Sometimes I've been depressed , but wasn't aware I was depressed , And so it just sort of became this environment in which I lived my life . But like the Psalmist , I could say why so downcast ? Oh my soul , I could talk to that place within me . You are so low . What is that ? What's going on there ? Why do you feel that way ? And then to talk to God about it .
Speaker 2Hello and welcome to Restoring the Soul , a podcast dedicated to helping you close the gap between what you believe and what you actually experience . I'm your producer , brian Beatty . Thank you for listening . On this edition of Restoring the Soul , michael welcomes Alan Fadling to ponder questions that not many people want to or have the courage to ask . Do you want a Jesus who is relaxed ? And when you think of Jesus , is he relaxed ? Living an unhurried life is central to Alan's story , so stay with us as you'll hear about his journey out of the fast lane and into the relaxed rhythms of Jesus . You just may find a kinship that will help you on your journey as well . Alan Fadling is a frequent speaker and consultant with churches , national organizations and leaders internationally . A trained spiritual director , alan is the author of An Unhurried Life and An Unhurried Leader . He's also written What Does Your Soul Love , co-authored with his wife , jim Fadling , who was Michael's guest in a recent podcast . We'll be sure to add the link to our show notes . So now , without any further delay , here's your host , michael John Kuzick .
Speaker 3Some of my podcast listeners know that when I do a conversation , even if it's somebody I've never met and if I barely have read their book , i have an opening question , i have a closing comment that I think ahead of time , and so I have my opening comment and then we'll just see where the conversation goes . Why another devotional book ?
Speaker 1That's fair . There are many of them aren't there for many years . Well , it's very interesting . My first impulse was not to write a devotional . I kind of don't like that word . Sometimes it feels like sort of a book of little bit of inspiration to start your day and then , you know , put it aside and go on with things . What I really wanted to do was write a book that would be a formational companion to my first two books on hurry and unhurried life and an unhurried leader . Those are books that introduce the ideas . I wanted this book to be a formational experience of those ideas . I envision them as like a five minute retreat that somebody could take every day over the course of a year and that they might find themselves somewhere different when the year came to an end .
Speaker 3Yeah , thank you for that , because in a conversation with you you had told me that the idea was a five minute retreat , and I love that because there's so many people that I know that go . Oh , i would love to be able to go to the Sacred Heart Monastery in Sedalia , colorado , and be in the mountains and spend time just walking and praying and reflecting and maybe meeting with some spiritual directors , but I don't have the time for that . I can't afford to do that . But you actually have this important and , i believe , true idea that five minutes a day of reflecting , being still and actually getting access to the content that you wrote in those other two books , that that can have a formative , transformational effect on our lives .
Speaker 1Absolutely Well , if you brush your teeth every day , that will have a formative influence in your physical life , you know , and if you don't , that will also . I just think you need to pray as you can , don't , pray as you can't , and retreat as you can , don't , retreat as you can't , and so start where you are . Five minutes can make an immense difference .
Speaker 3I like how practical that is . I have to confess that I often look out on the horizon and I say I don't have time for that , or I'm not in a rhythm to do that in my life right now , or my schedule is overbooked and therefore if I can't do that then I won't do anything . And I like the encouragement to do what you can .
Speaker 1What I'd like to say is think of it as planting a seed . Five minutes probably to plant a seed , But if you tend it over time it'll grow into something . So that five minutes might grow into something .
Speaker 3I like that , so I told you before we hit record and I think , as I prayed , that my true confession is that I was really looking forward to today . I've seen this on the schedule now for a while , and yet I drove quickly to the office . I arrived here about six minutes before I clicked on the studio app and I just found myself hurried , and so I need this book and I do want to talk about the book for a moment . So it's 365 days , it's a year long devotional , but you don't have it with January 1st , january 2nd , etc . You can pick it up anywhere and it says day one , day two , day hundred three hundred and sixty-five . Talk a little bit about the first two books . I know we visited about those books for a previous podcast , but what are the big ideas behind the unhurried living model and way of living ?
