Alan Fadling's Blog, page 57

Podcast 156: Entering the New Year with Intention and Grace (Gem with Kathryn Carrington)

In this podcast episode, we are talking about easing into the new year with gentleness and grace. This is much needed after making it through 2020. What does 2021 hold for us? We don’t know what circumstances will arise, but, as always, we have a choice about what we think and how we act within every situation. So, let’s lean into some gentleness and grace.

For all of the complaining we can do (and rightfully so) about social media, I have met some genuine, lovely, heart-forward women on Instagram. Like anything else in life, you get out what you put in. And I’ve been collecting the goodness of these women over the last few years.

Kathryn Carrington is one of these women. She is a holy yoga instructor and I have loved her posts and her sweet nature. She and her husband have a similar calling in that they long to encourage Christian leaders. They are working toward having a retreat center some day, dedicated to this purpose.

Kathryn has been practicing yoga for seven years and has attained over 500 hours of world class yoga training. Her passion for movement and art began at an early age with dance, voice, music and art lessons. She continues to practice, create and live out of the radical freedom she’s been given through her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Kathryn believes that every breath is Holy and encourages her students to practice the ongoing flow of worship and devotion on and off their mat.

Download a FREE 5 minute retreat exercise called Mindful Moment from Kathryn Carrington.

Connect with Kathryn on social at:
Facebook @kathryn.carrington.3
Instagram @kathryncarringtonyoga

Entering the New Year with Intention and Grace (Gem with Kathryn Carrington)

In this podcast episode, we are talking about easing into the new year with gentleness and grace. This is much needed after making it through 2020. What does 2021 hold for us? We don’t know what circumstances will arise, but, as always, we have a choice about what we think and how we act within every situation. So, let’s lean into some gentleness and grace.

For all of the complaining we can do (and rightfully so) about social media, I have met some genuine, lovely, heart-forward women on Instagram. Like anything else in life, you get out what you put in. And I’ve been collecting the goodness of these women over the last few years.

Kathryn Carrington is one of these women. She is a holy yoga instructor and I have loved her posts and her sweet nature. She and her husband have a similar calling in that they long to encourage Christian leaders. They are working toward having a retreat center some day, dedicated to this purpose.

Kathryn has been practicing yoga for seven years and has attained over 500 hours of world class yoga training. Her passion for movement and art began at an early age with dance, voice, music and art lessons. She continues to practice, create and live out of the radical freedom she’s been given through her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Kathryn believes that every breath is Holy and encourages her students to practice the ongoing flow of worship and devotion on and off their mat.

Download a FREE 5 minute retreat exercise called Mindful Moment from Kathryn Carrington.

Connect with Kathryn on social at:
Facebook @kathryn.carrington.3
Instagram @kathryncarringtonyoga

Rehearsing Grace

I’ve said many times before, both in what I’ve written and spoken, that I grew up with the habit of seeing the cup half empty. I don’t know all the reasons for this. Some of it may be temperament. Some of it may be learned. It doesn’t matter much how it came to be. What matters is what I’d like to do about that in my life now as a follower of Jesus.

 

My pessimism has, at least at times, been rooted in remembering and rehearsing what I think went wrong in the past. I look back and see what could have been better. I ruminate on what I did wrong or what others did wrong. Instead of the rose-colored glasses of the optimist, mine have often been dull gray.

 

But, I’ve learned from Jesus along the way that I have a choice about how I remember the past. When I think about situations that didn’t go the way I wanted, or ways I spoke or behaved that I wish I could change, I’m learning that God’s gracious presence was there in that very same moment.

 

I’ve learned to rehearse grace rather than rehearsing trouble, or conflicts, or the other negative things that are scattered along the way on the journey I’ve taken. I’ve learned not to focus on myself so much, the good or the bad, and focus more on the goodness of God always with me. There is a kind of holy unselfconsciousness that is the fruit I hope for in such a practice.

