Alan Fadling's Blog, page 79

Being Refreshed by Divine Strength

As I write this post, I’m in the midst of a stretch of seventy days in which I am out of town or out of country about fifty of them. That’s more travel than I usually have in my schedule. It just happened that a number of good opportunities have clustered this Fall. I didn’t feel that “No” was the right answer to any of them.

Because I still wrestle with assumptions of scarcity rather than trusting the Lord who shepherds me and provides well for me, I sometimes find myself anxious, even fearful. So, when I came across these beautiful lines from Psalm 84, I was grateful for the help they gave me:

“Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.”   (vss. 5-7‬ NIV)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The “Valley of Baka” is “dry valley” or perhaps “the valley of weeping.” Weeping doesn’t exact fit this season I’m in, but an experience of dryness, or feeling drained, does. There is an emotional, mental and spiritual expenditure every time I speak to a group of leaders or lead a retreat. I’m tempted to pretend it costs me little or nothing, but that just isn’t true.

There is something real that the writer of Psalm 84 wants us to know and trust: there is a way of finding our strength in God. Rather than relying primarily on our experience, or our education, or our personality, or our reputation, we can lean on the mighty presence of God with us.

Sometimes, leaders are tempted to believe their strength is in their own wisdom or winning personality. They think they’re main strength is their reputation in a group of which they are part. They might lean on their education, their position or their experience. All of these can be God-utilized resources to further his purposes in and through us.

But the one who is blessed is the one who knows that strength comes from God and is accessed in God. This is a heart set on pilgrimage. It is a heart that lingers with God along the whole journey. This sort of person is a portable source of refreshment and renewal.

How has your Fall begun? For some of us, it can be a very intense time of re-engagement and work, ministry or school activity. What might it look like to trust the strength of God in each moment, each activity, each task, each meeting? Listen to these lines from The Message:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;

don’t try to figure out everything on your own.

Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;

he’s the one who will keep you on track.

(Proverbs 3:5-6)

I send this email along with my prayer that you’ll discover God’s refreshing strength in your life, your relationships and your work this week!

 

Photo by Yukie Emiko on Unsplash

The post Being Refreshed by Divine Strength appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: Leaders as Servants: “Be Chief” Interview with Rick Miller

Today we are visiting with Rick Miller, author of Be Chief: It’s a Choice, Not a Title and discussing the difference between being in a POSITION of influence versus being a PERSON of influence.

We’re very aware that key leaders in organizational setting have titles that begin with the word “chief”—chief financial officer, chief operating officer, chief executive officer and such. Rick’s point is that “being chief” in this way is not mainly about holding a position as it is about expressing a way of leading that serves others.

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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: Leaders as Servants: “Be Chief” Interview with Rick Miller appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Sustaining Your Life: Restored by Beauty

If any of you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you may have seen some of the beauty we shared from our recent trip to Germany. Words like staggering, overwhelming, and amazing don’t do justice to the beauty of southern Germany.

We were there to facilitate some training and retreat time for Navy Chaplains and their RPs. But we had a few days prior to that to simply enjoy the area. And the timing could not have been more perfect.

We had just come through an intense season of writing books and preparing for speaking. And, somehow, I found myself creatively exhausted.

At first, I described my tiredness as being soul tired. However, after thinking about it a little more, I realized my soul was energized and hopeful. But I could not escape the fact that something inside of me was quite empty. The place from which I draw words to write or insights to speak was running dry.

Not surprisingly, Alan found himself in a similar place. We had both been in output mode for quite a while. As we were talking one day, we realized we were sharing a similar tiredness. The first thing we did was look at our replenishing and refilling spaces in our calendar. They were sparse. And we had let the idea of true Sabbath fall to the wayside.

Yes, we had been traveling throughout the last few months, but none of it was a true vacation. The kind where you don’t check email and you get lost in timelessness. We were in beautiful locations…working. Our monthly solitude days were evidently not enough to keep us from the level of tiredness we had reached. Oh, the ironies of tending a growing organization called Unhurried Living.

So, we sat ourselves down and asked the question we ask other leaders, “What will it take to sustain the life you currently live?” Not to be confused with the unhelpful, “What are you doing to prove you are a good Christian?” But the realistic, “What will it take to truly keep you full as you continue to pour out to others?”

We made a very different plan for this next year. One that makes space for true soul-filling times, including a revived Sabbath, monthly unhurried days and bona-fide vacations.

