Today, Alan talks with Dr. Matthew Sleeth about his latest book, Hope Always: How to Be A Force for Life in a Culture of Suicide . It’s a difficult but timely theme. We’ve been living through a season that has stretched many of us to what feel like our very limits. By the way, this episode is airing at the end of September, which has been Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It seemed to be a very good time to have this conversation about a reality that is just the opposite of God’s great desire ...
Sep 27, 2021•31 min•Ep. 194
If you could see me right now you would notice that my hair is at least four different colors. I tried easing into my grey hair last year about three months into the pandemic. “This is the perfect time,” I thought. But then, as it grew out, I began to doubt the aging process and decided to color again. Well, last November I decided to go for it one more time. So about four inches from my roots down is a wonderful mix of white and black, and the rest is a couple of shades of brown. Fortunately, f...
Sep 27, 2021•7 min
Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. Today, Alan is talking with friends Jeb Shore and John Freeman about the effect of hurry on our souls and the correlation that people make between anxiety and concern. We invite you to listen in on this leadership conversations that will help you to develop healthy rhythms of rest and work, and to live fuller in friendship with God. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us ....
Sep 20, 2021•32 min•Ep. 193
Picture this. I’m in Hawaii enjoying some wave jumping near the shoreline. It’s all going fine until a sudden, rogue wave comes in behind me and sends me into a spin. Arms and legs are now flying and my prescription sunglasses are knocked off and lost forever. A moment of play turns into a nose full of water and an unexpected scare. Do you ever feel like this in your life? You’re just out there trying to enjoy the waves of relationships and responsibilities. And all of a sudden, a big one rolls ...
Sep 20, 2021•7 min
In our book, What Does Your Soul Love? , in addition to the 8 powerful questions, I offer a Process for Transformation, nine simple dynamics for change. Today I want to talk about the first three dynamics that make up the Posture of Transformation. The Posture of Transformation is about your inner stance toward change itself. It’s good to check in on this because it’s one thing to want to grow and change in general, or in a particular area of your life. It’s another to be truly open to all of wh...
Sep 13, 2021•7 min
Welcome to the first episode of ICDT! I’m glad you’re leaning in right from the beginning! I’m looking forward to growing together! The energy that gave birth to this podcast really emerged from my own need for keeping things simple. Life can, of course, be complicated. But we can learn to nurture an unhurried heart. We can adjust our inner pace so that we become responders rather than reactors to the flurry around us. I’m so looking forward to walking with you week by week as we explore this to...
Sep 13, 2021•8 min
“I don’t have time for this!” I gritted my teeth and barked at my then 5-year-old son. I was in a hurry to get somewhere and my son had forgotten his shoes in the house. He ran to get them as I fumed. As I pulled out of the driveway, my exclamation haunted me, I don’t have time for this? I was a stay-at-home mom at the time. If I didn’t have time to care for my sons, what in the world did I have time for? That moment began a work in my heart to change my orientation to time. Today, on the I Can ...
Sep 13, 2021•8 min
Hey friends. Welcome to episode 192 of the Unhurried Living Podcast. We're hopeful that our time together will help you rediscover an unhurried way of life and leadership. Today we are sharing a conversation with Pete Scazzero about his latest book, Emotionally Healthy Discipleship . When we launched the podcast in Spring 2017, Pete was among our first guests. I wanted to talk with him about his earlier book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader because I had just finished my final draft of An Unhu...
Sep 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 192
Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. You’re invited to listen to leadership conversations that will help you to develop healthy rhythms of rest and work, and to live fuller in friendship with God. We hope this podcast will help you to overcome hurry and make time for what matters most. Today Alan is offering more about the shape of the podcast moving into the future. He's interviewing an author or sharing a leadership roundtable. He's just sharing his heart a bit in hopes that you’ll find fr...
Sep 06, 2021•12 min•Ep. 191
As the old adage says, “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” And we completely agree. And we’d like to propose that you could replace the word “laughter” with the word “gratitude” and the phrase still works. Gratitude is such good medicine, and we’re going to enjoy a big, heaping helping of it today. Whenever we lead a retreat, one of the holy rhythms we’ve practiced for years is ending them with focused reflection. One of these practices we call “Looking Back, Looking Ahead.” We offer our retreatant...