 

I find it helpful to look back over the last day with an eye for how God was a generous provider, a wise guide, and a good Father. And when God’s Spirit helps me notice and rehearse these things, my mood changes. My perspective becomes a bit more buoyant. My hopes rise. My energy increases. I don’t achieve these good things. I receive them from God-with-me in the moment.

 

What might happen if you gave attention to rehearsing grace? What if you thought about something recent that didn’t go the way you wanted, or something you did you wish you hadn’t, or something you didn’t do that you wish you had. Might you allow God’s Spirit to bring to mind just how he was present to you in that moment in mercy, grace and love. See what that does to your perspective as you now look at your present and future.

 

Reflection 

Why not take a moment to try on that “rehearsing grace” practice I described in the last paragraph. Test it and see what fruit it bears in your life.

 

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Podcast 155: Discernment: Benefits of Looking Back

This episode is airing on the last Monday of 2020. I know that many can’t wait to put this year behind us and hope for a better 2021. But just as true as it is that 2020 was a hard year full of troubles, it was also a year in which God was doing very good work in his people and through his people. It is a gift to turn back and look for evidences of God’s measureless grace at work, especially in the midst of a very hard season. That’s what we’ll talk about today on the Unhurried Living podcast.

Following the Humble Heart of Mary

During this Advent week of Love, I’d like to take a look at love through the eyes of the woman who carried Jesus from conception, through birth, childhood, and then through to the cross---Mary.

 

God initiated our love relationship by creating humankind. He then lovingly outstretched his arms to us in Jesus. God is certainly our first and foremost example of overflowing and very specific love. Emmanuel, God with us.

 

We know that Jesus was divine as Son of God. He was also given his humanity by Mary. So what kind of human was Mary and can I model myself after the best of who she was?

 

A WOMAN OF HUMILITY, COURAGE & FAITH

 

A while back, I attended an Advent retreat. In one of the sessions, the speaker showed us an image of Mary hearing that she was the chosen one, the one to carry the Messiah. It is a beautiful depiction by Henry Ossawa Tanner, entitled, The Annunciation.

 

In the image I saw the humble heart of Mary.

 

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1)

 

This is the kind of woman I want to be. Humble, listening, and responding with grace. Certainly she was fearful, but this did not deter her from responding to the invitation of God.

 

Later, while visiting with her cousin, Elizabeth, Mary broke out in a song of faith about who she was carrying in her womb:

 

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.” (Luke 1:46-50)

 

She was able to see the big picture, even from the very beginning. She may not have known all of the details, but she was willing to submit herself to God’s plan that would span generations.

 

A WOMAN WILLING TO GIVE IT ALL

 

I’d like to share an excerpt from The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander. I’ve never read anything that so poignantly depicts Mary’s part in Jesus’ humanity.

 

"TO GIVE HUMAN NATURE TO GOD"

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

 

The world around her must have been informed with more than its habitual loveliness, for she was gathering it all to the making of her son.

 

He was completely her own, utterly dependent upon her: she was His food and warmth and rest, His shelter from the world, His shade in the Sun….the four walls and the roof of His home.

 

It must have been a season of joy, and she must have longed for His Birth, but at the same time she knew that every step that she took, took her little son nearer to the grave.

 

Each work of her hands prepared His hands a little more for the nails, each breath that she drew counted one more to His last.

 

In giving life to Him she was giving Him death.

 

All other children born must inevitably die; death belongs to fallen nature; the mother's gift to the child is life.

 

But Christ is life; death did not belong to Him.

 

In fact, unless Mary would give Him death, He could not die.

 

Unless she would give Him the capacity for suffering, He could not suffer.

 

He could only feel cold and hunger and thirst if she gave Him her vulnerability to cold and hunger and thirst.

 

He could not know the indifference of friends or treachery at the bitterness of being betrayed unless she gave Him a human mind and a human heart.

 

That is what it meant to Mary to give human nature to God.

 

My thoughts here come simply from what I read in the gospel passages. This much is clear to me: Mary was a loving young woman, willing to hear and respond to God's clear invitation to help bring Jesus into the world.