After that we left for Germany. And, oh, those three days of being blissfully unplugged! We were surrounded by beauty and experienced quite a few firsts. A few highlights: the highest peak in Germany, with a view of four countries; a gorge, the vision and sounds of which took my breath away; a horse and carriage ride; quaint Bavarian, cobblestone streets and architecture; a castle built by King Ludwig II, with one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life.

And that place inside of me, that creative place, began to fill. Beauty is a natural soul-filler. I believe that now more than ever. I was being revived in a most holy and majestic way. God speaks through his very creation as a grace and a gift. And I received it willingly.

After our wonderful time with the Chaplains, I returned home to begin my mornings in a prayer book entitled, Celtic Treasure. The first seven days unpack the glory of the creation of the world. Here is an excerpt from Day 2:

On the second day the storm kept stirring.

It was the wind of new beginnings.

God was saying, “Let there be a space for creation.”

And the wind carved out a hollow in the deep waters.

It was a cradle for life.

Above, beneath and on every side of it were the everlasting waters.

God saw that it was good.

It was a place for birth and abundance.

And there was evening and morning, creation’s second day. (From Genesis 1)

My jaw dropped as I witnessed my very life in this poetic take on Genesis 1. My creatively tired self, after having encountered such beauty was definitely in a place of “new beginnings.” God was indeed saying, “Let there be a space for creation” inside my own heart. He had carved out a hollow deep within me by the splendors of the earth (a gorge, mountains, fields, lakes, and rivers).

And God saw that it was good. I returned home in a state of re-birth and a new sense of abundance (along with a little jet lag).

Reflection

How’s your creativity these days? Are you energized or sluggish? Are you serving from a place of fullness or is your cup nearing its last drop?
If you are on the empty side, what will it take to sustain the life you live? What would be good to add? What would be good to lay down?

Give yourself permission to enjoy some beauty this week, even if it is just a few minutes. Notice what happens as you take it in. And meet God there.

The post Sustaining Your Life: Restored by Beauty appeared first on Unhurried Living.

The Freedom of Confession

If you’re reading this post on its day of release, Gem and I are near Munich, Germany leading a two-day retreat for a group of U.S. Navy chaplains and RPs on the theme of “unhurried leadership.” We would welcome your prayers for us and these leaders.

One of the biblical words that is a rich part of how we understand unhurried life and unhurried leadership is “blessed” or “blessing.” It can sound like a cliché word because of shallow ways it has been used in the past. But to be blessed is to live into (and out of) the rich abundance of God and his kingdom.

So I always pay attention when I come across this word in scripture. A while back, I saw it again in Psalm 32. “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit (vs. 1-2).”

It is a happy, life-giving place to be at home in God’s deep mercy and rich grace. We are blessed here. In Jesus Christ, my every offense has been forgiven and my every wrong has been erased. God does not want to hold anything against us. Rather than pretending in self-deceit that I’ve done nothing wrong (or failed to do something right), I can walk freely in the light of God’s presence. It is not blessed to harbor deceit in my spirit.

David says as much. “When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on my; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer (vs. 3-4).”

If I pretend I never do wrong or try to hide my shortcomings, like David, my life becomes shaky and unstable. My confidence wanes. I become weak like on a summer afternoon upstairs in our home when the air conditioning is out. My courage fades. God’s hand feels heavy on me. It’s not the heaviness of shame. It’s the heaviness of glory, the heaviness of a loving father urging his child to be free.

Instead of pretending, I’m free to acknowledge those things I’ve done that should not have done, and those things I haven’t that I should have. This is a way to freedom and courage in the presence of God. “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin (vs. 5).”

Walking in the light doesn’t mean never doing anything wrong. Walking in the light means being honest about the whole of my life in God’s presence. When I have stumbled or even willfully crossed a line, I must not hide in the darkness. There is no forgiveness in the darkness of pretending. There is only forgiveness in the light of acknowledged, confessed sin. And this is a very blessed place.

So from this place of blessed freedom and confidence, David invites us: “Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance (vs. 6-7).”

The faithful still sin. The faithful still need to pray when they awaken to bad choices they’ve made. This is how I read “while you may be found.” I’m not really seeking God when I’ve chosen to be wayward or foolish. But when I wake up to my empty acts, I can immediately pray to the Lord.

God hasn’t any interest in my wallowing in shame and condemnation for some period of time before I come clean and come into the light. God delights in mercy. He longs to be gracious. And this is his posture in the very moment we awaken to something wrong in our lives.

I love that instead of hiding my wrongs, I can hide myself in God. He is my hiding place. He is a safe and protected place to be. I will be delivered from everything that stands against me.

When I come into the light, God reminds me: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you (vs. 8-9).”

