Alan Fadling's Blog, page 74
February 20, 2019
Where Do You Go For Refuge?
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your life? Do you ever feel like you’re under a pile and there is no way to dig out? Most of us feel that way at one point or another.
I’ve noticed that my own negative thoughts and expectations can add another layer of weight when things aren’t going well. I burden my already heavy heart with should’s and self-judgments. It makes for a wicked brew of emotions and circumstances.
This is easier to do when we are sick or when life throws a curveball or something unexpected at us. We lose our bearings and grasp for a lifeline.
If you find yourself in that situation today (or any day), let me offer you an image. I don’t want to preach about this or give easy advice about how to make your situation better. I simply want to offer an invitation to soak in the reality of being surrounded-- of finding refuge.
Some time back, we were visiting the Dominican Republic. Alan was leading a retreat for leaders and I had the pleasure of going with him. When he sent us out for some Unhurried Time with God, I carried my camera to see if I could capture some beauty.
We were meeting at a home in the mountains and there were quite a few hens running around in the yard. I followed one mama who had recently hatched a few chicks. I snapped many shots, but the photo I share here is my favorite.
Take a moment to take in the image. What do you notice about the chick in orientation to the mother?
I have brought this image to mind several times over the years. It has helped me with a sense of being surrounded by God. God is my refuge. My prayer is that this image resonates with you as well.
When life feels overwhelming or just a little difficult, let yourself be that little chick, nestling into the safe, enfolding wings of a loving parent.
Even right now, linger with the image for a few moments. Gaze at the little chick. Let yourself enjoy a sense of being enfolded and protected.
Here are some scripture passages that may help you enter in:
Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you…(Psalm 63:7-8a)
Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 17:8)
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. (Psalm 36:7)
Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. (Psalm 57:1)
The post Where Do You Go For Refuge? appeared first on Unhurried Living.
February 13, 2019
Lent: Exhaling Hurry, Inhaling Grace
Last week, I talked about a growing community of friends who will be joining Gem and me for An Unhurried Lent. We’ll begin three weeks from today on March 6, Ash Wednesday.
So, again, why Lent? What’s the big deal? Some resist practices like Lent and other similar ones for fear that we’ll think we’re earning something from God rather than continuing to acknowledge that our salvation is rooted in freely-given grace and not in our own works of earning favor.
Spiritual practices like Lent and other practices of abstaining from something aren’t about earning favor, but actually making space in our lives to actually receive the free grace God is always extending.
Grace is not mainly about a moment of salvation in the past with mostly eternal implications. Grace is about living in the empowering presence of God that is freely and confidently available to us in every moment.
In this Lent, we invite you to join us to pay attention to the ways your soul becomes hurried and, therefore, ceases to be in the moment. In our inward hurry, we attempt the impossible. We try to live in the future. We try to be in a time other than the present moment where we actually are and where God is actually present to us.
We’ll learn together to exhale soul hurry that shows up in us as impatience, unkindness, self-promotion, anxiety, efficiency-addiction and so on. We’ll learn to breathe in the patient kindness of God, the humble, peaceful presence of God, the generous abundance God is always providing.
Gem and I spoke about this in this week’s podcast episode, “Preparing for An Unhurried Lent.” If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll take a moment to listen to what we envision for this year’s observance of Lent.
If you’d like to join us, here’s what you can do:
Purchase a copy of Inhaling Grace. (If you’d like to purchase five or more copies for a group going through An Unhurried Lent together, visit our website).
Download the free reading guide for An Unhurried Lent.
Come join about 100 others already in our Unhurried Lent Facebook Group.
Forward this email to your friends, family and colleagues. Or share Unhurried Lent on your social media platforms. Perhaps they would like to join you!
I’m praying that you’ll sense the invitation to live more unhurried in the weeks leading to Easter. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to continue living under the apprenticeship of an unhurried Savior.
For Reflection:
What are your thoughts, if any, about Lent this year? Are you drawn to offer God the gift of some little “No” so that you can offer a bigger and more hearty “Yes” to him?
Does An Unhurried Lent draw you? Are you drawn in some other direction this year?
Talk with God about these things.
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash
The post Lent: Exhaling Hurry, Inhaling Grace appeared first on Unhurried Living.
February 11, 2019
Podcast: Preparing for an Unhurried Lent
In less than a month we enter the season of Lent. We invite you to enter this season with us as we prepare for An Unhurried Lent, living faithfully in our following of Jesus.
Today on the podcast we’ll talk a little about Lent in general, then we’ll unpack the more specific idea of An Unhurried Lent.