 

My prayer for all of us is that we will experience Love both by what God gave in his divinity and what Mary gave in her humanity. And may we all be willing to bring Jesus to others with the same humility, courage and faith.

 

Photo by Grant Whitty on Unsplash

Podcast 154: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (replay with John Mark Comer)

Last December Alan interviewed John Mark Comer. His episode has remained near the top of our 10 most downloaded shows. So we thought we’d replay it for you today. I think it’s because John Mark is singing the same song as Unhurried Living and Alan’s book, An Unhurried Life. John Mark wrote The Relentless Elimination of Hurry and we are delighted to share the replay of Alan’s conversation with him now.

 

John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Tammy, and their three children.  He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church and has a master’s degree in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary.  John Mark is also the author of ,  My Name Is Hope, Loveology, and Garden City. 

Alan so enjoyed having a conversation with John Mark, hearing the story behind his book, and interacting about some of his key insights about following Jesus’ unhurried way of life and work.

Connect with John on his website or via social at:
JohnMarkComer.com
Facebook @johnmarkcomer
Instagram @johnmarkcomer
Twitter @johnmarkcomer

The Power of Remembering Grace

It’s very tempting to look back at 2020 and see only the hardship, trouble and scarcity of it. There has been plenty of that, for sure. Perhaps it is at a time like this that we especially need the wise guidance of passages like Psalm 103:1-5. I’ve often taken leadership teams to this passage at the beginning of trainings I’ve led.

 

Take your time as you read it. Let the words soak into your thinking patterns and your emotions.

 

1Praise the Lord, my soul;

            all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2Praise the Lord, my soul,

            and forget not all his benefits—

3who forgives all your sins

            and heals all your diseases,

4who redeems your life from the pit

            and crowns you with love and compassion,

5who satisfies your desires with good things

            so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

 

David begins by reminding his own soul—his deep and true self—that praising God is the most real, right and sane thing we can do. This is one of those beautiful “talk to yourself” passages. The goodness of God is a life-giving focus for our attention.

 

What percentage of my innermost being is captured by God’s goodness and glory and acknowledging this in wholehearted praise? 20%? 50% (as half-hearted)? 90%? David wants for his whole inner person to receive and respond to God.

 

The longer I linger with those lines, rehearsing them until they embed themselves in my memory, my soul grows more in simple attention to God with me. The words foster in me what they command of me.

 

David then reminds himself of a very good reason to offer God praise—remembering all of his benefits. (David actually urges himself not to forget all of God’s benefits). When I am witness to an amazing moment in sports, I often get excited and say so in a loud voice (even if no one is with me!).

 

When I praise God, I am responding to having seen from the depths of my soul the real goodness and beauty of God. When my praise is thin or shallow, it is may well be a sign that my soul needs to perceive more deeply the depths of God’s goodness and the brightness of his beauty.

 

And there are so many beautiful benefits that David calls to mind:

 

God forgives all your sins. All. He doesn’t forgive the big ones and overlook the little ones. He doesn’t forgive all the little ones but hold back if they are too big. God is a Forgiver. God delights in mercy and longs to be gracious. God would much rather have nothing between us than to hold onto distance between us.

 

God heals all your diseases. God has a bias for healing, but healing doesn’t always look exactly how we’d expect it. God’s healing work often seems focused more on healing the depths of who we are rather than just addressing surface symptoms. God’s presence is a healing place to live. God’s presence is life in a world full of death. God mostly wants to heal our soul. It is distance from God that deepens unwellness. Drawing near to God increases life in us.

 

God redeems our life. God honors us with love and compassion. God satisfies our desires with good things. God renews our vitality like a soaring eagle inspires us. So much good to remember. So much good to give thanks for. So much good to cheer about!

 

Reflection:

Take a moment to read verses 3-5 above again. Which of these benefits seems to hit closest to home for you?
How would you like to express your gratitude and amazement at such great goodness?