Speaker 1Well , so an unhurried life . Really , the seed of that in many ways was about what would it look like if you envisioned your discipleship to Jesus as following an unhurried Savior ? So that was a big picture , imaginative vision that I wanted to paint , because I think sometimes our vision of Jesus is Jesus is the one who gives me more jobs to do at church , or if you happen to be in paid ministry , then you could almost imagine not very well , i don't think , but you can Jesus is your boss . Well , jesus is way more than that , and so in that book I wanted to paint a picture of Jesus as unhurried enough to pray even when the crowds were at their biggest , that He was unhurried enough to stop for the one on the side of the road even when there were lots of people vying for His attention . He was unhurried enough to see temptation coming and to say a simple gentle , no , now He was unhurried in all the best ways . I wanted that first book to be about a vision of following that unhurried Savior .
Speaker 1Unhurried leader was an attempt to answer again the fear that some leaders have that unhurried means unproductive . It might even look like lazy . I use the language of unhurried with leaders and they all start getting nervous , like I'm going to tell them to cut their to-do list in half or something . And that's not it at all . What I want to say is you will be at your best out there in your places of leadership and work if you are doing it from a rested soul . Good leadership and good work grows from the soil of good rest . So that was really at the heart of an unhurried leader . And so then this book , a year of slowing down , is an attempt to unpack those a little in a formational way , in a simple , daily way . So that's kind of how I envisioned those three relating to each other .
Speaker 3And although that grew out of your story , because one of the things that I really enjoyed hearing about when we spent time together in Wichita was how you have faithfully journaled and written and specifically how a lot of the entries from this weren't necessarily you sitting down saying I'm going to start at one and go to 365 and write devotional , but that this really was and is a lot of your devotional writing . So can you talk some about your A your own story with living a hurried life and a hurried way of seeing Jesus as not an invitation to unhurried life , but also how the book came about , from your own journal to this Sure Well .
Speaker 1So in many ways , this journey begins when I'm in my late 20s . I am newly married , i am a full-time student at Fuller Seminary and I'm full-time on the staff of a large Southern California church , and it won't surprise anybody that I was getting a little tired , and I really defined my life by how much I did . I am what I do . Henry Nowan says that's one of the temptations to identify ourselves in the contemporary culture . Well , i was in that with both feet , both hands , everything , And it was exhausting me And I had a crisis . It wasn't really a crisis of faith , it was a crisis of ministry . And the crisis was this I can't keep doing this the way I'm doing it for another few months , let alone what I'd hoped would be a few more decades .
Speaker 1And it was at that time that God brought a few mentors into my life , one of whom invited me into the rhythm of a day a month where I would step away to be in the presence of Jesus , for no other reason than to enjoy the presence of Jesus . That was a rhythm that began my recovery from hurry , and I wouldn't have even used that language then , but it was a recovery that I'm still in . I still will catch myself in that hurry of anxiety or that hurry of what's everyone else thinking , or that hurry of , oh , i'm not doing anything , oh , no , i must be a nobody . So all of that is still a recovery process that continues 30 years down the road .
Speaker 1As far as the journal part coinciding with that moment of beginning to practice , this month day , a month of solitude , was page one of my journal the very first time I had one of those days . And again now , 11,500 pages and 7.6 million words later , it's a journey that continues And really my journal is a place where I wrestle . It's a place where I confess I don't want anyone reading those pages . It's a place where I think out loud . It's a place where I capture meaningful moments with God . And so when I came to writing this book , really I went back and reviewed past years and captured some little vignettes here and there that felt meaningful to me , that eventually ended up performing this book .
Speaker 3When you went from saying I don't know if I can make it in ministry a couple more months to spending that one day a month with Jesus . What was that like to make that transition ? I imagine it could either be wonderful and a big , deep sigh , or it could be little anxiety producing to go into the deep end of solitude .
Speaker 1So I think my answer would be it was both of those . There was a part of me that was concerned . Oh no , as though productivity were simply a math problem . If I take a day away a month , i'm going to get less done . I mean , that day is , by definition , not going to be a day where I'm planning things or managing things or whatever .
