everybody is right” world. People can’t stand having someone else even think they are wrong, let alone say so out loud. Tolerance can end up meaning that nothing is true beyond an individual’s opinion. But if you believe Jesus and follow him, you remain in his light and stay out of the darkness.

 

It's good for me to trust more deeply that Jesus is my light today. He will show me what I need to see. He will enlighten my mind and heart as I do my work. He will show me the way forward in my life, my relationships, and my tasks throughout this day. I am not alone in the dark. I am companioned in the light of Christ.

 

The Pharisees loved technicalities. They loved having control of intricate (but irrelevant) rules that gave them power and importance. Technically, a person could not testify as their own witness—as far as that goes, they are correct. But Jesus says that the reason his testimony about himself is true is because he actually knows the full context of everything he is saying. He doesn’t just have a “point of view.” He has the whole view by the power of God’s Spirit.

 

These Pharisees in John 8 are the ones who don’t have what they need. They don’t grasp what they need to know in order to rightly assess Jesus’ words. In the end, Jesus claims that he is not alone in his testimony. The Father is saying the same thing as Jesus because Jesus is speaking in union with the Father—another seemingly scandalous statement that is absolutely true.

 

“Lord Jesus, you are not just an idea in my life today. You are a real presence. As I enter this day, you are with me. You are really here. I cannot see you in the light of the morning, but I can witness you in the real light of your presence. Enlighten my eyes, my mind, my heart in every way I am able to perceive you today. I welcome you—but I do that because you have already welcomed me. Amen.”

 

For Reflection:

In what ways have you noticed the presence of Jesus with you lately? How do you want to ask him to make himself known in your experience these days?

 

Photo by Christoph Theisinger on Unsplash