The goal of this journey together is to live more faithfully into our following of Jesus. It involves saying the right “Yeses” and the right “Noes.” In a little less than a month, Christians around the world will be saying “No” in some particular way as they practice Lent.
Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher
Join us on Patreon!
Those of you who listen to our podcast know that we are creating a worldwide conversation at the intersection of deeper spiritual life and broader personal influence. That’s what we mean by Unhurried Living.
In an age where hurry, distraction and busyness are rampant, we share a different message: Rest Deeper. Live Fuller. Lead Better.
We need your help to keep this work going–and to make it better. So we invite you to join us as a partner on Patreon.com.
Our podcast will always be free to all listeners, but by subscribing to Patreon you can help–your monthly subscription helps us grow our team, pay for the hard costs of producing our work, and makes it possible for us to spread our message globally. You can partner with us for as little as $1 a month.
The post Podcast: Preparing for an Unhurried Lent appeared first on Unhurried Living.
February 6, 2019
Practicing an Unhurried Lent
The practice of Lent has become a place of grace for me over the last number of years. Some feel that Lent is a failure to recognize that our salvation is rooted in grace. But Lent isn’t about earning favor. It’s actually about recognizing the habits in our lives that keep us from the free grace God is always offering. Lent makes space for the reception of grace.
Simply put, Lent is the period of six weeks (not including Sundays) leading up to Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday which, this year, will be on March 6. The last week of Lent happens during Holy Week, which is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday.
One biblical narrative that informs Lent for many Christians is Jesus spending forty days in the wilderness right after his baptism. During this time, Jesus fasted, prayed and was tempted. Early Christians from the fourth century on took this as a model to follow. They went to the desert to fast and to wrestle with their demons.
So some practice of fasting is generally a key element of observing Lent. Usually, fasting involves giving up a certain kind of food (like meat, fats, dairy or such). Some give up desserts or alcohol during Lent.
Others give up something like social media, television or checking email in the evenings and such. In place of those activities, we seek to be attentive to God. Perhaps we read the Scriptures or meaningful spiritual writings. Perhaps we have important conversations with family or friends.
We’ve said before that Lent is about saying a little no for a while so that we can say a bigger, heartier “Yes” to God. Our “Noes” can have a way of focusing us and making us more aware and attentive to God with us.
Every time we feel the urge to do what we’ve said we wouldn’t do during Lent, that becomes a moment for prayer, again offering ourselves to the guiding and providing presence of God, for settling back into an abiding posture with God..
We are talking about Lent now because we’re inviting you to join us in the practice of An Unhurried Lent. It will be based on our new devotional, Inhaling Grace. A free reading guide for Lent is on our website.
We’re going to talk more about this in the next Unhurried Living podcast episode on February 11. Be sure to listen in and join us for An Unhurried Lent.
What to do:
Purchase Inhaling Grace.
Download the free Lenten reading guide.
Listen to our podcast episode #68 on February 11.
Invite your friends to join you by sharing all of this with them by email or on social media.
For Reflection:
As you think ahead to the beginning of Lent in about a month, what little “No” do you feel led to offer God so that you might say a heartier “Yes” to him?
The post Practicing an Unhurried Lent appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 30, 2019
The Internal Enemies of Love
In An Unhurried Leader, one of my favorite chapters is titled “Questions That Unhurry Leaders.” It’s rooted in the Romans 8 passage that ends in these memorable lines:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
So nothing can actually separate us from the love of God to which we have confident and free access in Christ. Nothing.
There is no supernatural power that can get between us and the measureless care of God for us. There is nothing that can happen today or tomorrow that can block us from experiencing God’s affection and delight. Nothing can overwhelm us and nothing can sink us in the face of the unfathomable love of God for us. All of these things are utterly true.
So why do we sometimes feel like we are unloved even though what Paul says in these lines is utterly and absolutely true? Good question, right? When I think about this question, I end up with answers that are mostly about my thoughts and feeling rather than about external enemies.
Anxiety comes along and says “What if this?” and “What if that?” We are tempted to worry about being loved rather than restfully trusting in reliable love. Anxiety cannot separate us from the love of God because God is the powerful Prince of Peace.
Despair comes along and attacks our hopefulness. It paints a foreboding future in which the love of God fades to black. But despair cannot separate us from the love of God because God is the God of every and all hope.
Insecurity comes along and whispers that we don’t deserve to be loved. Others are far more lovable than me. But insecurity cannot separate us from God’s reliable love because God is always God is graciously and lovingly for me. God does not wait for our worthiness to love us. God simply loves.
