Unhurried Living Alan Fadling

Journaling is not for everyone. But it is a proven way to process thoughts and emotions.

In this episode Alan shares about his long-standing practice of journaling as a leader. He knows not everyone keeps a spiritual journal. This episode is not meant to be a guilt trip if this hasn’t been a practice for you so far. He simply wants to share the benefits of the practice in his own experience to either encourage you in your own present practice, or to invite you to experiment with it.

He's been keeping a personal journal since 1990. Presently, as he recorded this episode, it runs over 11,500 pages, contains more than 7.7 million words, and covers 34 years of his life. He doesn’t offer those statistics as an attempt to impress. There are many pages in his journal that you wouldn’t find interesting at all. He shares this to illustrate how important this practice has been in his own life and leadership.

Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast

One of the outcomes of our experience of the Covid-19 pandemic has been to both highlight and to amplify our problem with loneliness and isolation as a culture. That’s why I’m glad to be talking with Justin Whitmel Earley about his new book, Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship, this week on Unhurried Living Podcast.

During our July sabbatical this year, Gem and I made some significant space for personal retreat that we’ve felt bringing fresh energy, creativity, and vision to the work to which we’ve now returned. We enjoyed three days at a retreat house not far from Lassen Volcanic National Park in the northeast corner of California. We then spent three days at a Trappist monastery not far from the first retreat center. In those days, God met with us in that quiet stillness.



I wonder what your own experience of retreat has been. When I think of my years as a young Christian, I remember participating in and then leading a whole lot of youth and young adult retreats in the church. They were exciting and fun. But I would have to say those retreats were more hurried than unhurried.



I’ve simply come to believe that this approach to retreats often misses the gift of uncluttered space and unhurried time with God that could be included, maybe even made the heart of retreat time like this. I’m looking forward to sharing more about this today.

I’m so pleased to share the conversation I had with Os Guinness about his book The Great Quest, where we discuss the relationship between living an examined life and a finding a sense of joyful or hopeful meaning in life. This book is a timely and important message as many are struggling to find meaning deep enough to sustain us. Oz has written a very helpful guide to taking this journey to deeper purpose.

Enjoy this episode of the Unhurried Living Podcast

I’ve shared that one of the unexpected unhurriers of my life has been suffering. And much of that suffering has been more a suffering of soul than physical suffering. Anxiety and depression have too often been familiar companions throughout my life.

For that reason, I’m glad to have a chance to speak with Alan Noble about his recently released book, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden & Gift of Living. In it, he shares his own journey with inner suffering like anxiety and depression, and he offers us a vision of how we might discover the grace of God right in the middle of all that. I’m hopeful you’ll find grace for the hard places in your own soul’s journey.

Alan Noble (PhD, Baylor University) is associate professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University, cofounder and editor in chief of Christ and Pop Culture, and an advisor for the AND Campaign. He has written for the Atlantic, Vox, BuzzFeed, The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and First Things. He is also the author of Disruptive Witness and You Are Not Your Own.

Jo Saxton wrote her book, "Ready to Rise" to encourage women to step into their God-given calling to influence and leadership. She states, “If there was ever a time to uncover our potential and voices—it’s now. Now is the time to boldly and authentically represent God’s goodness in the world, living as channels for His transformative change and power.”

This week I welcome you to an incredible conversation with Jo on taking ownership of your own voice, here on Unhurried Living Podcast.