1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: Life Audio. There's a quiet moment available at the beginning 2 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 1: of each day, a space before the noise rises, before 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 1: the demands begin to speak. Many mornings, though, we move 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: past this moment too quickly and step into hurry before 5 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: we've remembered we are not alone. Today's episode is what 6 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: we call an Unhurried Favorite, an episode that many of 7 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,239 Speaker 1: you have found deeply meaningful. In it, I invite you 8 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:36,160 Speaker 1: to return to a simple, steady way of beginning your day. 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: Hello friends, I'm Alan Faddling and you're listening to the 10 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:43,240 Speaker 1: Unhurried Living podcast, where we inspire you to rest deeper, 11 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,800 Speaker 1: live fuller, and lead better. In this episode, I share 12 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 1: how I begin my day with God, simple life giving 13 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 1: rhythms that help me listen, receive, and walk through the 14 00:00:55,840 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: day grounded in grace rather than driven by her. Though 15 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: my mornings have changed a bit since this episode aired originally, 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: much of what I shared still shapes how I begin 17 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:12,640 Speaker 1: my day with God. After a word from our sponsor, 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: I'll move into our theme for today. If you're new 19 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,200 Speaker 1: to the podcast, welcome. I'm glad you've found us. If 20 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: you haven't already, please subscribe and share this podcast with 21 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 1: your friends and colleagues. In my early years as a 22 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:40,840 Speaker 1: new Christian, my pastors and spiritual leaders often recommended the 23 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: virtue of a morning quiet time. It became a very 24 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:49,840 Speaker 1: meaningful practice for me. Now, sometimes I felt guilty if 25 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: I wasn't as regular as I expected myself to be. 26 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,640 Speaker 1: And I've heard some people refer to this sort of 27 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: practice as old fashioned or legalistic, and it certainly could 28 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: become either one of those things. But I'd like to 29 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: share a little bit about my own morning practices these days. 30 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: Over the years, many different morning spiritual disciplines have nourished me, 31 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: encouraged me, and refocused my attention on God with me, 32 00:02:21,639 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 1: there's nothing magical about meeting with God in the morning. 33 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: I have some rhythms of how I meet with God 34 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: in the evening as well. I just like beginning my 35 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: day with God in some regular ways. It feels like 36 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: a faithful response to Psalm five, verse three, which says, 37 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:45,800 Speaker 1: in the morning, Lord, you hear my voice in the morning, 38 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. So 39 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 1: to be specific, these days, I begin my morning meeting 40 00:02:55,680 --> 00:03:01,720 Speaker 1: with God with fifteen minutes of quiet prayer. Silence is 41 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 1: still often challenging for me. There's something in me still 42 00:03:06,360 --> 00:03:10,920 Speaker 1: that wants to do something, or say something, or accomplish something, 43 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: even just think about something. But I'll often sit in 44 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,519 Speaker 1: a reading chair in my home office that looks out 45 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: into our backyard. Since COVID nineteen, we've kept the line 46 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: of bird feeders back there. There's quite a lively gathering 47 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,840 Speaker 1: of birds every morning. Dozens are having their own morning practice, 48 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 1: and I really enjoy watching them. I thank God for 49 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: his creativity that I see in these beautiful little birds. 50 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: I thank God for his care that reminds me of 51 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: his far deeper care for me. I feel the truth 52 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,880 Speaker 1: of all that, and I come to more deeply trust 53 00:03:53,000 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: in God's love little by little. So this practice of 54 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: being quiet with God in the morning is a kind 55 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 1: of training. I don't always experience that kind of quiet 56 00:04:05,600 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 1: as peaceful. My mind is often rather noisy when I 57 00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: sit to be still and silent. But this practice of 58 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: silence trains me to notice, but not to follow, that 59 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: anxious itchy in her voice. As Jim wrote about in 60 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: her book, Hold that Thought. We are not our thoughts, 61 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: rather we have thoughts. My daily practice of quiet helps 62 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:41,840 Speaker 1: train me to recognize this reality more easily. Another element 63 00:04:41,880 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: of my morning practice is the regular reading of scripture. 64 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: For the first nine months of this year, I read 65 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,880 Speaker 1: through the Gospel of John monthly. I wanted to soak 66 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: in the life and the words of Jesus as John 67 00:04:55,440 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: recounts them. John has long been my favorite of the 68 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: four Gospels because of the divine nature of Jesus that 69 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: shines through his every human interaction. I've long loved, for example, 70 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 1: the Upper Room passage in John chapters thirteen through seventeen. 