Alan Fadling's Blog, page 68
January 20, 2020
Podcast: A Family Resemblance (Inhaling Grace Audiobook, Part 16)
Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. Today, Alan Fadling sharing another Inhaling Grace audiobook episode. We pray that these might be a few moments of remembering God’s grace that is with you, here and now, as you listen.
January 15, 2020
Love Displaces Fear
A new year has begun. A new decade is here. I’ll turn 59 this year. Part of me still feels thirty-something inside, but my body reminds me more and more often that I really am in my late fifties.
Aging sometimes makes me nervous, even fearful. There’s a far better chance that I’m in two-thirds life rather than midlife at this point. (There’s always the thin chance that I’ll end up breaking the world record for longevity!).
But you know what the good news is for me and for you? Love displaces fear. All fear. Every fear. The loss or danger or bad that I anticipate doing me harm will have to make its way through the loving hands of my Good Shepherd.
I have been learning to trust, more and more, that with Jesus as my very Good Shepherd, I really am not going to find myself in a situation of want. This is the hopeful reality I am learning to be confident in.
When you think about this new year, what excites you? What makes you nervous? What even makes you fearful? I wonder if you can envision the loving presence of Jesus as a backdrop to those fearful situations you imagine ahead of you. What difference might that make in your thoughts and emotions now?
God does not usually address fear by removing what provokes fear in us. God usually addresses fear by promising his faithful, loving, protecting Presence with us in the midst of what we fear. God invites us to grow mature in the way we deal with our fears. What a gift. What an honor!
For Reflection:
Why not take a little time today or tomorrow to write down some of your present fears (or your fears about the future).
Which ones feel the strongest for you?
What happens if you imagine that fear before you, but envision the majestic, mighty presence of Jesus larger in the horizon against which the fears are put in perspective?
January 13, 2020
Podcast: How to Move Through Our Fears
In "What Does Your Soul Love?", the chapter on fear contains these words:
When we’re little the list of things we fear may be quaint: the dark, the boogeyman, spiders, the mean dog next door. However, depending on your family or situation, you may have had next-level fears: the anger of an alcoholic dad, gun shots from the drug house down the street, bullies with hidden knives at school.
Nowadays, we have the real fear of public shootings and bombings, even in parts of the country and world that have seemed relatively safe. Add to that the never ending news threads on our social media feeds, and you have a recipe for constant underlying fear, anxiety, and even dread.
Many of the social issues of our day are the fruit of fear—fear that we won’t be taken care of, fear that we won’t be seen or loved, fear that we won’t have enough. And these dynamics typically lead us directly to fearful or controlling behavior. Looking for and acknowledging our fears feels risky. But if we can come face to face with what we fear, we can see it in the light of God’s presence and find healing, freedom, and strength.
Almost everyone deals with fear at one time or another. So let’s take a look at fear and how we might move through it.
Episode Links:
Unhurried Living Podcast episode#95 - Intentional Soul Care (Unhurried Living Dynamic One)
Fight or Flight article
Unhurried Living Podcast episode 101 - The Practice of Unpacking
Podcast bonus worksheet.
January 10, 2020
Book Review: The Soul of Wine
Forty years ago, in my early years as a new Christian, I found myself in a Christian tradition that preached the virtues of avoiding drinking alcohol in any form—wine, beer and certainly strong spirits. The usual reasons were given: the dangers of addiction, the desire to avoid tempting those among us who may have had a leaning towards addiction, and such.
Today, I find myself an Anglican priest who is honored to occasionally preside over the Lord’s Table in which we use real wine (alongside offering a non-alcoholic option for those who wish it).
I share all that because my recent reading of Gisela Kreglinger’s new book The Soul of Wine was a source of encouragement and wisdom for me. For example, she mentions that up until the nineteenth century all Christian traditions served wine in the Lord’s Supper. My early experience of a little grape juice at the Lord’s Table is a more recent innovation.
Kreglinger does a beautiful job unpacking the implications of Jesus’ first recorded miracle in the gospel of John: the turning of water to wine at the wedding in Cana.
She points out that Jesus takes initiative to create what would be between 640 and 960 bottles of wine in that miraculous event. It was wine that the sommelier on duty recognized as one of the best he’d ever tasted. Jesus cared about good wine for this wedding celebration.
Wine is a gift from God. Like any gift, it can be abused. But abuse does not preclude grateful use of these gifts. I found great help along these lines in the stories she tells, the insights she shares and the guidance she offers in receiving this God-given gift.
I highly recommend this book. It was a great pleasure to read it over my Christmas holiday.
Photo by Maja Petric on Unsplash
January 8, 2020
The Process of Construction
In early December, Alan and I spent a week in Avila Beach, CA planning content for the first quarter of 2020. It's very helpful to get away and focus on that kind of thinking.
