Alan Fadling's Blog, page 61

Live What You Teach

In an unprecedented season of change and pivots, Alan and Gem found themselves exhausted.  Many of us are.  This short video message offers you a glimpse of how they handled that exhaustion and what they did to bring themselves back to a season of unhurry.

Dallas Willard on Being the Church

Sometimes, when I’m mining my journal, I stumble on a treasure. Today I’m sharing notes I took from a morning with Dallas Willard at Tree of Life Community in Orange, CA on Sunday, August 14, 2011. The theme was “Being Church.”

 

I was typing on my iPad, which I don’t do quickly, so this is not a transcript. These are insights that I gained from listening to Dallas. They are sometimes in my own words. So, don’t assume that every word here is straight from him. With that in mind, I pray these notes will help you in your own journey with Christ.

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Ephesians 1:15-23

Do we make the mistake of thinking that because Paul prays for us in his letter to the Ephesians that it means there is nothing for us to do?

Question: What do we do to live in the reality of the scriptures?

Psalm 1 as our scripture reading earlier was very good. It helps us see the active side of our lives. It invites us to meditate continually on God’s law--day and night. And as Christians, we have something even better to meditate on—Jesus Himself. It's easier to delight in Jesus all the time than it is to meditate on the law (which reminds us of God’s ways, but often makes us realize how far short we fall).

Have your mind always fixed on Christ. Always! This will take care of 99% of your troubles.

Do you want to trust in God? Then keep Him always before your eyes. Seeing Him in His goodness, His beauty and His love will enable you to trust Him more.

We live by grace. But we are not waiting on grace. Grace is waiting on us. God is there ready and waiting to be gracious to us.

What is the church? It consists of people living with Jesus under God’s kingdom reign. This is His body. It is a body of redeemed people who are caught up in the life of God.

How do we fix our hearts and minds on Jesus? Use a simple phrase from the Lord’s prayer. Let it renew your mind. Remember Romans 12:2 - Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. God is ready to go, ready to enable and empower us.

Mind is key. What you think of is the first level of your freedom. Set your mind on God first and always. Ps 16:8 - I have set the lord always before me.

You can constantly invoke the presence of Christ. But this requires that he would always be before you.

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What we set our minds on shapes us. Being obsessed with money, sex, fame or politics doesn't help much. But setting your mind on Christ will take care of all of these concerns.

Murmuring the Word to ourselves is better than murmuring commercial jingles or cultural slogans.

Proverbs 3:5-6 – We acknowledge God in all our ways. We invoke him in everything we do. We begin to expect Him to act. This is where resurrection power comes in. Ephesians says much about power, but it's all about resurrection power.

The biggest threat to God’s kingdom in my life is Dallas Willard's kingdom. (Our own kingdom is the biggest enemy to living in God’s kingdom).

The biblical idea of “waiting” is simply expecting God to act. I act, doing my best, but I don't rely on my best. I trust God to intervene, bless and even improve what I do.

Invocation and expectation become the structure of our lives. Sometimes I will have to speak and act to command things around me to be as God intends them to be. When the kingdom is present, God’s power flows. Transformation of character and supernatural power have always been marks of His kingdom among His people through the ages.

Invoke, expect, inject. We bring something of God’s kingdom to the places where He has us.

We must be present as a receptive community in the world. We are not the church when we come to church unless we are the church when we are away from church. We must be church back at home, in our workplaces and everywhere else.

Banks and governments are in trouble because of the sinful foolishness of people. The church must bring the kingdom into these arenas though our lives and our shared faith.

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Conversation / Q & A with the pastors:

Question: "What is the primary barrier to being a disciple of Jesus?"

Answer: The default system of thinking that you can be a Christian without being a disciple. This belief is rooted in the current reigning understanding among Evangelicals of what it means to be saved. Too many think salvation is only about a guarantee of going to heaven when we die. This understanding really requires nothing of believers. We only expect to have to profess certain things and perhaps associate with certain people. Discipleship then feels like a “bait and switch” in this understanding of the gospel. It wasn't part of the original invitation.

If you are bored with worship, you won't like heaven at all.

Will the gospel we preach be an invitation to discipleship?

The New Testament calls the default system around us “the world.” It always puts self first. "The customer is always right" is one the ways this is stated.