71 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,159 Speaker 1: So as I read, I'll often take a verse or 72 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: two to my journal and reflect later on it. Prayerfully, 73 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,599 Speaker 1: I'm not trying to do exit Jesus as much as 74 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:33,320 Speaker 1: I'm seeking to hear how these words intersect with my 75 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: today as I find it. How does God's Spirit speak 76 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,839 Speaker 1: these words to me? How is it alive and active 77 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: now in my experience? Now? More recently, I designed a 78 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,600 Speaker 1: quarterly reading plan for the New Testament letters, and so 79 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 1: I've been enjoying the beginning of those readings, soaking in 80 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: those teachings and being guided by God's Spirit through the 81 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: these holy writings. Another way I enjoy the Scriptures each 82 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 1: morning is through singing the Psalms for twenty five years. 83 00:06:10,640 --> 00:06:14,480 Speaker 1: I've found a lot of grace in trainings and retreats 84 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: hosted by monasteries, and most of those have been Benedictine 85 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: monasteries who pray the Psalms multiple times a day in community. 86 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: This way of singing the Psalms using simple plain song 87 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: melodies has been a great gift. Augustine is believed to 88 00:06:36,200 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 1: have said that the one who sings prays twice. Now 89 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: I've been enjoying a new psalm book that was produced 90 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: by Anglican House Publishers. It includes musical notation for a 91 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: number of different plain song melodies that I use when 92 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: I sing the Psalms. In fact, I'll include a couple 93 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: of links related to this resource in the show notes. 94 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: This book of the Psalms guides me in praying through 95 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: most of the Psalms every two months or so. Now, 96 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: another element of my morning practice that has taken shape 97 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: over the years is praying for others. I have a 98 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 1: method of arranging the various circles of people in my 99 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: life using my smartphone notes app, so it syncs with 100 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: my computer and I'm able to add notes in either 101 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: location as I become aware of needs or concerns that 102 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: I want to regularly remember before God. Basically, this weekly 103 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 1: rhythm of intercession begins with a few notes that reflect 104 00:07:42,560 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: praying through my own intentions, my rule of life, some 105 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: real time formational prayers in which I'm seeking God's grace, 106 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: some prayers about my intentions in the areas of eating 107 00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,760 Speaker 1: an exercise, and a few statements of vision, purpose, and 108 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: priority related to our work here at Unhurried Living. For example, 109 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: I regularly pray our mission statement. I also pray for 110 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: my immediate family, my extended family, my close by friends, 111 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: fellow leaders, and others in our church. I pray for 112 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,679 Speaker 1: various persons and events related to the work of Unhurried Living, 113 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: our board and staff, my coaching clients, our donors, our 114 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 1: pace communities, upcoming speaking engagements, peers in spiritual formation, and 115 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: people I've mentored over the years. I also pray for national, state, 116 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,240 Speaker 1: and local government officials and leaders in other parts of 117 00:08:45,320 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: the world I've been honored to serve over the years. 118 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: This rhythm of praying is spread out over a week 119 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: so that I'm able to hold prayerfully all of the 120 00:08:56,920 --> 00:09:01,560 Speaker 1: people and opportunities that have crossed my path and filled 121 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: my life. After the break, I'll continue sharing about how 122 00:09:05,679 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: I begin my day with God. Finally, I read for 123 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: fifteen minutes in a spiritual classic. Recently I finished reading 124 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 1: Julian of Norwich's Showings, which is a fourteenth century vision 125 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: of divine love and trust. She's been encouraging me to 126 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 1: more deeply and fully trust in the unfailing love of 127 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:34,960 Speaker 1: God for me. More recently, I've been working through the 128 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:39,200 Speaker 1: third volume of something called the Philocolia. That's a Greek 129 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,560 Speaker 1: word that means love of the beautiful or love of 130 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:47,160 Speaker 1: the good. It's a collection of writings from early Christian monks, 131 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: people who lived mostly in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, 132 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 1: and Mount Athos. They spent their lives learning how to 133 00:09:55,360 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: live in continual awareness of God's presence. What I love 134 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,680 Speaker 1: about these writings is they don't just fill your head 135 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 1: up with ideas about God. They invite your heart into prayer. 136 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: These are people who prayed far more than they wrote, 137 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: and you can feel that depth when you read them. 138 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: There's just something about daily fellowship with followers of Jesus 139 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:25,400 Speaker 1: from a different era, a different culture, and a different 140 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: tradition that stretches me in the best possible way. These 141 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: practices silence, scripture, reading, praying the Psalms musically it are 142 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: seeding for the people in my life, and reading spiritual classics. 