I have long been a great appreciator of the writings of Eugene Peterson. I realized recently that one of my first introductions to the idea of an unhurried life was from his book The Contemplative Pastor . I still have my 1989 hardcover edition of that book. It it, he has a chapter in which he invited pastors like me to become an “unbusy pastor.” I’m grateful for a full shelf of his books that have taught and mentored me over the decades. But recently, InterVarsity Press released an expanded edi...
Oct 30, 2023•35 min•Ep. 268
Today we're talking about being a mentoring presence, or wise woman, in the lives of others. This really is an encouragement to any woman listening to think of herself as a wise woman in the life of another. The actress, Julia Louis Dreyfus, has a new podcast called “Wiser Than Me.” She is 62 and she interviews women who are older than her. She asks questions so that she can glean life wisdom from other women’s life experiences. So our question today is this: how am I living my life so that, ove...
Oct 30, 2023•51 min
My first book, An Unhurried Life, which was published over ten years ago, had this as it’s subtitle: “Following Jesus' Rhythms of Work and Rest.” Knowing what I know now about our great cultural struggle to rest well, I might have changed that to: “Following Jesus’ Rhythms of Rest and Work . It’s not that rest is more important than work. It’s that real rest is so neglected these days. And many of us are feeling our need for real rest more today than perhaps we ever have. Getting better sleep, s...
Oct 23, 2023•17 min•Ep. 267
Are you now, or have you recently been, in a difficult situation? Most of us have at least one circumstance in our lives, at any given point, that isn’t going the way we had hoped. Today I’m sharing a personal story of climbing a mountain at high elevation. Together, we’ll look at it literally and metaphorically. ______________________________________________________ Follow Gem on Instagram and grab a copy of her new book Hold That Thought . You can also join her in the Replenish Community. Disc...
Oct 16, 2023•7 min
It’s been nearly 45 years ago that I attended a jazz concert sponsored by a Sacramento area church. I was invited to it by my boss, Jim. I had been working for him for a year or two at the Magic Tunnel Car Wash. It was at that concert that Jim’s life, shaped as it was by his love for Jesus, came to make sense to me. When someone asked me why I’d come forward at the end of the concert, my answer was simply, “I want what Jim has.” It was that simple focus on Jesus in Jim’s life and in that little ...
Oct 16, 2023•42 min•Ep. 266
The theme of today’s episode has been fermenting in my thinking and in my rhythm of life for a while now. In fact, I’ll be sharing four episodes this season about rest. Today, I’m going to share some ideas about how exactly might we cultivate a good rest ethic. It’s something with which we’re much less familiar as a culture than a good “work ethic,” but it’s just as important. _________________________________________________________ Connect with Alan on LinkedIn or learn more about Unhurried Li...
Oct 09, 2023•20 min•Ep. 265
I’ve often been captured by a little line in the gospels. The disciples ask a question that has been burning in their hearts and minds, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” We signs of competition among the disciples, each wanting to prove himself the most faithful or the most gifted. They want to know how they can best get to the top in the eyes of Jesus. I don’t think they’re expecting the answer Jesus gives. He says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like littl...
Oct 02, 2023•39 min•Ep. 264
In preparation for co-leading a pilgrimage for women to Italy last month, I spent some time getting to know St. Catherine of Siena and St. Clare of Assisi. These two female saints were quite formidable in their passion and love for God—and what that meant for their own souls and those around them. In Ilia Delio’s book, Clare of Assisi , I found a snippet Clare wrote in a letter to her sister, Agnes. “O most noble Queen, gaze upon [him]. consider [him]. contemplate [him]. as you desire to imitate...
Oct 02, 2023•7 min
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 ke...
Sep 25, 2023•15 min•Ep. 263
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 . Justin describes our interactions with others as either a "snack" or a "meal", and goes on to state "our fullest spirituality is only possible with others." This is a r...
Sep 18, 2023•41 min•Ep. 262
The day this episode releases, I will be in Italy with 15 wonderful women. We will be on a pilgrimage. People have been engaging pilgrimage for centuries. Yes, it is a physical journey but it's also an inward exploration of the soul. Pilgrimage is a chance to connect with your inner life, your deepest held beliefs, and your relationship with God in a focused and intentional way. So how can you embrace the idea of pilgrimage as an element of your lifestyle? _______________________________________...
Sep 18, 2023•10 min
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...
Sep 11, 2023•23 min•Ep. 261
You may have heard me announce here that we now take the month of July each year as a mini sabbatical. I engage no work, no work-related email, and no social media. It is a much-needed way of disengaging that allows body and soul to rest at a deeper level. One benefit of extended time like that is that I can get in touch with ideas, longings, dynamics and desires that typically stay buried underneath the flurry of activity in my day-to-day life. I’d like to share with you one such “get-in-touch”...
Sep 04, 2023•9 min
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. Os Guinness has written or edited more than thirty books, including The Call , Time for Tr...
Sep 04, 2023•29 min•Ep. 260
A while back I had a conversation with a group of leaders. We were talking about spiritual practices and the need for refreshment and refilling. (As you can imagine, I talk about this a lot). One of the people mentioned that this was all fine and good but what about REAL life. I’ve heard this comment many times before, and I typically leave it alone. But more recently I’ve begun to pause the conversation (whether with an individual or a small group) to take a closer look at what “real” means. __...
Aug 21, 2023•8 min
Growing up on our small six-acre farm in Washington was wonderful. As a child, I enjoyed many hours and days of leisure. This was back in the day before the information age. One phone connected to a wall and five channels on the TV (and I was the remote control). I had a pogo stick, a skateboard, a bike and a horse. What else could you need? One of my favorite memories was rolling down a small hill in our front yard. It was probably only a four-foot incline, but for a young one like me it was a ...
