Alan Fadling's Blog, page 79

Podcast: Paving the Way for Ministry Expansion – Leading Like Jesus (Part 1)

Recently, Gem and I led a training for a group of leaders. On the final morning, I talked Paving the Way for Ministry Expansion: Seven Key Moments in the Life of Jesus. Today I’m teaching on how prayer and leadership relate to each other and what this looks like in the life of Jesus.

We’ve often said that one of our favorite parts of the work of Unhurried Living is consulting, training, or leading retreats for Christian leaders. And in those trainings, we always seek to include some unhurried time for each one to simply be alone in the presence of the Father. We see this as a way of following a strategic pattern in the life and leadership of Jesus.

In today’s episode, I introduce a pattern in the gospel of Luke that a friend of mine, Shin Asami, first pointed out to me. Every moment of ministry expansion or development in the life of Jesus is preceded by and grows out of a significant moment of His stepping back to be alone with His Father.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Join us on Patreon!

Become a Patron

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: Paving the Way for Ministry Expansion – Leading Like Jesus (Part 1) appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Refreshing the Wilderness

Many years ago, Alan and I were praying together. With my mind’s eye I saw an image of a dry, cracked desert floor spreading out in all directions. A glass of water was poured onto the desert. Once the water hit the ground, it was gone…it completely soaked into the dryness.

Not sure what this meant, I asked Alan if there was any scripture from that week that had struck him. He shared that he had been in Isaiah 43 that week and that it had been quite meaningful. He read the chapter out loud. Here is an excerpt.

“Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the desert

and streams in the wasteland.

The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the desert

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

the people I formed for myself

that they may proclaim my praise. (Isaiah 43:18-21)

When Alan got to the part about the streams in the wasteland, I started laughing out loud. The freedom I felt from hearing this word from God was wonderful. He is the One who provides the way for us and the miracles we need. This scripture and the dryness depicted in the image met up and caused an eruption of joy within me.

The image I had of the glass of water being poured onto the hard ground represented my own feeble efforts. In this parched and weary culture in which we live, my efforts seem to be no more than 8 oz. of water poured onto Death Valley.

It is the Lord Himself who brings the streams in the wasteland. Can you picture that desert? Can you feel that dryness? Most of us have at least one area in our lives that feels like a wasteland.

Now picture out on the horizon of that desert you see water rushing toward you at such a pace that it is breaking up the ground and creating a river. God blasts right down the middle of the parched land with a stream of cool, refreshing water that brings life right up to your toes.

Sometimes we find ourselves in the wilderness and it may be a while before we experience this level of refreshment. Sometimes “a dry and weary land where there is no water” lasts longer than we want.

And…Jesus is still our living water. We can hope in him. We can bring our thirst to him. We can bring our desert to him. We can be with him there.

So, go ahead and hold onto that vision of streams in the wasteland. God gives to His people, His chosen, so that we may proclaim His praise.

Photo by Jo Van de kerkhove on Unsplash

The post Refreshing the Wilderness appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: Real Life Marriage – I Promise to Love You Even When I Hate You

Alan and I recently celebrated our 33rdwedding anniversary. About three weeks ago, I wrote a beautiful tribute to our long time love and sent it out to our email community (it’s also in this blog post). A week and a half later, we went on a celebratory trip that ended with us not speaking to each other on the plane all the way home. We’ll share the whole story with you today on the Unhurried Living Podcast!

Let’s begin by letting you know that in our very own Mission Statement we have a sentence that reads: Living all that we are learning so we share with others from experience and wisdom. It’s important to us that we are not simply doling out pithy advice or clichés that are unlivable. So that’s why we want to pull the curtain back on a very real incident in our marriage so you can see what happened and what we did about it.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Join us on Patreon!

Become a Patron

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: Real Life Marriage – I Promise to Love You Even When I Hate You appeared first on Unhurried Living.

A Hard Week

Last week we were made painfully aware of the suffering of two individuals who, tragically, took their own lives, Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. I am not going to pretend to wax eloquent about this. I am simply saddened by the apparent hopelessness and end-of-my-rope-ness of these stories.

This CNN article states that this week, “Trained counselors at more than 150 crisis centers in the United States fielded 65% more phone calls over the previous week for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline…” This is common after celebrities take their lives, but it does not diminish the realities of the pain in people’s lives.

I want to share a few blog posts from our site that might help a bit. There are no easy answers here. I offer these as a way to continue the conversation you are probably already having with your friends and co-workers as the days go by.

