Unhurried Living | Helping Christians Rest Deeper & Lead Better

No one is going to argue that we have entered uncharted territory with the ongoing dynamics of COVID-19, and then with the painful wounds of injustice that are being rightly protested. It’s a season when we’ve perhaps never needed good leadership more, and when the complications of how leadership will adapt to the needs of this season may never have been higher. When I talk about unhurried leadership, I’m not talking about being slow to respond to real needs. I’m talking about slowing down enough to recognize what the real needs are so that you can be quick to listen and quick to respond.  This is the topic Tod Bolsinger and I  discuss in detail during this podcast. Tod Bolsinger is the vice president and chief of leadership formation and associate professor of leadership formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the author of Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory, It Takes a Church to Raise a Christian: How the Community of God Transforms Lives, and Show Time: Living Down Hypocrisy by Living Out the Faith. A frequent speaker, consultant, and blogger, he serves as an executive coach for corporate, nonprofit, educational, and church organizations in transformational leadership. Tod and his wife, Beth, have two children. Follow him on social at:Twitter @todbol To access Tod’s free content related to Canoeing the Mountains, text “uncharted” to 66866.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We’ve seen the news stories and heard the rumors. Maybe we ourselves have been hurt by a narcissistic church leader. It’s easy to throw the term around and diagnose others from afar—but what is narcissism, really? And how does it infiltrate the church?  Chuck DeGroat has been counseling pastors with narcissistic personality disorder, as well as those wounded by narcissistic leaders and systems, for over twenty years. He knows firsthand the devastation narcissism leaves in its wake and how insidious and painful it is. In When Narcissism Comes to Church, DeGroat takes a close look at narcissism not only in ministry leaders but also in church systems. He offers compassion and hope for those looking to heal from its systemic effects He also offers hope for narcissists themselves—not by any shortcut, but by the long, slow road of genuine recovery.  Chuck DeGroat is professor of pastoral care and Christian spirituality at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and senior fellow at Newbigin House of Studies in San Francisco. He served as a pastor at churches in Orlando and San Francisco and founded two church-based counseling centers. He is a licensed therapist, spiritual director, and the author of Toughest People to Love and Wholeheartedness.  Follow Chuck on social media at:Instagram @chuckdegroatFacebook @chuckdegroatTwitter@chuckdegroat Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Alan loved getting the opportunity to talk with a fellow author about the challenge of hurry in our world today. Today, we're sharing his recent conversation with Jeff Bethke, author of To Hell With the Hustle. In today’s episode, you’ll gain insight into how we can reclaim our lives in an overwhelmed, overspent, and overconnected world. Jeff is the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus > Religion and It’s Not What You Think. He and his wife, Alyssa, host The Real Life Podcast and run FamilyTeams.com, an online initiative equipping families to live as a multigenerational team on mission. They live in Maui with their daughters, Kinsley and Lucy, and son, Kannon. You can learn more about his work at jeffandalyssa.com.Connect socially with Jefferson on:Twitter @jeffersonbethkeInstagram @jeffersonbethkeYouTube @https://www.youtube.com/user/bball1989 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Today we’re sharing a five part framework for change. We’ve been using this process in our own lives for years and it has kept us on track.Last Fall, our book What Does Your Soul Love? was published. It’s a book about necessary change--a book about how to cooperate with the transforming work of God in us and through us. What does it take to stay on this journey of change over our lifetime?We know that you’re the kind of person who is hungry to make good progress in your life and in your work. You aren’t willing to settle for the driven pace and frantic values of the culture around you. And we all know that the changes brought about by COVID-19 have added a whole new layer of challenges.Some of us have been able to lean into a more relaxed posture with the current guidance on staying at home and social distancing. Some of us are struggling with all this.We are here to help you live and work better with less hurry. So, this summer we are offering two group coaching opportunities that we believe are going to help you navigate this season in which we find ourselves.We share here the five-part framework we’ll use in these groups. It’s a framework that you can use in any situation needing change in your life.Learn more here: http://unhurriedliving.com/coaching Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Many of us treat suffering like a problem to fix. Simply put, we’d rather not suffer at all, but if we do, we prefer it to be short. But what if our pain or suffering linger? What if it doesn’t go away quickly or at all? We may wonder if God sees us or if we’ve somehow failed God. We may question God’s very nature. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt?   Today, Gem is talking with KJ Ramsey who has suffered with pain every day for the last 11 years. And she has much to say about the presence and love of God in the midst of that pain. Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. http://kjramsey.com/preorderSocial Media: @kjramseywrites Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The radical changes to our lives and our work continue as we stay home and distance ourselves to slow the spread of the coronavirus. We don’t know how this has impacted your emotions, but we’ve wrestled with anxious thoughts and feelings many times since our stay-at-home orders began in mid-March.  On Sunday after Easter, Alan spoke for our online church service on the theme of peace. We needed it then, and we need it now. The good news of Jesus brings us peace in these uncertain times. Instagram: @unhurriedlivingFacebook: unhurriedlivingYouTube: unhurriedliving Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