Aug 07, 2023•5 min
Today I’m sharing a timely replay from the Unhurried Living Podcast. I interviewed K.J. Ramsey on her book This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers. The entire episode will play, including an introduction of K.J., so for now, I’ll leave you with this. You are not alone in your suffering and K.J. is an expert on this, having suffered physically for years. Listen and take heart. K.J. Ramsey is a trauma-informed licensed professional counselor and author whose work offers space to ...
Jul 17, 2023•44 min
I recently had the pleasure of spending a weekend with my friend, teacher and leader, Jodie Niznik. We talked about fruitfulness inspired by God, as compared to productivity inspired by me…which can sometimes lead to over-giving. We often think we need to accomplish things by direct action. But fruitfulness works a little differently. Jodie and I dig into that and I trust you’ll find some nuggets to tuck away as well as some new action steps. Jodie Niznik, a graduate of Dallas Theological Semina...
Jul 03, 2023•37 min
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 o...
Jun 26, 2023•45 min•Ep. 259
A few months ago a semi-prominent newscaster made a flippant comment about women over 50 not being in their prime. He gave examples from a google search that said women in their twenties and thirties are in their prime. Of course, being a woman over 50, I had some very strong feelings about this dismissive statement. I wanted to say something via social media or email in real time about his comment, but decided not to enter the fray of reactive dialogue. But time passed, and I forgot about the n...
Jun 19, 2023•7 min
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.” She is an author, speaker, podcast host , and leadership coach . She has dedicated her career to growing leadership teams around the world and empo...
Jun 19, 2023•38 min•Ep. 258
Today, we’ll be addressing a critical issue for Christian leaders, especially over the last few years. We’re talking about burnout. In my own coaching work with leaders, individually and in groups, I’ve perhaps never seen the level of burnout that I’m witnessing these days. That’s why I’m glad to be talking with Sean Nemecek about his new book, The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout . You’re going to find this helpful, whether you find yourself at that level of depletion or not. Sean Nemecek is the...
Jun 12, 2023•34 min•Ep. 257
During the first few months of this year I was in a season that one of my pastor’s helped me to name as “reset.” Prior to that I was rumbling along at an accelerated pace and I came to realize it was too much for me. My body and soul spoke loudly at the same time and said, “Enough!” A while back I was sharing with my spiritual director about this reset, a big shift I feel occurring in this, my 59th year of my life. The big 6-0 is looming ahead of me in early 2024 and it's giving me pause. I stil...
Jun 05, 2023•8 min
We’re living in a time when Christian leaders have perhaps never been more in danger of fatigue, exhaustion, even burnout. Earlier this year, I hit my forty-year anniversary in vocational ministry in church or nonprofit settings. The problem of burnout seems at its greatest level in my memory. But there is a spiritual practice that has been both a preventative and a remedy for burnout in my own spiritual experience. It is the practice of spiritual retreat. I’m looking forward to sharing more abo...
Jun 05, 2023•24 min•Ep. 256
It’s been almost thirty-four years ago that a mentor of mine reintroduced me to a passage that would become central to my understanding of the Christian life and ministry. I’m talking about John 15 , where Jesus calls himself the true vine and invites us, as the branches, to make ourselves at home in him. There are so many words and phrases in that passage that God has used as spiritual guidance in a lot of different seasons of my life. That’s why I’m glad to talk to Kyle Idleman about his new b...
May 29, 2023•48 min•Ep. 255
Ronald Rolheiser has said that spirituality has to do with what we do with our longings. How does that line strike you? What are some of your longings these days? Where do you take them? And how do you connect the deep longings of your heart with the real and gracious presence of God with you. This is what we’re going to talk about today as I discuss with my friend, Jeff Crosby, his new book The Language of the Soul . You’re going to find this episode especially timely, I think. Jeff Crosby is a...
May 22, 2023•42 min•Ep. 254
I talk with a lot of leaders, and one of the issues that a lot of them wrestle with is their life of prayer. It often feels a lot easier to do something for God rather than talking with God. But God, as the good Father that he is, wants us to enjoy his presence first, and then join him in his good work in the world. We were made for friendship, and staying relationally present is how that grows. So I’m especially glad to share my this conversation with Tyler Staton about his book Praying Like Mo...
May 15, 2023•37 min•Ep. 253
Every once in a while, I like to reflect on all God has taught me over the previous few months or years. In many ways, that‘s what both my books, What Does Your Soul Love? and Hold That Thought are—a gathering of life lessons learned at the feet of Jesus. Recently I journaled my current, central paradigms. I am grateful for the grace of God shining a light on these important areas. Each of these informs how I view God, myself and others. Over time, I long to grow in love in all three of these re...
May 15, 2023•7 min
This week I share an insight about working with God that has been especially important to me over the years. It’s about the difference between process thinking and event thinking. This idea is one of the many gifts God has given me through mentors. The Christian life is a process, a pathway, a journey. Working with God is, too. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us ....
May 08, 2023•11 min•Ep. 252
It is easy to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders these days because we can see and hear what is going on in most corners of our planet. Psychologically, emotionally, relationally and even physically, this is too much to bear. Postlethwaite’s poetic invitation is to create a clearing inside our own dense forest, and…wait. Wait as a song is given to us (I would add “by God”). Then we will know how to serve. This is an unhurried invitation isn't it? The temptation is always to keep mov...
May 01, 2023•7 min