We can often feel helpless when something this big crashes into our lives. Something we can all do is continue to be present, to listen well, and to remember that almost everyone we encounter has something going on that is causing some kind of inner pain.

Let’s be kind and continue be people of peace…the kind of people that someone in pain could trust with their story.

Click the links below to read:

Being Present Amidst Suffering

Vulnerability: You Are Not Alone

The Transformational Process of Suffering

One Dark Night: A Deeper Work of God

Hope in a Darker Shade

Note: If you, yourself, are suffering and need help, click the link for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash

 

The post A Hard Week appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Prayer as Conversation

I’m always grateful for Dallas Willard’s insight that a relationship with God is interactive. We can think of prayer as conversation. Prayer is being with God. It involves listening and speaking. It is a dialogue.

A little practice that sometimes helps me enter into this reality is a “prayer as conversation” entry in my written journal. I’ll spend a few moments reading scripture, a few moments in prayer, or any other way of acknowledging and resting in the real presence of God. I don’t always feelGod close, but I trust and know that God is here.

I’ll then begin to share what’s on my heart and listen for what I think Jesus might say to me. I’m listening with a heart trained by the scriptures. I’m listening from years of conversational prayer. I seek to then write what I sense Jesus might say to my prayer in the moment. Below is a lightly edited example of a conversational prayer from my journal back when I was writing An Unhurried Leader.

Me: Thank you, Jesus, for a few good thoughts that came today when I was working on the Romans 8 chapter about “Questions.” But after just a bit, I got stuck and let distraction distract me.

Jesus: You know the answer to this one, Alan.

Me: I think you mean that I need to simply be in the moment but, honestly, I didn’t seem to know how to do it in that moment. The distractions seem so loud and so demanding.

Jesus: Your belief in the power of those distractions is your problem, son. Truly, they are no more powerful than a mist. But if you believe the mist is a wall, you will not try to walk through it.

Me: I think I understand, but you know how much of a struggle this is for me.

Jesus: Of course I do.

Me: I guess, with my chapter theme in mind, I’m wondering what question you would ask me.

Jesus: If I really am for you, which is one of those questions you will write about tomorrow, who (or what) could ever actually oppose you?

Me: The right answer to that question is no one (and nothing).

Jesus: That’s right. So can distraction oppose or hinder you?

Me: It can’t. It is one of the “whats” that can’t actually get in my way.

Jesus: What about anxiety? What if you feel strong anxiety? Are you actually helpless against that sort of feeling?

Me: The truth is that your peace is greater than any worry that might arise in my thoughts. If I remain in the moment—if I abide in you—I can remember and trust this reality.

Jesus: That’s right. And what about your feelings of self-doubt or insecurity? Are they reliable indicators of your actual value or confidence?

Me: No, they really aren’t. If I had as little value or reason for confidence as those feelings, I wouldn’t be writing another book. I sure wouldn’t be speaking in some of the settings into which I’ve been invited.

Jesus: Now what you need is obedience. You need to walk withme and stop letting those childish and juvenile impulses of yours make decisions for you. You’ve learned that, haven’t you?

Me: I have. I can see that I reduce my self-confidence when I do things I know aren’t good. I ruin my peace and raise self-doubts. These are only a few of the costs of my disobediences.

Jesus: That’s right. But if I’ve invited you to a life—an abundant life, mind you—of obedience, you need to trust that I know what I’m talking about. Your childish and youthful ideas and emotions don’t believe, but you do, don’t you Alan?

Me: I actually do trust that you know what you’re talking about. And I could actually live in keeping with what I believe as a man in my mid-fifties. I’m grateful that Your Spirit is at work to empower me in this way of life.

Jesus: And you already have my Spirit. You already have everything you need to really live and to do everything I’ve entrusted to you to do, including writing this book.

Me: Thank you for saying that. Help me remember this when I wake to write in the morning.

Jesus: Of course. And I’ll enjoy co-laboring with you as you write in the morning.

Me: Good night, Lord.

For Reflection:

When have you sought to enter into prayer as conversation? Has that felt meaningful, challenging, frustrating, what?
If God were to speak in a very personal way with you, what tone of voice would expect? Would that tone be in keeping with the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace?
Why not try on this practice for 10 minutes. You aren’t claiming to have a pipeline to God in engaging this practice. You are simply seeking to be an attentive listener.