According to our guest, Josh Larsen, “Films and faith have been intertwined in my head since childhood. As a practicing film critic, I hope to encourage other Christians in a nuanced, aesthetically focused, and theologically rooted exploration of the art of cinema.”Movies Are Prayers explores how modes of prayer—praise, confession, lament—are modeled by all types of films. In this fashion, Josh’s book illuminates the richness of both cinema and prayer. Josh Larsen is the co-host of the podcast Filmspotting. He is also the editor of Think Christian, a digital magazine on faith and culture, Larsen has influenced the minds of moviegoers on the applicability of stories to real life, spirituality, and faith for years. You can read Josh's movie reviews at his website, larsenonfilm.com. Connect with Josh:Twitter @LarsenOnFilmFacebook @larsenonfilm Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We are living in one of the most polarizing times in terms of the public conversation that I can remember in forty years of adult life. And we are being invited to be the people of God in this very world. What is Jesus inviting us to? What is on the heart of Jesus for his people in such a time as this. And how does Jesus’ prayer that we would be one as he and the Father are one provide guidance for us now? Alan recently enjoyed a conversation with Greg Holder about his book The Genius of One. Here is a description of what the book’s about: “The world is fractured. Tensions are high, patience is low, and goodwill is hard to come by. In The Genius of One, author Greg Holder reminds us of the high value Jesus and his early followers placed on community and offers guidance for how to see and relate to one another in emotionally and spiritually healthy ways so that we, the Church, can fulfill Jesus’ prayer for us and model a better way of loving on another in a fractured world."Doesn’t that sound like something we need today perhaps more than we ever have? Greg Holder is a pastor, author, speaker, and story-teller. He has been the Lead Pastor for 20+ years at The Crossing, a multi-site church that reaches 8,000+ people across four campuses in the St. Louis, Missouri area and a thriving online community. He is the author of The Genius of One, Advent Conspiracy, and translator of the book of Jeremiah for The Voice Bible. The Genius of One Conference has trained 1,000+ pastors across India, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. With a diverse assortment of interest, gifts, and training, including degrees in psychology and counseling, Greg brings unique insight into the development of God-honoring relationships. Greg’s next book, Never Settle, will be released in Fall 2020 through NavPress. You can connect with Greg at the following:Facebook @GregHolder0Instagram @GregHolder_Twitter @GregHolder_ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Welcome to the Unhurried Living Podcast. Today, we are sharing another Inhaling Grace audiobook episode. We pray that these might be a few moments of remembering God’s grace that is with you, here and now, as you listen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

“A celebration of hope. An encounter with grace. A restoration of the heart. A healing of wounds. An anthem of freedom. All Along You Were Blooming is the ultimate love letter from the pen of popular Instagram poet Morgan Harper Nichols to your mind, to your heart, to your soul, and to your body.” This is a description of Morgan’s new book, All Along You Were Blooming. But it’s an even greater way to describe Morgan herself. A hopeful, gracious, restoring healing artist and creative. We just “happened” to meet each other last year at a workshop (you’ll hear more about that in a bit). And we have become friends over the course of this last year. Morgan is an old soul in the best sense of that phrase. I always enjoy her presence because she likes to “go there” so easily. Our conversation takes us all over the place: from growling stomachs to pregnancy and from suffering to slowness – you will love Morgan. And I hope you are inspired to connect with your inner creative.  Follow Morgan on InstaGram at:@morganharpernicholsYou can fine her book at the All Along Your Were Blooming at the following locations:Paper Source:https://www.papersource.com/desk/she-will-make-beautiful-things-notepad-10011553.htmlB&N - All Along You Were Bloominghttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-along-you-were-blooming-morgan-harper-nichols/1130949248?ean=9780310454076Target – All Along You Were Bloominghttps://www.target.com/p/all-along-you-were-blooming-by-morgan-harper-nichols-hardcover/-/A-76452381 Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.