Great news - I have found a way to reduce much of the stress in my life. Actually, let me re-phrase that: A way to reduce much of the stress in my life found me. I wasn’t looking for this stress reducer, but it hit me like an 18-wheeler and set me on a new path.

Much of the stress in my life is caused by my expectations, as well as my trying to control situations so they turn out the way I think they should. This happens consciously and unconsciously. Lovely.

I want to address just one...

In this episode, Alan unpacks ten practical ways to unhurry your holidays. These suggestions are not meant to add a whole lot more tasks to your already-too-long holiday to do list. Instead, we hope you’ll find one or two of these ideas to be a way to approach this holiday season from a different spirit—with a more unhurried, relaxed, and peaceful heart.

The Thanksgiving holiday is behind us and the Advent and Christmas season lies ahead. We hear the songs that are calling this...

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Enjoy Gem's conversation with Marla Christian as they introduce you to the Enneagram.

The ultimate reality is that we are loved by God, just as we are and as he made us (our true self). However, as we grow up, and over time, we begin to construct a false self. The false self is who we wish we were. It is the person we want others to think we are. We compensate for a world that is not what we thought it would be.

Over time, we begin to believe the...

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In this episode, we are talking about pain and loss. It is an inevitable part of all of our lives. We want to try to give some perspective on pain and how it can actually be viewed as a grace. If you are in the middle of deep pain right now, I’m sure that the word “grace” is not on the tip of your tongue. We are so sorry that you are so heavy and burdened right now. We hope you can hear this and tuck it away for a day when...

Alan and Gem discuss developing a personal rhythm of life. It’s a practice they both have worked on over the years in their own spiritual journeys.

In fact, the ideas shared grow out of a training piece Alan has shared with hundreds of leaders over the years. It’s one of the ways we can rise up out of the hurried and compacted world in which we live into a place of greater perspective and freedom.

That’s always one of the ironies of freedom: It is not really something you...

Alan Fadling talks with James Bryan Smith about his latest book, The Magnificent Story. We unpack what it means that the gospel of Jesus is good, beautiful and true here and now, not just someday.

James Bryan Smith is the author of the trilogy: The Good and Beautiful God, The Good and Beautiful Life, and The Good and Beautiful Community. He is a theology professor at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He also serves as the director of the Apprentice Institute for Christian...

How can we step off the treadmill of busyness and make real progress toward true productivity? Where can we find space for our souls to breathe? We try filling our lives with achievements, possessions and recognition but can end up feeling emptier than ever. Where can we find real fullness? Many of us are hurried, and hurry is costing us more than we realize.

We’re here to help you become more present to God, to yourself and others, and to live from fullness rather than running on...

Alan shares a guided prayer from Psalm 16. It’s a practice that has been key in his ongoing recovery from his addiction to hurry.

In this mini-sode, Alan shares a way of praying scripture that has become an important part of his spiritual rhythm. In a sense, it’s not just about “me praying scripture.” It’s also about God’s Spirit praying scripture into me.

It’s a way of not only thinking about and studying scripture, but also letting scripture soak...

Your first tooth…your first day of kindergarten…your first car…your first kiss…your first home. Life is full of firsts. We spend our lifetime taking first steps that lead to growing up and maturing into functioning adults.

Along the way, our souls are taking first steps as well. The first time we heard about God. The first time we heard the name of Jesus. The first time we saw an answer to prayer. The first time we acted on His behalf, in the care of another. And,...

BREATHE is a practice you can engage, for about 6 minutes, at any point in your day. It’s a helpful process of re-focusing and re-engaging. It is similar to another practice I introduced a while back, SLOW.

You can take a moment to breathe and to find some inner stillness in God’s presence. You can quiet your mind and heart for a moment and emerge refreshed and ready to move into your next task or conversation.

It’s very difficult to be truly productive when you feel...