You Might Also Enjoy

Blog: “The Importance of Listening to God.” An answer to some who would call “prayer as conversation” unbiblical. (Alan)
Blog: “The Art of Listening.” Helpful teaching on how to be a better listener to others (Gem).
Podcast: “Listening Well: Spiritual Direction [Beth Booram].” (Gem)

 

 

The post Prayer as Conversation appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: 10,000 Minutes – Following Jesus All Week Long (Tim Timmons)



In today’s episode, we’re sharing a recent conversation between Alan and Tim Timmons. If you listen to Christian radio, you may already be enjoying his music.

Alan enjoyed catching up with Tim, as it had been a while since they’d last spoken. Recently, Tim was nominated for a Grammy for writing the Mercy Me song, “Even If.” (Here’s a YouTube music video of it). It’s a powerful vision of trusting God for God’s own sake, and not just when God seems to make things go the way you prefer.

A little about Tim: Like Alan, he was born and raised in California. For the last three years, though, he’s lived in Franklin, TN with his beautiful wife, Hilary and their four kiddoes. He’s spends a lot of his time writing and recording music and playing concerts around the country.

You can find out more about Tim’s work on either his music website at timtimmonsmusic.com or on his blog at 10000minutes.com. We talk about all of this in our conversation.

Music from podcast: All songs are from Tim’s album Cast My Cares. I Will Follow Love. Christ in Me. Cast My Cares.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Join us on Patreon!

Become a Patron

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.

We want to release the same high-caliber, high-value episodes to you, but with even more excellence. We want to create even more conversations, prayers, interviews and 5-minute retreats for a more gracious, thoughtful approach to your life.

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.

Plus, depending on your subscription, you’ll get access to some resources and opportunities available only to our patron community, like:

A copy of our talking points and notes for each episode.
Access to a members only Patreon feed.
Access to a one-hour video of Alan speaking to a group of leaders, unpacking the ideas of his book, An Unhurried Life
Helping us choose topics and respond to questions for future episodes.
Free Access to an Unhurried Living online course.

Help us produce the work you already love–become a subscriber today. We thank you in advance for becoming a part of our community. So head on over to patreon.com/unhurriedliving and become a patron today!

The post Podcast: 10,000 Minutes – Following Jesus All Week Long (Tim Timmons) appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Psalm 105: Finding Strength in Glory

Ps 105:3-4 NIV, “Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.”

The name of Jesus is a name that shines. It carries weight. It is full of glory . It always helps me to remember that two main metaphors underlying biblical words for “glory” are shining and weightiness.

I glory in the name of God when I act in ways that express the weightiness of who God is in thoughts, feelings, choices, and actions. I can let my heart choose joy as I seek the Lord. I can let the person of Jesus shine in my heart and mind, exposing the darkness of fear, anxiety, and distorted desire.

Throughout this day, in each task, project, conversation or whatever, I can look to the Lord and trust in his strength. I can discern the significance of God’s presence with me. I can watch for all the ways that God shines in my life, in my work, in my interactions, in the world around me.

I can say to my soul, “What do you need?” I’m sometimes tempted to say, “Many things.” But I can remind my soul of a glorious reality by asking, “What do you lack in him?” My soul has to admit, “Nothing.”

Join me in letting the warm shining of God’s smiling face light the way ahead of you throughout this day. Let this be a joy-filled day. Experience just how strengthening the joyful presence of God is.

The post Psalm 105: Finding Strength in Glory appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: What We Miss When We Hurry

Last week we began a conversation on An Unhurried Life. The book is now five years old. We continued with our discussion of signs of hurry in every day life, the dynamics that accelerate our inner life, and what good gets squeezed out when we are hurried inside.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Join us on Patreon!

Become a Patron

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.

We want to release the same high-caliber, high-value episodes to you, but with even more excellence. We want to create even more conversations, prayers, interviews and 5-minute retreats for a more gracious, thoughtful approach to your life.

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.

Plus, depending on your subscription, you’ll get access to some resources and opportunities available only to our patron community, like:

A copy of our talking points and notes for each episode.
Access to a members only Patreon feed.
An extra 10-minute “inside track” after-episode podcast, where we unpack the podcast theme further.
Helping us choose topics and respond to questions for future episodes.
A 20% discount for all of Unhurried Living online courses.

Help us produce the work you already love–become a subscriber today. We thank you in advance for becoming a part of our community. So head on over to patreon.com/unhurriedliving and become a patron today!

The post Podcast: What We Miss When We Hurry appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Very Married

My husband, Alan, and I are very married. In fact, in two days we will celebrate our 33rd anniversary.

I first laid eyes on Alan when I was 17 years old. It was the summer of 1981, and I was sitting in the back row of seats for an evening service at church. My cousin whispered to me out of the side of her mouth, “Gem, Gem, look over there.” Her eyes motioned to the right.