Podcast 153: The Power of Speaking Simply (Alan Fadling)

We live in a profoundly wordy world. I sometimes feel utterly surrounded by words: social media, emails, text messages, news feeds, websites, television, radio. And it seems rare that words are being used to simply tell the truth and describe reality. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus had some profoundly powerful words to say about how we speak. 

Alan Fadling, (MDiv),serves as a frequent speaker and consultant with local churches, national organizations and leaders internationally. His content is approachable, usable and transferable. He shows leaders how to get perspective so their leadership flows from a full soul and out of healthy rhythms of rest and work. A trained Spiritual Director, Alan is author of An Unhurried Life (IVP 2013) and An Unhurried Leader (IVP 2016).

Would You Prefer Relief or Healing?

An entirely new set of words and phrases entered our colloquial lexicon this year: 

Curbside pickup
Flatten the curve
Wash your hands
Social distancing
May I take your temperature?
Six feet apart, please
Wear your mask
Do you have any toilet paper?

 

We can laugh about it now (or not). But this is just the tip of the iceberg of changes we’ve had to make this year.

 

And like any good spiritual director or formation coach, I willingly and humbly propose the question I ask multiple times a month: What do you think the invitation is for you here?

 

We’ve shifted dozens of times this year and much of the conversation I hear is about when we get back to “normal.” In some ways this is a cry for relief from what we have endured this year.

 

On the idea of relief I’d like to turn to a passage from our book What Does Your Soul Love?

 

“Most people do not want healing. They are willing to settle for relief. Most people end their inner work after they reach the first flutters of liberation. I’m all better, they believe. But this is premature. Relief is simply the first layer. There is so much more. How much truth are you willing to wade through to come to complete healing? This is a longer and likely more painful process. So ask yourself, “Do I want relief or do I want healing?” For the deepest healing, truth is one of the main paths.” (p. 73)

 

Yes, we all want some relief from the ebbs and flows of 2020. And can we also be awake to the ways we might find some deeper healing as we continue to lean into the unknowns and the discomforts of this long season?

 

Whatever has been stirred up inside of you this year can be brought into God’s presence for deeper healing. And, yes, I’m talking about the less pleasing versions of yourself that you’d rather not look at or talk about. Difficult times like this make it hard to keep the lid on the rough parts of ourselves.

 

This passage comes from the Truth chapter of the book. What are some truths about yourself that you have learned this year? What are some truths you have re-encountered in your relationship with God?

 

I encourage you to remain open enough to receive further healing. Don’t settle for relief. Certainly, we will enjoy levels of relief as we move forward, but hang in there a bit longer and receive the healing you truly long for.

 

Reflection 

What are your thoughts about the difference between relief and healing?
Is there one unseemly dynamic that surfaced for you this year for which you desire deeper healing?
What might be your next step in receiving the healing you need?

 

Photo by Jasmin Sessler on Unsplash

Podcast 152: A Creative Process for Spiritual Growth: Inviso (Gem with Brenda Renderos)

We live in a visual culture. Just a few years ago the Internet Trends Report shared that an average of 1.8 billion images were uploaded to the internet daily. That adds up to 657 billion photos in one year. Every two minutes, people take more photos than existed in total 150 years ago.

With all of that imagery floating through our consciousness every day, how might we use intentional imagery to grow closer to God? If a picture is worth a thousand words, is it also conducive to prayer?

I’m welcoming Brenda Renderos on the podcast today. Brenda has been kind enough to “interview” me about Inviso. And I am also going to interact with her about how she uses Inviso in her own life. 

Brenda Renderos is a spiritual mentor with a degree in Christian Studies and 13 years of experience including ministry leadership, soul care, speaking and teaching, as well as guiding interns exploring vocational ministry. Brenda sees the immense need for soul care and spiritual formation and she's devoted her life to growing and sharing in this area. She also greatly enjoys life with her husband and their three kids. You can catch her on Instagram @brenrenderos.

To get an idea of how to use INVISO, download a sample of Gem's INVISO cards with reflection questions.  You can always order a set HERE.