Speaker 1But what I discovered the wonderful side to your question is I discovered that that day was a day I remembered who I was . It was a day when I remembered who God is , And I brought that back to the other 29 days , and that made all the difference . I suddenly , instead of defining my work in terms of how many things I got done by the end of the day , i started defining my work by things that I think matter more like Did I help people ? Did I enjoy God ? Was my soul at rest through the course of this full day I happened to have , and that , over time , has made a great deal of difference in terms of the focus of what I then do when I'm engaged in my work , coming back from those moments of disengaging .
Speaker 3You have broken the book down into three parts and there's three major themes . Talk about those themes .
Speaker 1Yeah , essentially . You know I pulled these excerpts from all over my journal for many years , but when I decided to organize them I basically used the flow of Scripture as a framework . So the very first entry is an entry from Genesis , and the first three months are rooted in the Old Testament , mostly the Psalms , because I've spent a lot of time in the Psalms over the years . It's the prayer book for us . The middle six months is really rooted in the life of Jesus and especially in the Gospel of John . Most of those entries are from John . And then the last three months are really the church , the New Testament going out to the book of Revelation , and there I'm talking about the church as an unhurried community . So that's . I sort of wanted to show what this unhurried life might look like over the whole story of Scripture .
Speaker 3Talk a little bit about an unhurried community , as you've written in the book , because a lot of people will be thinking well , community , as soon as I do that , that means more meetings , more poplux , more attending church , and that's not at all what you're really discussing there .
Speaker 1Yeah , i think one of my mentors used he had a sentence he loved to say and I've captured it for myself and that is the church is people . In the end , the church is people . Now , sometimes those people meet in buildings and sometimes those people gather in scheduled events , but mostly the church is people and therefore it's people in relationship with God and people in relationship with others , and I think we sometimes end up with an awful lot of meetings where people aren't interacting much . They're hearing somebody share insightful words perhaps , but I just think one of the great needs for the people of God is to be in interactive settings where they're sharing their lives , where they're hearing from one another , epithetically with love , and responding to one another . Sometimes even small groups can end up being watching a video together or a DVD together and then maybe talking a little bit about what that said . But I think there's a genius in the early church All those one another's require an immense amount of relational space , and that's what I'd love to see us as churches providing people .
Speaker 3And therefore the order of how these themes play out in your book is that if you can do five minutes a day of slowing down , maybe you can slow
down in community , because that immense amount of space is such a precious commodity in our world today .
Speaker 1No , it really is . We have this habit , i think , of just filling our lives with what we imagine are a list of things to do . But mostly our lives , when it's all said and done , are people to be with in the presence of God . Now , even the tasks that I have to do everyone's got tasks , but the tasks matter because of the people they bless . It helps me when I slow down to remember , whatever the task happens to be when I am sitting in this office by myself . still , the work I'm doing is going to bless people that I'll speak to in a while or who might read this little email , or whatever it is . It's that people orientation that I slow down to that makes a great deal of difference for me .
Speaker 3What are your top three ways that you would say to someone all right , my life is frazzled , i'm very hurried , i don't know where to begin . I have your book , i'm committed to , and have been reading it , doing this five day retreat , and I know that you make some of these recommendations in it . But what are the top three things that you'd say to somebody if they say , oh , i want to develop that kind of an unhurried rhythm ?
Speaker 1So , in the spirit of the devotional , this idea of the five minute daily retreat , what I want to say is little things start small . So , for example , experiment with taking a walk . If the weather permits , do it outside in your neighborhood , even if it's just five minutes . Or if you're at the workplace , if you can , when you get a break , just take a walk . Don't look at your watch to see how many steps you took . This is not utilitarian . When you're walking , just notice what surrounds you , look , listen , feel , be present . Now at first that'll feel impossible , but again , five minutes over time , that can make a great deal of difference . You begin to realize your life is more than your job . Your life is more than your work . Your life is more than the tasks you finish . Your life is immensely bigger than all those things . Well , so a little five minute walk can make a great deal of difference .