Evidently, we were there to check out guys. I know this because the next words out of her mouth were, “Look at that guy.” I leaned forward and saw the cutest guy I had ever seen in my life–tall, blond and blue-eyed. I looked back at my cousin and was like, “Wow.”

Of course, it took almost two more years before that guy decided to look my way. Whatever.

No one gets this far into a marriage without glorious highs and severe lows. And we have traversed it all…together.

Long time love is like that. You hang in there no matter what. And the payoff is tremendous. We have a relationship that is deep and refined, like the wine that is produced from grapes that have been dry farmed. We are reaping the harvest of allowing our roots to dig down deep and produce even during a drought.

As it turns out the cute guy across the aisle turned out to be much more than a pretty face. Even at my ripe old age of 19 I could see that he had the mantle of leadership on him. It is even more true today. He is a grower and a learner and he shares those qualities beautifully. And even better, his blue eyes still make my heart go pitter pat.

We see and know each other exactly as we are. Nothing is hidden. And we still choose to love each other, over and over and over again. That is long time love.

Every season of love has its beauty. A few years ago, I attended the wedding of a couple of young friends. The fresh bloom of new love was in the air. Nothing but future before them. Glorious.

Now, in our fifties, my husband and I find ourselves in the season of decades-old love. We read each other’s minds, finish each other’s sentences, and can sit together for long periods of time without saying anything. Glorious.

If any of you watch Grey’s Anatomy, you will know that Meredith and Derek first got married on a post-it. They wrote their vows and signed them. They later framed the post-it vows and hung them over their bed. When things got really hard they declared, “I call post-it!” It would harken them back to the promises they made to each other and they would choose to pull through whatever situation was before them.

Alan and I have continued to grow and change over the years and every single time the other person has had to learn some new dance steps. Sometimes you have to change your dancing shoes and other times you even have to change ballrooms…but the point is, you keep dancing.

I’m not saying Meredith and Derek are my model for the perfect marriage, but I do like what was on their post-it. Long time love happens when two people decide they are committed for life and for real–and they both work on it together.

Derek: (Writing on a square, blue post-it) What do we want to promise each other?

Meredith: That you’ll love me even when you hate me.

Derek: (Continues writing) To love each other even when we hate each other…No running. Ever. Nobody walks out, no matter what happens.

Meredith: No running.

Derek: What else?

Meredith: That we’ll take care of each other, even when we’re old and smelly and senile, and if I get Alzheimers and forget you…

Derek: I will remind you who I am every day…to take care when old, senile, smelly. This…is…forever. Sign?

Meredith: This is our wedding? A post it?

Derek: Mmhhhm. If you sign it.

[Meredith signs]: Now what?

Derek: Now I kiss the bride.

Meredith: Married.

Derek: Married.

So, my dear Alan, here’s to the first 33 years. As we aim at the next 33 years I promise to love you even when I hate you. I promise not to run. I promise to take care of you when you are old and smelly. I promise to remind you who I am every day. These two hearts…never apart.

NOTE: This post is meant to be a tribute to Alan, to our marriage and to long time love at its best. If you or anyone you know is in any kind of abusive relationship or marriage, it is not time to “hang in there and keep dancing.” Seek help and get to a safe place, both physically and emotionally.

The post Very Married appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: Unpacking An Unhurried Life – Five Years Later



It’s a fun episode today, because tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of Alan’s first book, An Unhurried Life. I can’t believe it’s been five years. And one thing that amazes me is that it’s still gaining momentum and finding its audience. People are still finding it! I think the word unhurried just really resonates with people. There’s a longing that people have, within our noisy, rushed culture, for maybe a deep breath and a felt sense of peace.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Join us on Patreon!

Become a Patron

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.

We want to release the same high-caliber, high-value episodes to you, but with even more excellence. We want to create even more conversations, prayers, interviews and 5-minute retreats for a more gracious, thoughtful approach to your life.

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.

Plus, depending on your subscription, you’ll get access to some resources and opportunities available only to our patron community, like:

A copy of our talking points and notes for each episode.
Access to a members only Patreon feed.
An extra 10-minute “inside track” after-episode podcast, where we unpack the podcast theme further.
Helping us choose topics and respond to questions for future episodes.
A 20% discount for all of Unhurried Living online courses.

Help us produce the work you already love–become a subscriber today. We thank you in advance for becoming a part of our community. So head on over to patreon.com/unhurriedliving and become a patron today!

The post Podcast: Unpacking An Unhurried Life – Five Years Later appeared first on Unhurried Living.