In my early years as a Christian, confession wasn’t exactly something we did much. It was usually limited to situations where we felt we’d done something really bad. It was the sort of thing we imagined Christians in other traditions were all about. We didn’t want to wallow in negativity. We wanted to be positive and do good things instead. Who wouldn’t?

Now, in my Anglican tradition, confession is an important element of our weekly gathering in community and...

In the book Longing For Revival, authors James Choung and Ryan Pfeiffer remind us of a simple and encouraging reality: Revival begins with God. It happens in our lives and we cooperate with what God is doing, but God is the reviver of our souls, our communities, our world. In this season that feels so straining and wearying, God wants to refresh, renew and revitalize our lives so we can join God in the good work of the kingdom. 

Gem and I have been grateful to have been...

A few years ago, Alan and I visited the Chicago area. We had the privilege of being with our publisher, InterVarsity Press. They had just come off a very busy and challenging 18-month project to overhaul their IT systems. We were able to be with them on a day set aside for refreshment, training and celebration.

To say they were tired is an understatement. Taking something old and replacing it with something new can be a herculean task. The end product will serve the organization much...

2020 has been a rough year. And that is an understatement. It may seem counterintuitive to at least some of us, but one thing that can help us is to see this year up against the expansive backdrop of God’s eternal presence. Christ crucified is a witness to everything we are seeing. Christ crucified is present in our pain, our outrage, our anxiety, our fears. Let’s dig into a practice that can help us envision God’s presence and expanse now. 

Before we dive in here, I...

I’m getting a bit tired of talking about the pandemic. At first, many of us imagined it was going to be a brief pause button in our lives that we’d soon unpause and be back to normal. Nope! This has changed our lives in a lasting way already.

Gem and I have experienced a great deal of change in what we do in our work and how we do it. I wonder if you’ve experienced the same. We’ve found these to be among the most wearying months of ministry we’ve ever...

There are so many reasons we might feel that cultivating a deep life of prayer is just impossible. We feel too busy. We feel we don’t deserve such a life. We imagine that kind of prayer is for someone more spiritual than me. But today, John Starke, author of The Possibility of Prayer, will remind us that prayer is always possible because prayer is a gift we receive more than a life we achieve. 

A mentor of mine, Chuck Miller, often reminded us that prayer isn’t so...

Watch this brief video of Gem talking about internal expectations and the pressure they put on us. She's got an idea for releasing some of that pressure.

Growing up on a small farm in rural Washington, we had many varieties of trees–pine, cherry, weeping willow. But the tree I spent the most time with was the lone apple tree in our front pasture. I’m not sure why there was only one tree out there. Why didn’t they plant more? Why didn’t they cut it down? Certainly, there was no need for this single fruit-bearing tree in a huge field.

Whatever the reason for its existence, that lonely apple tree became my thinking...

The subtitle of Aundi Kolber’s book, Try Softer, is “a fresh approach to move us out of anxiety, stress, and survival mode—and into a life of connection and joy.” Now, who doesn’t need that?! Aundi is a trauma informed therapist and she is going to help us learn what “try softer” really means, today, on the Unhurried Living Podcast.

Aundi Kolber believes that we don’t have to white-knuckle our way through life. In her debut...

I’m not the first to say it, but Jesus is an absolute genius. I remembered this yet again in a recent conversation with a Christian leader with whom I meet regularly. We were talking about how one of the challenges for Christian leaders is ending up with a utilitarian orientation to spiritual practices.

Engaging in spiritual practices may help the soul of a leader be healthier, but that is a secondary reason for engaging them. The primary reason for any of us to engage in...