God wants to train me to live in the goodness and blessedness of his ways. Perhaps we can personalize these words. Why not hear your own name in them?

“[Name], I see your waywardness and your wrongdoing. If you are willing, I will teach you how to really live. I will counsel you from a place of love. I don’t want to control you like a mule. I want to lead you like a child. Let me lead you, [Name].”

For Reflection

Is there some way or another in which you’ve been tempted to hide something in your life? What is that hiding doing to your perspectives, your emotions, your sense of well-being?
What would it look like to open your heart and speak honestly to God words of confession?
If it helps, you could look for a trusted friend to whom you might try on this advice from the apostle James: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16).”

 

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The post The Freedom of Confession appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Podcast: Listening Prayer: Living in the Remembered Companionship of Christ

 

Are you hungry to hear from God? Do you long for a closer, more conversational relationship with him? Today we are talking about how Jesus offers a personal invitation to listen to his voice and live in a remembered companionship of Christ.

God’s Spirit gives God’s people real, workable, useful knowledge—if they will listen. He desires to teach us how to live—really live—and to live well. God is speaking to us by his Spirit to give us counsel and insight we need to live our lives and do our work well.

When we “set our hearts” or “set our minds” on things above, I don’t think Paul is saying, “Be always thinking God ideas” or “having God feelings.” I think he’s saying something closer to “live in the remembered companionship of Christ.” I’m being invited to remember that He is always with me and I am always with Him.

Something dramatic happens when we trust Him and entrust ourselves to Him. Something dies, and a real, hidden life begins. My life does not consist in the obvious realities around me down here. I learn to live my life on two planes at once.

Christ is my life. What a profound, simple statement. It doesn’t say that He gives me life, but that He is my life. I am alive with and in Him.

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: Listening Prayer: Living in the Remembered Companionship of Christ appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Shiizakana: Make Your Own Creative Choice

I’ve been enjoying a Netflix series entitled, Chef’s Table. Each episode tells the story of a single chef. I’ve not experienced a documentary series quite like this. The cinematography is exceptionally beautiful, the storytelling compelling, and the food is unique and gorgeous. With the use of slow motion and lighting the creators transport me to another world. And I love getting lost in the mood and the story.

After stopping off in dreamland and wishing to be a world-renowned chef (I don’t really want to engage all of the hard work it takes to get there), I realize that what is really happening is I am being inspired to be who I am, and to share what I have, with creativity and passion.

Each chef is as unique as their food. And they have found a way to express themselves in ways that are true to their gifts and vision. As with most great stories, the hero or heroine is not enjoying critical raves at the beginning. They learn and grow and fail their way through their careers. They experience setbacks and heartbreaks. But they don’t give up. They made their way to the top of their game and are now enjoying the fruits of that labor.

Again, I am always inspired by each chef’s uniqueness. Some of the chefs are quirky, some are intense, some are eccentric, some are peaceful, and they are all gifted in expressing their culinary vision in their own way.

One episode of Chef’s Table highlighted Chef Niki Nakayama from Los Angeles. She creates a modern twist on the Japanese tradition of kaiseki. Within this very precise mode of presenting a multi-course meal, she often serves one dish that is completely non-traditional. There is a term for this: Shiizakana, which translates to “not bound by tradition, chef’s choice.”

In our own lives some traditions are helpful and some are merely ruts. If you are stuck in a rut, it is good to remember that, at times, you can color outside the lines, try out a new path, and find ways to express your truest, most creative self.

How are you struck by this idea of being who you are and sharing from that? In our unhurried living paradigm, it really does begin on the inside and at God’s initiative.

Here is some food for thought:

How are you being inspired to be all of who you are? And, by that, I mean continuing to respond to God’s initiative to form you over time (Philippians 1:6).
Are you stuck in any ruts? Are you engaged in any non-helpful practices into which you could interject some Shiizakana?
If you are in a learn, grow, fail process, how are you being inspired to keep going?
Like Chef Nakayama, how might you take some habit or convention and inject your own innovation into it?

 

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

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Obedience: An Unexpected Path to Freedom

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about obedience. It’s one of those words that is definitely out of fashion these days. It sounds like nothing but bad news.

A while back, I was reading through the book of Joshua. It tells the story of a young Joshua taking over leadership of God’s people from Moses. He is leading them into a land God had promised to them through Abraham.

As the Joshua and Israel story nears its end and this promised land has become theirs, Joshua gives these instructions to a few of the tribes who were heading back to their territories. It sounds to me like a way for Joshua to get at the essence of what their life in God can be:

But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” ( Joshua 22:5 )

To most ears, a sentence like this doesn’t sound like good news: “Be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you.” Too many imagine obedience as a kind of slavery. It sounds like a limit on human freedom. But Joshua knew something we have often forgotten.