Aug 30, 2021•29 min•Ep. 190
Last week, we shared the news that we’ll be launching a new podcast with Gem as host. It will be called “I Can Do That!” We will also be relaunching the Unhurried Living podcast with Alan as host. You’ll get a chance to listen in on leadership conversations that will help you rediscover the genius of following Jesus’ unhurried way of life and leadership. Gem and Alan are looking forward to sharing more about this with you on today. It’s hard to believe that Unhurried Living has been producing th...
Aug 23, 2021•21 min•Ep. 189
Growth is good. This is one of our undercurrent beliefs here at Unhurried Living. So I am excited to share with you that this podcast is growing, or I guess I should say, multiplying! We’re going to give you all the details right here and right now, on the Unhurried Living Podcast. The Unhurried Living podcast has been coming at you for four years now. It has been our privilege to provide content to encourage and inspire. And we’ve enjoyed interviewing so many amazing people about such important...
Aug 16, 2021•21 min•Ep. 188
Over the summer, we have shared nine episodes of our podcast we called “Unhurried Favorites.” Today is our tenth and final summer favorite and we’re sharing “Attachment and Attunement: Finding Homebase in the Heart of God with Summer Joy Gross .” Summer and Gem discuss neuroscience, attachment and spiritual practices. This is the heartbeat of Summer’s work and she shares with such grace and care. Summer is the curator of a program called The Presence Project where she helps women connect with Go...
Aug 09, 2021•46 min•Ep. 187
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “10,000 Minutes: Following Jesus All Week Long” with recording artist Tim Timmons . In this episode, Tim and I talk about what it looks like to follow Jesus day-by-day, moment-by-moment. We talk about some of the holy rhythms and habits that have helped Tim cultivate this way of living and walking with Jesus. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about adve...
Aug 02, 2021•34 min•Ep. 186
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “What Does Your Soul Love, Part 2.” In this episode Gem and I unpack the second four of the eight questions from our book, " What Does Your Soul Love? ". We address the themes of pain, fear, control and joy. It’s really in learning to live these questions rather than seeking quick-fix answers to them that we are transformed. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and in...
Jul 26, 2021•32 min•Ep. 185
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “What Does Your Soul Love, Part 1.” In this episode Alan and I unpack the first four of the eight questions from our book, " What Does Your Soul Love? ". We address the themes of desire, resistance, vulnerability and truth. It’s really in learning to live these questions rather than seeking quick-fix answers to them that we are transformed. Discover more Christian podcasts at life...
Jul 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 184
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “The Common Rule” with author Justin Whitmel Earley. A key focus for continually cooperating with the transforming work of God both in us and through us is to develop a Spirit-guided and Spirit-empowered rule or rhythm of life. Learning to cultivate simple and regular habits that help us cooperate with the work God is doing is us is strategic. We also wanted to let you know that b...
Jul 12, 2021•46 min•Ep. 183
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “ The Next Right Thing with Emily P. Freeman .” Emily is another trusted and wise voice and any of you who listen to her podcast know this. In our conversation we discuss being ourselves, the writing process, listening to our bodies, the idea of receiving people, and serving from overflow. Today, we are going to talk about being exactly who you are wherever you go and sharing from...
Jul 05, 2021•38 min•Ep. 182
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “Attachment to God” with author Jim Wilder. Gem and I had an encouraging and very helpful conversation with Jim about his book Renovated. We loved how Jim unpacked how our relationship with God and our formation into the likeness of Christ is rooted in connection with God. Christian faith has often focused on right beliefs and right choices as the key to personal growth. But bibli...
Jun 28, 2021•46 min•Ep. 181
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “Finding Freedom from Constant Comparison with Richella Parham.” Richella is a wise and trusted friend and I you’ll love the reminder to step out of the comparison trap and learn to more fully express your true self. We also wanted to let you know that beginning in September, Unhurried Living will give birth to a brand-new podcast, called “I Can Do That!” and it will be hosted by ...
