In my early years as a new Christian, the virtues of a morning quiet time were often emphasized by my pastors and spiritual leaders. It became a very meaningful practice for me. Recently, I’ve often heard people reacting to this practice, feeling that it’s a rote activity without much depth.

As I sat to write this week’s post, I had a few ideas about what has been meaningful for me in my morning meeting with God these days. (And meeting with God midday, evening or midnight...

When you dream about growing in your spiritual life—in your communion with God, do you imagine it as a relatively straight and upward journey? Progress at every new stage and season? Or, have you come to realize that the path is more often crooked than straight. Today, Alan interviews his friend and fellow author, Jeff Tacklind, about his recently-released book, The Winding Path of Transformation on the Unhurried Living podcast.

It shouldn’t surprise us that the...

As I’ve been leaning into the new year, one of the themes that has emerged for me is love. Specifically, love people. 

For insight and wisdom into love, what better passage to turn to than 1 Corinthians 13? Last week, I took some time in my journal to type up the simple phrases from verses 4-7. We’ll get to that in a minute. But first…

In Peterson’s Message version of verses 1-3, it says that without love we are:

• The creaking of a rusty gate.
• Nothing.
• Bankrupt.
...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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?...

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.

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...