Accusation comes along and points out offenses, real and imagined, that disqualify us from access to such a loving God. But God never condemns. Whenever we hear an accusatory voice, we can be sure that it is not the voice of God. Accusation cannot separate us from a God who is our Defender and our Judge…and this God is for us.
For Reflection:
Stop for a moment. Say to yourself, “Nothing at all separates me from God in this moment.”
Wait a bit and see if any “Well what about…” or “Yes, but..” voices arise. Notice them. Identify them.
And then, ask God what he might have to say that is real and true (and the opposite of these negative thoughts)?
The post The Internal Enemies of Love appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 28, 2019
Podcast: Remain: The Unremarkable, Remarkable Branch
The most unremarkable part of a grapevine is where the vine and branch meet, but it is the most remarkable place where growth occurs.
A few years ago we spent a long weekend in a beautiful home on a vineyard. While visiting the Napa region of CA, we had the treat of being hosted by a master gardener. We ate beautiful food and drank amazing wine while seated at a picnic table overlooking the rolling hills and fruit-laden vines. We talked, laughed and shared all the way up to sunset. As you can imagine, it was one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen.
I could go on forever about the beauty of the setting but what does this have to do with spiritual formation? As we strolled the vineyard and spoke with the gardener he educated us on the pruning process of the grapes and how to make the best wines. What I found fascinating was the most unremarkable part was where the vine met the branch.
The familiar words from John 15:5 echoed in my mind.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher
Join us on Patreon!
Those of you who listen to our podcast know that we are creating a worldwide conversation at the intersection of deeper spiritual life and broader personal influence. That’s what we mean by Unhurried Living.
In an age where hurry, distraction and busyness are rampant, we share a different message: Rest Deeper. Live Fuller. Lead Better.
We need your help to keep this work going–and to make it better. So we invite you to join us as a partner on Patreon.com.
Our podcast will always be free to all listeners, but by subscribing to Patreon you can help–your monthly subscription helps us grow our team, pay for the hard costs of producing our work, and makes it possible for us to spread our message globally. You can partner with us for as little as $1 a month.
The post Podcast: Remain: The Unremarkable, Remarkable Branch appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 23, 2019
Grace Works
There’s an encouraging line in a psalm of Moses that connects prayer and fruitful work. I’ve prayed it often in the face of writing projects or upcoming speaking engagements.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.
Ps 90:17 NIV
Moses talks about the work of his hands, but a lot of us work more with our minds. Grace can come along whatever work we’re given to do.
God’s favor—God’s grace—can rest on us in such a way that what we are working on is established. I sometimes look at a piece of work with a feeling of discouragement or weariness. I wish I didn’t, but I sometimes do.
When I feel like this, I often pray something like the Psalm line above. “Lord, you know that there is this podcast script (or this blog post, or this book chapter, or whatever) lying before me. I don’t feel inspired. I don’t feel energized. But I know I’m invited to produce this for the good of others who will read it. May your favor rest on me as I embark on this project. May you give this work roots so that it draws on the energy, the inspiration, the guidance of Your grace.”
It isn’t a magic trick, but I always have some sense of God’s generous presence as I then embark on the work.
Paul had these insights as well. Listen to how he relates the grace of God and the fruit of his life:
“…by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Hard work and God’s generous grace are not opposed to one another. Hard work that is well-rooted in God’s kingdom purposes is profoundly grace-empowered. God’s grace with us enables our work to have a profoundly fruitful effect.
For Reflection
Think about your own work. Where do you sometimes feel tired, uninspired, unmotivated, whatever. Why not let the lines of scripture above be a way of inviting the grace of God to establish your work, guide your work, and make your work more fruitful than you could imagine on your own.
How do you feel as you let these scriptural truths shine on places of weariness or discouragement?
Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash
The post Grace Works appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 16, 2019
An Unexpected Risk of Succeeding
Most of us want to live successful lives. I don’t know a lot of people who aspire to fail. But there is always the question of how to measure success, and what it looks like to sustain success.
In Romans 2, Paul has some words for Jewish people then who felt they had arrived at the position of teacher. They felt they had succeeded in their knowledge of the law of God to the degree that they were ready to teach others. Listen to what Paul has to say to them:
“…you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? (Roman 2:21-22)
One of the great dangers of “spiritual success” is presuming oneself to be in a position to preach without the need to worry much about whether or not one lives what is preached. I’ve found, for example, that those who are angriest and most judgmental in their preaching against certain sins are hiding sins of a similar sort in their own lives.
Psychology gives us the language of projection. Rather than dealing with issues in our lives, we are sometimes tempted to see those issues in someone else’s life and react to it there. We preach against something, but we are secretly guilty of the same sort of thing.