 

Question: Spiritual disciples and rhythms are difficult. Where do young parents find the time?

Answer: This is where the battle sets in. You have to plan and think about why you don't have time for what matters to you.

Here’s a good question to ask ourselves: Does God ever give us too much to do? If I find myself feeling like I have too much to do, I must ask myself where those jobs came from? Who am I trying to please? What have I taken on myself that God didn’t give me?

There is value in sharing life creatively with others who can help us in our discipleship.

How does success relate to the fruits of the Spirit? The Spirit and grace do not make us passive, but the goal isn’t necessarily success as it is usually understood.

We are tempted in our spiritual lives to think that it’s all about our work. Then, if things don’t seem to work out, we just work harder.

The good news isn’t just about getting into heaven when we die. It’s about getting heaven into us now while we are alive. By trusting Jesus we can live eternal life now--eternal living. We enter into eternal life now under His reign.

I should count on what Jesus says about spiritual reality. Trust the things that Jesus said. The beatitudes, for example, are a statement about spiritual reality. We put the teachings of Jesus into practice for this reason.

Eternity is now in process. It is the life of God. It is a quality of life.

We are being caught up in the life Jesus is now living on earth.

 

Question: Dallas, what are your daily rhythms of life? Daily constants?

Before I get out of bed, I go through the Lord's prayer and Psalm 23. I work through them a few times each. I linger with each phrase.
When I then sit up, I proclaim aloud, "The Lord is here."
What happens next depends on the day. I want my "quiet time" to last all day long.
On some days, I can study scripture or pray for others before I leave home.
I will often take a break here and there to remember God. I renew my awareness of "Our Father in heaven.”

One good way to think about spiritual disciplines and how we use them is how we feel if we don't practice them. If we feel guilt, then we need to rethink our plan. Guilt doesn’t help us much. Spiritual disciplines aren’t righteousness, but wisdom. We do them joyfully and receive grace through them.

I have daily, weekly, monthly and annual rhythms in my life. Fasting. Solitude days. Etc.

 

Question: Where should I begin if I am new to the disciplines?

Answer: Be experimental. Don't be heroic. Be easy. Take things slow. Begin small.

Breaking bad habits will cause us discomfort. Come to God as a happy student of Jesus. Expect resistance. Focus on the friendly face of Jesus.

When something doesn't work, figure out why it didn’t before just trying the same thing again.

 

For Reflection

What did Dallas say about church that helped you most?

 

Photo by Gije Cho from Pexels

Podcast 137: Growing Deep Leadership Roots (Alan with Jerome Daley)

Many of you who listen to this podcast are leaders in business, church, nonprofit and other organizational settings. Others of you may not have a leadership title, but you live a leadership life…a life of influence. Today’s episode is going to help a lot. I’m talking with Jerome Daley, author of the book Gravitas: The Monastic Rhythms of Healthy Leadership about where spiritual depth and authority in leadership come.

These continue to be challenging days for Christian leaders. Gem and I have had to be quite nimble in our own work as our travel and speaking calendar evaporated in one week back in March. Your life and work have probably changed pretty dramatically as well. In today’s episode, I’ll be exploring how the classic commitments and disciplines of monastic spirituality can especially serve us in these times. I’m not talking about something detached from the hard realities of life. I’m talking about a way to lean into Reality (capital “R”) in the midst of what’s happening around us. 

Let me tell you a bit about Jerome Daley before I share our recent conversation: 

He is an executive coach, retreat leader, and spiritual trainer who is passionate about helping men and women thrive, in their inner life and outer leadership. With 30 years in people development, Jerome strengthens leaders in the journey toward true identity and vocational calling.

 Making his home in the mountains of North Carolina, he and his wife Kellie are parents of three grown children. His great delights are taking spiritual retreats, drinking good wine, backpacking in the mountains, and playing with his grandson.

Connect with Jerome at:
Website: www.thrive9solutions.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iThrive9
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeromedaley/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jerome-Daley/e/B001K8AU3S

Side note, to connect with Jerome for an appointment, you have the pleasure of talking directly to him.  He uses the phone to connect / schedule interviews versus email!

In the Likeness of the Master

A few years ago, on trip to St. Petersburg, we had the pleasure of visiting the Hermitage Museum.