Jun 21, 2021•50 min•Ep. 180
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “Intentional Soul Care.” I’ve often said that one of the greatest challenges for men and women of influence is the care of their own souls. It’s rare when someone asks another who is leading them about how their souls are doing, so intentionality about soul care is key. We also wanted to let you know that beginning in September, Unhurried Living will give birth to a brand-new podc...
Jun 14, 2021•20 min•Ep. 179
Over the summer, we are sharing ten episodes of our podcast we’re calling “Unhurried Favorites.” Today we’re sharing “How to Take a Restful Vacation.” This may seem odd considering we are still knee deep in the dynamics of the pandemic. And yet we are seeing people becoming more active than before. So whether you are planning a getaway or a staycation, we hope you’ll find these insights useful as you make your way toward some rest. In this episode Alan and Gem share their experiences during a dr...
Jun 07, 2021•28 min•Ep. 178
Here at Unhurried Living, we are often trying to find any number of ways to invite you into the depth of the work God wants to do both in you and through you for the good of others. One of Paul’s prayers has him asking that God would powerfully strengthen us inwardly through his Spirit so that Christ might dwell in our hearts more fully. Doesn’t that sound inviting? Well, today I’m glad to be sharing a recent conversation on this theme of depth that I had with Rich Villodas (vee-yo-duss) about h...
May 31, 2021•33 min•Ep. 177
The connection between our minds and our bodies is undeniable. And even though the scientific world confirms this, practically speaking, we don’t always know how to make the most of this God-designed connection. Our guest today is Sarah Panther and she is going to talk about this connection by sharing her story of ongoing chronic illness and how she has moved to greater healing. Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. Sarah Jackson Panther is a health coach and writer. She works with people nav...
May 24, 2021•39 min•Ep. 176
If you’re a follower of Christ, and most of you who listen to this podcast would likely describe yourself that way, a big part of that experience is church. The church is a gathering of fellow-students of Christ. The church is people. The church is a kind of kingdom outpost wherever it has been planted in the world. Today, I’m talking with Jason Feffer about the community he leads called The Practice . We talk about our experiences of church, and how God has been leading them to be together week...
May 17, 2021•48 min•Ep. 175
Today we find ourselves at the intersection of neuroscience and creativity with my friend, Amy Pierson. Amy firmly believes that creativity cracks open the soul, each and every one of us is God’s favorite, and living artfully is living authentically. Amy is a long time friend from the spiritual formation community. We met many years ago and have only been together in person a handful of times, but she is the kind of person that you simply pick up where you left off the last time. Intelligent, so...
May 10, 2021•49 min•Ep. 174
If you were to walk around our neighborhood these days, you’d see a number of homes that are being remodeled. Some of the work is so extensive that no one is living in those homes while the work is being done. But the goal is, of course, to rebuild those houses so that they can become homes again. Many of us are experiencing what some have called the “deconstruction of faith.” Something that made sense and worked before doesn’t seem to anymore. The constructions of faith that we were given aren’...
May 03, 2021•37 min•Ep. 173
Letting go is hard, isn’t it? For most of us, it’s about admitting that we aren’t in control, and that is difficult. My dear friend, Marla Christian, is with me today and we’re going to talk about the freedom of releasing our grip on people and circumstances. Marla has long been a part of the Al Anon community and I have learned so much from her about letting go. I can’t wait for you to learn from her. Marla Christian is the CFO of Corporate Benefit Planners a business-to-consumer insurance agen...
Apr 26, 2021•44 min•Ep. 172
I want to read some familiar words from the scriptures that I think have special relevance to the situation in which we find ourselves these day. Jesus is speaking, and says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, [they] will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” I really appreciate that last line. The life Jesus has come to announce to us and make available to us is meant to ...
Apr 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 171
I have long believed the practice of gratitude and looking back in discernment is crucial for a well-lived life. In Morgan Harper Nichols ’ new book, " How Far You Have Come ", we are invited to notice and give thanks for our growth along the journey of life. With her unique style, and deep, soulful heart, Morgan guides us yet again with her stories, poems and art. I’m honored to call Morgan a friend. We met, by chance, at a workshop a couple of years ago and had an immediate connection. I was s...
Apr 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 170