God’s ways are ways to the good life, the abundant life, the full life. God gives us guidance as to how we can most fully and freely enter that life. Obedience here is simply following the best advice on life available today.

If you join a gym and hire a coach, do you then resist everything they say to you because they are just robbing you of your freedom? Of course not.

If you feel they know what they’re talking about and trust them, you follow their advice, you give attention to their counsel, you obey them. Where obedience sounds to the modern ear like a loss and a limit to freedom, it is actually an invitation from the depths of wisdom to enter into our best possible life.

Looking back at Joshua’s instructions, listen to some of the lines that unpack God’s invitation to his people.

Love the Lord your God. Joshua wants God’s people to always live in the loving presence of God and to learn to love God back. We are able to love because God has always taken the first step towards us in love. Love is life.

Walk in obedience to him. Keep his commands. Again, we’re back in the gym and listening to our trainer. If we obey their guidance day after day, week after week, month after month, we are going to gain the strength, the flexibility, the endurance and the freedom to fully enjoy physical health and well-being. This is something we want. Obedience is the path to this place. How much more will this be true if we obey the guidance of the Lord of eternal life?

Obedience is not mainly just doing the will of another but agreeing with the will of another. A union of wills is what underlies holy obedience. Holy obedience is not a “have to” or “should,” but a “want to” and a privilege. Holy obedience leads to a life we most deeply and truly desire.

Hold fast to him. We may be tempted to “let go of God” and cling to something or someone else. This doesn’t take us to places of freedom. This doesn’t fill our souls with what we most need (or want).

Serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. Service here is not filling our lives with God jobs. It is entering into the humble, servant-like nature of God. It is realizing that our God washes feet—our feet. Service is not slavery. Service is the freedom to live in the depths of divine love and life.

For Reflection

Are there elements of God’s guidance that you’ve found yourself resisting? Why? As Dr. Phil often says, “How’s that working out for you?”

Is there some direction of God that you feel especially drawn to follow, just like you might follow the lead of a physical trainer? How would you like to begin?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

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Podcast: Practicing Presence: Moving from Resistant to Relaxed

Sometimes in the middle of ordinary circumstances we can find ourselves resistant (at odds) versus relaxed, with what is occurring, even when there is nothing to be at odds with.

This podcast is about prayer and presence. Not prayers. But prayer. Openness to God in any and every circumstance is prayer. Because, as we’ve said before, prayer is not something you do so much as it is someone you are with.

Presence is key in all of our interactions with others. Learning to catch yourself when you are not fully present can reduce your own stress and can show others that you are completely engaged with them.

We will practice an exercise for bringing ourselves more into the “presence” of our moments. May God be with you as you remain open to him in all circumstances. He will meet you in his ever gracious way, continuing your process of transformation over a lifetime.

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: Practicing Presence: Moving from Resistant to Relaxed appeared first on Unhurried Living.

Lessons from 3,500 Feet

Last week we were able to spend some time visiting family near Sacramento, CA. We were there, in part, to celebrate Alan’s dad’s 80th birthday. It was a great milestone and fun to be together for such an occasion.

Alan’s brother is an international pilot who owns a 4-seat Cessna built in the 1950’s. We had the chance to take flight on three occasions while we were there. One morning we flew a quick 30 minutes to a town 110 miles away, just to have breakfast and walk around the quaint little town.

As we were taking off and heading back to their home, my brother-in-law made some comments about taking a long circle around during take-off and some of the benefits of that (as opposed to a straight up take-off).

A metaphor for unhurried living screamed out at me as he described the dynamics. Once we were home I emailed to ask him to give me the details of what he meant. Here is his edited response:

When we took off, we decided to do it in an unhurried fashion. The town (elevation 3419 feet) sits in a valley, surrounded by mountains up to 7,700 feet.

On take-off, it would be possible to make a 90-degree right turn directly to our destination, but we would have had to make a pretty steep climb. That steeper climb results in a slower airspeed, which means less airflow over the engine, which could cause an overheat. Also, the steeper climb angle makes it harder to see over the nose to see obstacles and other aircraft.

Finally, the lower airspeed leaves less margin for error in the event of wind shifts that could cause a loss of airspeed and eventually stall of the wing, resulting in a potential accident.

Conversely, by making a very slow 270 degree turn LEFT, we added 5-10 minutes to our flight time, but it allowed for a higher airspeed, lower pitch angle, and more margin for error by the time we reached the mountains.