143 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: These have proven to be life giving ways for me 144 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: to remember God and to acknowledge God, to listen for 145 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 1: the voice of God, and to be responsive to God's 146 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: initiative toward me. I think of it more as a 147 00:10:54,800 --> 00:11:00,920 Speaker 1: time of receiving than as a time of spiritual performance. Now, 148 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:04,480 Speaker 1: in all of this, there are a few metaphors that 149 00:11:04,600 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 1: help shape my perspective about these daily morning meetings with God. 150 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:13,920 Speaker 1: So first, I think of these morning meetings with God 151 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: like a meal, simple nourishing and daily. When I open 152 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,600 Speaker 1: the Gospels or the Psalms and I sit in the 153 00:11:23,640 --> 00:11:27,680 Speaker 1: presence of the one who speaks, something in me is fed. 154 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,640 Speaker 1: I bring the hungers and the thirsts of my soul 155 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: to God, and He meets me with what is good 156 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:41,839 Speaker 1: and with what truly satisfies. Second, morning meetings with God 157 00:11:41,880 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: are also training. There are a lot of mournings when 158 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 1: I don't feel like it is a lot stronger than 159 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 1: my felt desire for God. Distraction tries to pull me away. 160 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 1: Busyness and long to do list, whisper that I should 161 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:04,400 Speaker 1: just get started with the work of my day. But 162 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: showing up anyway, day after day is how my soul 163 00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:17,320 Speaker 1: learns persistence. The quiet trains me in presence, presence to God, 164 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: presence to myself, and presence to the others I'll be 165 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: with throughout the day. And engaging scripture in this steady 166 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:31,199 Speaker 1: way expands my inner vocabulary for conversation with God and 167 00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: for sharing the life of God with others. A third metaphor, 168 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,880 Speaker 1: morning meetings with God are a conversation with a friend. 169 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: My mentor Chuck Miller used to say, and I've quoted 170 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: in more times than I can count. Prayer isn't just 171 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: something you do, it's someone you're with. So when I 172 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,160 Speaker 1: sit down in the morning, I'm not performing a spiritual 173 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:01,040 Speaker 1: activity or checking off a box on my to do list. 174 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: I'm meeting with Father and Son in the presence and 175 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:11,439 Speaker 1: the power of the Holy Spirit. It's personal, it's relational, 176 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: it's communion. This is an actual meeting with a living God. Finally, 177 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:25,439 Speaker 1: morning meetings with God are also a response to an invitation. 178 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:30,199 Speaker 1: As a leader, I'm often tempted to define my life 179 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:35,199 Speaker 1: mostly in terms of what I do my activities, my projects, 180 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 1: my productivity. But the unhurried way of Jesus calls me 181 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: to something deeper. In my books An Unhurried Life and 182 00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: an Unhurried Leader, which are actually companions to each other, 183 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: I explore this very idea. Both of those books speak 184 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: about unhurried living and both address unhurried leadership, And so 185 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: I would reckon and if you've found help in an 186 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 1: unhurried life, an unhurried leader continues that same conversation. So, 187 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: in responding daily to God's invitation, we learn that before 188 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: we speak, we must listen. Before we go to work, 189 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:19,960 Speaker 1: we come into the presence of the God, who is 190 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:24,880 Speaker 1: always at work. Before we serve others, we must first 191 00:14:24,880 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 1: receive the service of Jesus in our own lives. And 192 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,239 Speaker 1: before we bless others, we ourselves must receive the continual 193 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: blessing of God. It's such a gift to rise early 194 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 1: and to meet with God. Something happens in my soul 195 00:14:42,440 --> 00:14:45,360 Speaker 1: in those quiet moments that I carry into the rest 196 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: of the day, even if I don't have some dramatic 197 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: feeling in the moment of the meeting. My hope is 198 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 1: that you'll sense the joy of the Father's heart, that 199 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: you'll hear his gentle invitation to come and to be 200 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,560 Speaker 1: with him in whatever way he's inviting you to do that. 201 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:08,320 Speaker 1: He's the kind of father who delights when his children 202 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 1: draw near, not out of duty, but out of love. 203 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 1: Maybe as we close this episode, you can take a 204 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: moment to reflect what has been your own experience of 205 00:15:19,840 --> 00:15:23,720 Speaker 1: meeting with God in the morning. Are there places where 206 00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: you've felt resistance like I do, or seasons when it's 207 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: been hard to show up? Have you struggled to have 208 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: a vision of what that time actually is? And then 209 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: what practices have been especially meaningful for you in these 210 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: times with God? And are there any that feel less 211 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,160 Speaker 1: life giving now than they used to that's worth paying 212 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: attention to? And then, finally, as you look ahead, how 213 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,680 Speaker 1: would you like to meet with God in the days 214 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:57,960 Speaker 1: to come? What might God be inviting you into next? 215 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,920 Speaker 1: However it is you, again, may your mornings be marked 216 00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:07,120 Speaker 1: by grace, by presence, and by the quiet joy of 217 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: knowing that God is already there waiting to meet with you. 218 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,960 Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to the Unhurry Living podcast. To 219 00:16:19,080 --> 00:16:23,320 Speaker 1: learn more about us, visit Unhurryliving dot com. In the 220 00:16:23,360 --> 00:16:27,320 Speaker 1: show notes, you'll find helpful links and information about our partner, 221 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: Live Audio, and all of their other faith centered podcasts.