While we were there I noticed the same apartment complex down the street that has been under construction for at least a year, maybe two. And each time we visit, it doesn’t look like much is being done. Did they run out of money? Do they not have a plan? Is it just not at the top of their to-do list? Why is it taking so long?
Some of you have had construction done on your home. You know how long it takes, how much money is involved, and what a hassle it can be.
As I stopped to really look at the build site I noticed lots of muddy soil, a hole in the ground, and cement that had been jack-hammered and stacked. What a mess!
Or…what potential! It really depends on what you focus on, doesn’t it?
Think about your own life. What inner dynamics might you be currently working on? Most of us would like to become aware of an area of needed growth and then miraculously be done with it (see image 1 below). A completed house in less than a week.
Of course, this is silly. Just as in construction, when we are seeking growth and healing, we might have to tear some things down first. We might have to dig some holes. We might have to use a jackhammer to break up some concrete (hard-heartedness) and stack it against the wall. (see images 2, 3, 4 below)
And just like physical construction it can take longer and cost more than you ever thought.
Holding a vision of what is to come can help carry you through. It is always worth it in the end to do the hard inner work of maturing and healing. You may just end up with a home that is more suitable for you to live in.
So, the question for the new year is this: Are you willing to allow as much time and effort as it takes for the healing and growth you desire? It may take longer than you want. And it is likely to get messier before it gets better. But your true self will thank you for taking the time to uncover more of the mansion that you are.
For the month of January, I encourage you to follow me on Instagram (@gemfadling). I’m going to walk you through the Process for Transformation that is introduced in our new book, What Does Your Soul Love?
Watch my IG feed and IGTV videos for a process that you can keep in your pocket throughout 2020.
Blessings to you! And Happy New Year!
Photo by Yancy Min on Unsplash
January 6, 2020
Podcast: Grace and Peace: The Abundant Basics (Inhaling Grace Audiobook, Part 15)
Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. Today, Alan is sharing an Inhaling Grace audiobook episode. We pray that these might be a few moments of remembering God’s grace that is with you, here and now, as you listen.
January 1, 2020
A Day Full of New
Today is a new day, a new year, and a new decade all at once. So much “new.” The kingdom of God is like that. So much new--renewal, restoration, refreshment, new life.
One of the ways I’ve been feeling this lately is in the spirit of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians:
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (4:16).”
Wasting away seems like pretty strong language for the realities of aging, but I have noticed outward diminishments as a get older. I experience moments when my balance, or my strength, or my endurance isn’t what it once was. My youthful full head of hair has been replaced by a head that seems better off shaven. My body is, I guess, “wasting away.”
But my inner person feels like it’s getting younger while my body gets older. This is the trajectory of spiritual maturity. I’m learning to be a bit more child-like in relation to my cares. I’m learning to welcome joy that bubbles up from within me. I’m learning to live in the moment. These are things that children usually find natural.
For Reflection
What about you? Are there ways you are experiencing this inward renewal in the midst of outward aging?
Is there anything you want to say “Thank you” for? Or “help” about? Or maybe just a hearty “Wow”?
In this new year, Gem and I send along our prayer that a rich sense of the freshness and vitality of God-with-us might bless you and encourage you this week.
Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash
December 30, 2019
Podcast: Practice of Remembering Grace (Psalm 103)
Last year, Alan wrote and released Inhaling Grace. One of the big ideas in this little book is that gratitude is exhaling the grace we inhale. A mentor of ours reminded us often that just as surely as we are saved by grace and, of course, we are, we also live by grace, serve by grace, even lead by grace. Today, we share a little practice that has helped us remember this more in our moment-to-moment lives.
As you listen you will enter into a mediation of Psalm 103. We encourage you to not skip over this part. Take time to listen and breath and feel the grace of Christ.
To interact with the Unhurried Living podcast on a more personal level, download our FREE worksheet resource.
Podcast: Practice of Remember Grace
Last year, Alan wrote and released Inhaling Grace. One of the big ideas in this little book is that gratitude is exhaling the grace we inhale. A mentor of ours reminded us often that just as surely as we are saved by grace and, of course, we are, we also live by grace, serve by grace, even lead by grace. Today, we share a little practice that has helped us remember this more in our moment-to-moment lives.
As you listen you will enter into a mediation of Psalm 103. We encourage you to not skip over this part. Take time to listen and breath and feel the grace of Christ.
December 25, 2019
Merry Christmas
No long blog from us today. We simply wanted to say Merry Christmas to you.
We know that this day may hold all kinds of emotions and dynamics for you. For some this day is pure joy, and for others this day carries the weight of grief.
No matter your situation, we do pray that you will experience the reality of “God with us” in the birth of Jesus.
“Jesus is here” is real. A mom and a dad, shepherds, angels and wise men unveil the story.
Simply and humbly, Jesus came…to us…to you.
Enjoy this brief video Christmas greeting from our hearts to yours.
Blessings to you this Christmas day!