 

A mere fraction of their 3,000,000 pieces are on display at any one time, and we saw a fraction of a fraction of that. The amount of beauty and craftsmanship is overwhelming.

 

Alan had been there before, so he knew when we were nearing the painting we were most looking forward to seeing, Rembrandt’s Prodigal Son. He gave me a brief warning as we turned the corner, “Get ready.”

 

We rounded the corner and entered the room completely devoted to Rembrandt’s paintings. There it was, on its own wall, as we walked through the doorway. The original Prodigal Son. Breathtaking. (See us with the painting, below).

 

I waited a bit for the crowd to clear so I could get a close-up view for myself. A masterful work of art, depicting essential truths: The Father is waiting. He never gives up. He loves me. He is generous.

 

As I made my way through the rest of the room, I came upon a section entitled, “Rembrandt’s Students.” A few works created by those Rembrandt had taught.

The lighting, the colors, and the style appeared, to my untrained eye, to be identical to Rembrandt himself.

 

The word apprentice floated through my mind. That’s what that word means. You are trained so well by the master that your work is indistinguishable from his.

 

I did a little research and found that some of Rembrandt’s assistants were so closely mentored by him that their works are considered to be genuine Rembrandts to this day.

 

Often, when we talk to people about Unhurried Time with God, we offer that the reason we do it is because Jesus himself did it. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. He got in touch with the Father so he could find out what to do, and more importantly, who he was.

 

Jesus said that the works he did were the Father’s works and the words he spoke were the Father’s words. How else did he know what to do and say except for time spent in God’s presence?

 

How might we copy the Master so that our work is indistinguishable from his?
What amount and kind of time does that take?
What sorts of practices are conducive to receiving his love, his mentorship, his guidance?

 

I encourage you to sit with those questions the next time you are in God’s presence. What would it look like for you to become an even more devoted apprentice?

 

I ask these questions with great grace. I see them as invitations, not guilt trips to a more extensive to-do list. How can you make space for receptivity?

 

Wouldn’t it be great for someone to look at your life and work and exclaim, “Wow! That looks exactly like Jesus. I can’t distinguish between the two of you because you are so much alike.”

 

Let his invitation draw you in. Learn from the Master. He is a loving genius. Enjoy him today.

 

Adapted from a blog post dated December 7, 2016.

 

Photo by Tim Arterbury on Unsplash

 

Podcast 136: Attachment and Attunement: Finding Homebase in the Heart of God (Rev. Summer Gross)

Summer is another beautiful soul that Gem has met on Instagram. Last year Gem and Summer had the treat of meeting each other in person at a conference in the Midwest. Summer is a caring and wise listener and teacher and we can’t wait for you to learn from her today.

Summer is an Anglican priest, spiritual director, homeschool mom of three, and still madly in love with her high school sweetheart. She comes alive listening to people’s hard and holy stories and setting the table for them to spend time in the Presence of God. Her mission? Sharing tools to help people go from anxious to resting in God.

Neuroscience, attachment and spiritual practices – this is where we’re headed today on the Unhurried Living Podcast.

Links to the books and resources Summer mentions in this episode:

Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber
Widen the Window: Training Your Brain and Body to Thrive During Stress and Recover from Trauma Hardcover by Elizabeth A. Stanley PhD
The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe by Dr. Stephen W. Porges
Anatomy of a Soul: Surprising Connections between Neuroscience and Spiritual Practices That Can Transform Your Life and Relationships by Dr. Curt Thompson
Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Dr. Daniel Siegel
Every Breath We Take: Living in the Presence, Love, and Generosity of God by Dr. Terry Wardle
Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel by Dr. E. James Wilder III, Ms. Anna Kang, Dr. John Loppnow, and Dr. Sungshim Loppnow
PDF for Immanuel Journaling by Summer Joy Gross

Connect with Summer:

Her website http://athirstforgod.com/
InstaGram @revsummerjoy
Facebook @SummerGross and @ThePresenceProject

Still Thirsty for God

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some personal reflections from Psalm 42. This post continues that journal entry:

My tears are my food, by day and by night,
and everyone asks, “Where is your God?”
I remember how I went up to your glorious dwelling-place
and into the house of God:
the memory melts my soul.
The sound of joy and thanksgiving,
the crowds at the festival.
Psalm 42:3-4 (JB)

 

Instead of feeling nourished and refreshed, this psalm writer grieves and feels abandoned by God. He has no answer for the skeptics and critics who see no evidence of God’s blessing in his life. How do you answer a doubter who questions God’s presence in your life when you don’t feel it much yourself? What do I do when my experience of God is more memory than living, present experience?