Although this maneuver took a bit more time, it provided a cooler engine (which means longer lifetime), better visibility, and better terrain clearance for more comfort for us on board.

Are you with me? Let’s unpack some metaphorical parallels for our lives.

Sometimes heading directly toward your destination in the way that seems best to you, may not be the healthiest or safest maneuver. (Refer back to the paragraph with the 90-degree right turn).

We may not have an engine that can overheat, but we are all susceptible to burnout. Our trajectory may make it harder to see obstacles. We may obscure our own view by taking, what seems to us, the most direct path.

By taking an alternate direction or path that added just a few minutes to the time, the issue of burnout (engine temp) and visibility (nose pitch) was resolved. In the long run our energy (engine life) is extended and there can even be better vision and an increased comfort level.

For some of you, it may feel like I’m stretching it here. But I believe we can pick up life lessons from almost any situation. There are dynamics all around us, natural, mechanical, seasonal and even physiological that can teach us how things work better and even best.

More is not always better. Higher is not always better. Faster is not always better. Sometimes taking a bit more time and adjusting your speed and pitch, even slightly, can be just what you need to extend and enjoy this one wonderful and fulfilling life you’ve been given.

Reflection

What unexpected or unhurried path is God inviting you to take?
Think back on a situation in which you rushed and then paid for it in some way. How might you have handled that differently?
How might God be leading you to take your own, counter-intuitive, 270-degree left turn?
What other insights did you catch in the flight dynamics?

AN UNHURRIED COLLECTIVE

From reflecting on our own lives and the lives of those we’ve counseled in the last 25 years, the roadblocks toward a deep and abiding peace in God are many. Transcending these obstacles often involves time, intense effort, community support, and guidance from mentors who fundamentally understand your position.

An Unhurried Collective is a transformative process that is an intensive combination of rejuvenating retreats, individual and group mentoring, and a vibrant virtual community that’s available whenever you are.

CLICK HERE for more info and to apply.

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The Practice of Praying Scripture: Psalm 51

Reading the Bible isn’t just a “learn about God” activity. It is a “listen to God and respond” practice. When I hear that “the word of God is alive and active (Heb 4:12),” this is what I think about.

A while back, when I was still writing An Unhurried Leader, I wrote this prayer in response to a few verses in Psalm 51:

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Verses 10-12

Here was my prayer of response:

“Unite my divided heart, O God. Clear my cloudy heart. Simplify my complicated heart. Draw back my wandering and easily-distracted spirit and put within me a more steadfast one. Enable me to walk simple, straight and strong. Enable me to walk in the light of your loving presence, especially when I don’t feel like it. May your Holy Spirit fill my body, my mind, my heart, my soul with joy. May I know the wholeness and holiness of abiding more deeply in you. Give to me the gift of a spirit that moves in greater harmony with you. I long to agree with you in every way. Jesus, you are truth for me. There is no shadow or untruth in you.

Lord, you know that I continue to wrestle with my practice of silent prayer. I still will grab for the distractions that pass through my mind and heart and let them derail me from my intention rather than letting them go on by in response to your invitation to be still and silent. As David prayed, grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.

Finally, Father, you know how I continue to wrestle with my writing work on An Unhurried Leader. I have moments of vision for the work, and then moments when I feel overwhelmed, or timid, or insecure about it. It doesn’t seem to matter that all the objective feedback I’ve received from those close to me has been nothing but positive. I’m tempted to thing that they are just being nice, or have somehow colluded to affirm me falsely. I could simply trust that they have good judgment and are sharing their honest assessment of what they’ve read so far.

When I think about the chapters focused on prayer and on working with God, I feel especially overwhelmed to speak on such themes. I know how far short I fall in practicing my ideals and intentions. But grace is there. I am not writing as an expert who has arrived and who never fails. I can write as someone who is on a journey and has being learning wisdom along the way. I can share honest stories of struggle alongside stories of empowering grace.”

I share this personal prayer about my struggle at times with writing because I’d like to encourage you to keep your prayers honest. I am familiar my shortcomings and I can see when they get in my way. It helps me to bring them to God in prayer so that I don’t remain stuck or shortsighted. God is gracious and I know that bringing my fears and doubts to him results in the return of flow in the creative work I intend to do. So lay it all out there and see if you can find the truth of the situation. My doubts are not the end of the story. God’s grace is.

For Reflection

What passages have been especially meaningful to you recently or in the past?

What would it look like to pray that passage in the light of your real experience of life and work today?

Take a moment to read that passage and pray in response.

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