Speaker 3So let me interject , and because you know me some , i think you'll know I'm being facetious . I want to say to that But Alan , that's so unspiritual . Just going for a five minute walk , i mean I'm not talking to Jesus , i'm not reading my Bible , i'm not down on my knees telling him how much I love him , and so you're referring to something that's as simple as a five minute walk , without measuring your steps , no productivity , and you're saying that is spiritual .
Speaker 1Absolutely , because you happen to be walking in a world God made . You happen to be walking in the context of a lot of critters that are God's unique design . Of course , you enjoy God with you , but we sometimes measure our spirituality and how many spiritual practices we do , which becomes oddly self focused . And what I'm talking about is , instead of measuring your spirituality mostly in terms of doing , you can also measure your spirituality , maybe better , in terms of being in that little five minute walk , maybe an exercise , and simply being in the creation , being with God , being with yourself . I think that makes a great deal of difference .
Speaker 3And I also like to ask people when they've said to me X , Y or Z doesn't feel very spiritual . Well , what level of joy does it bring ? And that , if it brings joy , that's a fruit of the spirit , right , And therefore it's spiritual activity . So what's number two on your list ?
Speaker 1Well , it's a little more challenging . It's not the five minute thing , but I would say , in the spirit of what I shared earlier once a month , find a little bit of time . Maybe you can't find a day , that sounds overwhelming , so start where you are . Can you find an hour ? If you can find an hour to watch a television show , you can find an hour to be in the presence of God . And what I would say is find a place as close to you as you can . It's a coffee shop , it's a library , it's a park , it's a lake , whatever it is And just be in that hour with God .
Speaker 1Don't be there to read a Bible passage , don't be there to practice eight spiritual disciplines . Be there and maybe begin that hour by saying God , how would you like to be together today ? And then don't say anything else for a while and see what comes to mind . And if all you have at the end of that hour is a little bit of rest and a little bit of a quiet or soul , you might find that immensely valuable . So that would be another experiment I would encourage people to try . Again , it's not a big to-do list , it's just we all need time to not think about all the stuff that fills our lives , and that's this opportunity , i think .
Speaker 3Yeah , i love the simplicity of that And I love the gentle challenge of if I can find an hour to watch my favorite TV show , then I can find an hour to do this , and most of us can probably relate to the fact that that hour TV show turns into multiple hours of TV . It sounds so refreshing to just go sit on a park bench and to do nothing in the presence of God .
Speaker 1Number three Yeah , maybe for those of us who would describe ourselves as followers of Jesus , i want to talk about how we relate to the Bible .
Speaker 1In my early years as a Christian , the big challenge was read through the Bible in a year Like we're in the NASCAR event called Bible reading . And I've just come to a place where I like to stop and slow down and sink into a line or two or a verse or two . So my third challenge would be find time . Whatever your normal engagement with Scripture happens to be , find a moment to open to the Psalms . Let's say , pick a Psalm , read it until a line grabs you and stop there , talk to God about it , say thank you for it , ask a question about it , ask for God's help for that to be realized in your life . So an unhurried way of engaging Scripture , i think for many of us , would really help a lot . We're not trying to achieve Bible reading , we're trying to listen to God , and the Scriptures are a place where God's voice echoes throughout , and slowing down to hear that voice in the written words is a great benefit .
Speaker 3Thank you for those three practices . Again , this may be the fact that I'm heading toward the end of the year and work for a nonprofit and all of that , but I just feel a lot of hurriedness right now . But all three of those sound really , really good . I wonder if you would take a couple of minutes .
Speaker 3I know that this is not the focus of your book , but I sure think that you have already addressed it in terms of how
your book emerged out of your own journaling over the years , and it's very impressive by the way that you know the number of words and pages . I'm very impressed by that , especially because my journal consists of about 15 different paper journals , all of which have about 10 pages in them , and then it got put off somewhere in a cardboard box . But would you talk about if someone has heard you , oh , journaling , wow , and that actually led to what I'm reading in the book How does someone start journaling And what are some pointers that you would have ? Because I run into people all the time going yeah , i tried to journal , didn't work for me .