 

Memory of past encounters with the Living God melts my soul and brings grief when my thirst for Him feels unquenched in the present. Past joy and gratitude feels like a tease when it’s hard to live zestfully and thankfully now. I don’t just want to remember moments of celebration in God’s presence. I want to experience them again now.

 

But am I measuring my life with God only by feelings? The irony is that I’ve lived so much of my life emotionally muted when I am actually a man of great passion and deep feeling. As that part of me has been coming alive, I am awakening to how deeply moved I can be by even the smallest things.

 

Why are you so sad, my soul,
and anxious within me?
Put your hope in the Lord, I will praise him still,
my saviour and my God.
Psalm 42:5 (JB)

 

Here is the psalm writer talking to himself. Who is the “me” who is talking to his soul? There is a kind of healthy or God-minded me talking to a dejected, sad me. It is as though the deep, truer “me” is reminding the shortsighted me of the nature of reality.

 

When I am tempted to daydream about my past experience of God in the face of a dry present, I can remember that dry places won’t last forever. I can hope in God and praise Him still. I can praise Him now when I don’t feel like praising because He is still praiseworthy. My feelings (or lack of them) do not change Him. He is Savior to me. He will rescue me from any harm.

 

I hope in God because my future with and in Him is good. Period. My life is brightening in Him, not dimming. I am being transformed by Him to more truly and fully reflect His image. What a gift!

 

For Reflection 

When recently has your experience of God felt hard, sad or empty?
How have you navigated such seasons? Have you tried praying very honestly about your experience? God, of course, already knows and cares.

 

Photo by Cristina Gottardi on Unsplash

Podcast 135: The Sacred Overlap (J.R. Briggs)

We are living in a season where “us and them” thinking can be very tempting. Political differences, racial tensions, generational and even religious differences can push us to build thick walls we think will protect ourselves and keep bad things out. But reality is always bigger than simple “us and them” categories.

Today, I’m talking with my friend, J. R. Briggs about his new book, releasing Sept. 8, titled The Sacred Overlap: Learning to Live Faithfully in the Space Between. In it, he communicates a refreshing vision that embraces tension and calls us to live in radical love and faithfulness between the extremes that isolate and divide people. 

Dr. J.R. Briggs has four passions around which his work focuses: 

Following Jesus
Equipping and investing in hungry kingdom leaders
Growing fruit on other people’s trees
Creating good kingdom mischief.

In short, his calling is to partner with people who are called to follow Jesus while they lead others. 

In 2011 he started Kairos Partnerships, an organization committed to serving hungry kingdom leaders through leadership coaching, consulting, speaking, teaching, equipping and writing. He is affiliate faculty member in practical theology at Missio Seminary and guest instructor at Friends University in the Masters of Arts in Spiritual Formation program. 

Connect with J.R. on social media at:
Twitter @ kpartnerships
InstaGram @jrbr.iggs
Facebook @jrbriggs1

Side note...J.R. is a former minor league baseball mascot!

 

Enjoy even more from J.R. with a preview of his new book.  Just subscribe to our FREE podcast resources and get all the Unhurried Living Podcast bonus content.  Subscribe HERE.

Gratitude in the Wilderness

The desert has always been my least favorite geography. The desert is hot and dry and sand colored. Plus, there’s cactus. I know that people have worked hard to bring water into the desert and there are plenty of oasis-type places there. But the desert is still the desert.

 

A few years ago, while at the Prince of Peace Abbey for a 24-hour personal retreat, I took a walk around the lovely property. The retreat grounds were lush and landscaped, however, the walking path was a different story. It looked much different than when I had been there previously. It was more desert-like than the lush green of pre-spring.

 

However, at my strolling pace, and sometimes stopping pace, I caught glimpses of the beauty that could be found even in the most dry brush.

 

In our spiritual life, most of us would say that the desert-type seasons are our least favorite. We would much prefer the beauty and glory of spring time and its blossoms. Or we might love the harvest season of late summer/early fall when we bring in the fruits of our labor.