I don’t want to find myself in the position of teaching others how to live a deeply spiritual life and fail to do so myself. This is the constant challenge of spiritual leadership. The practices that grow within us that sort of spiritual authority are the same ones that sustain and further affirm it.
A little later in the same passage, Paul says this:
A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God. (Romans 2:28-29)
Again, he’s talking in his time about those among the Jewish people who put their confidence in outward signs of their faith rather than cultivating a heart of devotion and in alignment with God. To say it another way: A person is not a spiritual leader because of outward appearances. Spiritual authority is always a matter of something God is doing within a person.
We live in a culture that is so very enamored with what is outward. Too many focus on appearance management rather than on transformation of the heart. Reality is that it is a changed heart that changes our outsides in a lasting way. Appearance management is little more than cleaning the outside of the cup, as Jesus said it.
For Reflection
Where do you find an especially strong reaction arising within you against the wrongs of another, especially wrongs that don’t directly impact you personally?
How might that reaction be arising from similar (though not necessarily “same”) issues in your own life?
How would you like to talk with God about that?
Photo by Zac Durant on Unsplash
The post An Unexpected Risk of Succeeding appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 14, 2019
Podcast: Four Common Barriers to Leadership Effectiveness
In this episode, we’re talking about four common barriers to leadership effectiveness. As a new year presents plenty of opportunities, it also presents common obstacles that get in the way of making, real productive progress.
These aren’t the only four barriers to leading well, but they are four big ones. And these insights aren’t just for people with very visible leadership roles or positions. We see leadership as a much larger category than that. Leadership is about holy and fruitful initiative in life as well as in work.
The four barriers are:
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Self-doubt
- Insecurity
We will unpack these barriers using the following questions:
- What does this barrier look like in my life and work?
- How does it hinder my progress?
- What does it look like when I overcome or move through it? What is the alternative movement to each one?
Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher
Join us on Patreon!
Those of you who listen to our podcast know that we are creating a worldwide conversation at the intersection of deeper spiritual life and broader personal influence. That’s what we mean by Unhurried Living.
In an age where hurry, distraction and busyness are rampant, we share a different message: Rest Deeper. Live Fuller. Lead Better.
We need your help to keep this work going–and to make it better. So we invite you to join us as a partner on Patreon.com.
Our podcast will always be free to all listeners, but by subscribing to Patreon you can help–your monthly subscription helps us grow our team, pay for the hard costs of producing our work, and makes it possible for us to spread our message globally. You can partner with us for as little as $1 a month.
The post Podcast: Four Common Barriers to Leadership Effectiveness appeared first on Unhurried Living.
January 9, 2019
Start with the Ending
Happy New Year! I’ve been enjoying the holiday season this last month, including some time with extended family. A few days ago I was having a conversation with my mother-in-law about end-of-life decisions. She is 78 and so it is appropriate to be thinking about, and planning for, such things.
In addition, Alan and I had an appointment with our financial planner and he raised these kinds of questions with us—What about your will? Who has access to it? Does your family know what you want? How will they pay for it? He jokingly mentioned that no one likes to talk about these things, but it really is necessary. We agreed.
After these two encounters with “the end of things” an old song flashed into memory. It’s a David Wilcox song entitled Start with the Ending. It’s really a song about marriage, but in the middle is a great spoken section where he describes how beautiful a life would be if it were lived in reverse. (At minute 5:15 you can hear his clever reversed-life prose).
Here are a few lines from the chorus:
When there's no pretending
Then the truth is safe to say
Start with the ending
Get it out of the way
Now, there's no defending
Because no one has to win
Start with the ending
It's the best way to begin
It's the best way to begin
Wilcox describes how the mindset of “beginning with the end” brings the truth to the forefront, enabling a more honest and loving life.
Beginning with the end may be helpful as you think into your own life and future. How would bringing the end to mind cause you to live differently today?
As you think into your next few months, or even as you think into this day, how can these words guide you, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matt. 16:25)
One part of ourselves that we want to lose is our false self. That part of us that isn’t really real. It tries to keep itself alive using many and various tactics, including the ongoing search for security, esteem or control.
This is the time to let go of the clinging desire for these from any external source. And then remember that God meets us in these places with his great love.
Look at these words again, in light of what we’ve talked about so far:
When there's no pretending
Then the truth is safe to say
Start with the ending
Get it out of the way
Now, there's no defending
Because no one has to win
Start with the ending
It's the best way to begin
It's the best way to begin
No pretending. The truth is safe. No defending. It’s not a contest. Start with the ending. And begin.
Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash
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