Speaker 1Yeah , no , i get it , and you know , to be fair , journaling may not be absolutely everybody's cup of tea . That's okay . Everyone's wired a little differently . I'm an introvert , i'm a thinker . I think by writing , it ends up being a great discipline for me . The first thing I would say is write in your journal as though no one will ever , ever , ever , read it .
Speaker 1I think one of the reasons journaling falls short is we write our interesting insights and we go about an inch deep into our lives , whereas a journal is meant to be a place where you pour out your heart . What are the things that you've struggled even to admit to yourself ? Can you be just one bump more honest than you usually are with yourself ? What are some of your hopes ? What are some of your desires ? What are some of your regrets ? What are some of the things you want to be free of ? I mean— , the journal is a place to have a conversation with God and with your own soul , and I think when you can tap into that reality , it brings the practice to life . If the journal is just a place to record your Bible study insights , that's good , but it's the intersection with soul dynamics that , for me , has kept it a living practice for 30-some years .
Speaker 3And what do you mean by soul dynamics ?
Speaker 1It's the what's happening inside of me place . You know , sometimes I've been depressed , but wasn't aware I was depressed And so it just sort of became this environment in which I lived my life . But , like the Psalmist , i could say why so downcast , oh my soul ? I could talk to that place within me . You are so low . What is that ? What's going on there ? Why do you feel that way ? And then to talk to God about it . What would it look like , God , for you to lift me up from this low place in which I find myself ? So soul dynamics are learning what's happening inside of us so that we can cooperate with God in the context of our actual lived experience .
Speaker 3So , alan , as we close out , would you give us the honor of reading from your book a year , slowing down just one of the entries , sure .
Speaker 1Well , this turns out to be day 101 . The title is Closing the Gap . The scripture is the next day . John saw Jesus coming toward him and said look , the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world . John sees Jesus as the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world . He draws this imagery from the experience of sacrifices of lambs and other animals in the temple . They were offered as payment for the people's wrongdoings .
Speaker 1I've sometimes heard these words in a way that sounded like Jesus coming to address my criminal record and secure for me a pardon . There's truth there , but I need a broader vision of Jesus as Lamb of God . This means that if sin is relational separation , jesus comes to take that away as well . Jesus comes to remove every barrier and gap between people and God . Jesus wants everyone to come to the Father . Jesus isn't just a good attorney , he's a good friend .
Speaker 1When I feel distant or even separate from God at times , jesus comes to take away anything that creates such distance . When I may be tempted to focus on how I've stumbled or strayed , jesus comes as the Lamb of God , to address these realities in my life . Our work on behalf of others is carried out in that same spirit . When God gives us someone to share the goodness of Jesus as Lamb of God with , it's about helping them see Him for themselves . Jesus wants to reveal Himself to each of us as the one who brings us close to the Father By the Spirit . Jesus offers Himself as the one who reconnects us with God . He refreshes our religion and brings it back to life . How have you felt distant from God recently ? Let yourself envision Jesus coming to close that gap and draw you in close .
Speaker 3Alan , thank you for reading that . I cannot recommend this book enough . I started out the interview with asking a little bit of a provocative question of why another devotional , but I asked that because I'm a big fan of 365 devotionals . I've never been to read the Bible in a year , guy . I've actually never finished every attempt to do that . One of the things I love and you just reminded me of this is after each daily entry , there are one or two questions for people to reflect on As you read the question . The thing about the questions are they just feel like a really natural extension , as the author , that you would be wrestling with as well . So thank you for this book Again to listeners . I strongly recommend you pick up a copy of A Year of Slowing Down Daily Devotionals for Unhurried Living
and give yourself the gift in 2023 , if not sooner of that five minute retreat . So bless you , brother .
Speaker 1Thank you , friend . It's so good to spend some time with you .
Speaker 2So we've wrapped up another episode of Restoring the Soul . We want you to know that Restoring the Soul is so much more than a podcast . In fact , the heart of what we have done for nearly 20 years is intensive counseling . When you can't wait months or years to get out of the rut you're in , our intensive counseling programs in Colorado allow you to experience deep change in half day blocks over two weeks . To learn more , visit RestoringTheSoulcom . And that's RestoringTheSoulcom .