 

Most of us, given the choice, would not plan for a desert season. However, if you find yourself in such a place, do yourself a favor by making some space to slow down to walking pace. Look around and see if you can find traces of grace…traces of beauty. Let these traces draw your heart to God.

 

If you’ve been in a dry place before, you know that these are the times when the best inner work is done. Our greatest movements forward in our formation happen when things are difficult or dry. Our faith deepens and our eye for grace enlivens.

 

I’m not saying I like the desert. It is still my least favorite landscape. But when I encounter grace in the least likely places, I have the opportunity to touch on another level of the love and care of God.

 

Adapted from a blog post dated June 29, 2016.

Photo by Katerina Kerdi on Unsplash

Podcast 134: Transforming Leaders: Unexpected Pathway (Steve Macchia)

 As leaders, there are things about us we want to see changed. But sometimes, instead of changing what is unpleasant or difficult for us, God chooses instead to be graciously and lovingly present to us in the midst of what doesn’t change. Instead of resolution, God offers us transforming presence.

In my second book, An Unhurried Leader, I wrote a chapter based on Paul’s story of the thorn in his flesh that, no matter how many times he prayed, God did not remove or resolve. As leaders, there are things about us that we want to see changed. 

But sometimes, instead of changing what is unpleasant or difficult for us, God chooses instead to be graciously and lovingly present to us in the midst of what doesn’t change. Instead of resolution, God offers us transforming presence.

Today, I’ve invited my friend, Steve Macchia, to talk about a book he wrote a while back titled Broken & Whole: A Leader’s Path to Transformation. I’ve been grateful for Steve’s work and our friendship for some time now. His life and his leadership are a beautiful example of the fruitful way of humility empowered by grace. Let me tell you more about Steve Macchia. 

In addition to being the author of at least ten books, Steve is founding president of Leadership Transformations and is the director of the Pierce Center for Disciple-Building at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Before that, he served for 14 years as president of Vision New England. 

Connect with Steve and Leadership Transformations via the following:
Facebook @leadershiptransformations
Twitter @LeadershipTF_
Instagram @ItisSteve

Peruse through part of Steve's book, "Broken and Whole" HERE.

A Soul Thirsty for God

It’s summertime, and here in Southern California it begins to get rather hot. And I find myself thirsty a lot. I’ll get out and cycle 20 miles and come back parched. It makes me think of these psalm lines:

 

Like a deer that longs for springs of water,

so my soul longs for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God, the living God:

when shall I come and stand before the face of God?

Psalm 42:1-2 (JB)

 

To what shall I compare the longing of my soul (he said with a Shakespearean accent)? It’s as basic and instinctive as thirst. A graceful deer won’t be graceful for long if it dies for lack of fresh water.

 

My problem is that I am not always aware that the deepest longings of my heart, my soul and even my body are really a desire for God. I sometimes make the mistake that my greatest desire is for something to put in my mouth, or my wallet, or my closet, or my garage, or even on my resume. But I really live because of my loving union with God in Christ. I live by drinking the water of God’s life.

 

And my thirst is specific. I am not thirsty to talk about God, think about God or especially debate about God. I thirst for the Living God. The Living God is here and now. Jesus is Emmanuel—God with me. He is not in a land long, long ago or far, far away. He is present in the wind that causes the palm fronds to sway outside my window. He is present in the beauty of Asian hibiscus blooms in my back yard.

 

I thirst to be in God’s presence. I long to see God’s face. I am tired of so much talking about God, strategizing about church, thinking about spiritual things. I am hungry for a vital encounter with the Living God. What more do I need than Him?

 

I can’t live long without food—weeks perhaps. I can’t live long without water—only a few days. I can’t live long without air—minutes at best. But I cannot live for a moment without You, Father. You are always with me, even when I have forgotten and let my longings be diverted to lesser things. And You are patient in loving me back to Yourself. It’s always Your kindness that draws me back. Enable me to find the deep satisfaction my soul longs for in You and You alone.

 

For Reflection

In what ways are you hungry and thirsty these days? What do you find yourself longing for?
In what way is this, at its root, a longing for God? Think about this question prayerfully, asking God for discernment and guidance.

 

Photo by Thomas Lefebvre on Unsplash